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Announcing the Tetris Max High Score Contest, October 14

CC_333

CC_333

Well-known member
Please forgive this completely naive and uneducated question, but what is it about this game that people find so captivating?

c
 
jmacz

jmacz

Well-known member
It’s like a bag of snacks, where you eat one, and then another, and then realize you can’t stop. You play one game, then another, and then you realize you missed all your zoom meetings and forgot to pick up your kid from school… oh nvm.
 
J

joshc

Well-known member
CC_333 said:
Please forgive this completely naive and uneducated question, but what is it about this game that people find so captivating?

c
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It's easy to play, the gratification is instant, and it's endless. Also, the music is really good (both versions). A lot of games take time to get into, and the reward may be slower. Tetris Max is also just a very good example of a Tetris game, not all of them are as good.

For those Tetris lovers out there, there is this page with many different Tetris games for the Mac:

 
Scott Baret

Scott Baret

Well-known member
bigmessowires said:
I get what you mean about the sliding behavior before a piece sticks in place. There is a version of tetris for classic Macs called Randall Cook's tetris that intentionally cheats like you're describing, withholding pieces that you need, lying about what piece comes next, or modifying pieces after they're already down. It's devious and funny, but not really playable. I was routinely accused of having a bad random number generator. Yesterday I got seven purple blocks in a row, so maybe there's something to that claim!
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The Cook Tetris sounds like a really awful adaptation of the game, but there is one far worse than that called Tetricycle...OK, who remembers the big reason that one was so bad?!?
 
Scott Baret

Scott Baret

Well-known member
@bigmessowires since we're talking a lot about the reasons we love Tetris Max, I have to ask...how did you and Peter Wagner get acquainted? The music in the game is great and there are actually quite a few remixes of the song on YouTube, believe it or not.
 
bigmessowires

bigmessowires

Well-known member
Contest rules update! I've lowered the minimum qualifying score to 16000. The minimum was intended to save everybody time by filtering out scores that obviously wouldn't win the contest, not set a bar that almost nobody could reach. There may also be secret prizes for runner-up high scores, so it's not only about the top scorer. Another clarification: you must play a normal game beginning at level 1, and not use the "practice" game option. Here are the latest rules, including all the clarifications and changes since the beginning:

Contest Rules

To keep the contest as fair as possible, we need some ground rules. The contest will run from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm Pacific Daylight Time or UTC−07:00 on Saturday October 14. Practice all you want before then, but qualifying high scores must be set during this time window. Games already in progress at 3:30 pm may continue until finished. The score must be achieved on a real 68030 or 68040-equipped Macintosh (no emulators) with CPU speed of 25 MHz or faster, with ADB keyboard (no USB adapters) or PowerBook built-in keyboard, and with Tetris Max v2.9.x as the only open application. The game must be started with the Begin New Game menu option - the Practice or Repeat Last Game options must not be used. The minimum qualifying high score is 16000 points. In case of any rules ambiguity, the contest organizer will make a final decision.

Online Contest

High scores must be set during the same time window as the live contest, with computers meeting the same rules criteria. The entire game session from start to finish must be recorded in one continuous video with no cuts. If you achieve a high score over 16000 then KEEP RECORDING and include these at the end of the video, with no cuts:
  • show the contents of the "About This Macintosh" window
  • show the actual Macintosh the game is running on
  • open news.google.com or 68k.news in your phone or PC browser and show the current news headlines
Submit the video by uploading it to your favorite platform (YouTube or just Google Drive if you want to keep it private), then email your score and a link to your video to mactoberfest@bigmessowires.com. Submissions must be received by 5:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time to be considered. Videos that don't include all the required elements, or that show signs of editing or ResEdit tampering or other creative shenanigans, will be disqualified. The highest scorer at the end of the contest will win the internet for a day and receive a $100 gift certificate to the BMOW store.
 
3lectr1cPPC

3lectr1cPPC

Well-known member
I'm planning on live streaming my attempts on my YouTube channel - will that do as a valid recording? I can clip my best game from the stream if that works better.
 
bigmessowires

bigmessowires

Well-known member
3lectr1cPPC said:
I'm planning on live streaming my attempts on my YouTube channel - will that do as a valid recording?
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Can you share a link with an embedded time index for your best effort, after the contest? That should be enough.

JustG said:
Are PPC Macs out of the running for this? Still debating what to pack for Saturday.
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Must be '030 or '040. I will have two Tetris Max stations going all day which you're welcome to use, but they may busy and crowded.
 
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