Virtual Boy Weekly Contest Round 4: 3-D Tetris

[Red | 434]

Hello and welcome to the fourth round of the Virtual Boy Weekly Contest!  This week's game is 3-D Tetris.  It's like regular Tetris, but in 3-D!  The transition from 2-D to 3-D always goes smoothly, right?  RIGHT?  Just ask Bubsy and Earthworm Jim.  They'll tell you.

Rules:

- Play 3-D Tetris mode, Type A
- Play on hard difficulty starting at level 1
- Play until Game Over
- Highest score wins

- You have until 11:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 10, 2021 to submit your score.

For general contest rules, click here:

https://www.videogamesage.com/topic/5999-virtual-boy-weekly-contest-leaderboard-rules-20202021/

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

SCOREBOARD:

1. 576,000 (Splain)

2. 99,000 (koifish)

3. 89,000 (ZeldaFan042)

4. 3,000 (Proveaux)

Edited January 11, 2021 by Red

[koifish | 555]

Wow, I really suck at this game!

[koifish | 555]

I'm going to try a bit more, this week has been hell for free time. I am surprised at how slowly the game runs when doing rotations of the play field. It feels much simpler to me than Red Alarm (in terms of rendering cost) but it runs significantly less smoothly. Too bad, the concept seems cool even if I'm not strong enough at spatial conceptualization to be good at it (or at least not yet!)

[Splain | 2,560]

Rotating the pieces feels like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube.

[koifish | 555]

So, after several more hours of playing, I am starting to get it, and starting to enjoy it! However, I am really bad still. I have no idea how someone is supposed to reach the high score on the board.

Anyway, my best tips I can give are this so far (for the well, imagine the bottom as -Z, the top as +Z, and then X as being the horizontal from player perspective, and the Y being vertical from player perspective).

1. Heavily rely on the rotate view feature. You can use L button and Left D-Pad together to look at the well from different angles, and this allows you to not only see the well from multiple angles, but more importantly, it pauses the game while the well is moving. This is invaluable, as you can use this time to look at the stack and figure out what the hell is going on.

2. Learn quickly to interpret the level guide on the right side of the screen. The right side shows you each level and how many of the squares in it are filled. I'm sure you picked that part up already that said, reading it is something I've had to work hard to get good at, and I don't mean looking at it, but looking at it and thinking "okay, this space is filled on levels 2 and 3 but is empty on both levels right next to it, that means I can drop an L block in there and it will fill that space without impeding other squares. The game graciously shows you on the guide too where the next block will fill, so you can ease into things.

3. Blocking a hole on accident is absolute hell in this game. Just avoid it as much as possible!

4. If you do block a hole, try as hard as you can to use the singles blocks to fill them. At least with the square-singles block (4 separate cubes in a block formation) you can start to move independently the blocks once at least one of them lands. By that I mean, they don't have to stay in a 4-block grid like they fall; You can move them after one has hit the stack. My strategy is to turn them so that the second set of cubes is above the first (so the group overall is parallel to the well's Z axis), and then when the first ones hit, immediately start maneuevering the other two into different locations. This way you can fill some unorthodox holes that develop in case you have an issue with your block drops.

5. Spend some throwaway games just getting the hang of piece rotation. A/B rotate the piece around the Z axis, but remember that right D-Pad also rotates the piece, either around the X axis (Up/Down) or around the Y axis (Left/Right). There are multiple moves which can result in the same rotation; Work hard to study and get down the most efficient rotations. I am still working on this myself, so sorry I can't give better advice

 

Overall though, I agree with @splain, this game is challenging me in ways that I haven't felt since Hyper Lode Runner. It's exciting though, I really like playing this game! I never played 3-D Tetris before, and now I'm finding it to be yet another reason why I am a fan of T&E Soft. Damn if it isn't the most fiendish puzzle game I've played in a while though. If I was a kid I would probably chuck this game in frustration!

[Splain | 2,560]

@koifish good tips! Here's my first game that I felt wasn't a total train wreck. Maybe I should have taken a pic of the high score screen to show it was on Hard mode. I'll take my next one there.

37000

 

[koifish | 555]

Wow! I just barely catch you with my best score thus far. I have a weird problem, maybe others have it too, where on my emulator, I can press Up on left stick, for example, and then it goes up but then immediately copies back a "down" input, like I never pressed the up button at all. It's almost like a phantom input, or a joystick drift. It is probably something with the oculus quest. Unfortunate, but I'm still doing the best that I can. I am definitely going to look to buy a copy of this game for my VB!

Anyway, my current score is 39000. Hopefully I can beat even that, my goal is 50k. I just keep making one mistake and ruining the rest of my game. I love that this game allows me put my name right on the score page!

[Splain | 2,560]

Huh, I guess this cart has a battery backup, because when I turn the VB back on, everything defaults to my last-used menu selections, and I'm still on the high score list. Neato.

I'm starting to really like this game. The other modes are pretty interesting as well. The multi-level view on the right side becomes really useful when the board (cube?) gets crowded and busy, and you need to know just how deep each hole goes. I wish the controls were just a little more responsive, there seems to be a slight delay, which is a big problem when you have to move fast.

But uhh, why does every piece have a unique face/personality?

I also have the Japanese-only V-Tetris, but I haven't really quite figured out how to use the wraparound gimmick to its fullest.

[koifish | 555]

This game and its quirks really shine through. The pieces having personality is just one more hilarious touch. So weird to see 90s japanese cartoon styled Tetris blocks!

I really want to get a Bluetooth virtual boy controller. I saw a page where a guy had apparently built one, but I don't know if he tested it to confirm if it works with oculus headsets.

I found another massively valuable addition; Pressing select toggles the camera movement, meaning you can stop it from rotating freely and stay on a static angle. Also, you can change angles using L button and get different side views, plus a straight-on view with no tilt, great for lining things up nice and straight. Really should just find a copy of the manual already, I'm amazed this game has flown under my radar, it is so enjoyable and brain-twisting! Shame it is so obscure and hard to get into without some tenacity.

I have a new slightly highehighr score which I'll post tomorrow. Not 50k yet but I'm picking up on some things.

[Splain | 2,560]

Ok friends. I got a decent technique down and I discovered that if you break 200,000 points, they show you a credit roll (after you die) and a code that unlocks higher difficulties. I assume 200,000 is the number because the single-block guy flew across the top of my screen with the word GREAT! when I broke that. So here's pictures:

220,000

[Red | 434]

Pretty neat that you guys are getting into this one so much.  Can't say it's one of my favorites, but it's certainly not as bad as some make it out to be.

 

1 hour ago, Splain said:

Ok friends. I got a decent technique down and I discovered that if you break 200,000 points, they show you a credit roll (after you die) and a code that unlocks higher difficulties. I assume 200,000 is the number because the single-block guy flew across the top of my screen with the word GREAT! when I broke that. So here's pictures:

220,000

Nice Score!  Higher than all the other scores for this mode/difficulty over at Planet Virtual Boy:

https://www.virtual-boy.com/games/3d-tetris/highscores/

[Proveaux | 105]

Wow this is my score prior to learning you could rotate on more than 1 axis. I didn't  do any better after learning.

[Splain | 2,560]

Ok, I don't think I'll ever beat this score.

576000

[koifish | 555]

I hope you'll spill the beans on your technique!

[Splain | 2,560]

3 hours ago, koifish said:

I hope you'll spill the beans on your technique!

For sure. Let me know if this makes sense, lol:

General notes/tips: You only get points when you fill in an entire 5x5 level, (uhh, I'm actually going to call them "floors.") so it doesn't matter how quickly you place pieces. Take all the time you need to make sure that your pieces are going where you want them. There's a slight delay and an inconsistent dead-time when rotating. Like you might double-tap a button and only see 1 rotation. So you can't really "zone out" and slam pieces down like you can in 2D Tetris. Double-check everything. This is annoying, but half of my problems come from pieces not landing where I thought they would, or not being rotated the way I thought they were. The wire-frame visuals can be confusing.

Also, you get more points when you clear floors that are closer to the top, even more points when clearing multiple floors at a time, and as it turns out, MACHO points for getting a chain reaction. I didn't know about that when I got my 200k score, but it was definitely the key to my 500k score. When building upward, it's less mentally taxing to try and complete lower floors before higher ones. It's really hard when you're trying to operate on 3-4 floors at the same time. Easy to misplace pieces and get gaps.

You lose a floor when you build too high, but you can gain floors back by clearing floors. Don't give up if you build too high. I lost floors many times on my high scores.

No piece is longer in any dimension than 3 blocks, so 3-at-a-time is the most you can get. Obviously the L-piece is the prime candidate. It might be possible to do something with the 4 disjointed blocks in a square pattern, but those things make me nervous.

So here's what you do: Fill the bottom floor completely except for one corner. I prefer front-left. Fill the 2nd floor the same way. On the 3rd floor, do the same thing, but with an extra block missing next to the corner. This way, an L-piece will get you 3 floors at a time, for 18000 points. (each floor's base value is multiplied by 3 since you're clearing 3 floors, so instead of 1000, 2000, and 3000, they're worth 3000, 6000, and 9000. Nice!)

But you guys. Don't put an L-piece in there. Put a T-piece. You have to make sure there's not a block on the 4th floor that will connect with the T-piece block that sticks up, or else it won't fall and chain-react the way you want it to. (I need to make a video... once it happens to you, you'll understand what I mean.) What will happen is you clear floors 2 and 3, for 4000 and 6000 points. 10000 total. Then, when those floors disappear, the unused top block of the T-piece will sink into the unused gap in floor 1, and you'll get another 1000 points. 11000 total. But the bonus for a chain reaction is DOUBLE your points, ON TOP of your 11000. So it will show that you got 11000, then the one-block guy will appear, holding a sign with a 2 on it, and give you an additional 22000 points. Your total is now 33000 points instead of 18000. And that's the key to the high score. I can think of a way to get a 3-step reaction, but I haven't tried it yet, because it's risky. I'll try it later though to see what happens.

So the technique is to populate the 3 floors such that an L-piece will perfectly fit. And do it as efficiently as you can, with the 4th and 5th floors as empty as possible, so that you have more time to get the pieces you need. Now you're in The Good Place. Once you're here, you can do one of 4 things:

1. (best) Put a T-piece in for maximum pointage.

2. (good) Put an L-piece in for much pointage.

3. (ok) Use an S-piece (or Z-piece, same thing in this game) to clear 1 or 2 levels in a way that doesn't block the well. This buys you time to re-fill up to the 3rd floor and try for a T or L.

4. (bad) if you don't get any of the above pieces, and you're out of room, you'll either have to shove something in the well or build too high and lose a floor. Both will require build-back time to get back to The Good Place.

You can play as risky as you want, but my general rule for my 500k score was that as soon as I was in The Good Place, any T, L, or S piece was automatically put into the well. Lowest risk possible. Once you're good enough at rotating the pieces, you can get back to the Good Place pretty quickly, and the increasing speed doesn't bother you for dozens of levels. Of course, if you get an S piece and the "next" piece is going to be a T, stash the S and slam the T.

That's basically it. If the pieces start falling too fast for you, just focus on clearing one floor at a time. It's really slow though. The game celebrates when you get 200k, then again at 500k. Clearing 200k will get you the credits and higher-difficulties code.

[ZeldaFan042 | 1,181]

72000

[koifish | 555]

your technique helped a lot, @Splain. I have no time and a big headache, so this is my only submission, but I'm looking forward to trying to beat your score later!

99000

 

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by koifish

[koifish | 555]

@Splain If you did the L-sized hole setup you described but dropped an L-block pointing up, would it give you more points? You were saying drop them so that it fills the hole, but said T-block gives you two plus the chain bonus. Does putting the block upside down, so that the two fill the hole on floor 3, and then the two pieces drop to fill the holes on floors 1 and 2, end up giving you more points than the T-block?

[ZeldaFan042 | 1,181]

89000

[Red | 434]

That's it for week four!  Congratulations to @Splain for taking first place.  

The week five thread can be found here:

 

[Splain | 2,560]

1 hour ago, koifish said:

@Splain If you did the L-sized hole setup you described but dropped an L-block pointing up, would it give you more points? You were saying drop them so that it fills the hole, but said T-block gives you two plus the chain bonus. Does putting the block upside down, so that the two fill the hole on floor 3, and then the two pieces drop to fill the holes on floors 1 and 2, end up giving you more points than the T-block?

Good question. I went ahead and tried it, and it's not worth as many points, because you get a single clear on floor 3 (3000 pts) then a double-clear on floor 1 and 2 (2000 + 4000 = 6000 pts) for 9000 pts, and a 18000 pt bonus. 27000 pts total. So it's not as many points as a T-block, but it's a lot more points than putting the L-block pointing down, yet uses the same block and gives the same end formation. I could have scored way more points than I did! Good thinking.

I still haven't managed to successfully set up a 3-step chain reaction (making a sideways T-shaped hole, then putting a T on it. I'm pretty sure that will do it), but I've only attempted it a couple of times.

[koifish | 555]

I just tried the T-block tech you described, and yes, it does clear a 3-chain. You get 3k + 2k + 1k = 6k for the clears, then 24k for the 3-chain (guessing the chain bonus is equal to your floor clear points to the (n-1)th power, where n is your chain number). It's a lot of work to get 30k vs your design, but then it is nice that you can do it when covering a space, so maybe it is a trick you can use to clear floors where you accidentally covered the only hole.
 

I may have thought of a way to 4-chain; if you set up four floors to have alternating holes spaced 2 blocks apart, you could drop the cluster of four individual blocks (the square, not the diamond) into it. In theory, the floors would be cleared one at a time, four in all, for 4+3+2+1=10k plus a chain bonus of 10k * 2^3 = 80k, or a 90k total score. It is such a difficult build, however, that I don't know if it is even possible to make happen without overflowing the well. Probably too risky to go for it beyond theory or as a first clear.

 

 

 

[Splain | 2,560]

43 minutes ago, koifish said:

I just tried the T-block tech you described, and yes, it does clear a 3-chain. You get 3k + 2k + 1k = 6k for the clears, then 24k for the 3-chain (guessing the chain bonus is equal to your floor clear points to the (n-1)th power, where n is your chain number). It's a lot of work to get 30k vs your design, but then it is nice that you can do it when covering a space, so maybe it is a trick you can use to clear floors where you accidentally covered the only hole.
 

I may have thought of a way to 4-chain; if you set up four floors to have alternating holes spaced 2 blocks apart, you could drop the cluster of four individual blocks (the square, not the diamond) into it. In theory, the floors would be cleared one at a time, four in all, for 4+3+2+1=10k plus a chain bonus of 10k * 2^3 = 80k, or a 90k total score. It is such a difficult build, however, that I don't know if it is even possible to make happen without overflowing the well. Probably too risky to go for it beyond theory or as a first clear.

Nice!! Yeah, the reason I like the L-shape hole technique is how safe it is. Expecting one specific piece is a recipe for disaster. Awesome 4-chain idea too. You can overflow the play field all you want, as long as you clear enough floors to let it all fall back in. You'd need 4 floors meticulously filled though, only 1 floor of wiggle room. Yikes lol. I'm still going to try it.

[koifish | 555]

I've figured a few setups that can give you the setup easily. The first is to stack S blocks and flip them, so that you get S block -> Z block -> S block -> Z block. You have to remember to fill the small holes that form under the layer below the top, but otherwise it is a reasonable way of doing it. A slightly trickier way is to do the same thing, but with L blocks. You have to fill the spots inbetween however, and if you try to do what you've been doing for example, that is, putting the blocks front and center to make them easier to see, then you need very specific pieces to fall in order to fill that space without also blocking the holes. If you flip it away from a wall, then it gets much easier, you just have to be a little more careful about your building since it isn't as immediately visible.

So far I've had zero luck getting four levels full and maintaining to get the necessary block, it might just be better to stay in the realm of mortals and go for 2chainz as opposed to going for the 3-chain fat stacks.

[Splain | 2,560]

No luck here either, lol. Takes some real concentration and some insane luck.