_____________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ ___________________________________________________ | | | TTTTTTT EEEEE TTTTTTT RRRR IIIII SSSSS | | T E T R R I S | | T EEEE T RRRRR I SSSSS | | T E T R R I S | | T EEEEE T R R IIIII SSSSS | |___________________________________________________| -=Original Game Boy Tetris=- ____________________________________________________________________________ --------FAQ Created by Matt Mossman - a.k.a. "Czar-Matt", "Lachdannan"------ --------E-mail Address = Silent_Blisss@yahoo.com -------------------------- --------Version 'Final' - Copywrite September 4th 2002-------------------- ____________________________________________________________________________ **Contents** -1. Learn a bit about the game -Who Made It -Tetris Spawns -2. Game Play -3. The Playing Field -4. The Pieces -5. Scoring -6. Strategy *Mode A* -Sliding -'Force Rotating' -Stacking -Character 'Stra-tee-gee' -High Line Count -High Score -Two-Player Matches *Mode B* -7. Hints, Tips, and Secrets -8. Credits and Misc. Information -=Version 1.0.0 Released June 2002=- @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ _________________________________________________________________________ | 1. | | "Class is in session?" Not quite, but learn a bit about this | | highly addictive puzzle game. | |_________________________________________________________________________| -=Some Background=- For starters, Tetris is a Puzzle game created by Alexey Pazhitnov in 1986. It was published in 1989 by 'Nintendo(R)'. The prototype was programmed on a Russian Electronika-60 computer using simple text brackets for the pieces. "I remember very well when the falling shapes first appeared on my screen," Pazhitnov explains, "I had no score, and no accelerations, but I couldn't go and finish that part of the [game] because I just sat and played my half-working version!" -=Around the Console World=- There are a number of other Tetris games out there. Ranging from old-school cartridge to CD based games. Some of the more popular Tetis games that spawned from the original classic include: -Tetris 2 -Tetris Blast -Tetris Flash -Tetris Attack -Tetrisphere -Tetris Worlds (The newest installment on the Playstation 2) Unfortunately, I cannot cover all of the games listed (among many, many more not listed). Although; fortunately, the gameplay is pretty much the same for all Tetris spawns. You lucky kids you... :) @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ ._______________________________________________________________________. | 2. | | Playing the Game | |_______________________________________________________________________| You are not going to need 11 fingers and a Masters' degree in hand- eye coordination to play. Which could be debated as the quite possibly the "Greatest Game Ever Made," Tetris delivers endless gameplay with addictive fun. The seven pieces fall from the top of the game screen. You can rotate the pieces with the A and B buttons, either clockwise or counterclockwise. When you fill an entire row, or 'line', with pieces it disappears. The more lines you get the higher your score. Getting used to the simple controls is, well...simple! :) Control the falling piece to where you want it. Manuveur others to form lines, thus raising your score. Exciting, isn't it? There are 2 modes of play; Game Mode A and Game Mode B. Mode A puts you in an infinite game. The pieces keep falling and falling and falling and falling. . . You get the picture. You can pick what level (1 through 9) at the start screen of game mode A. However you can go above level 9 in gameplay. Every 10 lines you clear the level increases by one. And at each level, the speed of the falling pieces gradually increases. At level 0 the speed is painfully slow. At 5 the speed is relatively fast but not too slow. At level 10 your blood pressure rises and your hands get sweaty. At level 15 you must not blink, you must become the game, you must be 'Tetris' in order to stay playing. If you make it any higher, try not to give your self a coronary. You lose when the piece reach the top of the playing field. The highest level I've ever seen is level 34. When I lost, I did no know what happend the pieces stacked up so fast. :) Game mode B puts you in a "Clear 25 lines to win" scenario. You get to choose what level you want and what 'high' you start on (or junk pieces pre-placed). Level 9 is the fastest in game mode B. 'High 5' is the highest start in game mode B. Clear the 25 lines on the level and 'high' you picked and win. To get the best ending (to 'beat the game' to some people) pick level 9 and 'high 5'. (see also the "Hints and Tips" Section) @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ ._________________________________________________________________________. | 3. | | The Playing Field | |_________________________________________________________________________| ._____________________________. | |----------| | | | | | D | A = The Next Piece that Falls | | | | |----------| | | C | | | | B = Number of Lines Cleared | E |----------| | | | | | | | | | C = The Current Level | | B | | | | | |----------| D = The Current Score | | | | | | | | | E = The Building Field | | A | | | | |__________________|__________| |_____Game_Boy________________| @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ ._________________________________________________________________________. | 4. | | Foundation, building blocks, thingies, call them what you want, | | but you'll get used to the 7 playing pieces of Tetris | | all too soon. :) | |_________________________________________________________________________| Of course you know already from reading the "Game Play" section of this FAQ that as you play the pieces fall faster and faster the higher level you are. And you know that to increase the level you must clear 'lines'. "Well, how the heck do I do that?" You're most likly wondering. Patience young Padwan, in time you will begin to understand the stacking of the 7 pieces. But first, enough talk about 'the pieces', let's get to know the lil` felle's. . . ._________________________________________________________________________. | _ | _ | | | | | | | This is the Reverse 'L' | | |-| This is the 'L' piece | |-| piece | | |_|_ | _|_| | | |_|_| | |_|_| | | | | | When rotated it looks like: | When this is rotated, it looks like: | | _____ ___ _ | _ ___ _____ | | |_|_|_| |_|_| ___|_| | |_|___ |_|_| |_|_|_| | | |_| |_| |_|_|_| | |_|_|_| |_| |_| | | |_| | |_| | |__________________________________|______________________________________| ._________________________________________________________________________. | | | | _ | _ | | |_|_ This is the 'S' piece | _|_| This is the 'Z' Piece | | |_|_| | |_|_| | | |_| | |_| | | | | | Looks like this when rotated: | When rotated, it looks like: | | ___ | ___ | | _|_|_| | |_|_|_ | | |_|_| | |_|_| | |__________________________________|______________________________________| ._________________________________________________________________________. | | The Box Piece | | ___ | _______ | | | | This is the 'T' Piece | | | | | | ___|___|___ | |___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___| | |___|___| | | | | | When rotated, it looks like: | Not much to this piece, looks | | _ _____ _ | the same all the time | | |_|_ |_|_|_| _|_| | | | |_|_| |_| |_|_| | | | |_| |_| | | |_________________________________________|_______________________________| ._________________________________________________________________________. | _ | | |_| | | |_| The 'Not-Around-When-You-Need-It' 'I' piece | | |_| | | |_| ___________ | | Looks like this when rotated: |__|__|__|__| | | | |_________________________________________________________________________| From a bit of research I found out that the 'L' piece appears about 15 percent of the time. Same as it's semi-twin piece, the 'Reverse L'. This piece is very useful in getting you out of a tough situation, as you'll see in the "Strategy" section. The 'S' and the 'Z' piece, even though almost the same, appear quite differently. The 'S' piece appears about 15 percent of the time while the 'Z' piece appears about 10 percent of the time. The Box piece is probably the most annoying piece. It appears when you dont want it to and doesn't fit anywhere. (Refer to the "Strategy" section for more info about using the Box piece) It's appearence is usually about 21 percent during the game. The 'T' piece is the most versitile in the game. It can fit anywhere in just about all cases. It usually appears about 18 percent. Some refer to it as the "Piece-you-never-get-when-you-need-it". This is mostly true. The 'I' piece appears about 11 percent during game. __________________________ *****Quick Break Down***** (For those of you who don't like to read) -=Appearence Rate=- .______________________________. | | | | I Piece | 9 % | |----------------|-------------| | T Piece | 16 % | |----------------|-------------| | L Piece | 15 % | |----------------|-------------| | Reverse L | 12 % | |----------------|-------------| | S Piece | 16 % | |----------------|-------------| | Z Piece | 12 % | |----------------|-------------| | Box Piece | 20 % | |________________|_____________| @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ ._________________________________________________________________________. | 5. | | (Announcers Cheer)"SCORE!!!" . . . . . | | | | Not quite, but here's a rundown of the scoring system | |_________________________________________________________________________| ._______________________________________________________________________. |*Lines*| 1 Line | 2 Lines | 3 Lines | 4 Line | |-------' "Single" | "Double" | "Triple" | "Tetris" | |______________________|______________|______________|__________________| | LEVEL | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 40 | 100 | 300 | 1200 | | 1 | 80 | 200 | 600 | 2400 | | 2 | 120 | 300 | 900 | 3600 | | 3 | 160 | 400 | 1200 | 4800 | | 4 | 200 | 500 | 1500 | 6000 | | 5 | 240 | 600 | 1800 | 7200 | | 6 | 280 | 700 | 2100 | 8400 | | 7 | 320 | 800 | 2400 | 9600 | | 8 | 360 | 900 | 2700 | 10800 | | 9 | 400 | 1000 | 3000 | 12000 | | 10 | 440 | 1100 | 3300 | 12400 | | etc...| etc... | etc... | etc... | etc... | |_______|______________|______________|______________|__________________| @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ ._________________________________________________________________________. | 6. **Drum Role** | | !!!Strategy Time!!! | | **End Drum Role** | |_________________________________________________________________________| -=Sliding=- Sliding is what you do to a falling piece after it looks like it has touched the floor (ground) already. You still have a split second to move the piece before it fulling crashes to the bottom. Use this technique if you don't have anywhere else to put another piece. -='Force Rotating'=- This is just a name I call this technique for the express purpose of easiness. :) This is done when a falling piece has reached the ground but hasn't fully crashed yet. You still have time to rotate it. Just like 'Sliding'. And if you want to be fancy, you can do both 'Sliding' and 'Stacking' at the same time. Also, if there is a spot that a piece will fit into one way, but wont fit the way you want it to go, then slide it in there the wrong way, then rotate it to fit where you want. -=Stacking=- This is a very usful tactic when striving for a high score. If you get like 5 box pieces in a row at the begginning of the game, (or anywhere in the game) then stack all of the along one of the walls. It saves space and other pieces fit nicely around it. Say there is a time that you can't put an 'L' piece anywhere, then stack it up along the wall in an odd way and find some other piece that will fit in it nicely. "Use this and the above tactic in conunction with one another for superb results." (Translation: Use these three thingies for some whack results man.) -=Character Strategies=- The 'T' piece is is probably the most versitile piece compared to the others. It can go in just about every situation. It is effective for clearing out loose-ends. You can use it to switch a colom of 'S' pieces to a colom of 'Z' pieces. The largest line it can give is a Double. The 'S' and 'Z' pieces can be used very skillfully, if used correctly at all. They too can clear up loose ends almost as effectively as the 'T' piece. Use these pieces to open up a spot for a Box or 'I' piece. Most of the time (about 75 % ) you will start with one of these pieces. The highest line cound you can get with these pieces is a Double. The 'L' pieces should now be your friend. They are most of the time always there. So know where to put them. Don't know where to put them? Well, your in luck, because this is a FAQ about strategy! :) Most of the time you put the 'L' pieces on end. So that the bottom touches a flat area. This is useful because the 'T' and the 'S' and 'Z' pieces can fit just fine next to it. 'No where to put the 'L' piece...' you say? Well, if there it a spot where you can slid the 'L' piece under something, then go for it! You can still move the piece as it's falling even though it looks like it is touching the bottom. You only get a split second, so your best bet is to hold the D-Pad right or left, depending where you want it to slid under at. Oooh, time for the box piece. You might think to yourself that the box piece always messes you up and gets out in quite a rut. Well, if you follow these simple guidlines then you greatly lower your chances of getting stuck when the box pieces rain on your parade. 1) Try to always leave a flat area, two or more units across. That way there is always somewhere to put the box piece. 2) If you see a box piece pop up in the "Next-In-Line" area, then try to make your current falling piece make a flat area for the box piece to go. 3) If there should be a time where there is no where else to put the annoying box here's what ya do: Try not to cover up anything important like a deep canyon. Try not to put it over a canyon period, if you can help it. Stack it onto another piece if you can. That way you can slide a piece under it when the time arises. -=High Line Count Strategies=- There really isn't much to this section. The best thing I can tell you is to "practice practice practice!" You know that old saying, 'Practice makes perfect...'?...well, in this case it's a lie. No matter how much you practice at Tetris you can always learn. You can always do just a bit better. You can always beat your old score. You can always stive for more lines or a higher level. . . So try things! Get a little wild, freaky, errr maybe not that but you get the point. . . . Experiment a little, try new things out. You never know when you'll discover something that would have helped you with 'that one game'. If that opportunity shall ever arise again then you can use it! So you want a high line count to 'one-up' your buddy. The best way would be to start on level 0 and get mostly Single and Double lines. Make sure that when you are playing always leave room for annoying Box piece. Always keep your building pieces as low as possible. Try not to back yourself in a corner by making high mountains or mis-placing pieces. If you want a high line count you are going to need all the room you can get. At higher levels the speed gets blistering fast. Believe it or not, you are more likely to achieve a higher level aiming for just 'lines' than a high score-(See 'High Score' section). At higher levels you'll need more room to move the piece into the desired position you want because it's falling so darned fast. :) -=High Score Strategies=- The higher the level you start on, the more points you get for clearing lines. So, naturally, you would want to start on the highest level you can handle. Level 9 is the best, but it is hard to get tetris' and not die. I found out the best level to start on is 7. When you get 80 lines cleared, the level goes up to eight. I found out that you're at a good position if you have 100,000 points before you get to level 8. It's basically a little check I give my self to see how I'm doing. Always try to get a Tetris. After level 15 or so, It is best to try for one and two lines because the speed gets intense. Remember the points curve, because if you get a Tetris at, say, level 15, then your score will sky- rockets. Just keep in mind that one little mistake at this point and your pieces will stack up faster than you can blink. -=Two-Player Strategy=- I have found two excellent ways of defeating your opponent in a two- player link match up. One of those ways is to get a Tetris as quickly as you can. If you build up a block 4 high and leave a space for an 'I' piece, then the game usually (convienently) gives it to you. When you clear 2 or more lines in a two player match, your oppenents screen grows blocks from the bottom of their screen. So if you get a Tetris as fast as you can, they will see their screen grow 4 blocks high. This usally confuses them or messes them up to the point where you win. Another excellent strategy is to not build as fast as you can. Just let the blocks fall by themselves. By your third block your oppenent should have gotten some lines, therefore making your screen grow. There will be a canyon perfect for fitting I pieces into made by the blocks your oppenent has made. Just build around the canyon and throw in an I piece for a Tetris every time. @^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ .__________________________________________________________________________. | 7. | | - = S E C R E T S = - | |__________________________________________________________________________| Not much to this section, but they do add replay value. (Not the this game needs more anyway) :) 1) Hold down when you push start at the title screen to have the speed of the game 10 whole levels higher than normal. 2) Hold up and the game will be on slow-mo, making the pieces fall slowly. 3) Puch select during game play to make the "Next Piece" disappear from the "Next Piece Box". 4) For an In-Game-Reset press A + B + Start + Select. .__________________________________________________________________________. | 8. | | Credits and Misc | |__________________________________________________________________________| Wow, I finally got done with my first FAQ. Hopefully it wont be the last. I had fun writting it, and I hope all of you that get a chance to read it are helped by it. I really only have one person to thank: Me. I would like to thank Gamefaqs for posting my FAQ. As this is the only site that has my permission to post it. Look for more FAQs from me in the future. ~Made by-Lachdannan~