Conference rusure::nintendo

    Great!
    
    will Klax support simultaneous two-player activity?
    
    jack

    Yes, two-player (simultaneously) just like Tengen Tetris.  (haven't tried
    either yet but was looking Klax in the rental store yesterday.
    
    This game is not licensed by Nintendo.  Can any software company like
    Tengen, come out with games as long as they are not named the same as
    a Nintendo game (like Tetris) or will Nintendo be bring another suit
    agains Tengen?     
    
    Pam

    Re .2:                            
    
    Nintendo already sued Tengen on two separate issues.  One is the
    particular game Tetris, on which Tengen has lost, so far.  The other is
    on the fact that Tengen makes Nintendo games at all, defeating
    Nintendo's lock-out device.  Since Tengen isn't out of business, I
    presume they won or at least are not losing that suit.
    
    Color Dreams is another company that makes games for the Nintendo
    system without Nintendo's permission; I've seen their games in rental
    stores and advertised in magazines.
    
    
    				-- edp

    I tried Klax this weekend it's great ya gotta try it. I couldn't put it
    down(if your color blind don't try it)

    I had to do it - I bought Klax today, as soon as I heard about it.
    
    It's fun, and as addictive as Tetris, but as .4 said, you have to see
    the colors well. (I'm color-blind, but was getting to the sixth wave
    by the time my contact lenses were drying out! :-)
    
    Two-player simultaneous play is supported, and the second player seems
    to be able to join the game in progress between rounds.
    
    This is a fun game - it's another one of those "ten minutes to learn,
    a lifetime to master" games... try it!
    
    jack
    
    Spoiler follows: (just for those who aren't sure about buying
    the game):
    
    An added bonus was finding something called "Blob Ball" under the
    "STUFF" menu -  Blob ball is somewhat like a one-player Pong, with two
    twists: No score, and no limit to how long you can play it. (until
    you're bored?) A nice twist to Blob Ball is that the bouncing is
    randomizes both speed and direction of the ball, and hitting the A or B
    button might rescue you if you're not fast enough with the paddle.
    
    

    FYI, the game can be purchased directly from Tengen for $39.95 plus $5
    shipping & handling. See the Tengen note for more info. 

	At the start of the game, you can decide whether or not to warp
	ahead to two other rounds, and receive a bonus for completing
	those rounds.  The game tells you that if you make an "X", then
	you will receive a special warp...

	Spoiler on Bonus Warp:

	I was able to make the "X" to advance to the special warp.  I
	was on level 6, and it shot me to level 51 where I had to make
	30 Klaxes before going on!  Ouch!  Not recommended if you like
	to play for a long time.

    
    	I tried Klax, but decided it wasn't for me.  A bit too frantic,
    	I guess.  Well, Tetris gets hurried, but I think it's simpler.
    	For my under-developed brain, playing Klax was like trying to
    	play Chess effectively with only 5 seconds to contemplate each
    	move.  I also felt the graphics/resolution were/was quite sub-
    	standard for such a new game.  I got it at Electronics Boutique,
    	so I'm going to trade it in for Solstice, probably.
    
    								    Mike
    

    re Klax being frantic - I know what you mean... I get really cranked
    up playing it... you hit a hump when you first start playing, when you
    say "I really don't think I'll get any better at it". If you stick
    with it, you might get over the hump. 
    
    Just the same, you should do what makes you happy.
    
    jack
    (who plays on with difficulty=EASY and ramping=OFF)

    
    	Oh, yeah, one other thing.  In the Instruction Booklet they
    	show a vertical stack of 5 blocks is worth x (I forgot the
    	exact amount) amount of points.  How can you get a stack 5
    	high when they disappear at 3 high?  I can see how you could
    	get 4 high, but not 5.
    
    								Mike
    

    Re: 5 high - you have to get a Klax somewhere else, and, while its
    flashing, make your stack of 5.  The 2nd stack won't Klax off until the
    first one is done flashing.
    
    -Brian

    Wow! I've gotten 5 diagonal, but not stacked... just not that fast,
    yet.
    
    jack

    	re: .11
    
    	Brian,
    
    	So, for example, after you drop a tile and make a Klax, you
    	have to zip over and drop 3 tiles on a stack of 2 before the
    	other Klax you just made stops flashing?  When I had tried
    	to drop 2 tiles onto another 2 (for a "4-high"), as soon as
    	the first one landed on the pile and made 3, it started flash-
    	ing and the 4th tile landed on top not flashing.  When the
    	Klax vanished, the 4th tile just dropped down.  When I saw
    	that, I said, "Well, so much for 4 and 5-highs".  I guess I
    	should have read the Instruction Booklet more carefully; or
    	did you just figure it out?  Thanks.
    
    								 Mike
    
    	

    You got it, Mike.  When your Klax is flashing, that is your chance to
    make 4- or 5-high Klaxes.  Or, you have a chance to position to catch
    another tile, since they stop dropping down when a Klax is 'in
    progress'.  Don't admire your handiwork, that pause is in there for you
    to get to work!  The instructions don't make this very clear.
    
    -Brian

    Re .15:
    
    In one round?  Sure.
    
    
    Re .13, .14:
    
    I think you understand each other, but the wording seemed a bit unclear
    to me, so for the benefit of other readers:
    
    	When one Klax is flashing, you can move elsewhere and form a
    	completely different Klax.
    
    So, to get a vertical Klax of five blocks, do this:
    
    	Put two blocks (say red) in one column.
    	Catch three red blocks and hold them on the catching device.
    	Create a Klax anywhere else.
    	Immediately after dropping the last block of that Klax, go to
    	the column with the two red blocks and drop the three red
    	blocks onto the two while the other Klax is still flashing.
    
    When the flashing is over, the five vertical blocks will be counted as
    a Klax.
    
    
    				-- edp

    another way to do the five high Klax is to set up something like
    this:               
               b         b=Blue
               b         y=Yellow
             y-y         x=something other than blue or yellow
             xxb         -=Space
             xxb
    
    All you have to do is drop in a yellow. that chain reactions the blue
    stack. So, while the yellow Klax is flashing, drop a blue onto the
    blue stack. The three blues above the yellow won't go until the yellow
    Klax finishes, which will, as I said, chain reaction the blue stack.
    
    Of course, it's easy to say, but harder to set up. :-)
    
    jack
           
    
    
    

    Re .17:
    
    I don't think that will work, because you cannot drop a sixth piece
    onto the stack, even while part of the stack is flashing and about to
    disappear.
    
    
    				-- edp

    As for my question re: the 13 diagonals:
    
    There is a point (I think it's after "You must catch 55 tiles") where
    you have to make 13 diagonals to move onto the next level.  I was able
    to get down to "3 left" once, but I was lucky at that.  Since you've
    done it, would you let me know what's after the 13 diagonals?
    
    Another question: you can either play with 3, 4, or 5 drops per game. 
    Is there a significance to this other than personal preference?
    
    -- Paul (who is waiting for his own KLAX to arrive UPS)
    

    Re .19:
    
    I don't remember what's after 13 diagonals, but I think the rounds go
    in some sort of sequence:  Klax made, tiles caught, diagonal Klax made,
    points scored, horizontal Klax made.  I don't recall the exact order;
    I'll try to remember to watch the next time.
    
    You get 3, 4, or 5 drops depending on what level you choose.  At the
    beginning of the game and at every five levels is a warp level, at
    which you are offered a choice of the next level, five levels beyond
    that, or ten levels beyond -- with permitted drops of 3, 4, or 5,
    respectively.  If you can handle the higher levels, then choosing them
    each time lets you play with 5 drops.  If you aren't fast enough for
    the higher levels yet, then you have to make a lower choice.
    
    
    				-- edp

    re .18
    
    yeah, you might be right... I was forgetting that it only stacks up
    to five...
    
    jack

    This game creates a love/hate relationship.  I've made it to level 80
    something and currently stuck tring to ge a mere 30 Klaxes.  The really
    fun one is a five (yes, a measly five!) diagonals.  I think that's in
    the seventies somewhere.  I hate this game! I love this game! I can't
    live with it, I can't live without it!  Every night we sit and play
    this dumb, frustrating, agravating game.
    
    BTW, I rented Afterburner the other night....neat, fun, really hard
    after about five minutes of play. I don't think I'm going to buy it but
    I will rent it again.
    
    Steve

    Re .19:
    
    There are several rounds which require you to make 13 diagonals.  I
    wrote down what comes after one of them:
    
    	13 diagonals,
    	75 tiles,
    	30,000 points,
    	13 horizontals,
    	20 Klax, and                  
    	13 diagonals again.
    
    
    				-- edp

    Thanks folks. I didn't think getting to level 12 is MUCH of an
    accomplishment, but now I feel really inferior.
    
    
    and so what if you are so good - I'm still having fun, and that's
    what matters to me!
    
    :-)
    
    jack

    KLAX sound pretty addicting...I haven't had the pleasure of playing
    it yet, but I'll keep my eyes open at the rental store. In the
    meantime, can you KLAXers put it in perspective for me:
    
    	If you had to choose between KLAX & Tengen's TETRIS, which would
    	you pick?
    
    Thanks in advance...~/~
    
    Freddie
    
    

    Re: .23

    Thanks; I finally got the 13 diags.  As you said, the next round is 75
    tiles, however I didn't appreciate the fact that it starts you off
    with 8 tiles already on the board! (which don't even go together very
    well)
    
    AARRGGH!

    -- Paul (who wonders what wave 100 must be like)

    re .25 - it's a tossup for me between Tengen TETRIS and KLAX.
    I would appreciate a rest between rounds of Klax, the same as
    Tetris provides every 30 lines (love those dancers), but
    I don't need it. And having the ability to change the music
    during each round of Klax is almost as relaxing.
    
    Sorry I don't have a clear winner here, but seeing as how you can
    only purchase KLAX, it's kind of a moot point.
    
    jack

    For your own reference, round 100 (listed as 00) only requires -
    
    		 250,000 points
    
    Even the double 5 block X barely dents that.  I've made it down to
    14,000 left and just got buried.  We've been working on this one for
    about 3 days now.  This has become another family project.  One player
    is the "long term" and the other may be restarted whenever you want. 
    This lets the frustrated person from the "100" actually win one...
    
    Have fun, there's always time for KLAX.
    
    Steve