Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS

Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS
Developer(s)	Arika
Publisher(s)	Psikyo
Platform(s)	Psikyo arcade PCB
Release	2000
Gameplay info
Next pieces	1
Playfield size	10w
Hold piece	No
Hard drop	Yes (Sonic Drop)

Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 is the second arcade game in Arika's TGM series. Shortly after it was released Arika offered a free upgrade to a PLUS version, which among other things introduced the popular T.A. Death mode. The game is often abbrieviated "TAP" (The Absolute Plus).

Game Modes

Normal

Normal mode behaves just like Master mode in speed and timing, but stops at level 300. At levels 100 and 200 a special item block (also found in versus play) is given to the player. "Free Fall", which moves all blocks in the field down through holes (like gravity being turned on) is given at 100 and "Del Even" which clears every other row throughout the field is given at 200. The credit roll challenge is a slow 20g, but playing through it is not required for a "Clear".

Timings

• ARE:25 frames
• Line clear delay:40 frames
• Lock delay:30 frames
• DAS:16 frames

• Speed levels, in "internal speed value":

Level	Internal speed value
0	4
8	5
19	6
35	8
40	10
50	12
60	16
70	32
80	48
90	64
100	4
108	5
119	6
125	8
131	12
139	32
149	48
156	80
164	112
174	128
180	144
200	16
212	48
221	80
232	112
244	144
256	176
267	192
277	208
287	224
295	240
300	5120 (20G)

The unit for "internal speed value" is G (rows per frame), as a fraction with a constant denominator of 256. For example, at level 90, the speed is 64/256G, or 1/4G. This makes the "frames per row" speed value (256 / Internal speed value).

• RAM Locations
  • 06064BF1: Current internal speed value (16-bit)
  • 06064BE0: Current Lock Delay value
  • 06064BE1: DAS counter

Master

Master mode is Arika's upgrade to the original Tetris The Grand Master gameplay and behaves very much like that game. One of the most important differences is that the speeds continue to increase throughout the 500–999 levels, similar to but not exactly like 0–499 of T.A. Death (below), as opposed to topping off at TGM's 20g mode speed. Also, a hard drop that doesn't lock was introduced, improving sub-20g play by giving birth to the Zangi-moves. The ranking system is also much less forgiving and former TGM Gm class players will find themselves struggling to make S7 or even finish for that matter. Perhaps the most infuriating addition to the Gm qualifications is an invisible challenge during the credit roll where pieces disappear immediately after being locked; topping out results in rank M. Arika is currently hosting a video showing a Gm performance: tgm2master.

Timings

• Speed levels, in internal speed value

Level	Internal speed value
0	4
30	6
35	8
40	10
50	12
60	16
70	32
80	48
90	64
100	80
120	96
140	112
160	128
170	144
200	4
220	32
230	64
233	96
236	128
239	160
243	192
247	224
251	256 (1G)
300	512 (2G)
330	768 (3G)
360	1024 (4G)
400	1280 (5G)
450	768 (3G)
500	5120 (20G)

• ARE, DAS, Lock Delay, Line clear delay

Level	ARE (frames)	DAS (frames)	Lock (frames)	Line clear (frames)
000 - 499	25	16	30	40
500 - 599	25	10	30	25
600 - 699	25	10	30	16
700 - 799	16	10	30	12
800 - 899	12	10	30	6
900 - 999	12	8	17	6

TGM+

This mode features speeds similar to the original TGM, with one important gameplay addition to keep the game interesting: Rising garbage during play. A fixed pattern of garbage rises, one row at a time, after a certain number of pieces have been played. It takes about 500 levels to cycle through the complete pattern, forcing the player to surpass it a second time in 20g.

T.A. Death

This is possibly the most famous mode ever featured in a TGM game. A video originally called Death 800 has floated around the Internet under the name Tetris Japan Finals, making the TGM series famous throughout the world. It is a video of a player breaking level 800 on death mode. This video is very popular and was singlehandedly responsible for introducing most western players to the TGM series. (People with a recent version of Flash Player can view this video on YouTube. [1]) Arika currently hosts a much better Gm rank Death Mode video: Death-Gm05.

Ranking

The TGM1/Master ranking system is absent from the screen although both M and Gm grades are achievable. Level 500 is the turning point:

• If you reach 500 with a time greater than 3:25:00 the timer will stop, the credits will roll and you are given an "Excellent!" but no grade. (the level 500 background is not shown)
• If under 3:25:00 at 500 the M grade is achieved, the level 500 background is loaded, and the game will continue to 999.

Gm is awarded at 999 regardless of time or score. The game does continue through the credits, but winning or losing at that point has no effect.

Medals

• AC (All clear): Bronze for one bravo, silver for two, gold for three.
• RO (Rotation): Player used excessive rotation (exact conditions for award are unknown).
• ST (Section time): Bronze or silver for approaching the machine's section time record; gold for beating it.
• SK (Skill): Lots of 4-line clears. In Master: 10 awards bronze, 20 awards silver, 35 awards gold. In Death: 5 awards bronze, 10 awards silver, 17 awards gold.
• RE (Recovery): Clear lots of lines with few consecutive tetrominoes (exact conditions unconfirmed)
• CO (Combo): Clear lines with consecutive tetrominoes (double or higher needed). 4 awards bronze, 5 awards silver and 6 awards gold. Note: Single line clears keep the current combo active, but do not add to it.

Timings

Though Death Mode has a fixed gravity of 20g, there are 4 other timings that shape the flow and speed of play.

Level	ARE (frames)	DAS (frames)	Lock (frames)	Line clear (frames)
000 - 099	18	12	30	8
100 - 199	14	12	26	0
200 - 299	14	11	22	0
300 - 399	8	10	18	6
400 - 499	7	8	15	5
500 - 999	6	8	15	4

Some repurcussions of this are that there is no time penalty for clearing singles instead of tetrises from level 100 through 299. Also, with such a low lock time, the possible places you can put a piece are reduced again, becoming a subset of what was once possible in 20g.

Doubles

Doubles is a two player cooperative mode that puts both players in one well that is 14 units wide instead of 10. It is selectable from the menu, though it was accessed by entering a special code in TGM2. One credit pays for both players!

Each player has a separate level counter, and both players must reach level 300 for the win. Though the level counter does not stop at every x99 as in standard modes, the final 299 does require a line change to 300. If one player reaches 300 before the other, he enters 20g for the rest of the game. It is quite difficult to survive for long with 20g in such a wide well, so winning requires a fine degree of coordination between the players so that they reach 300 synchronously.