Written by Mike Taylor in 1989.
|| || TETRIS FOR TERMINALS || || || || Written by Mike Taylor || %%%% || Email: [email protected] || %%%% || Started: Fri May 26 12:26:05 BST 1989 || ###### || || ## || Game level: 12 Game mode: 0 || %%%% || || %%%% ()|| Score: 41 ||{}<><><><> ()()()|| Pieces: 13 ||{}{}{} || Levels: 0 || ## || || #### || Use keys: || ## %% || ========= || %%%% ## %%%%|| Move left: ',' || %%%% ###### %%|| Move right: '/' || <> <><><><>%%%%|| Rotate: '.' || <> %%%% || Drop: ' ' || <> [][]|| Pause: 's' || <> [][]|| Quit: 'q' ++====================++ Refresh: '^L'
This is a game written in C for Berkeley and System V UNIX machines. It was written on a Sun4 and has been extensively played and tested on both this machine and a Sun3, both running SunOS 4.0.1, a Berkeley 4.3bsd-derived UNIX, but it should port with minimum difficulties to any Berkeley UNIX. It has also been ported to SCO Unix System V/386 3.2.2, and should therefore be portable to other System V UNIX systems. One potential difficulty to look out for is incompatibility of the high-score file between different architectures, (eg. sun3 and sun4). I've done all I can to make it work, but there are no guarantees, and you might be better compiling multiple-architecture "tt"s with different high-score tables.
The Makefile as included should be pretty much applicable anywhere. Simply edit the file tt.c to give the pathname of the file you want to use for the high-score table (SCORE_FILE), and unless you are using the LOCKF #definition (in tt.h), the file you want to use as a lock for this table (LOCK_FILE, which should be in a publicly writeable directory). If your machine is running System V or a similar UNIX, then you should make sure that CFLAGS (see the Makefile) contains the flag -DSYSV.
Note that if you're on a System V Unix, you should add -DNO_NAP_SYSCALL to CFLAGS if you do not have the nap(S) system call. Try looking for it in the -lx library. If you don't have the usleep() system call on BSD Unix, then add -DNO_USLEEP_SYSCALL to CFLAGS.
Now type make. The program will be compiled, producing a binary called tt. This can then be moved to a bin directory if required.
The game Tetris was apparently designed by "a Russian Researcher". Sadly, history, or at least the version of it that I heard, does not record his name, and it seems that the poor frog-head not only made no money from his brilliant idea, but also didn't get any fame. 'S'sad. Still, I credit him with the original idea, whoever he may be.
The inspiration for this program came from two recently-posted versions of Tetris, both of which run on Sun workstations only. There are a few of these around here, but many people have no access to them. I wrote this version so that everyone could play. It's the communist in me :-)
The program design, planning (hah!), coding, and so on for this version was all done entirely by me, (Mike Taylor), and very smug I am about it, too. The only exception to this is that the game-levels were accidentally co-invented by James "root@weed" Beckett, by pressing the space-bar too many times.
Play-testing, which has been extensive even now, less than a week after I started writing, has been by many people, but special mention goes to Paul Metcalfe, Kenton Oatley, Harvey "Max" Thomson and Paul "Freddy" Capper. No mention at all not even this one, goes to Mike "Sunny" Lessacher, who claims not to like Tetris. ("Not like Tetris? What does that mean?" :-)
All documentation is also by me.
Update: Thu Jul 5 16:04:21 BST 1990
I've added a bug-fix supplied by Boris Lucre Goldowsky ([email protected]), so that the program now correctly chooses where to drop pieces at the beginning of games on high levels -- thanks, Boris!
Update: Thu May 16 15:16:15 PDT 1991
Harvey Thompson ([email protected]) really did all the work for System V portability (fingers crossed that nap(S) is actually a standard system call).
Update: Thu Jun 1 08:34:20 BST 2006 (Yes, fifteen years later)
Ryan Jud Hughes ([email protected]) contributed code and documentationfor two nice new features: -g displays "ghost" pieces that show where the current piece would fall if dropped, and -N shows the next piece in the spare right-side area.
Look, I'm sorry, I know this bit is dull, but it has to be done, and it saves time and trouble for everyone if we just get on with it. Here we go:
The program "tt", its visual appearance, its code, its documentation, etc., are the intellectual property of Mike Taylor. The program may be freely distributed, copied, modified, re-posted or whatever PROVIDED that the authorship and ownership remains clear, and that no-one makes any money from it without me knowing (and taking a hefty cut!) Whoops, that's spoilt the official feel to it. Never mind, you get the idea. Do what you want provided it isn't sneaky.
Tetris is one of those simple-but-compulsive games that you persistently find yourself wanting to play "just once more". I know, I know what you're thinking, "We've all heard that before!", but it just happens to be true on this occasion. The object of the game is simply to prevent a stack of blocks from building up to the top of the play-area, (to the left of the screen). You do this by rotating and shifting the blocks as they fall, in such a way as to make them fit together as well as possible at the bottom. If you manage to complete a whole line, from right to left, then that row will disappear, and all the rows above will fall down into its place. it is possible to get more than one row at once, and it is a wonderful feeling to get four at once!
There are five types of block, (seven if you count mirror images), each of which is made up of four squares stuck together, (hence "Tetris", I assume). These pieces score different numbers of points based on how difficult or otherwise it is to fit them into the place required. The pieces are:
###### "T-shape" 1 point.
##
<><><><> "Long one" 2 points.
() {}
() {} "L-shapes" 3 points.
()() {}{}
[][] "Square" 4 points.
[][]
%% @@ "S-shapes" 5 points.
%%%% @@@@
%% @@
Once a piece has been positioned where you want it, it can be dropped into place immediately. There are no extra points for this, 'cos I think it would spoil the purity of the scoring system; it just speeds up the game.
Hehehe, that reminds me, as the game progresses, it very very gradually speeds up, until, at scores of around 3000, it gets very difficult indeed ... I mean very difficult!
The keys that control the pieces, and other special keys (those used to Quit or Pause the game, or Refresh the screen) are shown on the screen. They can be re-defined (except the Refresh key), as explained in the manual page.
Obviously, the aim is to keep the stack low, so at all times, you should be on the lookout for ways to fit the currently-falling piece onto those that have already fallen in such a way as to complete rows. Removing rows is the key to success.
However, if a lower section of the screen gets hopelessly hole-ridden, it is sometimes best to forget about it, and concentrate on building complete rows higher up, as this can often be the best way to make the holes lower down become available again. A good player can take over from a game 2/3 full of badly-packed pieces, and eventually wrestle it right back down to ground level again.
Finally, there is a tendency among beginners to leave long, thin gaps down the sides of the screen, praying for a "Long one" to slide down it -- it is, of course, at precisely these times that a succession of S-shapes, all of the same handedness, comes pouring down the screen. The moral is two-fold: (1) Beware of allowing such a situation to build up in the first place, it often isn't necessary, and (2), learn how to remove layers from higher up the screen with non-long pieces, so your screen doesn't fill up while you wait for that magical "Long one".
Email me at the following address: [email protected] In fact, email me if you do like it. Email me with bouquets, brickbats, bugs, baboons, bachelors, blueberries, boathouses, er ... um, sorry, I seem to have got a bit carried away. Anyway, the point is, let me know what you think of "tt", and it might just influence the next version. Also, I am pretty good at replying to mail!
That's it -- have fun!
______________________________________________________________________________
Mike Taylor - {Christ,M{athemat,us}ic}ian ... Email to: [email protected]
"Imagine the universe perfect and whole and beautiful. Then be sure
of one thing: God has imagined it quite a bit better than you"