Which version to pick?

[Chojin]

Hi,

I was wondering which versions of Tetris are played by people who are seriously into it. I have searched the forums and the Wiki for an answer but I didn't make it.

At the moment I own "Tetris DS" for Nintendo DS and "Tetris The Grandmaster ACE" for my Japanese Xbox360 (haven't even played it yet).

I heared that "Tetris DS" was not a good version because you can spin the Tetriminos forever at the bottom until you decide their position (sorry for not knowing the proper terms yet   ), is that a legit thesis?
And as far as I remember it's also said the game contained a glitch that causes maximum score, which ruins any competitive gaming of course.
Is that all true or can I just stay with that game as long as I like it?

At the moment I'm not really interested in playing online because of the lags (I also have to use a crappy wireless internet conection at the moment which is not suitable for any netplay) and I also don't like the "Mission Modes", I would rather prefer picking a version of Tetris and compare my highscore with others on the internet or something like that (where can I compare scores?).
By the way is the main goal of most players just to get better and better at an endless mode by improving one's score or is there anything else players do when they play Tetris?

Thank you for helping!  

[kastle09]

In my opinion, and I haven't really explored the different kinds of tetris people go for much, but the game you pick is really depending on what you want your goal in tetris to be.
In my eyes there are 3 kinds of tetris players.

- The Speedsters. The F1 Drivers of Tetris. These are the players who work on becoming the fastest at 40 line mode. (Clearing 40 lines as fast as possible) it is a badge of honor to get anywhere close to 20-25 seconds.
If this is you, they usually play games where its all about speed and efficiency and nothing flashy. Games like Lockjaw, Nullpolmio.

- The Survivors . The Endurance Marathon Runners of Tetris. This is the last as long as possible gamers. They work meticulously, planning 20 steps ahead. These are the Tetris players who normally have a clean working space, and suffer from the Tetris Effect; who can't stop mentally fitting shapes together even in there sleep or everyday life. They stay true to the original game of the NES version or the GameBoy Version.

- The Athletes. These are E-sports men and women of Tetris, all about the competition to show you are better than someone else. They combine a lot of the attributes of the The Speedsters and Survivors. Having need to have the strategy of intial Builds, the know how of using spins and combos, and the finesse to execute them. Games can range from Nullpolimo, Tetris Friends and Cultris. (Cultris is my game)

There probably are more kinds, these are just the main ones I see.

[Aaron]

I was wondering which versions of Tetris are played by people who are seriously into it. I have searched the forums and the Wiki for an answer but I didn't make it.

This is kind of like telling you which spoon is the sharpest but I'd have to say Tetris Friends for online play, and NullpoMino for single player modes.

I heared that "Tetris DS" was not a good version because you can spin the Tetriminos forever at the bottom until you decide their position (sorry for not knowing the proper terms yet   ), is that a legit thesis?

That's part of the Silly Super Rotation System. If you're not a fan of cheats infinite floorkicks I'd recommend playing Tetris: The Grand Master and its variations.

At the moment I'm not really interested in playing online because of the lags (I also have to use a crappy wireless internet conection at the moment which is not suitable for any netplay)

If you're into competitive single-player I'd once again recommend Tetris: The Grand Master or 40 Lines modes if you're into speed. NullpoMino has both 40L and (mostly accurate) clones of the Tetris: The Grand Master series. There are other suitable clones for Tetris: The Grand Master such as Texmaster.

and I also don't like the "Mission Modes", I would rather prefer picking a version of Tetris and compare my highscore with others on the internet or something like that (where can I compare scores?).

For 40 Lines you can do it here, for other modes I'd recommend going over to Tetris Concept's Competition subforum.

By the way is the main goal of most players just to get better and better at an endless mode by improving one's score or is there anything else players do when they play Tetris?

Around here we care about 40 Lines times and beating each other in multiplayer.

[djackallstar]

For the 40 lines contest, Tetr.js is a decent choice.

Tetr.js Features
- No lag or delay at all, I mean, AT ALL, not even on my old-and-low-spec laptop.
- Fast gameplay, which is comparable to Nullpomino.
- Tetris Guideline compatible
- Offers offline play (download the source through https://github.com/simonlc/tetr.js)
- No installation needed
- Cross-platform
- User-friendly UI

By editing the source code, you can customize everything. I mean EVERYTHING.
The following are what I have changed to suit my needs.
- Generate certain kinds of sequences for me to practice the Ajanba-style prefect clear.
- Rotation systems. Now I get ARS, SRS, NES and Cultris II rotation systems.
- Shorten the time span of the 'READY GO!' prompt. I wish one day Nullpomino would offer this option, too.
- Skins (there are only 5 choices by default)

To me, the source codes of Tetr.js are easier to edit than those in Nullpomino, in that:
1. No need to install any library to compile the modified content; all I need to do is just edit a text file and save it.
2. The source codes of Tetr.js are relatively short and quite self-explanatory.
3. The entry barrier of JavaScript is lower than that of Java.

But don't let the customizable thingy scare you off. Chances are one may already feel comfortable with the default settings.

[Chojin]

Oh thank you guys, that really helped a lot! I will try out the things and games you named! Sounds like buying "TGM ACE" pays off!    

Talking about "Teris DS", yesterday I found out that the core of the game really seems dull because of what you already mentioned above, even if I love anything else about it (the music, the style and how the themes change on the upper screen every ten levels). The maximum score at the marathon mode is 99.999.999 and even I could have reached it perhaps and I'm only a beginner or a casual player at Tetris yet. I stopped at over 3.000.000 points at Level 140 or so and it felt the same as Level 20 because you can move the Tetrominos on the ground as long as you want.

[Agamemnon]

Since you write that you like Japanese stuff...
Tetris Online Poland is based on a game named Tetris Online Japan, a game that was discontinued/shut down. Mostly multiplayer but some singleplayer. I don't know how active it is these days.
Tetris - The Grand Master 1/2/3 is a series of arcade games that can be emulated on computers. Many different games/settings/versions, but all single-player. Japan-factor? The arcade machines were never officially sold outside of Japan.