I’m happy to be going live with pilot.dance!
I say “live” in the strictest, most legal sense of the word. I’ll cover that later.
What’s the deal?
For a while now, I’ve been meaning to put together a site that lets me write more at length about my preferred arcade dance game. I certainly am no stranger to discussions about StepManiaX, considering my Discord message history and prior commentary blocks at tournaments. But both those mediums aren’t quite satisfactory for anything beyond conversation alone - which is the sort of thing I want to address with this website.
It’s easy enough to list off what I plan to do with this site on the about page, but I also figure it’s a good opportunity to also write a little bit about why I’ve started up this site.
You Could Learn A Thing Or Two…
Quite a few players have come to me to say they find my insights into SMX valuable or helpful to them. I’ve given out a lot of advice, specific chart/song knowledge, and plenty of fun facts both to a broader audience and to individuals on request. It’s been great to receive kudos and thanks for this over the years!
There’s a lot of information I’ve shared across various channels over the years that has come mostly from the top of my head, and I don’t have a lot of it really formally written down anywhere. I want to get that knowledge recorded in a manner that’s a little more accessible (and digestible) than off-the-cuff data points strewn across time and space. Throwing it together in a website is best for ease of access and searchability, and to me a little more dignified than several volumes of Google Docs links.
Additionally, I think it’s important to organize these thoughts and express them in a more orderly fashion than a string of messages or list of bullet points as I have previously done so. Formatting information into written guides will also help restore my long-dormat writing chops. (It’s a skillset I have allowed to atrophy for over a decade, and I regret that.)
…And Also See What’s New
The other major objective I have with this site is to cover news, if you will, for the game.
I first began playing StepManiaX and following along with happenings related to the game in 2022. My first year with the game had some of my favorite content updates of all time - the back half of the year was filled with heavy hitters like the August double-update, the October update that brought one of my favorite charts to the game (Stop & Go), and the last update of the year bringing Crab Rave to the game. There was a lot about the game itself that excited me in my first year playing it.
When I look back on that first year and the year that followed it (2023), I feel like I got invested in the game at just the right time - witnessing the game build momentum, release its own Edit mode, grow a broader community, and pick up steam with its public rollout. Increased attention towards things happening about the game - not just what was happening within it - also lead me to travel across the country to my first tournament in Las Vegas, kickstarting my involvement in the competitive scene I have come to be incredibly appreciative of.
It’s an honor to not only be involved in the community, but also now to be connected within it as well. It’s always been a pleasure to kick back drinks with the competitive scene’s hardworking organizers, and the opportunity to meet the Step Revolution team directly at IAAPA last year was a phenomenal experience. There is so much to be appreciative of and excited for regarding this game, and I owe that to the people surrounding it. So to that extent, I also want to do my part in getting people excited and enthusiastic about what happens in the world of StepManiaX.
Sometimes, I Need A Good Push Too
I’ve been drafting a few chart analyses and some general-purpose writeups. It’s been challenging to find the time to not only draft them, but then revise and ask a few close friends to read for clarity and sanity of content. It’s also very easy to fall into indolence and simply not do any of that, as I’ve sort of done so for a month or two now. Whoops!
By putting myself out here, in a moment of lucidity and a burst of productivity, I’m aiming to hold myself accountable for content on the site. I also know that time is limited before there are more tournament ongoings or content updates - things that are regular occurrences worthy of site material - and that I would deeply regret missing more opportunities to write “in real time” as I already have due to sitting on this project for a short while.
And my last objective here is to be sincere with the material as well. I have a lot of respect for this game, its contributors, and the community surrounding it; anything I write here ought to convey that respect. There’s always joy to be had with quick wit and clever jabs over Discord or Twitch chats as I’ve done for years running, but here I intend to hang up the proverbial jester hat and stick to material that’s clear-cut and constructive. (I do love a good wisecrack, and rest assured that’s not stopping for anyone who is highly integrated to the game’s community ecosystem.)
What’s Next?
I’m hoping to have some analytical material up within a few weeks’ time. Life obligations beyond StepManiaX have kept me rather busy, but not busy enough to have a first pass of one chart analysis done and a few general-purpose “how to get good at this specific thing” articles outlined. The writing and revising will take some time until I figure out my flow for it - but again, I’m starting things up now to push myself to figure that out faster. If a content update or significant development for StepManiaX comes to pass, I’ll be on that material immediately.
I will also be returning to some social media platforms (if not setting up new accounts) and sharing updates on them when I have new material posted. All the links are on the home page for this site, and I encourage you to connect on those platforms if you wish to be updated more readily when something goes up on this very website.
And, last but far from least - you ought to follow along on social media anyway for the time-honored tradition of scoreposting. Have you seen my Stars (Wild 24) perfect score?
Now you have.