Optimizing Keypresses

[gezmodean]

Just curious, how fast were you using just the up arrow rotation? I'm at about 120-130 tpm currently and expecting to be at 140 soon. I'm too lazy to change my keys.

I was flirting with 100 at my fastest.  I have been limited by other factors though.  I was making too many mistakes, my stacking needed work (built too many deep towers to get rid of the s pieces), and I also had moments of over-rotating (which is VERY costly with one button rotate).

All in all, I know I'm going to be limited by it at some point... and while it may not be my biggest savings, re-training myself now with an optimum setup will help me avoid hitting the same plateau in the future.

I will be the first to admit its difficult to choke down the slow times and the stupid mistakes you make when you switch setups.  I feel like an utter newbie when I watch myself slam 2 pieces down instead of rotating a piece

How fast you can go with whatever configuration or with a gamepad or whatever is irrelevant. The fact is that if you were playing with a more optimal configuration and a keyboard you'd be able to go faster. Maybe it'll take a couple of weeks to get used to, but there should be a noticeable improvement, and it's probably the easiest and fastest way you'll ever have to be able to add 10 or 15 to your TPM value once you've gotten past 120.

Maybe there are people who can get 180tpm with a weird keyboard configuration or a gamepad, but they'd probably be able to break 190 or 200 with a more optimal setup, and I think it'd be a poor mentality to be happy with what you have because you're too lazy to switch. You should always strive to do what you can to better yourself.

The only counter argument I have to this is transference of your control scheme to other platforms.  For instance, if you go with an optimal keyboard setup that doesn't transfer well to something like, say, the DS, then while you have an optimal speed on the keys, you might find yourself MUCH slower on another platform.

That's not everyone's goal... I think most people find a favorite platform and stick to it... but I know I personally want to rock at tetris on all platforms I play it on (though the iPhone tetris game often makes me want to give up that aspiration).

All in all though, aspiring to improve your game one way or another is a worthy pursuit.

[SpawN]

So after 2 days of practicing double rotation, I found out that it is not actually the double rotation buttons that will create problems for me, but it is the harddrop key-the upper arrow that I will be using.

Oh well, practice practice and practice again. I hope I won't have any problems, before I start college, cause since september the time I have for playing tetris will be seriously diminished.

[Rosti_LFC]

The only counter argument I have to this is transference of your control scheme to other platforms.  For instance, if you go with an optimal keyboard setup that doesn't transfer well to something like, say, the DS, then while you have an optimal speed on the keys, you might find yourself MUCH slower on another platform.

Being both a strong player both with the keyboard and the DS (or back when I used to play at least), I can say reasonably confidently that this doesn't happen. Being good with two keyboard layouts is difficult (though still possible), but the differences between keyboard, joystick and gamepad are large enough for them to be pretty much separate in your mind, and I think it's perfectly possible for someone to be extremely strong with all three.
Considering you position your hands on a DS in a completely different way to a keyboard, I don't see why there'd be any confusion and pressing the wrong button.

Also people should stop using the word "double" when referring to rotating both ways damnit. "Double rotation" should be when you have a 180° button that double-rotates the piece. "Two rotations" is perfectly fine for referring to rotating both ways, and shorter.

[gezmodean]

Being both a strong player both with the keyboard and the DS (or back when I used to play at least), I can say reasonably confidently that this doesn't happen. Being good with two keyboard layouts is difficult (though still possible), but the differences between keyboard, joystick and gamepad are large enough for them to be pretty much separate in your mind, and I think it's perfectly possible for someone to be extremely strong with all three.
Considering you position your hands on a DS in a completely different way to a keyboard, I don't see why there'd be any confusion and pressing the wrong button.

Fair point.  I am referring more to what probably doesn't translate to a muscle memory benefit due to the fact that you hold a controller differently from a keyboard anyway.  I also agree its possible to be strong with different layouts (though I have never been able to play tetris with a joystick well :-p)

Also people should stop using the word "double" when referring to rotating both ways damnit. "Double rotation" should be when you have a 180° button that double-rotates the piece. "Two rotations" is perfectly fine for referring to rotating both ways, and shorter.

My mistake there... never played with a 180 button before.  Just be glad I didn't come up with some ludicrous term like "unconstrained tetrimino rotation"... (I'm currently using CTR... and need to work on my UTR)...

Anyway   Thanks for the advice and alternate perspectives... this has been most helpful...

[Digital]

[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]

Also people should stop using the word "double" when referring to rotating both ways damnit. "Double rotation" should be when you have a 180° button that double-rotates the piece. "Two rotations" is perfectly fine for referring to rotating both ways, and shorter.

My mistake there... never played with a 180 button before. Just be glad I didn't come up with some ludicrous term like "unconstrained tetrimino rotation"... (I'm currently using CTR... and need to work on my UTR)...[/quote]
"Two rotations" seems vague to me. Whatever happened to "dual rotations"?  

[Pineapple]

I'm with Digi on this...

My prefered controls are arrows (up hard, down soft), plus Z/X for rotate and S for hold. Although I think I'm slightly more confortable with a gamepad than the keyboard.

[SpawN]

I have noticed that my right hand is easily getting tired now when I`m using the up arrow for the harddrop. Anyone had such a problem?

[Blink]

I have noticed that my right hand is easily getting tired now when I`m using the up arrow for the harddrop. Anyone had such a problem?

I had this problem when trying to play on Tetris Hangame, which also has up as hard drop and won't let me change it.  I would get tired after only 15 minutes of playing.  I find it far easier on my hand when left/right and hard drop are all on the same row , so I use down as hard drop instead of up.

[Rosti_LFC]

Wait, Hangame has up as hard drop? Not rotate or something stupid?

I use down as hard-drop for VS. Having the buttons in a row is preferable for me, and I only use up for zangi-moves or TGM.

[Blink]

Wait, Hangame has up as hard drop? Not rotate or something stupid?

I use down as hard-drop for VS. Having the buttons in a row is preferable for me, and I only use up for zangi-moves or TGM.

errr oops, messed up the keys - forgot that I was using the numpad instead of the arrows on Hangame.  It was actually 4/6 as left/right and 8 as hard drop.  My bad.

[SpawN]

I had this problem when trying to play on Tetris Hangame, which also has up as hard drop and won't let me change it.  I would get tired after only 15 minutes of playing.  I find it far easier on my hand when left/right and hard drop are all on the same row , so I use down as hard drop instead of up.

Yeah blink, the down arrow definately works much better for me.Now I have to find out if having the rotation keys adjacent to each other is good enough for me or I have to create some space between them.