Quadra FAQ

4) Multiplayer

4.1) The different Multiplayer Games

There are 3 different multiplayer games which you can play.

Local Game (no network) - All players are using just your 1 computer allowing a maxiumum of 3 players.
TCP/IP Local Network (lan) - This is for multiplayer games over networked computers which are using TCP/IP.
TCP/IP Internet - This is for playing internet games against people from all over the world!

4.2) How multiplayer games work

In multiplayer games players join one of eight different teams. The teams are Red, Blue, Green, Cyan, Orange, Yellow, Purple, and Grey.

When a member of a team clears multiple lines at once, for example 4 lines, then 3 lines are dumped onto all of the players on all of the other teams. Dumped lines are lines which are missing one or more pieces that stack up from the bottom of the other players' screens. Sometimes, the host of the multiplayer game sets what is called a smallest offensive line combo. This is a preset number set by the host of the multiplayer game. The number determines the minimum number of lines you can send. You can only send lines if you equal or exceed that number. For example if it is set to 5, then the minimum number of lines you can dump on your opponent is 4 by clearing 5 lines.

When you dump (or send) lines to other players, sometimes you will get a frag when the other player dies. Getting a frag is a good thing, being fragged, or dying, is not. See section 4.8 for more information about frags.

4.3) Create Game options

When you create a new multiplayer game you can choose from a number of options. These are:

Game Type:

Free for All - Frag your opponents and respawn when you die.
Survivor Mode - Frag your opponents, but you don't respawn until only one team is remaining and has won the round.
Peace - The goal of the game is to get the most number points. No lines are sent in this game.
Blind - Just like survivor, except instead of sending lines, attacks are sent in the form of disappearing pieces. You can still complete lines with these pieces, you just can't see them.
Hot Potato - A hot potato controls which team receives all attacking lines. The team with the hot potato cannot attack again until one player on that team completes a certain combo. Once that combo has been made, the hot potato passes to another team.

Level Up:

After 15 lines - Players will advance to the next level after every 15 lines that they clear.
Disabled - No possible way to change the level.

The game ends when:

Frags - The game ends when any player reaches the set amount of frags. The exception is survivor, where the game won't end until the round is over. This makes it possible for ties which must be broken in a tie breaker round. This is the most common end clause for a game.
Time - Game ends after a number of minutes.
Points - Game ends after a number of points.
Never - Game never ends.

Record game: Allows you to record the multiplayer game to a .rec file. See the recording section for more info. You cannot record local player no network games.

4.4) The user interface and its options

At first you may find the user interface a bit weird. But once you are used to it, it's really good. Just avoid pressing the escape key when you make the wrong selection, as this exits the whole multiplayer game! Instead, click on the close button above the panel.

The interface is made up of 3 windows. Each window has these options available:

Start <player name> - Start playing with this player setup
Start <player name 2> - Start playing with this player setup
Start <player name 3> - Start playing with this player setup
Show Players - This show a list of all the current players in the game. You can click on a player and choose view player to watch them play. You can watch up to 4 people in a single window. You can also view a variety of realtime stats about each player.
Block Info - Displays the block info for 2 players at a time. Click on the players names to change from player to player.
Lines Info - Same as block info but shows lines information.
Select Scheme - Allows you to select which scheme you want to play in. Note that you must have the scheme unlocked by advancing to that level in a single player game!
Chat Window - This is where you chat to the other players.
Network Tools - This is an extra option which only appears for the host (the creator) of the game. It allows the host to drop players and connections. You can also set if you want to allow players and connections to join. You can also test the pings to the players here as well, and view some basic IP information.

4.5) Pausing Multiplayer Games

Pausing is done with the 'Pause/Break' key usually found at the top right of your keyboard. A server that is not set to autostart will need to be unpaused for the game to begin. Any player can pause or unpause a multiplayer game. However, use common sense. Don't just pause and unpause a game needlessly! This will get very irritating, and will most likely result in the host banning you from their server!

4.6) Multiplayer Game Recordings

Only the host can record a multiplayer game. So if you are joining the multiplayer game, you cannot record it.

Also, you cannot record local no network games. Only TCP/IP LAN and internet game can be recorded.

However, all single player games are recorded. If you achieve a local high score, your recording will remain in your Quadra directory until it is knocked off the list. Otherwise, the recording will go away once you finish another single player game. You can keep these recordings by copying the file to a new file name before they are removed.

See the Demo Central section for information on replaying multiplayer recordings.

4.7) Multiplayer Tips

Multiplayer games are all about being fast... very fast. To be real good at the multiplayer game, practice playing really fast, and try and send lines whenever you can. If there are more than 3 or 4 players in the game, you should not try a big build up (unless your sure you can pull it off) because you will get lines dumped on you, making you no longer able to pull off the build up. Another tip is when you have a build up, don't use it until another player is nearly dead, as when you send the lines, you will kill the other player and get a frag for it.

Another good tip is to defend against your opponents' build ups! One thing about the lines that you send to other players is that the holes in those lines correspond to where the blocks that completed those lines were placed. Thus, if you see someone with a buildup similar to the one demonstrated in section 3, you can stack a lot of green sticks vertically on the left side of the canvas. When your opponent completes the buildup, you will receive 10 lines from the attack. But all you have to do now is complete that first line, and all of your sticks you stacked up on the left hand side prior to the attack will fall into place, sending those lines that your opponent just sent you right back to them!

4.8) Frag - How is it defined?

For every line you send to somebody (let's call him Bob), 2 attack points are counted. Those attack points are cumulative so if you send 3 lines (6 points) and a little while after you send another 4 lines (8 points), Bob has 14 attack points coming from you. Keeping the same example, lets suppose a 3rd player called John is also in the game and he sends 5 lines. Then the current attack points will be:

You:

10 points from John
0 points from Bob

Bob:

14 points from you
10 points from John

John:

14 points from you
0 points from Bob

Now lets assume that Bob now dies. You will get a frag because you are the one who has accumulated the most attack points against Bob.

Now here's the key point. Every time anybody places a block, the attack points they received from all their enemies are decreased by one. So in the same example, if John manages to place 14 blocks before dying, you will not get a frag (assuming you don't send any more lines in that time). On the other hand, if you manage to place 9 blocks correctly but you die before placing the 10th one after John's 5 line attack, John will get a frag against you.

So the rule is quite simple. Every line sent adds 2 attack points to everybody receiving the line, and every block placed reduces the attack points accumulated by one for each opponent. If you die with all the attack points down to zero, the last person who had attack points against you before they decreased to zero will get the frag. If you die with one or more attack points accumulated against you, the attacker with the most attack points against you will get the frag.

Free For All works a little bit differently. If you die with all the attack points down to zero, no one gets a frag.