______ _ | ___ \ | | __ _ | |___) )| | \ _____ ____ _____ _| |_ | ____/ | | | (____ || _ \ | ___ |(_ _) | | | \______ / ___ || | | || ____| | |_ |_| \________) \_____||_| |_||_____) \__) ______ _ | ___ \ | | __ | |___) ) _ _ _____ _____ | | \ _____ | ____/ | | | |(___ )(___ ) | | | | ___ | | | | |_| | / __/ / __/ | \______ | ____| |_| |____/ (_____)(_____) \________)|_____) _ | | __ | | \ _____ _____ ____ _ _ _____ | | | | ___ |(____ | / _ || | | || ___ | | \______ | ____|/ ___ |( (_| || |_| || ____| \________)|_____)\_____| \___ ||____/ |_____) (_____| A D V A N C E D T E C H N I Q U E S / S K I L L C H A I N S F A Q \--.-------------------------------------------------------------------\ \/ ' T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S . /\ \-------------------------------------------------------------------'--\ See the three-digit codes next to the sections? Hit CTRL+F, then type it in, including the brackets. The section should be your second search result. Introduction [INT] What this guide doesn't do [NOT] Advanced Horizontal Clearing [AHC] Basic Drop Clear [BDR] Horizontal Drop Clear [HDR] Shift Clear [SHF] Fusion Clear [FUS] Advanced Vertical Clearing [AVC] Vertical Drop Clear [VDR] Vertical Drop Clear (Method 2) [VD2] Mid-air Switch [MAS] Support Clear [SPT] Fake Clear [FAK] Other Stuff [OTR] Version History [HIS] Special Thanks [THX] Copyright [CPY] \--.-------------------------------------------------------------------\ \/ ' I N T R O D U C T I O N . /\ [INT] \-------------------------------------------------------------------'--\ Yay, FAQ time! I mostly wrote this because I was bored and really like this game (Planet Puzzle League, in case you were blind and just regained sight). I've been playing Tetris attack since it came out, and as soon as I heard that there was an online TA... instant buy. I thought I was the best, but people on wifi proved me wrong, beating me with no trouble whatsoever. But... I also notice there are many new players that I face who seem to have a grip on game mechanics, but don't know how to REALLY play... That's where this guide comes in. (Note: This should apply to all versions of this game - Panel de Pon, Tetris Attack, the Pokemon Puzzle series, the GBA Puzzle League, and finally Planet Puzzle League. I focus on Planet Puzzle League in this guide however, as there are several key differences.) \--.---------------------------------\ \/ ' What this guide doesn't do . /\ [NOT] \---------------------------------'--\ I won't tell you the controls. I won't tell you how to make basic chains. I won't tell you how to directly become better. And I CAN'T tell you how to improve your reflexes. This guide is about high-level skill chaining, and nothing else. If you can't pull off 6+ chains easily, stop reading right now. Still here? Well then, time to get down to business... \--.-------------------------------------------------------------------\ \/ ' A D V A N C E D H O R I Z O N T A L C L E A R I N G . /\ [AHC] \-------------------------------------------------------------------'--\ \--.-----------------------\ \/ ' Basic Drop Clear . /\ [BDR] \-----------------------'--\ The simplest advanced skill chain. It's hard to explain in words, so here's a diagram for you... B BGR RGB YYG Match the green blocks... B B*R R*B Y*Y Wait for them to finish clearing... B B R R B Y Y Switch out the red block to clear the blue ones! B B R RB Y Y BR B B YRY R *** YRY This is the most basic drop clear. It's not very useful, but keep it in mind. \--.----------------------------\ \/ ' Horizontal Drop Clear . /\ [HDR] \----------------------------'--\ This is fairly simple. If you make a horizontal clear, with a gap above the middle block, you can drop one in the middle after they clear and, if it matches the blocks on the side, it'll count as a chain! YB G RG G BRBB Match up the blues... YB G RG G R*** After they clear, drop the top green... YB RG G R G And presto, a chain! Y RB R*** This is pretty basic, but the timing is pretty lenient, so it's easy to pull off. It's a bit harder with the stylus, though, since the timing is crucial. \--.------------------\ \/ ' Shift Clear . /\ [HDR] \------------------'--\ This is a bit more advanced. It can be key to master when you run low on blocks and want to continue your chain, so practice it a lot! The basic idea is if you clear horizontally, and there is one block on top of the clear and one of the same color on each side, you can shift one over two spaces for a chain. YR RYRRY Clear the reds... YR Y***Y After they clear, quickly slide the yellow over two spaces... YR Y Y And you get a chain! R *** This can be very hard timing using buttons, especially on higher difficulties. Using the stylus, however, makes it a snap. The stylus, combined with Planet Puzzle League's easier midair switches, it can even be used like this, with more blocks on top of the clearing ones. BYGBR RBRRB Clear reds... BYGBR B***B Hold stylus on the left blue and slide it to the right while they're clearing. It should automatically move after they finish! B R YG*** This is extremely powerful, especially with the stylus. In fact, even though I play with the buttons, I keep the stylus in my hand (or use my thumb) in case I come across the situation mentioned above. Master this, you'll need it at the end of your chains. \--.-------------------\ \/ ' Fusion Clear . /\ [FUS] \-------------------'--\ First off: No, I did not make that name. This is THE most important thing to master, so pay attention! The basic premise of this is the same as a normal horizontal chain, but you don't use the bottom block. This can be a bit hard to comprehend at first, so I'll simplify the diagrams a bit for this one. A dash represents any block. ----- B--B- ----B ----- R-RR- Clear the reds... ----- B--B- ----B ----- -***- Notice that the whole stack will drop down after that clear. Knowing that, you can switch the blue blocks... ----- --BB- ----B ----- - - So they fall into place after the reds finish clearing! - - ----- --*** ----- ----- Using this, it's almost impossible to fall into a 'death trap' where no other matches are possible. Let's look at it like this... ----- <- look for a pair of green tiles in this row ----G <- look for a pair of yellow tiles in this row ----Y <- look for a pair of blue tiles in this row ----B <- look for a pair of red tiles in this row -***R If any of those are true, you have a free chain! You now have the whole stack to work with, instead of just one row! You'll never run out of matches! Like I said, this is the most important technique, so you'd do well to master it. Also, since Planet Puzzle League has more horizontal rows than other versions, it makes this even easier. \--.-------------------------------------------------------------------\ \/ ' A D V A N C E D V E R T I C A L C L E A R I N G . /\ [AVC] \-------------------------------------------------------------------'--\ \--.--------------------------\ \/ ' Vertical Drop Clear . /\ [VDR] \--------------------------'--\ This is similar to the horizontal drop clear, obviously. The basic premise is the same, except you drop the block onto the ones that are clearing. It needs a tall stack, so I'll leave blocks unmarked like the last technique. -- G -- - --G- --G- --B- --B- -B-- Match the blue tiles... -- G -- - --G- --G- --*- --*- --*- As soon as the blues finish clearing, drop the green! -- --G- --G- --G- -- - -- - -- - They drop, and chain! -- -- - -- - -- - --*- --*- --*- This is basic, and doesn't actually have much use on its own. Keep it in mind, though, because you might need to do it sometime. \--.------------------------------------\ \/ ' Vertical Drop Clear, Method 2 . /\ [VD2] \------------------------------------'--\ This is only useful when you have 'side towers' on your stack, or a gap in the middle. It's saved my chain many times though, and is generally more useful than the version above. B R RR GG YB BR RB RR YGGYG Match greens. B R RR GG YB BR RB RR Y***Y As they finish clearing, slide out the red... B R R RGG YB BR RB RR Y Y And they drop for a chain! R R G Y* GR R* BR Y*RRY It can be hard to continue a chain made this way, but it can be used to get some free points at the end of a chain. In the case of this diagram, however, you can continue it with a basic horizontal (red), then a vertical drop clear (also reds - slide the red tiles on the right over one, then drop the red on the top.) \--.---------------------\ \/ ' Mid-Air Switch . /\ [MAS] \---------------------'--\ The holy grail! Or at least it was in the early versions, in Planet Puzzle League this is a snap. Anyway, the title is pretty self-explanatory. Example time! RYG BRR BGB RBY Clear the blue tiles... RYG *RR *GB *RY See the match? Wait for it, wait for it... YG RR RGB RY Switch! YG *R G*B *Y In every version of the game besides Planet Puzzle League, this is next to impossible. However, in PPL it's extremely easy. It shouldn't take long to get it right. This also has several variations... B Y Y BY GB GR Clear yellows... B * * *B GB GR B B GB GR Switch and clear! * * G* GR It can even be used like this if you have extremely good timing: R BR BR YB Switch the blue panel... R *R *R *Y Wait for it to drop... R R RY Note that it's not exactly touching the ground, but rather 1-2 pixels above it. Switch for a chain. Yay for game engine exploitations! * * Y* Note that, in general, midair switches are harder with the stylus. Still easier than other game versions, though. \--.--------------------\ \/ ' Support Clear . /\ [SPT] \--------------------'--\ This is the hardest one, even on Planet Puzzle League! The basis is that a block being switched actually spans two columns. I'll need to use bigger blocks for the example, since it isn't directly tile-based. Sorry if it is a bit hard to read. /\ \/ --'' --'' /\''/\ \/''\/ ''++-- ''++-- Clear the ' blocks... /\ \/ --** --** /\**/\ \/**\/ ++**-- ++**-- Wait for them to finish clearing and the top diamond block to almost line up with the others... -- --/\ /\\//\ \/ \/ ++ -- ++ -- Switch the plus block with the empty space, so it is halfway between the two spaces when the diamond block hits it. -- -- ****** ****** ++ -- ++ -- As before, sorry if it's hard to read, I did my best. I hope you get the basics of this... it's actually very useful, and can be combined with a fusion clear if you're feeling adventurous. This is actually HARDER on Planet Puzzle League due to the block falling physics, and with a stylus it's nearly impossible. \--.-----------------\ \/ ' Fake Clear . /\ [FAK] \-----------------'--\ I believe this is actually a bug in the game, but it's there so let's use it! It seems you can trick the game into thinking you made a chain when you just made two normal clears. Diagram time! BBGR YYBG BYGY RGRR Clear reds... BRGR YYBG BYGY G*** The instant they finish clearing, switch the green and blue...BBGR BRGR YYGB BYGY G They fall, and chain! B YR*R BY*B GY*Y \--.-------------------------------------------------------------------\ \/ ' O T H E R S T U F F . /\ [OTR] \-------------------------------------------------------------------'--\ \--.----------------------\ \/ ' Version History . /\ [HIS] \----------------------'--\ 1.00 - first release, not much else to be said... \--.---------------------\ \/ ' Special Thanks . /\ [THX] \---------------------'--\ -Nintendo, for being awesome -Team Battle Clash, for making the original Panel de Pon/Tetris Attack -The whole staff of PdP/TA, for the reason mentioned above -CJayC, for making the best site ever -psion0011, even though I don't directly know him, for making an awesome Tetris attack advanced techniques FAQ: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/file/588787/27303 -Anybody on my PPL friend list, for helping to refine my techniques -Telago and anyone else involved in that project, for finally providing an English version of Panel de Pon!! http://yaworg.googlepages.com/pdp-downloads -Some Japanese guy I met on wifi, for completely owning me and making me rethink my strategy -My dog Leo, for being so fluffy and lovable and cute -Anybody else that I missed, for various reasons \--.----------------\ \/ ' Copyright . /\ [CPY] \----------------'--\ This file is (c)2007 brappy. It can only be found on GameFAQs.com. Feel free to use it, distribute it, print it, link to it etc... but don't claim it as your own and/or sell it for a profit. If you do, then I will unleash a band of ravenous hippies to track you down.