How to improve Tetris Friends' performance

[StS]

Ok, we are getting a bit off-topic here, so if a mod feels the need, please do move this to a new topic. I do want to reply to this, however off-topic it may be, because someone is looking for advice and I think it would be rude not to offer any help.

Thanks for the reply, StS.  I appreciate your comments.  Let me flesh out my position a bit, though.

First, yes, I KNOW that I'm not the best TF player, but the others shouldn't be running circles around me.  I've been playing video games of one sort or another for a very long time.  I have played competitively in video games during their heyday (although some might say the heyday is now) in the 70's and 80's.  I also play competitive Foosball.  Sure, the young-uns are a bit faster, but I can usually counter with skill and guile.  I can hold my own with the best of them in most real world scenarios.

The thing with Tetris is that the fast people can stack up to double the speed of your average Rank 16/17. Add to that the fact that, because they have practised so much in order to achieve that speed, they probably are familiar with various high-attack openings and setups, and suddenly you've got a massive difference in attacking potential between one player and another. Garbage output is also crucial to playing defensive in Tetris, such that, unless you are very efficient with your pieces, there is no way for someone who sends 30apm to survive against a 60apm player. Yes, I know I'm generalising here, but I'm trying to point out that speed and experience factor into many areas of multiplayer Tetris, while this might not be the case in other games you might have played (and not knowing anything about competitive Foosball, that last statement is also purely a guess).

Anyway, I think this is an argument that is not worth continuing. You are the one who knows best where you stand in terms of skill and speed; I have already pointed out certain aspects of play that you might have overlooked in my previous post.

[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]Additionally I play on a number of computers with a number of different types of connections.  There seems to be a HUGE difference between which computer/connection I'm using and how well I do.  On some computers I can only play at a 16-17 level, on my favorite I can play at an 18 or so level.[/quote]

You make a good point. Because you are already playing at a high speed, you are very susceptible to changes in the response that you get from the computer that you are playing on. Minor lag and input issues can make you play carefully and therefore slower, while at the same time making you more stressed (because you have to keep checking if the piece really dropped where you wanted to drop it, for example), causing your piece placement and efficiency to drop as well.

Also, note that the feel of your keyboard, the size of your monitor can change your state of mind as well, and therefore will have an influence on your playing.


[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]There are points where I can feel the speed of the game feel faster.  Normally between games in Arena when I practice b4 the next match.  I can do some amazing stuff (for me anyway) because it feels like some speed impediment has been removed.[/quote]

Hmm, I really can't say for sure if this is what you feel, but perhaps by practising in Arena before a match, your brain gets to terms with the response you're getting for that particular session? I often find myself playing crappy during the first few games, then I enter a period of time when my concentration is at its peak (where I, as you say, can do some amazing things). I'm pretty sure that this has more to do with your concentration than a difference in TetrisFriends' performance.

[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]I can feel the differences between computers, as well.  Oh, btw, I have two accounts, one where I paid to max out the the tuning settings.  The other account I didn't want to pay for anything, so my tuning is a little lower.[/quote]

I'm not sure how having two accounts is relevant to your post, but you could use your second account to practise different openings/attacking strategies. Do you use TSpins to attack? Are you comfortable with opening with a 3- or 4-wide combo? How about midgame combos? There are a variety of strategies which you can make use of in multiplayer Tetris, each of which offer advantages and disadvantages and can influence the flow of the game in different ways; use your secondary account to familiarise yourself with these attacks (the lack of tuning helps in that you are forced to play slower, and therefore will not automatically revert to the stacking method which you are most familiar with).

[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]It appears to me that some players can drop the blocks with control faster than my computer can just drop the blocks, period.

I've found that a USB keyboard doesn't seem to work as well as the old connected ones (I think it is called PS2 or something).  Wireless connections suck when playing TF.[/quote]

Ah yes, wireless keyboards suck for Tetris because there is a certain amount of response lag. Not sure about the others, though; USB keyboards seem to serve me, and countless others, well enough.

[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]So, since you are gracious enough to offer advice.  Is there some optimum settings on a computer that can help scores? Do most players use the default button setup, or custom.[/quote]

Whoops, this seems to imply that the rest of your post was mainly rambling. Was I not supposed to respond to that? >_>

Anyway, optimum settings is a tough cookie, because we are all used to different things, and our computers and internet connections are all different. Some people say that using Internet Explorer for TetrisFriends reduces lag, so definitely give that a try if you are not content with whatever other browser you are using. I have found Chrome to serve adequately on my rig, but I do have a gaming laptop, which helps immensely for lag.

In terms of key setup, this topic might give you an idea of what other players use. I find the default TF key setup to utilise your right hand too much, while also discouraging players from learning to rotate their pieces both ways, so I personally don't like it. That being said, there are many players who use the default TF settings and play way better than me, so there's really no right or wrong to this.

Also, while you are at it, do check out the compilation of useful topics on this site, kindly put together by Paul. It offers a vast amount of Tetris knowledge for those who can be bothered to take the time to read (or even skim) through.

[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]A small connection speed difference seems to make a huge difference in one's ability to do stuff.  I can feel it when I play, and it is almost as if I"m being held back when I play.

As far as my wife is concerned, I play TF WAY too much.  I started playing to hone my mental speed for my Foosball play, now I play more TF than I do foosball.

I'm thinking that there is something OTHER THAN SKill that comes into play here.

I'm rambling here, but it seems like I'm missing something other than skill, and it probably has something to do with my computer, connection speed, computer settings, etc.

I'm aware of the difference between the normal 20's and the 20-999's, there is a huge difference.

Anyway, I would like to know what the difference is between two extremely similar computers and connections that can make a consistent 10 second difference in my Sprint score (1:10's vs 1:20's).  I wonder if there isn't something I can do to optimize and play like I do between the matches in Arena.[/quote]

Right, lots of huge questions here, to which everyone might give you a different answer. The connection speed issue is not really something you can do anything about if you're bent on playing TetrisFriends, unless you are willing to invest more money into your internet connection. I've mentioned earlier that using IE might help, so do give it a try. There are a number of other Tetris clones which offer a better Tetris experience, such as TOP or Nullpomino, but these are not supported by the TTC, and therefore do not have the userbase that TF has, unfortunately.

As to whether or not there is something other than skill involved, my answer is honestly "I don't know". I suspect that there isn't, and have mentioned various aspects of play which you might have overlooked when you think of Tetris skill, but I have not seen you play and therefore cannot accurately judge whether you are simply having very bad lag issues, or you cannot concentrate because your cat keeps pawing at your face while you play, or if you simply need to practise more (or practise more efficiently?).

Finally, I find that concentration is a very important factor in Tetris. I can play Tetris in my flat, where I am all alone, and end up with a Sprint of around 55 seconds on TetrisFriends, and then go back to my parents' house, and not be able to sub 60, simply because there are people around me. Another factor I have found to be quite important is the keyboard that you use; it can take me up to a few hours of play to get used to a new keyboard. The brightness of your monitor can make a difference. Your seat. Heck, even something as stupid as the banner ads next to your TF client. So really, as you can see, there are a number of things that can, and will, make you perform differently, depending on how familiar your surroundings are to you and how you are feeling when you are playing.


[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]Last question, is there some competition in public where I can see these top players play?  Only if I can actually see the difference in person will I believe that they are really twice as fast as I am.[/quote]

Yes, there is! The last big competition to happen was the TTO2, for which many of the matches were streamed here. I recommend you check out the TTO2 Grand Finals videos for some amazing playing by some of the world's top Tetris players, Blink, Hahaha and hebo-mai. (Oops, did that sound like advertising?  )

Also, note that the current Sprint record on TF is at 27.18 seconds, set by subversive.

[!--quoteo--][div class=\\\'quotetop\\\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\\\'quotemain\\\'][!--quotec--]Also, what is Nullpo?  The only thing I've played is TF.  Any suggestions on that front.  What are my other options?  Thanks in advance, once again.  --RW
[/quote]

Nullpomino is an excellent Tetris clone. Anonymous has given you all the basic information about it, so I'm not going to elaborate on that any more, other than give you the link to the Nullpomino guide here on the forums.

Unfortunately, because of how customisable Nullpomino is, it can be rather confusing to set up for new users, so do post either on the forums or on the shoutbox if you are having any problems and I'm sure someone will be able to help you.

Other than Nullpo, there is TOP, and if you're looking for something rather different from TetrisFriends, do check out CultrisII and King of Stackers.

[rockywi]

Thanks everyone (and especially StS) for helping me out.  I still want to play better and test my brain and reflexes rather than my computer system.  The nullpo download might be one way.

The worst thing a player could do is to assume that he is better than he really is.  I could be missing something here.  I really am a bit dogmatic about my play.  I do a lot of it for fun, and that can hinder one from progressing as fast as they can when they take it more seriously.  (I like to throw PC's from the initial setup, for instance.)  Maybe if I really studied it and changed my game I could better my performance.  But double my current speed seems unbelievable.

I've got a couple of links above to look at, and I'll research the situation better before continuing on with this thread.

Thanks again for all your help.

--Rocky

[MarioThePhenom]

experience/skill>all
you are lacking experience, despite playing alot of games. i grew up playing games and always have been competitive about them. when i picked up tetris i was above average, people were still running circles around me until i asked how long they had played for, that's when i realized the true gap was in time played(so skill/ experience)

[StS]

What you're saying is accurate, but a desire to get better is also necessary, as well as having access to knowledge (i.e. how to get better). You can very well play a lot of multiplayer, but if all you're doing is playing without putting any thought into what you're doing wrong or badly, then you'll never improve past a certain threshold (or if you do, you'll improve only very slowly).

As an example, my sister has been playing for as long as I have, but she is still only at rank 13-14 on TF, because she simply wants to play 'casually', i.e. not invest time in acquiring and improving on certain skills such as downstacking or finesse, or even learning piece spins (as a result, she has got no idea how to TSpin).

We are lucky in that we have access to a lot of information here on the HD forums, and I can well imagine that I would be nowhere near as good as I am now if I hadn't found this site (relatively speaking, of course - I don't claim to be a pro player (but I'm getting there! Slowly...))

[Paul676]

Double your current speed is definitely doable,

Here are 2 of the best Tetris Friends players in the UK (Rosti_LFC and PolarisTR) playing in the final of the UK Tetris Open 2012. Both high rank 20 players.

Admittedly they're on great computer/keyboard setups, but also they play fine on worse computers too.

[rockywi]

I presume that there was supposed to be a youtube vid here somewhere?  If so, it didn't show on my end.

--Rocky

Double your current speed is definitely doable,

Here are 2 of the best Tetris Friends players in the UK (Rosti_LFC and PolarisTR) playing in the final of the UK Tetris Open 2012. Both high rank 20 players.

Admittedly they're on great computer/keyboard setups, but also they play fine on worse computers too.