I guess I'll be the one to add the old classic (which I'm sure the author intentionally left out): "In Tetris, just as in life, it is your mistakes that pile up while your accomplishments disappear."
>If you played Tetris at the slowest possible speed for the rest of your life, you could possibly never lose. The only enemy would be fatigue. But the algorithm for beating Tetris is not complicated, and you have plenty of time to move the pieces to their optimal locations.
I believe this is inaccurate. If you play long enough, you always lose. Proof: You cannot cleanly make lines with only s-pieces. If you assume a random distribution of pieces, you eventually get a string of s-pieces long enough to exhaust the game board, though you can keep it going for a very long time.
I would like to hear this uncomplicated algorithm for beating tetris.
> You cannot cleanly make lines with only s-pieces.
That's not true at all.
| | | |
-- -- -- --
| | | |
Sorry for the bad ASCII art, but I just created a line using only 'S' pieces. When the line clears, the top of the 'S' will collapse and clear a second line.
The official Tetris rules state that you get one of each type in groups of seven; aka bags[1]. In other words, you get a maximum of two of a type in a row.
Most of the Tetris versions since 2001 are theoretically able to go on forever[1]. Even the old NES version which doesn't have the same cyclic bag randomization is able to be played far enough to be considered infinite by some[2].
Your life however, has no such guarantee of fixed randomness and you might be forced into a losing situation.
The two main lessons that stuck with me from chess: "When you see a good move, look for a better one" were always the first words out of my coach's mouth, and that not looking at things from the other person's perspective is asking for punishment.
Great platitudes! This is either slightly better than a buzzfeed listicle or worse by polluting the collective human consciousness understanding of what life is like.
It shows lack of perspective to try describe existence and life in terms of a game. Read some god damn existentialist or absurdist literature you half-baked philosophical caveman.
I welcome any repartee from the filthy plutocrat lapdogs!
Games are made to represent life; so too with stories. Therefore, not only is it not a lack of perspective to represent existence in terms of (a game|a fairy tale), it is in fact ideal to do so. Go read a little G.K. Chesteton, then we'll talk.
I was going to come on here and maybe write something clever, or something from a different angle. Then I saw the responses that were already here. A few fun snarks, and the rest? Lots of criticism, and some outright ridicule.
So much for not challenging yourself.
Just before my 30s, I was getting knee deep in learning about strategic thinking. The art of making decisions in the unknown. All about Sun Tzu, Musashi, Col. John Boyd. Maneuver warfare. Stacking things up, eliminating the opponent's means to win ... and the will to win. Tried to apply it in Go, and in my martial arts.
Sometime in my early 30s, I found myself in the middle of a spiritual quest. The things that this guy is saying were one of the many themes that I had learned during that journey. The metaphor that clicked for me wasn't tetris, it was mountain climbing. The only person you are challenging is yourself. I had noticed everything this author had said -- inventing difficulties to feel that sense of victory.
I learned the difference between winning by prevailing and winning by making the other guy lose. And yeah, in the end, you play to play.
There's nothing wrong with voluntarily stepping up to greater challenges. However, it's one thing to do that with eyes clear and mind open, and another to do it to make it seem as if you were fighting some big monster, when ... that's not the case.
I don't play too many games these days. My meditation practices are far more demanding and challenging than most games.
Your post really reminded me of a section in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance.
The main character and his boy were climbing up a mountain together. The boy would often try and rush up the mountain and only end up exhausting himself, frustrated. The Father older in age, wiser, would slowly climb up as fast as he could go in the moment. Knowing when to rest and when to climb.
I prefer chess to Tetris. I like a clear goal, something achievable in a short time span. I like something where I have to think. I don't like shooter games (or Tetris): I mean, what's the point? Has chess improved my thinking skills in other areas such as mathematics. I don't think so. So, as I type this, I am trying to work out why I like chess. Some reasons: I have some friends who also like to play, so it provides an impetus for us to get together. I have got better as I got older. I have given it away a number of times, principally because of work commitments or because other entertainments such as bridge (the card game) has captured my interest. But as I mentioned, I have got better as I got older. This is a source of satisfaction. My sporting abilities have very obviously got worse (or become nonexistent), so it encourages me to find I am getting better at some things. I am sixty now and could easily beat both my 16 year old self and my 30 year old self. Just writing that perks me up.
35 comments
[ 4.7 ms ] story [ 96.6 ms ] threadI believe this is inaccurate. If you play long enough, you always lose. Proof: You cannot cleanly make lines with only s-pieces. If you assume a random distribution of pieces, you eventually get a string of s-pieces long enough to exhaust the game board, though you can keep it going for a very long time.
I would like to hear this uncomplicated algorithm for beating tetris.
Playing with S-only is trivial.
That's not true at all.
Sorry for the bad ASCII art, but I just created a line using only 'S' pieces. When the line clears, the top of the 'S' will collapse and clear a second line.[1] http://tetris.wikia.com/wiki/Random_Generator
Your life however, has no such guarantee of fixed randomness and you might be forced into a losing situation.
[1]https://tetris.wiki/Playing_forever [2]http://meatfighter.com/nintendotetrisai/
Edit: 0 points next round :-( fuck that game.
http://qntm.org/files/hatetris/hatetris.html#𤇃𢊻𤄻嶜𤄋𤇁𡊻𤄛𤆬𠲻𤆻𠆜𢮻𤆻ꊌ...
If you can't get it to work initially, click replay and paste the long japanese (?) string from the url into the prompt.
It shows lack of perspective to try describe existence and life in terms of a game. Read some god damn existentialist or absurdist literature you half-baked philosophical caveman.
I welcome any repartee from the filthy plutocrat lapdogs!
So much for not challenging yourself.
Just before my 30s, I was getting knee deep in learning about strategic thinking. The art of making decisions in the unknown. All about Sun Tzu, Musashi, Col. John Boyd. Maneuver warfare. Stacking things up, eliminating the opponent's means to win ... and the will to win. Tried to apply it in Go, and in my martial arts.
Sometime in my early 30s, I found myself in the middle of a spiritual quest. The things that this guy is saying were one of the many themes that I had learned during that journey. The metaphor that clicked for me wasn't tetris, it was mountain climbing. The only person you are challenging is yourself. I had noticed everything this author had said -- inventing difficulties to feel that sense of victory.
I learned the difference between winning by prevailing and winning by making the other guy lose. And yeah, in the end, you play to play.
There's nothing wrong with voluntarily stepping up to greater challenges. However, it's one thing to do that with eyes clear and mind open, and another to do it to make it seem as if you were fighting some big monster, when ... that's not the case.
I don't play too many games these days. My meditation practices are far more demanding and challenging than most games.
The main character and his boy were climbing up a mountain together. The boy would often try and rush up the mountain and only end up exhausting himself, frustrated. The Father older in age, wiser, would slowly climb up as fast as he could go in the moment. Knowing when to rest and when to climb.
Thank you for your post.
It teaches you about society, luck, greed, injustice, wealth, collaboration, risk, power, companies vs startups, etc...
If I had to have a bible to teach me about life, that game would be it.