From: vgriscep@wam.umd.edu (VGR (Craig Pell))
Subject: Re: Biggest Flash in the Pan
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 19:05:09 GMT

In article <1993Jan9.073304.6003@zip.eecs.umich.edu> grover@emunix.emich.edu (Grover Thomas) writes:
>
>How about those arcade versions of TETRIS, with joystick and 2-
>player mode.  As if all the various home versions weren't enough...

I disagree.  The coin-op Tetris (actually there are two;  I mean the one
by Atari) is far, far superior IMHO to any other, *especially* the pathetic
NES and Game Boy versions.  Even the PC and Amiga versions leave me cold.

Why?  Well, yes, the simultaneous 2-player thing is kind of nice.  But the
coin-op Tetris has one very strong point:  it has the kind of play balance 
that Atari puts in every one of their games.  You see, there's much more
to programming a video game than making things move in response to a 
joystick.  You have to have a balance of play.  Things need to progress in
difficulty in a way that's proportional to how long you've been playing.
And, the game should allow for very smooth yet stimulating play even after
you've been playing a long time.

I played the other Tetris games.  Thank God the Game Boy version ended.  The
NES version was intolerable.  After half an hour on the highest level, I let
the game end, because I was bored to tears.

What does the coin-op have that's better?  Well, for one, the joystick doesn't
have that hideous key-repeat delay when you move left or right, the way some
computer versions (and even the NES version, I think) have, because someone
didn't want to bother changing the keyboard interrupt handler.

THat's minor, though.  How about this:  Atari Tetris has rounds!  Yes, rounds.
Rounds make a big difference, people.  It's called pacing.  A game is a lot
more fun when you have a goal.  That's probably why NES Tetris bored me so.
It never stopped.  Same old, same old, same old....  Anyway, by having rounds,
you get variety, such as, blocks initially in the playing field, over and over
again.  On NES, you can start with blocks there, and that's it.  (Any good
player can clear the field, and then it's back to square one.)

Heck, the variety goes further than that.  Is there any other Tetris that 
inserts random blocks?  Or pushes the screen up a line every so often?  (I
think the Game Boy version does this if two players link together.)  Or combines
those two things along with blocks in the playfield?

So, there's variety.  And one thing I have found immensely helpful:  the 
colors.  Using four or five colors for the blocks sucks!  Period.  It may
seem like it shouldn't make a difference, but when you play at high speed,
it makes a lot of difference!  The coin-op Tetris gives each piece a different
and distinct color.  What this does is enable me to glance at the "NEXT" piece
out of the corner of my eye, and know just by the color what it is.  And
considering that this Tetris moves so very fast, that is necessary.

Whew ... gee, guess I ranted.  Oh well.  Aren't you sorry you brought
it up?  :-)
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