spent about two months trying to figure the vanilla big mode, sadly my highest score wasn't registered to the board bc my internet was out lol. this is a great mode tho, might be weird to say but i can see people competing in endurance races with it!
I feel you on the leaderboard woes, it's part of why I haven't really played much portable Big away from an internet connection. Also hmm, endurance Big, that does sound like it could be a pretty fun format! I'm even starting to imagine a battle royale, BigTet 99. ;)
Thanks Shuey! Yep, this is number one, previous PB was ~730. The console versions are making it so much easier to come back to improve Big and Reverse. No need to swap PCBs or hook up a recording setup, now I can just boot the PS4 whenever there is a little slice of free time and know the auto-recording buffer is already running.
2:16 3:02 3:53 4:55 Creating and exploiting this shape must be part of a solution. You did a similar thing with the two L's at 6:55 when it wasn't the only option. Looks like you're doing it instinctively.
Interesting observation. I'll give some analysis. I think at 2:16 & 3:02, the stack shape of 10110 is rather poor; the 101 portion on the left gives odd checkerboard parity that we either want to correct with a T piece or an appropriate line clear. It seems bad to have this stack shape with L in the preview and no good way to stall to see what comes afterwards. A placement like Ld-234 would be "bulky" -- it increases the line clear distance for nearly every follow-up piece (only I or another L have immediate line clear options), and shifts the divot to column 1 (risks bulking into a right-side stack unless we get T to fix the situation or I to forestall it). A placement like Lr-12 is in some ways better (4/7 pieces have immediate line clear options), but it feels very "angular" and the T parity issue is kind of just getting "hidden under the bed" in a way where we can't actually clean it up right away. Sending the L piece to the right technically gives us an adjustment option of Lu-345 vs. Ll-45. Of the two options, I think Ll-45 (as chosen in-game) is the most generically stable; it feels "compact" (stays in bottom three rows w/o creating any holes), the majority of pieces have immediate line clear options (technically 6/7, although clearing with I-piece in column 2 has a very bad leave), and it leaves a surface on the right to stow O or I if needed. A duplicate L would also have more than one line clear option (I'm thinking of Ld-123 with synchro vs. Ld-234* with wallkick to twist under, although I guess technically Ll-12 is also available). 2:16 - Follow-up of T is pretty ideal. Checker parity is fixed, and layers of 00011 over 11101 give plenty of good stacking or line clear options. 3:02 - J has line clear options with either Jd-123 (as chosen) or Jr-23 (would have been a better adjustment for the I-piece in preview). The reasoning at 6:55 is similar -- the "ziggurat" structure left behind by the S and Z minos is technically "global even" checker parity, but the structure on the left is "local odd" and wants a T piece to fix it. I won't know I have another L-piece incoming until this one is already in the playfield, so I'll be prepping IRS B + DAS Right the same as the scenarios described previously. When the second L appears, I have the option to adjust for either Ld-234* tuck if I'm lucky enough to roll an I-piece for a triple on the left, or Lr-12 as chosen if I roll most anything else (leaves the classic "Sega/TGM spin" shape that will accept T, J, or Z, has a basic line clear with O, a cheeky S->J spin continuation, or right side stow in other cases). At 3:53, it's interesting that the mirror shape does appear. I think it's by way of choosing the more compact placement for the previous T. Td-234 sort of "invites a line clear," whereas something like Tl-23 creates an ugly structure that only immediately resolves if given another T and Tr-34 is begging too hard for an O-piece to appear. So, the shape kind of appears naturally out of the fact that J is the follow-up piece available to clear lines (although it has much the same beneficial properties as its mirror -- if not more so just by dint of being a left-stack rather than a right-stack). The situation at 4:55 is I think similarly circumstantial.
Good point. This is 20G + Big modes together. I can update the video title. Normal Big and 20G Big are treated as interchangeable on the community leaderboard (I suppose in a similar way to NES Tetris starting level preference), so I focused on 20G starts to build-up the necessary consistency and survival skills.
@@cantaloupeme Yep, any combination of the six mode codes can be stacked together (although 20G + TLS doesn't do anything, lol). The game will happily allow you to play 20G Big Uki Reverse Monochrome TLS mode.
Wow, Big Mode didn't move your piece two spaces at once like in future TGM games? _(I'm not actually sure if it was 2 or 3 that gave Big Mode double move.)_ That sounds like it could've led to a cruel, crippling misdrop.
Yep! In TGM1, Big Mode has the same "half-block" movement as the Death Block item in Versus. It's actually a double-edged sword: the benefit is that spawning on an odd column often gives you left/right mobility options you don't have in TGM2/TGM3, but the dangers are half-block misdrops and half-overlap top-outs. TGM2 Big Mode does have "full-block" spawn alignment and movement. The reduced movement options make it more challenging to clear. TGM3 Big Mode also has "full-block" behaviors, but the added floorkicks, previews, and Hold make it much easier. Another gotcha: TGM3 Sakura has an EX stage with big pieces, but it's implemented using the Death Block item effect! It's entirely possible to half-block misdrop on this stage and be in an unwinnable state near the end of a Sakura run.
@@bensmith6518 Yep, kicks are double-moves, so they're super useful for finesse. You ideally only want to use single taps or DAS, as triple taps will momentarily put you "off-grid." Wallkicks help bridge that gap so you can still reach those positions safely and efficiently.
@@bensmith6518 20G code is Down x8, C B A. You can stack together any combination of the six mode codes. The article on Tetris Wiki should have a list of the others.
Also it's so smooth throughout the run, which gives me an idea of what it takes to be a big GM.... thanks for the inspiring vid!
Nice job on the GM Alex. It's always amazing watching people play Tetris and TGM
Thank you!
Thanks. I learned a placement or two.
Congrats! Way to go kitaru!
Thank you!
spent about two months trying to figure the vanilla big mode, sadly my highest score wasn't registered to the board bc my internet was out lol. this is a great mode tho, might be weird to say but i can see people competing in endurance races with it!
I feel you on the leaderboard woes, it's part of why I haven't really played much portable Big away from an internet connection. Also hmm, endurance Big, that does sound like it could be a pretty fun format! I'm even starting to imagine a battle royale, BigTet 99. ;)
Ay, nice job !
Thank you!
nice
thank
I've done monochrome GM, 20G GM, monochrome WITH 20G GM... but big, I absolutely SUCK at it.
Big is definitely a steep challenge. It's mode that always has the player on the knife's edge...
It got a little scary a couple times, but you pulled it out! Congrats Alex! :)
Was this your first?
Thanks Shuey! Yep, this is number one, previous PB was ~730. The console versions are making it so much easier to come back to improve Big and Reverse. No need to swap PCBs or hook up a recording setup, now I can just boot the PS4 whenever there is a little slice of free time and know the auto-recording buffer is already running.
2:16
3:02
3:53
4:55
Creating and exploiting this shape must be part of a solution. You did a similar thing with the two L's at 6:55 when it wasn't the only option. Looks like you're doing it instinctively.
Interesting observation. I'll give some analysis.
I think at 2:16 & 3:02, the stack shape of 10110 is rather poor; the 101 portion on the left gives odd checkerboard parity that we either want to correct with a T piece or an appropriate line clear. It seems bad to have this stack shape with L in the preview and no good way to stall to see what comes afterwards. A placement like Ld-234 would be "bulky" -- it increases the line clear distance for nearly every follow-up piece (only I or another L have immediate line clear options), and shifts the divot to column 1 (risks bulking into a right-side stack unless we get T to fix the situation or I to forestall it). A placement like Lr-12 is in some ways better (4/7 pieces have immediate line clear options), but it feels very "angular" and the T parity issue is kind of just getting "hidden under the bed" in a way where we can't actually clean it up right away.
Sending the L piece to the right technically gives us an adjustment option of Lu-345 vs. Ll-45. Of the two options, I think Ll-45 (as chosen in-game) is the most generically stable; it feels "compact" (stays in bottom three rows w/o creating any holes), the majority of pieces have immediate line clear options (technically 6/7, although clearing with I-piece in column 2 has a very bad leave), and it leaves a surface on the right to stow O or I if needed. A duplicate L would also have more than one line clear option (I'm thinking of Ld-123 with synchro vs. Ld-234* with wallkick to twist under, although I guess technically Ll-12 is also available).
2:16 - Follow-up of T is pretty ideal. Checker parity is fixed, and layers of 00011 over 11101 give plenty of good stacking or line clear options.
3:02 - J has line clear options with either Jd-123 (as chosen) or Jr-23 (would have been a better adjustment for the I-piece in preview).
The reasoning at 6:55 is similar -- the "ziggurat" structure left behind by the S and Z minos is technically "global even" checker parity, but the structure on the left is "local odd" and wants a T piece to fix it. I won't know I have another L-piece incoming until this one is already in the playfield, so I'll be prepping IRS B + DAS Right the same as the scenarios described previously. When the second L appears, I have the option to adjust for either Ld-234* tuck if I'm lucky enough to roll an I-piece for a triple on the left, or Lr-12 as chosen if I roll most anything else (leaves the classic "Sega/TGM spin" shape that will accept T, J, or Z, has a basic line clear with O, a cheeky S->J spin continuation, or right side stow in other cases).
At 3:53, it's interesting that the mirror shape does appear. I think it's by way of choosing the more compact placement for the previous T. Td-234 sort of "invites a line clear," whereas something like Tl-23 creates an ugly structure that only immediately resolves if given another T and Tr-34 is begging too hard for an O-piece to appear. So, the shape kind of appears naturally out of the fact that J is the follow-up piece available to clear lines (although it has much the same beneficial properties as its mirror -- if not more so just by dint of being a left-stack rather than a right-stack). The situation at 4:55 is I think similarly circumstantial.
I noticed that pieces are dropping fast at the start. But mine didnt do that?
Good point. This is 20G + Big modes together. I can update the video title. Normal Big and 20G Big are treated as interchangeable on the community leaderboard (I suppose in a similar way to NES Tetris starting level preference), so I focused on 20G starts to build-up the necessary consistency and survival skills.
@@KitaruTC ahhh gotcha. That makes sense. Didn’t know both could be activated at the same time.
@@cantaloupeme Yep, any combination of the six mode codes can be stacked together (although 20G + TLS doesn't do anything, lol). The game will happily allow you to play 20G Big Uki Reverse Monochrome TLS mode.
@@KitaruTC oh? There’s more than 3 codes? I gotta mess around with that
@@cantaloupeme Yep! There's a full list at tetris.wiki/TGM#Hidden_modes
Wow, Big Mode didn't move your piece two spaces at once like in future TGM games? _(I'm not actually sure if it was 2 or 3 that gave Big Mode double move.)_ That sounds like it could've led to a cruel, crippling misdrop.
Yep! In TGM1, Big Mode has the same "half-block" movement as the Death Block item in Versus. It's actually a double-edged sword: the benefit is that spawning on an odd column often gives you left/right mobility options you don't have in TGM2/TGM3, but the dangers are half-block misdrops and half-overlap top-outs.
TGM2 Big Mode does have "full-block" spawn alignment and movement. The reduced movement options make it more challenging to clear. TGM3 Big Mode also has "full-block" behaviors, but the added floorkicks, previews, and Hold make it much easier.
Another gotcha: TGM3 Sakura has an EX stage with big pieces, but it's implemented using the Death Block item effect! It's entirely possible to half-block misdrop on this stage and be in an unwinnable state near the end of a Sakura run.
Yeah, it is seriously tedious. I noticed Kitaru doing lots of kicks and movements to avoid shifting pieces at all
@@bensmith6518 Yep, kicks are double-moves, so they're super useful for finesse. You ideally only want to use single taps or DAS, as triple taps will momentarily put you "off-grid." Wallkicks help bridge that gap so you can still reach those positions safely and efficiently.
@@KitaruTC that's good to know. I've been playing big mode and that was a big issue for me. I can't find how to access 20g big mode though
@@bensmith6518 20G code is Down x8, C B A. You can stack together any combination of the six mode codes. The article on Tetris Wiki should have a list of the others.