User:Chardish/FFR

'All of the servers are currently down, and will probably never be back until further notice. Click on the link below for more information: ' http://tasselfoot.com/2009/11/13/the-ffr-lo-down/comment-page-2/#comment-183

Flash Flash Revolution is a web-based simulation of Dance Dance Revolution, a video game made by a small group of individuals. FFR runs on a website driven by a custom content management system written by the FFR coding team. Flash Flash Revolution allows those who cannot afford the large pads of Dance Dance Revolution or other rhythm games like Guitar Hero to enjoy a rhythm game. Because it runs on Flash, it can be quickly picked up and played, as it does not need to be installed.

Flash Flash Revolution R1
FFR derives its name from the fact that it is coded entirely in Adobe Flash. It is coded almost entirely by a man named James Webb who calls himself Synthlight.

The goal of FFR is to attain the highest score possible by tapping out a rhythm using the arrow keys on the keyboard. The player begins by selecting a song - each song has its own unique pattern of arrows. There are five ways that you can have the arrows set to move in (from left to right, as seen in game): When a moving arrow aligns with one of the static arrows, the player is to hit the corresponding arrow on the keyboard.
 * From right to left (arrows arranged vertically on the left side in the order Up, Left, Right Down)
 * From left to right (arrows arranged vertically on the right side in the order Up, Left, Right Down)
 * From top to bottom (arrows arranged horizontally on the bottom side in the order Left, Down, Up, Right)
 * From bottom to top (arrows arranged horizontally on the top side in the order Left, Down, Up, Right)
 * From top to bottom diagonally (in an X pattern, with Down and Up arrows on the bottom left, and Left and Right arrows on the bottom right)

Usually, the moving arrows reach the static arrows with the beat of the song being played. However, older songs in the game often do not have synchronized arrows and music. Some older songs, however, do have correct synchronization but no Noteskins (the arrow colors that determine what type of note is being played). These flaws may eventually be corrected. Some sim artists choose to incorporate off-beats as well as patterns representing a faster tempo than the music plays; for example 16th 'notes' while 4th 'notes' are being played, although these are usually discouraged.

The player receives a rating on each arrow they hit, based on how close to the beat they hit it: PERFECT!, GOOD, or AVERAGE. Each arrow they hit increases a combo count by one. If the player hits an arrow on the keyboard when they do not need to, they receive a BOO! and a minor score penalty. If they fail to hit an arrow that they should, they receives a MISS and their combo is reset to zero. Maintaining a high combo is essential to receiving a high score.

New music is constantly being added to the game. As FFR is a completely free and non-profit game, it is difficult for the staff to attain royalties for copyrighted and commercial music - meaning much of FFR's music is created by independent musicians, or FFR's in-house artists. However, the game has secured some song rights from commercial artists, such as hip-hop artist Azim and techno-punk band Mindless Self Indulgence. FFR also has the rights for the song Delirium by Smiley (Kyle Ward, also known as KaW, Inspector K, Banzai, K-Bit) which was made popular by its inclusion in the game In The Groove.

R1 has been through many versions, and is currently in its beta .704 state. Because FFR is extremely full-featured for a Flash game, it has attracted a large Internet community on its chat room and forums. Currently, there are over 1,300,000 registered users in FFR, and it continues to expand.

R1 Features
FFR R1 has some unique features that off-line DDR simulators such as Dance With Intensity and StepMania do not. For example, R1 allows users to win credits by scoring in the game. As a user accumulates credits, more levels in the "Secret" section are unlocked. R1 also allows users to challenge each other to win opponents' credits. The newest build (.704) allows users to complete their challenges in realtime, via a newly-instated in-game chat. In addition, FFR has an online high score list, making it a very competitive game in the community. R1 also features a shop, where users may exchange credits in exchange for new songs. R1 has 320 songs and twelve genres, with almost 50 million gameplays each month. While Stepmania and Dance With Intensity may have a more complex layout, FFR is entirely online, requiring only a flash enabled browser. To many of the players' delight, the "speedmod" feature was recently added. This allows players to choose the speed at which the arrows scroll at. The choices are 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, 2x and 3x. The base speed is c300, making 2x c600, 3x c900, etc..

Multiplayer
FFR R1 features a Multiplayer mode, where players from all over the world can face each other head to head, for experience points. More experience points are gained from beating a player with a higher level. A player's level is based on the amount of experience points. Since its creation, FFR Multiplayer has had over three million games played, with several thousand matches per day. Multiplayer hasn't become as popular as the single-player component of FFR partly because it tends to lag older computers, causing the player to miss.

Notable artists featured in Flash Flash Revolution R1
The following artists have one or more of their songs featured as playable levels in Flash Flash Revolution R1. All songs are used with permission. 


 * Banya
 * Celldweller
 * DJ Sharpnel
 * DM Ashura
 * Freezepop
 * Joy Electric
 * Kyle Ward
 * LoveHateHero
 * Mindless Self Indulgence
 * Onoken
 * Tom Lehrer
 * Valencia
 * Venetian Snares
 * Zao
 * Mosaic.wav

Flash Flash Revolution R2
FFR's new version, entitled R2, was released on November 25th, 2004, and brought an entirely new engine to FFR gameplay. R2 simulates Dance Dance Revolution much better than the older version (now known as R1) did. R2 is a completely non-profit project concept created by Synthetic Light Studios. Soccr743 was chosen to lead the coding on this particular version. All of the songs are synchronized to the beat correctly and have backgrounds, and the overall quality of steps is much better. Due to the fact it is only in Beta 1 (as of this writing), there are some glitches.

The game is very resource-intensive, especially for a Flash game, and requires quite a bit of processing power to run correctly. At least 1.5 GHz is needed to run it effectively, and 2 GHz is optimal. However, the game engine will be revised for Beta 2, and the revised engine will feature improved performance.

The current version of FFR R2 is .12

R2 Features

 * Online highscore list
 * 4 difficulty levels for almost every song
 * 20 songs
 * Accurately synchronized steps
 * DDR simulation
 * Customizable controls
 * New versus mode for two players
 * Frame rate display on all songs

R2 Mechanics and Gameplay
Visually and stylistically, R2 is very similar to DDR. The main difference is that DDR is played on a pad and R2 is played on a keyboard. Due to this fact, the average song on R2 is much more difficult than the average song on DDR. Other than these factors, R2 is played in the same manner as DDR.

R2 vs. R1
R2 lacks many of the features of R1, such as challenges, online multiplayer support, and unlocking new songs. R2 is not and never was intended to be a replacement for R1, and both are in concurrent development. However, as of this writing, after a spurt of development for R2, R1 has become more active.

Other Games at FFR
In addition to Flash Flash Revolution itself, two other games have been developed at FFR: SpinItUp and MeTrivia.

SpinItUp
SpinItUp is another rhythm game, controlled by the mouse on your computer. The first thing that is seen when a SpinItUp game is started is a circle with one section highlighted. This highlighted section is the cursor, and its position is determined by the position of the mouse onscreen. Arc-like "spins" emerge from the center of the circle and touch the outer ring to the beat of the music. The object of the game is to attain the highest percentage score by lining the cursor up with the oncoming spins as perfectly as possible. SpinItUp recently received a drastic overhaul, sporting a updated look and many new features such as four-player multiplayer.

MeTrivia
Metrivia is a multiplayer trivia game that has been given its own website. A host player creates a "room" in which the game takes place, and other players join via the lobby. After a set amount of time, questions begin. The room keeps track of the correct and wrong answers for each player and displays their percentage of questions answered correctly. Metrivia has many different categories of trivia to choose from, and a new feature allows members to create their own custom trivia kits.

FFR

 * Flash Flash Revolution site
 * FFR Chat
 * FFR Forums
 * FFR R1 V .704
 * FFR R2 V .12
 * FFR Resonance
 * Spin It Up
 * MeTrivia
 * Profiles
 * FFR MySpace #1
 * FFR MySpace #2