[TLDR: some categories are being combined/modified, and additional changes may be coming]

As of the posting of this, I am combining the "100 Lines Marathon" and "100 Lines Sprint" categories into a single comprehensive "100 Lines" category. The reasoning behind this is that the modes do not directly impact gameplay, rather, they each provide a different framework by which you can actually play Tetris.

Basically, Marathon is the equivalent of an endless/high-score mode, Sprint measures how much progress can be made within a predetermined (and almost arbitrary) time limit, and Ultra oddly enough is the only one that serves as a true time-trial of sorts by giving you a 150 line objective to complete as fast as possible. None of these modes directly alter the main mechanics of Tetris, and in my hundreds of hours of gameplay, not once have I seen a single clear advantage or disadvantage to one mode over the other two.

In addition to the combination explained above, I am also removing the mode "guidelines" for all categories that are not AI-related. This means that any category that requires the runner to clear a certain number of lines (50, 100, 300) can be done on any of the three modes for reasons explained in the previous paragraph.

Another idea I am toying with at the moment is to separate console and emulator runs into sub-categories. Without any additional modification to the categories, the only way to separate them at this point in time is to hide emulator runs by default, which is a terribly unfair and irresponsible option. I have recently learned that there is a way to add "variables" to categories that would separate and track runs based on additional criteria (i.e. Console vs. Emu). Not sure if I will see this through in the future, but at the very least I would like to be transparent about it right now.

Lastly, part of me wants to add additional categories to the game. The main method of doing this that I can think of involves increasing the line goals for new categories; 500 Lines or 1000 Lines, for example. This is something I would appreciate some feedback on from anyone who is running (or planning to run) the game presently.

Thanks for reading all this shit.

Seeing as I currently hold every WR in this game (except for the 2player1controller one, which has no submitted runs and the existence of which I somewhat disagree with), I would like to request being granted Mod status. Tetris is a game I love and am very passionate about, and this version is by far my favorite, hence my enjoyment in speedrunning it. If this is a possibility, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for reading.

Why use an RTA timer when Ultra mode has in-game?

The Steam version of the game was updated recently which included a time trial mode for the practice course, an on-screen timer, and an aptly named achievement (Speedrunner) rewarded for beating it in under 2min 45sec.

I have never speedrun this game before but when going for this Achievo I decided to try and "max" my run as best as I could and record it. If Time Trial would be accepted as a new category for this game, I would gladly upload and share my run.

Thanks for reading!