Roxor Games, In The Groove Step Charts
Gameplay Artist · 2006 · 2 min read
Authored roughly 70% of the step charts for In The Groove, the DDR-style rhythm game, across its PC release and arcade-bound sequel, focusing on the demanding doubles charts.
Overview
I was brought on as a gameplay artist for In The Groove, a four-arrow rhythm game in the mold of Dance Dance Revolution, to author its step charts, the patterns players step to in time with the music.
Problem
A rhythm game lives or dies by its charts: how the steps map to the music. Roxor needed charts, especially the complex doubles charts, made by someone who understood what makes patterns genuinely fun to play, not just hard.
Constraints
- Charts had to satisfy a discerning competitive community
- Doubles charts span two stages and eight arrows, and are the hardest to author well
Approach
My craft is built on figuring out what makes a pattern feel good: where its difficulty should come from, how it paces, and how the steps echo the music so a chart has character rather than just raw difficulty.
Key Decisions
Focus on doubles charts Reasoning Alternatives Doubles, eight arrows across two stages, are the hardest to author well, and where my community expertise added the most value.
- Spread effort evenly across all difficulties
Tech Stack
- Step chart authoring
- Rhythm game design
- DDR simulators
Result & Impact
- Contribution: Authored roughly 70% of the game's step charts
My charts live on across other mediums, and the work remains a foundational lesson in designing for feel.
Learnings
- Designing for 'feel' and enjoyment is a discipline of its own
- Community feedback sharpens craft
Rhythm games, Dance Dance Revolution especially, were my world for years. I was internationally recognized both for playing and for thinking hard about what made gameplay good, spending that time authoring custom step charts for songs in free DDR simulators and eventually writing a thesis on step chart design: what makes a pattern easy or hard to perform, and how to give a song character.
That is what brought Roxor to me. I worked first on In The Groove 2 for PC, then on In The Groove 3, slated for an arcade release, authoring roughly 70% of its charts before that release was derailed by Roxor’s legal battle with Konami. The charts still live on across other mediums.