A Deeper Dive into the New Rolling Technique in NES Tetris (with Tips from Rob Scallon!)

[@aGameScout]

Originally filmed this 2 weeks ago, a few days after Rob Scallon's response went up...and then, over the past 2 weeks, a lot of people have started to get good at rolling very quickly! A lot of additional stuff got added. Be sure to check out the links in the description for some of the significant rolling-related videos in the community. If you want to learn rolling, check out the pinned messages in the #rolling-realm channel on the Classic Tetris Monthly discord server for a collection of a bunch of how-to vids and tutorials, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Direct link to the channel: discord.gg/2DBQhmuwbP

[@patrickstar236]

yay

[@matonejacksee]

albeit very unpopular, some clone hero players roll their fingers on the strumbar to rake strum kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKGQm42JlsxppLM

[@TheBlueArcher]

the link to the discord is invalid... did it expire? I want in! I was super interested in the first video and have been thinking about how to improve on the technique myself.

[@evelynfarfellwooosh1219]

It hurts me physically watching you “rolling” when you’re doing a tapping motion.

[@aGameScout]

@@TheBlueArcher Hi, just updated the link!

[@te0pol159]

NES players then: they see me hypertapping NES players now: they see me rollin

[@oriolgonzalez9328]

they hatin'

[@keyboardtalk]

Tryin' to catch me stackin' dirty

[@yeet3279]

@@keyboardtalk nice internal rhymes

[@shepherdsgamingrun]

Unfortunately, I only know the Weird Al lyrics...

[@garorade]

@@keyboardtalk wtf are you that hype falco or am I being a clown rn

[@Eichro]

Rob Scallon giving legit NES Tetris advice through his bass guitar skills, I have now seen it all

[@FlyHec]

I developed my rolling speed on bass before Track and Field existed.

[@Coffeemancer]

when's your tetris WR comin?

[@FlyHec]

@@Coffeemancer Man...I haven't done Tetris since I got smoked at NWC 1990 at Universal Studios.

[@Coffeemancer]

@@FlyHec i believe in you

[@Herv3]

You must have been a god in the late 80s.

[@garyshearer0]

i always wondered if i could translate thumb down, thumb up, pluck, pluck to the nes controller

[@DesignatedMember]

My only regret about all this is that Chez didn't keep it a secret, busted Rolling out during the Tetris World Championship, and then play with a pair of sunglasses on as people gawk in awe and horror at him sweeping the field.

[@sunte91]

Haha 😂

[@xmodmodifier]

No matter what's his placement this year, he's the one to watch.

[@lauchattp.8699]

It is for the best that he didn't, a behemoth is the worst in any type of competition

[@biobagholder8081]

everyone already thought it was insane that he made top 8, dude was a #37 seed. dude is showing it wasn't a fluke.

[@Aaronmajowskavitz]

@@lauchattp.8699 it's funny though

[@kalimba508]

As an old man who has been playing DAS Tetris for years, I tried rolling after your last video came out. I was terrible at it but I can see the potential of it. After several months/years of practice, it might be a viable alternative for me to finally get a max out

[@smashypixel4188]

Hello good sir i really appreciate your enthusiasm for video games unlike other people of your age keep practicing!!!

[@coltonhamilton3116]

This is so surreal to me. Rob's vid with Jonas is how I found out about ctwc and now it's changing how the game is played

[@--..__]

That video didn't change anything the discovery of rolling was completely independent of that.

[@stompingpeak2043]

@@--..__ idk. I think your comment is false

[@narwhalguy3829]

@@--..__ it could’ve if chez saw that first. He most likely did too

[@stevemelo]

Pure class leaving in Rob's RIP for Jonas at the end. This channel has quickly become my favorite on KZbin. Thanks for all your hard work aGameScout.

[@ThorkilKowalski]

w0rd, here be good vibes.

[@joshworthy9756]

These last two rolling videos have SO many layers. Past, present, future. Jonas from the grave STILL making an impact, Rob Scallon and his infinite brilliance, Chez showing off his versatility and drive to constantly learn more about this 30 year old game, and Scout's giddy enthusiasm to uncover new nuggets for the community. What a time to be a player and a fan!

[@walfiee]

NES commentators then: He do be hypertapping NEW comentators now: *He do be rollin*

[@keyboardtalk]

Tryin' to catch me stackin' dirty

[@quack3891]

Tryin to catch me ridin dirty

[@CrimsonDRagon-bi9ce]

No disrespect, Jonas would've been a monster with rolling as he arguably has the best stacking ability even today and definitely among the old gens, at least top 5.

[@uuproverlord8324]

i think dog has the best stacking

[@hope_youhaveagoodday]

Man, CTWC is gonna be something else this year. We're gonna need to rename the killscreen to 'second transition' soon!

[@bass2564]

Truer words..

[@trongvu1018]

this aged like fine wine

[@DerAykac]

"Practice Tetris with a metronome" isn´t something i ever expected Rob to say. Rob really knows how to bring in some fun to Tetris.

[@garygenerous8982]

I love how even 30 years after the game was released people are still discovering new and exciting ways to play. I look forward to seeing where the next 30 years takes us!

[@zardzewialy]

Just a quick thought: those missing vieo responses from the good old YT days are actually what made TikTok such a big success :D

[@zardzewialy]

@Captainzilla418 Depends on what you watch and where algorithms leave you. My tiktok is full of scientists, human rights advocates etc.

[@zardzewialy]

@Captainzilla418 I guess I'm not getting this content because I somehow got put into a different category or whatever? It all depends on your past activity and what the TikTok bots decide You're interested in.

[@reddreds1]

@Captainzilla418 use the search and hash tag to change your fyp.

[@dkomo2]

I just bought an NES and Tetris yesterday due in part to your videos. Thank you for inspiring me.

[@aGameScout]

That's awesome! Be sure to join the Classic Tetris Monthly discord server if you have any questions or want to start participating in competitions

[@microblitz7635]

What a Chad

[@dkomo2]

@@aGameScout Just joined. Thanks again. I'm only just starting out. Played tetris for years on the computer, but I never even owned an NES. Hopefully in the future I can participate in some competitions. We'll see how good I can get. 🤞

[@touruuu2752]

@@dkomo2 update?

[@dkomo2]

@@touruuu2752 After almost a month of playing Tetris, I've been able to get a PB of 128K on level 9, and about 110K on level 12. I've also been able to consistently get above 60K every game on level 12, which isn't a lot, but I feel I'm making progress. I've tried level 15, but it's still a bit too fast for me.

[@walfiee]

This new clicking method is basically like finding a shortcut in speedrunning that is very optimized

[@DirkieDurky]

I love the NES Tetris community and you are a really big part of that! Love the videos!

[@CounterBalance567]

I wish to see Jonas’ reaction on the rolling method... I truly do. Hope he’s doing well in the other world.

[@dogenestris]

Yooooooo I'm in another scout video 😲

[@sky4ce09]

rick astley's favorite technique

[@aGameScout]

yepbear

[@fififiz]

oh no he's right

[@Jetanium]

This comment is giving me “before thumbnail preview” vibes.

[@alexanderbrooksify]

4:20 me, with tiny hands: "I don’t know where I’m going on this path. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life."

[@yom0msfat]

Nice time stamp

[@RedStone576]

420 oh yeah

[@pedrolmlkzk]

Nice

[@breakfastnoodles]

Hopefully this blows up like the last video! A great update on rolling this is, Scout.

[@striketwice_vlogs8234]

I've been grinding rolling and watching abunch, its been a big help post ks so I've finally gotten a 800k ✌

[@aGameScout]

nice! Do you have any vids?

[@striketwice_vlogs8234]

@@aGameScout not at the moment since I don't have a capture card but I plan to stream and play the game soon especially once I can get a way to practice 29 play 😊

[@fumokaze]

I don't know how I came across this specific video but that's a heartwarming community, everyone coming together and showing their own technique, very neat

[@CobaltTetris]

I wouldn't consider rolling to be the equivalent to butterfly clicking in Minecraft. I think a more ample comparison is drag clicking, where a person is able to create an immense amount of friction with the mouse to make one click motion turn into many clicks. It's similar with rolling since here, it's essentially one rolling motion that generates at most 5 taps in incredibly quick succession. Oh yeah, and both are game breaking lol

[@hoobna4569]

I thought it was a joke at 0:09 when it said 1.2M views but it’s legitimately blown up wtf it’s got more views than the world championships 2021😂

[@SylvainBerube]

People care about Tetris more than we thought!

[@DanVWeller]

World championship 2021 has 0 views though 🙃

[@affanhaider2606]

@@DanVWeller statement still valid 😂

[@duogemstone]

KZbin recommends the weirdest stuff, granted it's not completely outside my realm as I do watch vids about new things in old games or retrospectives of the glitches and other stuff that changed gaming (like combos being a glitch in SF2 yeah it's old news but it's always interesting hearing about it from a new input)

[@ohno-wi1vb]

these videos make me feel so excited to see what people think of next and the improvements that can be made on this

[@33Pokenerd]

making the controller flipped isn't impossible for the people who wants to use goofyfoot grip. Personally it didn't take much time for me to learn the grip so it probably is to other people as well :)

[@aGameScout]

good to know!

[@DevilishlyDutch]

Oh dang, I never saw the response vid, that's awesome! And also very awesome to see the community come together on that

[@thuggeegaming659]

Joseph: I'm a hypertapper! Rob: Hold my guitar pick

[@CasiMediocre]

12:03 Nice! I was actually trying this grip not even knowing he did it too after you mentioned the one-handed grip!

[@kbpclo.mp4]

There's actually a similar technique in cubing called "finger trick" where if you want to do two or more turnes on the cube, you can roll your two fingers to get faster turnes. Great video by the way!!!😁❤

[@juneyellowsnek]

Inaccurate in every conceivable way.

[@Fiberoeatingfiber]

​@@juneyellowsnekyeah, I think they mean doing U2s where you use your pointer and middle to turn the layer twice, this is also done with the other 2 fingers for D2s

[@SamTheS]

Greatvideo as always Scout!

[@dimsyog]

hello Sam the spearton

[@SamTheS]

@@dimsyog yes, it is i

[@joaquinnievas9079]

Idk why im so interested in these videos. I played Tetris effect for like 30 hs and that's it. But i love watching people play it.

[@yom0msfat]

Hey it’s me in that video 1:20

[@alexmontanus]

it's amazing that Rob has actually added some GOOD advice here! Jonas would be proud!

[@ebonyandivory262]

Rob scallion was the last KZbinr I was expecting to see related to tetris

[@chadmorral1326]

I'm new to watching the nes tetris stuff but I've been a fan of robs for years and didn't expect to see him. So awesome to see him here.

[@E5rael]

Rob Scallon's tip for using your fingers in a "claw" shape applies to other instruments too, such as the French Horn, which I play. Pressing the valve switches in that form is more efficient.

[@Xplayer007]

Man I didn't realize Rob did the pogobat intro for Dan Brown. That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

[@sEaNoYeAh]

Classic Tetris players gonna start watching Billy Sheehan tutorials. And possibly going to become sick bassists.

[@envysmith6832]

It's always a good day for a scout video on tetris 👌

[@NissanZguy]

Whoa! I used to do this when playing games like Mario, Zelda & Tetris back in the 80's!!! I don't play NES anymore but glad a new generation discovered it for these cool speed runs and such :)

Great work!

[@tuiteyfruity5010]

Here because of summoning salts video. This is like a piece of history. You documented it. Called it. You said it was gonna be huge and it was crazier than anyone could ever imagine.

[@shamo84]

lets go cheez!

[@sambembs]

Just watched Cheez get a level 40. Absolutely insane

[@bass2564]

It's now a bit more than two years later, and BlueScuti has just beaten NES Tetris a couple of weeks ago, playing the killscreen all the way to the inevitable game crash at 1511 lines. "Absolutely insane" sounds just about right.

[@igonzy]

Great vid as always mr Scout

[@Mmm_Chezburgerz]

2:43 Him: Cheers for getting a line also him: MISSES A PERFECT CLEAR

[@nullbyt]

Such a cool colab lol 🤣 my favorite things thank you

[@killaken2000]

this technique looks a lot like 'plinking' in fighting games to get 1 frame links consistently. And a liitle bit of 'piano-ing' as well for multiple shots at a frame sensitive input.

[@Krmpfpks]

I miss Jonas, I think he has a part in this revolution too by bringing tetris to a broader audience and his kind listening to outside ideas. What would he say? Would he attempt to learn it?

[@maeborowski3554]

Didn't understand a thing, but I know two things: It works, and this community is awesome

[@luigigrabspam4596]

Thanks for the video. Always make the day better!

[@alnorris251]

Now Rob is going to practice real hard with the technique he's satisfied with :) Jonas would be proud

[@spornineteenninetynine4718]

I made a post about this in a clicker game, Adventure Capitalist for when you need to spam clicks on 2x timed modifiers etc. You hold the mouse with one hand and use 2-3 fingers on the other hands and roll them / split the work onto the left mouse button. Players in Streetfighter also call this 'Pianoing' where when you need to get a move out with the right frame timing, you piano roll the same button with multiple fingers, or if it can be any punch strength for example, a quick succesion of LP,MP,HP on an arcade stick.

[@henry3457]

As a guitarist with limited knowledge of classic Tetris-- I wonder if it's possible to use a technique similar to rasgueado for rolling. Rasgueado is a flamenco guitar technique for rapid strumming that is more like a rapid series of flicks with the fingernail, as opposed to Cheez's technique, tapping with the fingertips more like bass. It's totally possible to get a 5-input roll with something similar to rasgueado, as I bet it's possible to incorporate the thumb in the finger-flick motion if you incorporate your wrist; that would unfortunately leave your thumb unable to do anything else, so you'd have to brace the controller and perform all the other inputs with one hand. I also suspect that most rollers will roll faster if the hand doing the tapping is the non-dominant hand; the dominant arm generally has more muscle mass in the forearm that slightly slows down rapid finger movement due to more friction on the tendons, or at least it feels that way to me and many others I know. Best of luck to all those learning rolling.

[@harrymoschops]

The rolling technique is really similar to a DJ scratch technique on the crossfader called 'the crab'

[@bobbymiller7242]

In the 2023 worlds, everyone in the top 16 uses rolling. The entire landscape has changed in two years. Insane.

[@itsmeclarityy]

This is actually the second revolution of tetris.

[@want-diversecontent3887]

Was the first hypertapping or something else?

[@itsmeclarityy]

Yeah the first one was hypertapping.

[@OcteractSG]

0:07 Last week is when that video came out? Haha, nope.

[@aGameScout]

Yeah, sigh, it was last week when I was filming...lol. I only realized when doing a final check on the video last night at 3am so I threw in a correction at the bottom of the screen instead of trying to re-record the line in the middle of the night

[@Duskelion]

this definitely reminds me of flamenco rasgueados (spanish guitrar strumming technique). even the discussion on which fingers to use and the order reminds me of reading discussions in method books

[@erogig8701]

Saw how somebody connected this to butterfly clicking from Minecraft although I would say it seems like a fusion of butterfly and drag clicking because of the positioning of the thumb.

[@KhyrosFinalCut]

As always, excellent work.

[@JongleurJ10]

On the face of it rolling sounds like a shortcut technique too good to be true but the masters of it really do make it work. Revolutionary.

[@NinetyLegos]

What I learned: Musicians can Coach Tetris players

[@mawinswag]

This is really freaking cool and weird cause I remember thinking while watching these videos that using plucking techniques that'd you use on bass tremolo parts to hyper trap and now that exact idea is coming to fruition

[@AalbertTorsius]

We used to do something very similar to the two finger technique when we we were playing _Track & Field II_ back in the day. Had a little round plastic bit that we swiped across the A or B button at high speed.

[@tyrian522]

i love how big this has gotten,, i know so much about Tetris now KEBWJW

[@katelynuwu]

The clone hero rake tap reference makes sense. HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT AS A CLONE HERO PLAYER! also along with rake tapping, I feel like slide tapping is similar in clone hero terms of the motion of your hand.

[@ThisNameIsBanned]

Might be a thing for other Speedruns that use a lot of mashing. Mashing in early levels is big like in Contra NES , you want o mash extremely fast and in a rhythm over the entire game to get the spread-shot-pattern. Could be really big.

[@Kellestial]

This actually might help with so many other games when speedrunning

[@bloodbathkrieg8010]

Fun fact: the goofy foot term comes from surfing and skateboarding. Riding with your right foot forward is called goofy footed, opposite of left foot forward being called regular foot

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

2:30 Jonas is the Micheal Jordan of classic tertis R.I.P Jonas ... While I'm on basketball references Cheez the curry of classic tertis since he came out basically broke the game( for the better I think) now it's motivating people to change their game

[@heyhonpuds]

Rob Scallon should hold his head up high for being involved in my favourite album: Nostalgia Critic's The Wall.

[@PlayMadness]

You best be joking

[@rankail]

Isn't it more likely to register a button press if you roll harder and just hold your thumb on the button? The flicking of the side probably also shortens the time the button is pressed making it possible to hit quicker. I don't know how hard you have to press the button though because i don't own a controller myself.

[@andyb3522]

Attach (tape/glue?) something to the bottom of your controller that extends it out, on the dpad side, you’ll need less force per tap to trigger an input. Just like how tapping closer to the center requires more force.

[@guiposf2662]

this is insane very good video

[@aleksik34]

Funny enough, back as a kid in music school they taught me to play piano just like Rob described playing guitar, your hand should make a shape like you're holding a ball or an apple.

[@avvvqvvv99]

i'm so hyped about this technique

[@tolstoj9348]

Steve de Luca is going to have to assemble a lot of goofy foots (is it actually goofy feet? :-D) after this video.

[@ChicCanyon]

i wish jonas was here to explore this with us

[@lumensmith2001]

The example of taking at 1:15 is actually an alt tap because he’s alternating between the fingers on the controller. A rake tap only uses one hand and is extremely similar to the rolling method used on the nes for breaking records on the athletic games.

[@biggiemac42]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4GopXxoa7Stlck yeah I sent this video to the tetris channel back when they were asking about rake tapping but I guess they picked leafgreen instead and lost the nuanced difference lmao

[@lumensmith2001]

@@biggiemac42 I’m surprised they didn’t pick Acai for the example because he has like the cleanest technique out of anyone in the community. His wrist’s are like completely still and he even spams in time which is ridiculous. I used to just be mesmerized by watching his fingers when he played because they just have a super uniform bend and never bend diagonally at all.

[@Herv3]

I think CTWC should have a two thumbs tournament where you can only use your thumbs to press buttons.

[@brettstaneslow]

Well even in rolling you only have one finger touching the button, technically.

[@Herv3]

@@brettstaneslow I don't know what caveats need to be added to have a DAS only tournament, but all the rolling i've seen has had non thumb pressing of the button.

[@wyatt01]

i need to learn this

[@cheesecak11857]

Great video!

[@violinche7489]

another great vid Scout! let's make tetris viral again 🙂

[@daisugabatabata]

10:38 I mean, if you can play it slowly, you can play it quickly

[@RamielLeung]

11:46 that's some next level pipa technique

[@607]

Super interesting!

[@DJruslan4ic]

Nes tetris players then: **insert any fast song** Nes tetris players now: watch him rolin' watch him roll

[@123timmon]

Funny to see the last Method. Its the same method used for "Hovering" in Zelda: A Link to the past Speedrunning for many years. I bet if gaming communities combine their knowledge everything would improove :D

[@dynoscord1443]

When I saw hypertapping I was like "isn't that just jitterclicking on a smaller scale"

[@ArbitraryConstant]

it seems like rolling also makes it easier to do a skill stop because you can control how many of your fingers contact easier than hold duration with DAS or hypertaps.

[@friddlefries1140]

The way Rob mentions it it’s like how I played as a trumpet player, make a C but kinda upside down so maybe try to talk to some trumpet players and see if that helps?(unsure as i said it’s basically upside down) or maybe woodwind players since they go around a tube

[@Ripper346.]

Goofy controller is good but, is it admitted in ctwc or other strict competitions? Isn't it sort of "modified" controller?

[@aGameScout]

Yes, goofyfoot controllers and dogbone NES controllers are the only 2 alternate controllers permitted at the CTWC other than an original NES Controller.

[@oriolgonzalez9328]

I think goofyfoot could be considered like the NES equivalent of "left handed" or "southpaw" controls in modern FPS games when using dual analog gamepads.

[@tannerbrodt8419]

Has anyone tried flipping the controller upside down and rolling their left fingers downwards? You’d use your right pinky to anchor the dpad and your right thumb would anchor the other side in the middle.

[@snoopdoggdankkush9285]

I saw the last video and it made me wanna try Tetris competitively

[@Alvin_Vivian]

Can the DAS dinosaurs adopt this, or do the hypertappers still have an advantage with rolling?

[@dogenestris]

Its accessible to all. No one has an advantage here really