Re: [NES] A-Type Nice job, Terry! Keep it up. Remember to celebrate all your achievements, no matter how big or small, because once you max out, you won't really give a shit anymore.
Re: [NES] A-Type @bo- i cannot wait to not care anymore! great point though. i will do my best to take a second to relax and feel good for a a while. thanks!
Re: [NES] A-Type Here's the way I look at it... When you're scoring near or slightly over your personal best, that means your skill/consistency has improved, and you'll likely be blowing away that record in the very near future. On a side note, I've hit 600k 3 times in the last 2 days. I think I'm gonna beat my personal best soon
Re: [NES] A-Type you make a presciently appropriate comment: i feel like i have aslo passed on to a new level. today i played a single game before work with all my students watching. the result was an 815k with everyone watching. feels good man. i am not nervous past 700k anymore, and have been getting multiple 700ks a day which didnt happen very often before. once you achieve a certain level once, it becomes easier afterward. apparently, you, too, know this feel. @cleue- i am happy to hear of your recent improvement! i was sad i didnt meet you at the competition though. maybe next time. but if we do meet in the future i wont shake your hand unless youre in the 700s (meant more as motivation than insult). you can do it, and will do it soon. on a (semi-)related note: i am so happy to see so many people entering the fray as competitiors! jake, dannyV, cleure, BDCowe, evan (whoever he is), getzie, rigel- keep it coming!
Re: [NES] A-Type on another related note: i made this graph of my daily high games. it helps remind me i am actually improving but it seems a slow improvement. of all the people who have higher scores than me, how quickly did you notice improvement after you started really trying to max? what kinds o things (practice) did you do to put you over the edge?f on an unrelated note: why has josh tolles been absent from these forums for so long?
Re: [NES] A-Type after about 700 K I was pretty consistent and getting a record about once every month or so...if you are trying to max..isuggest you treat it like running...do not try to attempt a record run every day...one or two days a week work on speed..do 19 b mode till you get it perfect and that's it...then one day a week work on slower stuff concentrating on form and tucks and block formation..maybe level 9 or so then maybe one day a week reserved for record runs....this is how I improved it might not be for everyone but I think constantly going for a record is like running a marathon everyday..your brain will get fatigued good luck I think 900 will happen soon!!
Re: [NES] A-Type thanks for the feedback. i have heard something similar from two different people and despite the fact i dont want to NOT attempt records all the time, think it may be the wisest way to go about it. robin turned me on to b type stuff a while ago and my scores have been much more consistent as a consequence, which parallels what you are saying. do you really think our brains get fatigued after a day or two of trying for high scores though? i have noticed an obvious wave like nature of my score curve but i havent noticed long low periods when i have been trying for high scores. i am gonna try your suggestion for two weeks and see what happens. amen. again, thanks!
Re: [NES] A-Type FWIW I always try to score as many points as possible and the month up to my max out put up 13 900k+ scores. So it can go both ways. The only real training I did was switch over to 19 from time to time.
Re: [NES] A-Type This is so very much what I've found. Through a ton of writing, analyzing, trial and error, etc., I've found that changing things up is key. When I focus too much on high scores, I ultimately get frustrated. I take far more enjoyment nowadays out of 19 A and B Type, practicing stacking techniques, and moving my well around. I know the dividends have not paid off in big high scores, but they're coming. It is (or, it can be) gratifying just to see little things in your game pop up that are new and brilliant, along with more consistent scores. It appears that making 500k-600k routine is a big part when it comes to competition, so that's become one of the things I put the most emphasis on.
Re: [NES] A-Type My new personal record scored on an emulator starting at level 9: 406890 (level 16, 164 lines) It's modest but I finally passed the 400k barrier and that should put me in the top 50
Re: [NES] A-Type well done flow! try to get some video up- i would love to see your style. also, once you break certain barriers it becomes more commonplace, and easier. soon you'll be getting 400k regularly.
Re: [NES] A-Type This. But for me, it's because I'm still below 400k - I'd love to see some other play styles. Congrats to Flow and Wasmachstdugern for new personal bests!
Re: [NES] A-Type Thanks! @Wasmachstdugern 850k+ is a dream score, congratulations! I've never done a video yet, will find out how it works.
Re: [NES] A-Type It's great to read the posts from the high scorers boblaze, DavidV, wasmachstdugern, cluere, and BDCowe on improving your high score. I, too, have noticed that going for a top score all the time causes a lot of "WTF was that?" type games. It was after I took a few months off and started varying my starting level and play style that more consistent scores were achievable. The other thing that is of interest to me is how resetting the randomizer would effect my scores. It's one thing I have never experimented with. I was able to increase my high score the other day to 669K+. Sadly, I didn't get it recorded, but I will get a photo posted. @wasmachstdugern and flow - nice work on the recent PR's.
Re: [NES] A-Type agreed- variation tends to make me more adaptable, and have more high scores in the process. i think this is a smart way to go about training. my regimen looks like this: a 19 only day, followed by b type stuff then 18 high scores tries. rinse, repeat, ad nauseum. it has been working for me. i have been having really good days for two weeks in a row, including two PRs in five days. @getzie- 669 is an awesome score! i am excited to see you keep improving, too. do you have any pattern you follow when training/playing or you just see what happens? also, do you have any other good players in your area that you can learn from or play with? i know it helped me a lot when robin (tetrismattress) came over and shed some light on my playstyle. i know a lot of good players have colleagues that are great too- danny has his brother david, ben and bo play a lot together- maybe you could hook up with other players in your area? i know there are a lot of great players int he midwest.
Re: [NES] A-Type @wasmachstdugern - I haven't really sought out people to get together with. Most of the people that I know that enjoy Tetris are just local and play on their phones/ipads for fun or haven't played NES for a long time. Ben C. is the closest person to me that I know is serious about scoring/playing and I have never met him, or any of you guys for that matter (always thought it was unfair to the family to travel just so I could play tetris) The B-type stuff I haven't tried yet, but I will. I normally just play a about 30 to 60 minutes after everyone goes to bed about 4-5 times a week. No real routine. Tetrising on level 19 is a skill I haven't mastered yet. Some days I think I'm just not good enough, but it sure is satisfying just giving it the old college try. (my college roomie laughs his a$$ off at me still playing the same game) Thanks for the input and good luck getting to the top! lvl 18 start - 212 lines.
Re: [NES] A-Type Regarding family obligations and such, I feel you on the travel. I was able to find time to make the Midwest tourneys this year, but too much was getting in the way of trekkin' to the West Coast. No doubt I'm only a stone’s throw from your town, so we could always get down to business on me traveling your way for some practice/sharing of ideas. I know these online competition discussions are branching into multiple threads (which apparently I'm contributing to the problem ), but I am still very much in favor of finding ways to connect for informal online play sessions. Live stream, chat room, Google doc, or whatever people want to do. I feel like I dropped a bit of a bomb with my mad scientist-like Tetris league ideas...but that's all it is: an idea. We need to start pulling the trigger on some sort of online get-together, though.
Re: [NES] A-Type New PB. 645,900 lvl 18 start. I'll hopefully have my video capture system back up soon, or I might just buy a DVD recorder if I can find one cheap.
