Commentary on my T.A. Death GM

Thread in 'Strategy' started by colour_thief, 25 Mar 2008.

  1. Over the course of the week, I hope to give detailed commentary on my GM performance. I'll explain various techniques and strategies that guide certain placements, what were my biggest mistakes, and what I could improve on.


    Commentary will follow... For now here are various mirrors of the performance so that people can follow along:


    EDIT: And you can all thank muf for making screenshots of every placement! Thanks muf!




    http://mufunyo.net/tetris/colour_thief/Death_GM.mp4

    http://nihon.se/arika/Death_GM.mp4


    Please ask absolutely any questions or even criticize any placements. The idea is to get people talking about this stuff... which is something that doesn't seem to come very naturally over the internet.
     
  2. This could be quite interesting, because the first half of the video is pretty messy.


    Something interesting I noticed, because it's something I just realised I do myself, is lik the L placement at level 5/6, where you IRS anti-clockwise by default, even though it's not needed and in that case was actually far less beneficial.
     
  3. Amnesia

    Amnesia Piece of Cake

    I have a comment for your Death Gm c_t.. [​IMG]

    I really wonder if every body is affected by this phenomen :


    Perfect begining --> sheet score (100%)

    Awfull begining --> new record (Often)


    It seems impossible to perform the "perfect run"..

    For every body..(or only for me ?) [​IMG]
    If I could do it, I think I would beat every body here with my current potential..On both Master and Death..


    There is two reasons..If ofcourse, some people agree with the fact that I am developing..


    1 : the stress and the pression prevent us to do a perfect run..

    Example :

    " Rahh !!! [​IMG] I can do it !! I will beat them all my game is so good !!

    no..no..NO NO NO !!!! Why I am losing this f**** game !!! [​IMG][​IMG] "


    2 : Physic law : Torque X Speed = Power

    Or for Tetris it could be : Speed X Endurance = Quality of the game

    We have a limit of concentration, and we practice every day in order to increase this limit..


    Just to say c_t, you may be disapointed by the begining of your game..

    A Gm @ 6:12 would have been nicer is not it ? [​IMG]
     
  4. Altimor

    Altimor a.k.a. Ghett0


    Completely true. Sometimes I have the nicest beginnings and kill myself right after 200.
     
  5. I'm excited to hear the commentaries....I have a lot of strategies to learn!
     
  6. Welcome stranger. [​IMG] Just a heads up that maybe the other strategy threads will be a better learning aid. My intent with this thread is to explain what went into my GM performance without necessarily trying to say that these are things everyone should do.


    In fact, this is why I strongly recommend that players always play their game to completion. Never give up! If your early game sucked it is easier to relax.


    This general phenomenon I would agree with... But there are exceptions too. On my TAP machine, my section 0-100 record was done with an orange S8 game. It's all a matter of keeping your stress under control. The tension disappears with time and experience. Way back in September, when jago and I both improved our records "close" to GM, it was extremely difficult for me to keep my stress under control every time I reached 500. After reaching 800 many times, and especially after obtaining my GM, I now feel extremely relaxed playing Death no matter what I do.




    Anyhow, on with the commentary... First thing first: I'll explain why 0-300 was so sloppy. When I play, I can make well thought out (read: slow) placements and get to 400 cleanly, or I can make fast impulse placements to get to 400 (probably) messily but possibly cleanly. I can break the torikan either way, but often I choose the fast, careless route. With the mistakes I usually make, it all balances out. During my GM run, the 0-300 mess was caused by a huge series of input errors from time attacking too agressively... Level 14, 25, 57, 137, 193... All input errors, followed by a section of recovery... A really sloppy beginning!


    When I play with this "fast and careless" plan, I don't really start thinking hard about placements unless I'm either really close to dying, or I've passed level 400. At those times, I focus as hard as I can on raw survival above all else. I'm not saying this is the best way to play, but it is how I was playing the day I got my first GM.


    This takes longer than I thought... I'll have to continue with less general commentary tomorrow.
     
  7. Rosti has already noticed the first move I want to comment on...



    [​IMG]
    L - Level 6

    It's not by default actually. It wasn't the best move here, but it was chosen as an instinct reaction that helps with stability surviving 500+.

    http://fumen.zui.jp/?m105@deA3gbA3gbB3g ... cCcB7eAAAA

    At death 500+ speed, the most efficient placement (no rotations or movement) would lock the piece very quickly... Much much faster than placements where lock delay is reset. This double rotation "anti-finesse" allows you to keep the speed smooth and at pace you are comfortable with.


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 16

    I created an overhang here, when I could've instead stacked it on the previous S. This is "bad", but in creating an overhang the highest point on the screen was column 5, which maximizes mobility by allowing any piece to move either left or right. It wasn't until much later, with the Z piece at level 24, that this overhang paid off. So even though there was an overhang in the middle, which is where you especially want to avoid holes, it can be a worthwile risk if you can keep a cool enough head to repair it.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 20

    Here I intentionally set up a t-spin with a T piece, something that would, on the surface, seem like a bad move given the game's randomizer. However, it is also a placement that would allow me to repair the centre overhang without needing to double tap a piece (slow!) and while also retaining mobility to the right edge of the screen. You've got to choose a solution that works with the pieces you get, and this seemed to me to be a solution that was stable enough to wait out a T.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 23

    Note that I have no inhibitions whatsoever creating a hole in column 10. I would have also placed either a J or an S on the far right as well, which ties into my t-spin setup being stable.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 30

    Again I show my willingness to place my mess in column 10. If pieces fell in my favour, and I cleared a single to fix my misdropped I (and also filled in the left side), I'd have a standard tetris hole waiting for me on the right.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 31

    I regret this move. It would have been better flat on the left, as cutting off the right just about guarantees overstacking anyways.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 32-36

    Desperate moves to avoid overstacking, hoping for the obvious single to come soon. Note my A+C double rotation finesse placing the J piece.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 39

    I pull off a fancy move, surrounded by tons of misdrops. [​IMG] You have to time things so that your DAS isn't charged until you've 180'ed your piece.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 41

    While this placement was an obvious decision, what really matters is the patience I had waiting for the I piece while placing the previous pieces. Don't be tempted to fill in a hole like this with a J or L unless you're truly desperate. It really pays to wait for the right piece for the job, and now my screen is relatively stable and well positioned for recovery.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 53

    Another move I regret, again cutting off the right side of the screen. I got very lucky that the next few pieces didn't punish me for this... Only to blow it away with a misdrop while playing:


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 57

    An obvious misdrop, but the move I was attempting to do deserves a mention. In the same vein as level 6, I wanted to IRS and then press right and then rotate (wallkick!) to undo my IRS. It's a good move that lets you control the flow of speed.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 66

    An attempt at a fling synchro. I had a 2 frame window to pull it off, and failed. If I was playing for stability, I would have double tapped left and then rotated and DAS'ed to the wall... But like I mentioned in my last post my playstyle at the time was to refuse to slow down unless I was near death.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 72

    Note that this move is a pretty gross example of overstacking. Holes in the middle of the screen are very difficult to get rid of. Repairing them is a task which must be approached with a stable screen, otherwise you're just going to create even more holes. For this reason, I decided to overstack quite a bit over the hole, to attack it later when my screen is in a better position.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 78

    Notice that I had nowhere to place this piece, so I opted to create a hole on the edge of the screen.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 91

    With no good place to put the piece, I created an overhang and made column 6 the highest. Note that this limits T and S pieces to going left... but that's what I want so it all works out. [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    O - Level 95

    Another overhang! While it's risky to have 2 at once, my 2 sides need different pieces so it's "ok". Or at least, very likely to work out at least in part. This move was probably motivated also by a need to make column 5 the highest again.


    -----


    Phew, one section done. Is this interesting? It's actually quite a lot of work to do this.
     
  8. CT this is absolutely appreciated. great work. I'll be studying this for awhile, I'm sure. Thank you
     
  9. Another section!


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 103

    Note that, rather than taking the lines to the right, I chose to fill the hole on the left. Now, this hole could have been filled by a J piece, and the J piece is out of the history and is therefore somewhat likely, but I still feel uncomfortable waiting for it. If you look at the left hole carefully, you'll notice that until I fill it with a J piece, columns 1, 2, and 3 are not an option for piece placement. This would effectively cut off the left side of the screen until the J arrived, or create new holes if I gave up waiting. By contrast, the lines on the right could be cleared by a wide range of pieces. A tetris hole on the side of a stable screen is almost like a wildcard. It's good general practice to not clear lines there until you've got a piece that doesn't really fit anywhere else... Only clearing lines when not doing so would threaten stability.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 106

    Note that I could have placed this piece without creating an overhang, but it would have cut off the right for everything but an I piece. (See also level 16 discussed above.) This overhang ensures that columns 4 and 5 are the peak of my stack for the next few pieces.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 107

    I took my lines here, but there was another (very often used) fast placement option of point the piece down in column 9. I felt placing the piece in column 9 would make it too difficult to place an I in column 10, and also would make the screen too flat to accomodate an S piece. This was a good call, because my very next piece was an S!


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 111

    This placement was motivated by the need to keep a clear path for a future I piece (now freshly out of the history) to the right. In retrospect, I don't like this placement because it creates the need for another S. A better alternative would have been to place it 2 spaces to the right. But as I said in the beginning, I was avoiding double taps at all costs in the name of speed, which is probably why I didnt' do that.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 113

    Again a double tap right would have been much better, but that was a self-imposed non-option. Rather than place the piece left, and create a hole in the middle, I placed it right to cover my hard earned teris hole. Ultimately, it will be easier to unearth this than any hole in the middle.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 116

    This placement was made to allow an I piece to go left. And I turned out to be my next piece! The I piece had been out of the history a long time at this point, and it was therefore quite likely to show up at any moment. Ever since level 113 I had a very uneasy feeling from not having a good spot for an I piece. This T piece was the first opportunity I had to make room for an I... it was very lucky for me to not get the I for 3 pieces. The main point I want to convey with this comment is that it is very possible, and really important, to have a practical grasp of the randomizer and awareness of your 3 likely pieces. This placement was a solid choice, but I would have chosen a different placement if the I piece was in the history.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 118/119

    I had no good options for these pieces. But note that I chose the lesser of 2 evils: I kept all my untidyness to one side. When you keep your holes close together it is much easier to repair them.


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 122

    My only options for this piece were to either create a hole in column 3 or 4. I chose 3, to make the hole as far away fromt he middle as possible.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 123

    When I made this overhang with an L piece in mind to repair it. (Which came level 129.) I encourage players to experiment with overhangs even if it slows them down, because it is only with experience that you can connect overhangs and holes in a way that allows you to efficiently use them at high speeds. Master mode is especially goo for this, because of the emphasis on tetrises.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 137

    A shameful misdrop... If not for this I would have rapidly uncovered my tetris hole. The move I intended was to place it in column 6. Please note that like level 91 this limits the T and S piece to going left, but I want these pieces to go left so that is ok.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 146

    I had no good options as far as I can tell, and my decision here may have not been the best move, but that's not what I want to talk about. After placing this piece, I knew immediately that the only way I'd survive was if I could get an I to column 10. The next few pieces it was my priority to build up the right side of my screen to allow this to happen.


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 158

    I regret this move, and would much rather have placed it to the right. IRS A, spawn, press and hold right, and then A+C while DAS is charging. I'm still not the best at fancy moves like this, and will often take the easier path if I feel I wouldn't be able to pull it off.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 161

    This move should be used by every player every game they play. Moving the O left one space creates great mobility by making column 5 the highest point and also it allows I pieces to be DAS'ed into column 1.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 168

    In fact, I think I should have repeated level 161's move here. Taking the double wastes my "wildcard" hole on the right


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 172

    This is not the worst move... if I get a piece to fix the overhang. Inward pointing overhangs are really risky because they cut off part of the screen. The best piece to fix it, T, is actually the most recent piece in my history so this was a very bad move (and I felt this as I was playing). In retrospect I'd have taken a single on the right.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 173

    While I can't exactly blame myself for taking the lines, I should have pressed a quick right-left to slide it under my overhang. The reason for this error in judgement is that the idea of placing the I to the right had been well formed in my head for quite a few levels. I didn't have time to adapt my I-plan to the new situation... If the I had come a couple levels later I would have likely chosen the stronger move. I want to highlight the importance of this phenomenon because I have seen even strong players like KAN make similar mistakes. It is a sign of skill that you have premade plans awaiting certain pieces, but it is also very easy for one of those pieces to become more strongly needed elsewhere. The only way to avoid these mistakes is to familiarize yourself with these "emergency need" situations. Perhaps someday, I'll make a faster connection between the overhang created at level 172 and an I piece solution.


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 177

    I should have fixed (well, displaced) my overhang here similar to level 173, but unfortunately a preconceived plan got the better of me once again.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 193

    Similar to level 66, for better or worse when I'm playing fast I refuse to double tap my Is instead gambling on a fling synchro. I could have easily placed against the right wall, but that would result in horrible overstacking.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 197

    Note that I'm not hesitating to place a Z where a J would fit better. This is because J is the most recent piece in the history.
     
  10. Edo

    Edo a.k.a. FSY

    I cannot emphasize how much I agree with this; it was the strongest move in the given situation, and it's also the strongest move in many other situations. Every beginner should learn and memorize this move!

    Whilst I totally understand your motives for playing this move, personally I would feel far more comfortable playing the I on the right, like so. While it's true that the pattern on the left isn't particularly stable, and fixing it should be considered a priority; whether or not it should be considered the top priority is debatable. I can't help but feel that playing the I on the right - making more breathing space, and restoring great stability to the centre and right regions of the playfield - is of greater importance and has far more to recommend it than the move you played. Taking lines for the sake of taking lines is not to be recommended, but as you said yourself, a player should always take lines if not doing so would threaten stability.
     
  11. And other one...


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 204

    Note that there is also a attrative horizontal placement against the left wall, but I opted for a vertical placement to avoid overstacking.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 212

    This placement was again motivated by avoiding overstacking. Note that at this point the T and Z can only go left... But that's where I want them to go. [​IMG] Just like levels 137 and 91. Note also T and Z are also out of the history right now.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 218

    I regret this placement. I should have placed the I vertical in column 5. As it is, I've cut off columns 1 and 2 which weakens my stability.


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 220

    I must have had a brainfart because I strongly regret this placement as well. The shape of the surface in columns 1-5, combined with I and J as my most recent history pieces, makes this an extremely bad move. I would have much rather cleared the double to the right, using this unintuitive wallkick. Note that I could have withheld IRS instead of using this kick, but it's good to know this kick in general.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 222

    I'm not sure why, but my finesse is horrible for this placement. Maybe it's anti-finesse I aquired struggling with the speed in shirase? Whatever it is, unlike the anti finesse discussed at level 6, this one doesn't let you control the speed as slow or fast as you like... it's only slow and should be avoided.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 227

    This is a very very bad move. I is a likely piece because it's out of the history and ideally I need 2 of them, one for each side. In placing this O, I blocked off the right hole while the left hole was inacessible. Now, if my next piece was anything but an I, I would have placed it in a way that allowed I pieces to go left. Unfortunately I played against the odds and lost... my next was an I.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 230

    With an I piece in my history, and a very unstable screen, there was little point in keeping the left tetris hole open so I took the single. This paid off, with some straightforward placements over the next few pieces stabilizing my stack significantly. Until...


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 236

    There's more to this placement than meets the eye. My plan at this point, as you can probably tell, was to free up my left tetris hole with a single. For this single, I need 2 spaces filled in on the left and 3 on the right. This J piece is capable of filling either spot. Filling in the 2 spaces on the left is the superior decision because, after the single is cleared, it would be possible to DAS a horizontal I to the left wall, and then rotate it to have it DAS into the hole. This is not possible when filling the 2-gap with an O, Z, or L.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 238

    Unfortunately that plan didn't work out and I got the I piece earlier than I'd hoped. Maybe I'm wrong (and please let me know if you think you'd have made this decision), but I think many intermediate players would place the I in column 1. This would be because they had formed an I-plan (discussed level 173), and are therefore pulled towards it even if the stack's context doesn't support it yet/anymore. In the end, placing the I in column 7 was a much stronger move because it avoided gross overstacking over the left hole.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 241

    While I would hope this move is obvious, I see a lot of players who don't do a lot of "unusual" line clears. There are especially a lot of interesting singles you can clear to unearth holes... I am sure some will come up later during my play.


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 254

    Note that I could have stacked this over the previous S, which would have maintained column 5 as the highest which is "good". However, I felt my stack was pretty stable so I placed the S to the left to avoid overstacking over my hole. This paid off, and over the next 8 pieces I uncovered and filled this hole. Perhaps a bit lucky to clear it so efficiently, but clearing holes from the middle always takes a bit of luck.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 256

    Placing the I horizontally would have also made a stable surface, but again I wanted to avoid overstacking.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 257

    Again, I want to avoid overstacking.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 258

    Note that Z was the best possible piece to fill the groove in column 4, which is why I didn't want to take the double. It is the best to fill that grove because it places column 5 as the highest. Note that the double could also be taken with an O, T, J, or even a second Z, so there is no rush to clear it. Again this is an example of line clears being a wildcard to be used only if the piece has no good move.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 270-273

    This is a bunch of moves with no greater purpose than maintaining the ability to place an I in column 1. I specifically kept columns 2 and 3 empty and built up column 4.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 277

    Here I had to choose which hole to place my I in. I chose the right hole, because the left would only yield a single. If I want to lower my stack, I'd get more immediate results by skimming while I wait for more I pieces. Usually, it's more stable to choose the non-tetris hole, so long as you're not about to die and in dire need of space.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 280

    A great example of line clears being a wildcard. I placed pieces until I was uncomfortable, and then cleared lines. I continued to stabilize my screen with pieces that would fit, and clearing lines with the rest.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 288

    Note that this prevents most pieces from going left, but I don't care because the right side of my screen can take anything.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 291-296

    More line clears with pieces that don't help with stability. It's great if the option is available to you... Unfortunately you have to first build a tall clean stack. [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    S - Level 299

    Not to be confused with the Z I placed at level 299! While this move was a bad call in this situation (I should have gone for a single on the left), it isn't as bad as perhaps it first looks. The move creates an overhang, but it also makes column 5 the highest. The overhang can be fixed, even at the highest of speeds, with a very fast and powerful L piece placement. Spawn, left, A, right. As soon as I placed this S, I created an L-plan to fix it. And indeed, you can see this at level 302.
     

  12. This ties into what I was saying earlier in that rather than trying to say what's best, I'm often just trying to show my motivations and thought process. In this case T had just left the history, and S was still in there, which may have also pushed me away from your suggested move. Additionally, I don't feel threatened while having a clean top stack unless I'm within 3 rows of the top.


    Definitely, in this situation either move would have succeeded, but it's difficult to say one is better than the other. It's really a tough call... With 2 I's in a row I'd probably make both moves. [​IMG]
     
  13. Onwards...


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 300

    This isn't a good move, but it's making the best of a bad situation by placing the whole on the side of the screen. Even though my stack looks pretty ugly right now, I have a very clear plan: I want to stack cleanly on the right side of the screen, and place my holes on the left side (near my tetris hole). With your holes close together, it is easy to dig through garbage.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 301

    My 2 options were vertical in column 3 or 7. I chose 3, as it gives a few more options for dealing with my overhang. Column 7 would have opened a path for a future I piece in column 10, but given that I has just entered the history this is not very important.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 302

    Here I execute my L-plan formed at level 299. See how easy it is? And see how column 4 is really high, allowing an I piece to easily get to column1? Learn this move and use it, both the SL and ZJ flavours.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 304

    In retrospect I would have placed this piece here, but 180'ed. This would have fit better with my plan to throw junk left while cleanly stacking right.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 306

    Why hello there O block moved left once. (see level 161)


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 308

    Sure I could have created an overhang instead... But this was a fast placement that keeps with my current plan.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 310-317

    I filled in the right, lines have cleared, and my plan was a success. I'm left with only the tamest of buried tetris holes on the left. Let it be said that you only have to build cleanly in 2/3 of the screen at once! [​IMG] My plan changes slightly now. I still want to build high on the right. But now, instead of throwing junk on the left, I want to clear lines there until the tetris hole is filled in. So, earlier my attitude was "throw crap left to clear lines later" and now it's "throw crap left to clear lines immediately". It's essentially the same thing, but I'm in a much better position now that the right side is built up.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 319

    Left once... Have you learned this move yet?


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 321

    In following with my plan, there's no good place on the right for this piece so I'm clearing a single on the left. I had 2 possibilities for a single here. The one I chose leaves 3 rows of overstacking. The one I didn't choose would have left 1. If my right side was built up higher, I would have picked the placement that reduced overstacking. However, As it is I chose the placement that would allow me to continue with my new plan discussed 310-317. I worked hard to get the right side high enough for immediate line clears on the left instead of hopefully clearing them soon, and I wasn't about to give that up unless I had to due to the obvious risks involved.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 322-335

    Hopefully, this should look like fairly straightforward playing out of my current plan.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 336

    A very disgusting misdrop. These are the worst... When the piece would fix something bad, but insteadit leaves that badness and creates a mess of it's own. As I hope you've realised from previous misdrops, it's best just to keep on going without freaking out about it.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 337

    I had 2 optionswhen creating and overhang an overhang here. Overhangs 2 columns away from a tetris hole are a little easier to deal with than 3 columns away, as they can be simply and immediately filled with a T L or J. Additionally, choosing column 3 in this case meant either pulling off a crazy move with a J, or building up to it with an O and then sliding a T L or J in. I'm not sure which is a more stable strategic decision, but I do know it's easier to pull my choice off. [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    J - Level 348

    HORRIBLE MOVE. Seriously, I challenge you to find a worse move for this piece. I think I was trying to go for the other single, but then misrotated. This would have been an ok move... But in retrospect I really really want to simply place the piece: spawn, right, lock.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 352

    Back to my weaker earlier plan of throwing crap left in the hopes of cleanly filling in the right. [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Levels 357-358

    Both of these moves were placed out of a strong desire to make sure I can move an I piece left.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 363

    This, is an interesting choice. At this point I've made a clear change of strategy. I've committed to stopping the old strategy of stacking high on the right, and clearing lines on the left. There are a couple reasons for this. My placements 357-358 provided much need support for bringing my I piece to the left (which was a good move). However, they have also left the centre of my screen in an uncomfortable situation. So, firstly, this placement stabilizes the centre. However, this placement also creates a hole on the right side of the screen, something I have been avoiding for many levels now. Why am I doing this? Well, I have nearly filled in the entire left side. Assuming it was filled in, then I would start building cleanly on the left while playing sloppily/clearing lines on the right in order to attack my next hole. Even though the left is not yet filled in, it's so close to the bottom that it practically is. By placing this L piece, I'm essentially gambling that I can fill in the entire left without needing additional line clearing support from a hypothetically clean right side.


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 364

    And here I've gone and filled in most of the left. I think you'll agree now that it is a good idea to stack high on the left and clear lines to the right. [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    J - Level 372

    I didn't really plan on this, I was just sharp enough to take advantage of it. It is a line clear of opportunity, as it were. I love finding a simple solution to a pain in the ass problem. You really really should never plan on it, but when you create certain patterns you should be thinking "X piece would be the best to fix this". That's exactly what happened here... I felt a strong desire for a J or I to fix my problem... and got my preferred piece. This is in the same vein as level 241, though I really do hope there are some interesting singles later on.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 375

    I could have placed this left I suppose, but that would cut off column 3. The way I placed it, more of the screen is available and I'm guaranteed the ability to place an I piece in column 3.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 383

    Even though this worked, I fully acknowledge it was a bad decision. As previously mentioned (level 172) inward-facing overhangs are extremely risky. And it was even riskier this time than at level 172. I guess I was caught off guard because L was in my piece history so I wasn't expecting another so soon. The only way to fix this overhang is with T (which is in the history [​IMG]) or with J. What I should have been concentrating on is building high on the right with junk/lines on the left. That's probably another reason why I made this decision... in the last 6 seconds I've gone from wanting to dig on the left, to wanting to dig on the right, to wanting to dig on the left again. When you're doing really well and digging through garbage very fast, it can be difficult to keep track of what your current strategy should be.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 387

    A few pieces later, I'm comfortably adjusted to what my strategy should be. I chucked this O on the left, in the hopes of building cleanly on the right and digging left. I've said a similar comment many times already, but I've created a hole along the side of the screen where it is not difficult to repair it.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 389

    My placement here is pretty weak. And looking at this stack again, I still feel a strong pull to place it in the exact same place. This has actually made me notice a recurring weakness with my playstyle. See also levels 53 and 218. A vertical I in column 5 is a decent move that I am criminally underusing.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 390

    This is a bad move because it overstacks by 3 rows. But screen stability is ok... So I am taking here a "slow but sure" approach to dig through my garbage. Especially when the game starts speeding up, I'm more willing to overstack if the alternative is to risk creating more holes.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 398

    Hey look, I'm moving O left once. It re-establishes column 5 as the highest, and it keeps my pit in column 8 able to accept both L and J.
     
  14. Last update for the day!


    [​IMG]
    Levels 400-411

    Every single one of these placements should be agreed upon by every player, I would hope. I got a good string of pieces that were exactly what I needed at that point in time. Just like level 372 I didn't plan on all these line clears... I just recognised the best pieces to fix my holes and did not hesitate to place them. So, while there's a bit of luck getting the right pieces, there also a fair bit of skill in associating various patterns with their solution pieces. Especially with line clears constantly changing the stack's shape, it takes some skill to visualize ahead.


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 416

    I was actually planning on stacking up for a tetris, but by the time my piece had reached its destination and I saw the O coming next, I decided to take the double instead. Otherwise, placing the O would have created a formation that requires a J... A piece that has just entered the history.


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 421

    This is a misdrop (I wanted to go left once). I tapped left too soon (during ARE) and didn't realise my mistake until it was too late. In fact, I think I realised it possibly fast enough to correct it but chose not to. At high speeds there is a certain value in keeping the screen predictable and under control, even if that means creating holes. If you try a risky move and fail... how are you supposed to plan your next piece? If you assume you'll succeed but then fail, you'll likely have 2 failures on your hand. Maybe even more! There can be huge snowball effects. So in this case, I noticed my error just late enough that I wasn't sure I could correct it. I chose to go with it instead of risking an unpredictable screen, as you can see by my fast, confident placement of the following L.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 423

    I'm taking my lines here, so that they can't get buried under the hole I just created. There's nothing more painful than a tetris or 2 buried under a few centre holes.


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 430

    I placed this left, when many people might have chosen right. This is because I'm currently focusing on my hole in column 4, and if possible I'd like to open it up without overstacking. This means column 3 has to be filled in without adding to column 4. The best solution I can think of is S followed by L or I.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 432

    With nowhere to place this piece, I felt it best to create a hole along the wall of the lowest side. Starting with this placement, I'm initiating a standard strategy of build high on the left with sloppiness/line clears on the right.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 434

    OMG! I didn't move it left once!! This is actually because I'm still avoiding overstacking in column 4, which is no longer important in retrospect, but at the time I was still commited to the idea in desperate hope of everything working out quickly. I guess the full implication of level 432 hadn't sunk in yet.


    [​IMG]
    S - Level 437

    A deliberate t-spin setup.


    [​IMG]
    T - Level 438

    Regret! This is not a misdrop. Even though I just set up a tspin, I wasn't expecting to get a T immediately.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 439

    Would have moved it left once if only I could. [​IMG] I kept it here because it wouldn't have really helped things on the right, and now I've got columns 4 and 5 raised.


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 440

    The right was getting pretty ugly, so I placed this to build up to the higher overhang and simplify the stack shape. Fortunately a Z came next to act on this plan immediately.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 442-450

    Following the general strategy of building high on the left to dig and clear lines on the right.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 451

    This an overstacking of sorts, but I've got a hole in column 6 and that is an absolute top priority to eliminate.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 455

    Another trapped O. [​IMG] Like I said earlier, holes in the middle are bad because they take a certain degree of luck to fix. Now I'll have to restabilise my screen and attack it again.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 456

    An example of bad overstacking. Really this piece should have gone to the right. I was probably just too frustrated with my failed recovery to think straight.


    [​IMG]
    I - Level 459

    I placed it hoping for a quick single, which often works. But this wasn't a very good move with L and J freshly in my history. I should have placed it vertical against the left wall, or possibly even vertical in column 5. I really am missing tons of great "I in column 5" placements... See levels 389, 218, and 53.


    [​IMG]
    J - Level 466

    After working hard to get my unwisely gambled single, I took the first opportunity to fill in the hole in column 6. This is an absolute priority, which is why I wasn't bothered by making the hole in column 7 larger in the slightest.


    [​IMG]
    Levels 468-477

    I think these are straightforward. But please observe how much care I was taking in order to minimize overstacking in column 7.


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 478

    I was actually planning on rotating this after it reached it's destination. But, the travel time gave me the chance to see S was my next piece, so I didn't rotate to leave room for it. See level 416. I'm much more likely to notice these kinds of last minute moves when they are important for recovery.


    [​IMG]
    L - Level 482

    I could have placed this piece far right with some fancy moves, but I generally only attempt such things when I am very comfortable with my stack. So this is another example of choosing consistency (see level 421).


    [​IMG]
    Z - Level 490

    This and the previous piece clogged my right side. Unfortunately, I had a 10 piece I drought which did not favour my recovery in column 7. This placement also comes with a change in strategy: I will abandon recovery on the right, instead focusing on clean building and recovery on the left.


    [​IMG]
    O - Level 497

    This is actually a pretty stupid move. It would have been much better 180'd and placed left once. It worked out in the end but I regret this placement.
     
  15. CT again thank you. This is exactly what I need. Formalizing hereto intuitive processes will improve my game immensely. This needs to be wiki'd in stone, archived and locked for all time when complete.
     
  16. No problem! It's a very good exercise for me too. Also, if any of you guys spot typos or crappily crafted sentences, let me know so I can fix them. With this kind of volume they're sure to slip through.
     
  17. Amnesia

    Amnesia Piece of Cake


    I definitely vote for the S on the left with the single..Because the big hole on the left is a 3 column hole which allow to put easily the I ..

    Then I don't really see any inconvenient to create this line.. [​IMG]
    Whereas the S on the middle create an overhang that I can't perform 100% of the time at DEATH 300 speed..
     
  18. Will pics be added for post level-200? They were really helping!
     
  19. Muf

    Muf

    Pics have been shot and uploaded, just waiting for colour_thief to inline them into his post [​IMG].
     
  20. sweeeeet!
     

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