TETRIS(6) BSD Reference Manual TETRIS(6)
NAME
tetris - the game of tetris
SYNOPSIS
tetris [-cps] [-k keys] [-l level]
DESCRIPTION
The tetris command runs a display-based game. The object is to fit shapes
together to form complete rows, which then vanish. When the shapes fill
up to the top, the game ends. You can optionally select a level of play
or custom-select control keys.
The default level of play is 2.
The default control keys are as follows:
j move left
k rotate 1/4 turn counterclockwise
l move right
<space> drop
p pause
q quit
The options are as follows:
-c Classic tetris mode, in which shapes rotate clockwise and are
drawn with "[]".
-k keys
The default control keys can be changed using the -k option. The
keys argument must have the six keys in order; remember to quote
any space or tab characters from the shell. For example:
tetris -l 2 -k 'jkl pq'
will play the default game, i.e. level 2 with the default control
keys. The current key settings are displayed at the bottom of the
screen during play.
-l level
Select a level of play.
-p Switch on previewing of the shape that will appear next. This pe-
nalizes your score.
-s Display the top scores.
PLAY
At the start of the game, a shape will appear at the top of the screen,
falling one square at a time. The speed at which it falls is determined
directly by the level: if you select level 2, the blocks will fall twice
per second; at level 9, they fall 9 times per second. (As the game goes
on, things speed up, no matter what your initial selection.) When this
shape "touches down" on the bottom of the field, another will appear at
the top.
You can move shapes to the left or right, rotate them counterclockwise,
or drop them to the bottom by pressing the appropriate keys. As you fit
them together, completed horizontal rows vanish, and any blocks above
fall down to fill in. When the blocks stack up to the top of the screen,
the game is over.
SCORING
You get one point for every block you fit into the stack, and one point
for every space a block falls when you hit the drop key. (Dropping the
blocks is therefore a good way to increase your score.) Completing a row
rewards you with a bonus corresponding to the number of simultaneous rows
completed. Your total score is the product of the level of play and your
accumulated points -- 200 points on level 3 gives you a score of 600.
Each player gets at most one entry on any level, for a total of nine
scores in the high scores file. Players who no longer have accounts are
limited to one score. Also, scores over 5 years old are expired. The ex-
ception to these conditions is that the highest score on a given level is
always kept, so that following generations can pay homage to those who
have wasted serious amounts of time.
The score list is produced at the end of the game. The printout includes
each player's overall ranking, name, score, and how many points were
scored on what level. Scores which are the highest on a given level are
marked with asterisks "*".
FILES
/var/games/tetris.scores high score file
AUTHORS
Adapted from a 1989 International Obfuscated C Code Contest winner by
Chris Torek and Darren F. Provine.
Manual adapted from the original entry written by Nancy L. Tinkham and
Darren F. Provine.
Shape previewing code adapted from code by Hubert Feyrer.
BUGS
The higher levels are unplayable without a fast terminal connection.
MirBSD #10-current May 31, 1993 1