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Mah Jongg
Mah Jongg
--- for Windows ---
Version 1.0
February, 1992
Program and Documentation
Copyright 1988 - 1992 Ron Balewski
Mah Jongg for Windows is a User-Supported (Shareware) prooduct. It is
freely available through User's Groups, Bulletin Boards, etc. You have
the opportunity to try the game and see if it suits your needs. If you
find that you enjoy and use this game, please send the requested
contribution of $20.00 to:
Ron Balewski
412 E. Ridge St.
Nanticoke, PA 18634-2915
User-supported shareware can exist only as long as you, the users, will
support it!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
-------------------
FORWARD: ............................... 4
WHAT IS MAH JONG for Windows............ 5
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS .................. 5
THE GAME OF MAH JONGG .................. 6
The Tiles ......................... 6
The Suits ......................... 6
The Game Board .................... 7
Playing Mah Jongg ................. 7
Strategy .......................... 7
PLAYING MAH JONGG for Windows .......... 8
The Basics ........................ 8
The Added Features ................ 9
File menu .................... 9
Help menu ................... 11
Preferences menu ............ 12
Backup menu ................. 14
Special menu ................ 14
Stack Control Menu ............... 15
Peek ........................ 15
Rotate ...................... 16
Remove ...................... 16
IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY ................. 17
TECHNICAL SUPPORT ..................... 17
WHAT'S NEXT ........................... 17
SHARWEWARE ............................ 18
WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU REGISTER ,,,,, 18
DISCLAIMER ............................ 19
PERMISSION TO COPY .................... 20
ATTENTION SHAREWARE VENDORS ........... 20
- Page 2 -
Mah Jongg for Windows is dedicated to my father, Ed, in
appreciation for his support and help with my first shareware venture.
If it weren't for his tireless efforts in the day-to-day operation of
my shareware business (copying & labeling disks, assembling & shipping
packages to registered users, etc.) I wouldn't have had the time to
spend writing MJ/WIndows.
I'd also like to thank Warren Storosko for his constant list of
ideas & suggestions and for devoting countless hours to testing my
products.
- Page 3 -
FORWARD
Well, it's finally finished -- Mah Jongg for Windows. If you've
used my Mah Jongg -V-G-A-, you should have little trouble getting up to
speed with this new game. It incorporates most of MJVGA 3.1's function
set.
Please note that I consider this to be a new product rather than
an "upgrade" to MJVGA. I seriously question whether a Windows
version is an "upgrade" or a "downgrade." However, due to the
popularity of Windows, I've gotten a LOT of requests for this product.
So, here it is!
As usual, I'd like to thank those who have registered the various
versions of MJVGA, my initial shareware product. Your support &
suggestions are what prodded me into the programmer-unfriendly world of
Windows to produce what you now have.
That 8514/a version of Mah Jongg is still in "public" Beta test.
No major problems have been reported (in fact virtually no minor ones
have come up either). Unfortunately, I just haven't had time to put
the documentation & such together into a package. (By the way,
MJ/Windows will probably earn me a lot more money than MJ8514 -- so
it's been getting priority treatment.)
- Page 4 -
WHAT IS MAH JONG for Windows?
Mah Jongg for Windows is a high-tech simulation of the ancient
Chinese game of Mah Jongg. Some historians date Mah Jongg back to the
time of Confucius -- over 25 centuries ago!
It's believed that sailors and fishermen played Mah Jongg as a
diversion from the monotony of their long voyages. The game was
originally played with cards, but eventually bone and bamboo tiles were
substituted since these were less likely to be blown off the deck.
Mah Jongg for Windows recreates the beauty and addictive pleasure
of Mah Jongg, but uses modern data processing techniques and
high-resolution graphics instead of bamboo tiles.
In an attempt to make this game as elegant and as enjoyable as
possible, the author has used some of the most advanced features of
today's state-of-the-art MS-DOS computers. Not all PC computers are
able to run Mah Jongg for Windows. But if yours can, prepare yourself
for the meeting of the past and future!!!
WHAT DO I NEED?
Mah Jongg for Windows should run on any properly-equipped PC
compatible which can run Windows in standard or enhanced mode.
You will need at least a VGA-class graphics system (640x480
resolution in 16 colors). However, for best results, I'd recommend
Windows running in 256-color mode with a higher resolution graphics
card (800x600 or 1024x768). Screens smaller than 800x600 will require
the entire screen to display the Mah Jongg window. Furthermore, with
only 16 colors, the tile colors will not be reproduced properly because
of the way Windows' palette manager operates.
A mouse is also required, but this shouldn't be a problem.
Windows itself is virtually useless without one.
- Page 5 -
THE GAME OF MAH JONGG
---------------------
THE TILES
There are 42 different tiles used in Mah Jongg as follows: 27 Suit
tiles (nine tiles in each of three suits), 3 Dragons, 4 Winds, 4
Seasons, and 4 Flowers.
THE SUITS
The Suit Of Dots - This suit goes back to the original sailor's
version of Mah Jongg. The dots probably represent money.
The Suit Of Bam - Bam stands for Bamboo. Because bamboo was used
to make deadly spears, this suit is thought to represent power or
victory.
The Suit Of Crak - These are also called Characters or Actors.
Crak may represent actual people or may simply be characters from the
Chinese alphabet.
The Dragons - In the Ancient Mah Jongg, each suit was associated
with a Dragon as follows:
White dragons - Suit Of Dots
Red Dragons - Suit Of Bam
Green Dragons - Suit Of Crak
This association has no direct bearing on the current play of the game.
The Winds - These tiles simply represent the four directions of the
winds -- North, South, East, and West.
The Flowers - The four flowers - Orchid, Plum, Mum, and Bamboo -
were introduced by a medieval princess to add beauty and romance to the
game.
The Seasons - This is another direct representation -- this time of
the seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. It is thought that
the seasons were added to Mah Jongg by river gamblers.
- Page 6 -
THE GAME BOARD
Each game board consists of 144 tiles made up of four of each type
of tile EXCEPT for the Seasons and Flowers of which there is one each.
The tiles are laid out in a formation called a Dragon. The position of
each tile in the dragon is completely random, making each dragon unique.
Some are more formidable than others. Some are actually impossible to
defeat. But all are challenging and exciting.
The tiles are placed in stacks ranging in height from one tile at
the edge to five tiles at the center. The easiest way to understand the
dragon is to see one. Run Mah Jongg for Windows. The dragon you'll see
will be a far better explanation than I can give.
PLAYING MAH JONGG
The object of Mah Jongg is simple -- remove all of the tiles by
matching pairs. But there IS a catch. Only tiles which are "free" can
be removed.
A tile is considered "free" if there's nothing on top of it and if
it can slide out to the left OR right. If tiles on both sides are
stacked to the same height the tile is not "free" to be removed.
Two tiles MUST be free and MUST be an exact match (exceptions
later) before they can be removed from the dragon. Removal of
mismatched tiles and removal of un-free tiles is not allowed.
The exception: Since there is one each of the Seasons and the
Flowers, these tiles cannot be matched identically. So any flower can
match with any other flower. Likewise, any season can match with any
other season.
STRATEGY:
During my countless hours of testing Mah Jongg, I've found a few
pieces of strategy that seem to help:
--> Concentrate on removing the four tiles which are blocking the most
moves - the top tile, the single tile on the left, and the two tiles on
the right.
--> Look for quadruples. If all four of a given tile are free, remove
them all immediately. This will get them out of the way and won't cause
problems later.
- Page 7 -
--> Keep an eye out for doubles (two tiles free) of tiles with only two
left (the monochrome screen helps here). These should also be removed
immediately.
--> Before removing two tiles of four remaining, be sure that no OBVIOUS
harm (trapped tiles) will occur.
--> Always check for triples. If you've found a pair with four
remaining, see if any more are free. Then, take the two which will free
up the most tiles.
PLAYING MAH JONGG FOR WINDOWS
-----------------------------
THE BASICS
To start Mah Jongg for Windows, just launch it like any other
Windows application.
Tiles are removed by first selecting one, then selecting its mate.
To select a tile, just point to it with the mouse and press the left
mouse button. The tile will change color to show that it has been
selected. You don't have to double-click to remove the tiles. When two
tiles have been selected, they will (after validation) be removed.
To de-select a tile, just click on it again. The tile will return
to normal.
If you try to select a tile that's not free, you'll get a warning
sound (if the sound is turned on) and the tile will NOT be selected.
Likewise, if you select two tiles which don't match, you'll hear the
warning beep and both tiles wil de-select.
The counter at the top-left of the Mah Nongg window will show how
many tiles remain in the dragon.
This is all you really need to know to play the game. But, there
are some other features which make the play a lot more enjoyable. Most
of them can be accessed thru the menu bar on top of the Mah Jongg
window.
- Page 8 -
THE ADDED FEATURES
For convenience, I'll describe the features as they appear in the
menus from left to right, top to bottom.
FILE
====
Load TIle Set
=============
With this option, you can load in an alternate tile set. Just
select the set from the list and click on OK. You'll then see
a "thermometer" box while MJ/Windows loads & formats the tile
set.
Choosing a new tile set will NOT affect the game. It will
continue from where it was, but with a new tile set.
Your selection will also be saved for the next time you run
MJ/Windows. Whenever the game starts, it will load the last
tile set tile set that you chose.
Load Game
=========
This will load a game previously saved to disk. A window
will open and you'll be asked to select a file name. If you hit
this button accidentally, just click the Cancel button.
Save Game
=========
This function will save the game in progress. You'll be
required to type in a file name or select one that's already on
the disk.
- Page 9 -
Done
====
Done is similar to New Game, but has some added features as
well. When you select DONE, your score for the game will be
calculated and, if you've made the Hall of Fame, you'll be
asked to enter your name. Either way, your score & the Hall of
Fame will be displayed. You'll then get a new game.
Note that EXIT and NEW GAME don't evaluate the game for
inclusion in the Hall of Fame. You could use these if you're
not interested in the Hall of Fame or if the game has gone so
badly that you don't want the embarrassment of being told that
your score was thousands of points higher than what's needed for
HOF entry.
New Game
========
Selecting New Game will start a new game of Mah Jongg. the
computer will shuffle the tiles and a new dragon will be
drawn.
Restart Game
============
Restart Game will take you back to the beginning of the current
game. The help counter, peek counter, and clock are all reset
to zero.
Exit
====
Selecting Exit will quit the MJ/Windows program.
About
=====
This will bring up an About box containing my name, address,
and copyright notice.
Serial Number
=============
This brings up a box which displays the version & serial number
of your MJ/Windows game. It also indicates whether you're
using a registered or un-registered copy (of course you
registered, right???).
- Page 10 -
HELP
====
Tiles Left
==========
To see exactly what tiles are left in the dragon, just select
this! The dragon will be replaced by a graphic depiction of
exactly how many of which tiles are left. Very useful for
determining tricky moves! To return to the game board, just
click the OK button.
Moves Left
==========
To quickly find out how many moves are left without being told
what they are, choose this function. Your score isn't affected
by using this type of help.
Show Moves
==========
Show Moves is really it's own little sub-function. When you
click on Show Moves, the machine will pause for a moment (it's
looking for moves) and will then do one of two things. If no
moves are left, you'll see a "No moves left" dialog box.
You're now free to start a new game, enter the game into the
Hall of Fame (via the Done selection), or back-up to try to
get farther in this game (I often do this).
If one or more moves is left, you'll be shown what they are.
The tiles for the first move will be highlighted. Then, a
small control panel with five buttons will appear on the right
section of the Mah Jongg window. To leave Show Moves, click
on Cancel. To see the next move, just click on "Next". Click
on "Previous" to display the previous move. When you've
decided which move you'd like to take, you can execute it by
first stepping to it with the Next / Previous buttons and then
clicking on "Do It!" The Show Moves menu will disappear and
your selected move will be executed.
- Page 11 -
An alternate form of Show Moves will show you the moves
available only for one type of tile. If you'd like to get rid
of this one particular Four of Dots, lets say, but you can't
find a match for it, you can select that one tile, then choose
Show Moves. Only the moves pertainiing to that one tile type
will be shown. If nothing's free to match the tile, you'll get
the dreaded No Move Available message.
ATTENTION THREE-BUTTON MOUSE USERS:
There is a short-cut to entering the Show Moves menu available
to you. Just click the center button!
This short-cut can also be turned off in case you find yourself
accidentally hitting the center button & entering Help when you
don't want to. The Center Button switch in the Preferences
menu will turn this feature on & off.
X-Ray
=====
You can "X-ray" the board to find which stacks a given type
of tile is in regardless of whether or not it's buried. To
start an X-ray, select "X-Ray" in the help menu. A tile will
be shown in a dialog box. Use the previous / next buttons to
step to the tile that you want to find. Then, click on SHOOT
to turn on the X-ray machine. The stacks which contain the
desired tile will be highlighted. To turn off the X-ray
machine, just press the OK button.
PREFERENCES
===========
All entries in this menu section are "switches." THe first
time you click them, they'll turn on. The next time, they'll
turn off. A feature is turned on if it has a check mark in
front of it.
Whenever you quit MJ/Windows, the current preference settings
are saved. The next time you start MJ/WIN, all settings will
return to their last position.
- Page 12 -
Sound
=====
This switch controls whether MJ/Windows will create its usual
sounds for tile selection, removal, etc.
Note that the new Windows 3.0 sound functions are used for sound
generation, so if some other program is running which takes
control of the sound system, MJ/Windows won't be allowd to
access the sound hardware. In that case, you won't get sound
even if it's turned on. Likewise, when MJ/Windows is run, it
requests control of the sound system. Any other sound programs
that are run while MJ/Windows is still running (including
another instance of MJ/Windows) will not be given access to the
sound system.
Move Check
==========
When Move Check is turned on, MJ/Windows will check for
available moves after each tile removal. As soon as no
additional moves are available, you'll be notified by a dialog
box.
Box Cursor
==========
When the box cursor is turned on, any tile that's being "pointed
to" by the mouse will have a box drawn around the tile face.
Center Button
=============
When Center Button is turned on, you can get to the Show Moves
function by simply clicking the center mouse button. You can
turn off this convenience if you find yourself hitting the wrong
mouse button and getting help (and the resulting score penalty)
when you don't really want it. Of course, if you dnn't HAVE a
center button on your mouse, this switch is completely
irrelevant.
Clock Display
=============
This switch will control whether or not the elapsed time clock
will be displayed. It continues to run, though, whether it's
displayed or not.
- Page 13 -
Tiles Left Display
==================
This switch controls whether or not the Tiles Left counter (on
the left side of the window) is displayed. Note that when you
select this switch, the tile count will not appear or disappear
until the next time you do something to affect it -- make a move
or back up.
Backup
======
Backup
======
Backup will back up one move per selection. You can back up all
the way to the beginning of the game, if you'd like to.
Set Mark / Go To Mark
=====================
You can set & reset up to four bookmarks as you play. Whenever
you set a mark, the current game location is remembered. Then,
later on, you can decide to back up to a mark (Go To Mark).
This effect will be the same as repeatedly selecting Backup
until you got to the marked location.
Bookmarks work only in a backward direction. You can NOT go
through several moves, set a mark, back up several moves, then
go to the mark.
Special
=======
Hall of Fame
============
Selecting this option will display the MJ/Windows Hall of Fame.
Press the OK bar at the bottom to return to the game.
Background Color
================
You can TEMPORARILY change the background color of the current
MJ tile set with this feature. Note that the changes will NOT
be stored in the tile set. I feel that the background color has
been artistically (I hope) decided on by the tile designer and
should not be permanently changed in such a trivial manner.
- Page 14 -
Pause
======
To pause a game, just select Pause. THe dragon will disappear
(to discourage cheating!!!), th clock will stop, and an
interesting graphics thing will glide around the window. Press
the OK button to resume the game.
Print Registration Form
=======================
This is probably the most important selection of all the menus.
It will print out to your current printer (I hope -- Windows
printing is anything but trivial!) a fill-in-the-blanks
registration form which you can use to register MJ/Windows and
/ or order tile set disks.
STACK CONTROL MENU
To get the stack control menu, just point to a tile stack and press
the RIGHT mouse button. Then, press the button for your desired
operation (all are explained below). To close the menu without making
a selection, select Cancel.
The stack control menu features three choices, as follows:
PEEK
====
PEEK will allow you to see all the tiles in a stack, and what order
they're in. Because this only helps you plan your strategy, but
doesn't give away any moves, there are no Hall of Fame penalty
points added to your score for accessing PEEK. The HOF will,
however, keep track of how many times you used this feature.
- Page 15 -
ROTATE
======
This command will "rotate" the stack - ie, all tiles will move up
one position, except for the top tile which will move to the
bottom. This is very much a desperation "cheat" maneuver and
should be used sparingly. In fact, if you use this or the next
REMOVE feature, your game will no longer be eligible for the Hall
of Fame. You'll be so warned the first time you attempt either of
these cheats within a game.
One important problem with Rotate is that it can cause the Back-up
feature to behave strangely. Back-up builds up one tile on the
affected piles without checking them for validity, so if you
back-up a rotated pile, you may get un-matched pairs coming back.
I have no intention of fixing this problem, so don't even ask. If
you're resorting to this to try to win, you don't deserve to back
up!
REMOVE
======
This feature is even more of a cheat than Rotate. You can remove
ANY top tile, without regard for matching or being free. As I said
above, using this feature will keep your game out of the Hall of
Fame -- so use it only as a last resort!!
- Page 16 -
IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY
So far, I haven't run into any problems -- but then again, this is
a new product running in a strange new environment. With all the
different Windows configurations ou there, I expect some odd things to
happen somewhere. If you should run into one, please let me know!
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you have any problem with Mah Jongg for Windows, , please let
me know. I'll be glad to do what I can to help you get it running. Of
course, I can't guarantee that MJ/Windows will run on all systems! No
software company can do that! But as long as your PC can run Windows
relatively well, MJ/Windows should run too.
My only request is that you enclose a SASE if you would like a
reply. My policy has been (and always will be) that I will NOT reply
to letters from non-registered users unless they include a SASE. I
really don't think it's fair to expect registered users to (literally)
pay the expenses of technical support for non-registered users.
However, I will definitely reply as long as you cover the costs by
sending a SASE. Let me repeat this -- I WILL NOT EVEN THINK OF
PROVIDING TECH SUPPORT TO A NON_REGISTERED USER UNLESS YOU INCLUDE A
STAMPED, SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE! NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!
I can now be reached on BIX, if you'd rather send E-Mail. My
username is "rbalewski". I'm usually on a couple times a week, so you
should get a prompt reply.
WHAT'S NEXT
Since this is the first release of MJ/Windows, there are sure to
be further enhancements. The first one will be a simulated monochrome
monitor in another window. I've always liked that feature from MJVGA
and think it'd translate nicely to Windows.
I also plan to add all of the features in MJVGA's Hall of Fame
editor to MJ/Windows in the future.
A Windows version of the MJVGA Viewset utility is also on the
things-to-do list.
- Page 17 -
SHAREWARE
Please remember that this game is NOT public domain. It is
shareware! If you play and enjoy this game regularly, you are urged to
send the registration fee of $20.00. Remember, shareware will only be
around as long as YOU support the concept!
When registering, please include the version and serial number from
the copy of MJ/Windows that you have. All registered users will
receive a copy of the latest version free-of-charge.
If you'd prefer to register with a simple fill-in-the-blanks form,
you can print a registration / order form by selecting Print
Registration Form from the Special menu.
The order form also includes check-boxes to order various tile set
library disks (all public domain) for $3 per disk. Please note that I
will send these disks ONLY to registered MJ/Windows users. If you wish
to order any of them but are not a registered user, you MUST include
the $20 registration fee with your order. All extra disk orders from
unregistered users WILL BE DISCARDED!!!!
Whether or not you choose to register, I'd like to hear your
comments and suggestions on Mah Jongg for Windows. If you'd like a
reply, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
All comments and contributions can be sent to:
Ron Balewski
412 E. Ridge St.
Nanticoke, PA 18634-2915
WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU REGISTER
I currently provide one free "registered" copy of MJ/Windows on
a 5.25" 1.2 M HD diskette for your registration fee. I also provide
tile set disks (360k 5.25") for a $3 copying charge each. Upgrades to
MJ/Windows will also be available for only a $4 copying charge
(provided on 1.2 M 5.25" HD disk).
- Page 18 -
I generally do NOT send out notices to all registered users
whenever I upgrade a product. This would be prohibitively expensive.
I'd have to either not upgrade my products as often as I'd like, charge
more for upgrades, or charge a higher registration fee to cover this
expense. I don't want to do any of these. However, registered users
sould feel free to inquire about the current version. Generally,
upgrades shouldn't be expected for at least 6 months from the last
release, with one year being more likely. You can order as many
updates as you'd like for only my $4 per disk copying charge.
I do plan to send notices about new products to registered users.
I'll also probably give current customers a substantial discount on new
products.
Registered users also get preferred technical support. I also
hope to start a tech support BBS in the near future, and will give
registered users access to tile sets, etc. which will not be open to
the general public.
DISCLAIMER
In no event shall the Author be liable to you for any damages,
including any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or
consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to use this
program, even if the Author has been advised of the possibility of such
damages, or for any claim by any other party.
- Page 19 -
PERMISSION TO COPY
Individuals, clubs, and other organizations are granted permission
by the author to freely copy and distribute this program and
documentation as long as:
1. There is no charge for the software or documentation. However, you
may charge a service fee for disk duplication and distribution, as
long as such fee is not more than $5.00.
2. Club members are informed of the user-supported (shareware) concept
and are encouraged to support it with their donations.
3. The program or its documentation are not modified in any way.
4. All files are distributed together on the same diskette (if
possible). No file may be deleted.
ATTENTION SHAREWARE VENDORS:
============================
You have my permission to distribute this copy of MJ/Windows as long
as you don't charge more than $5 for the disk. However, please don't
ask me to send you an updated copy at my expense, because I won't!
After all, you're the guy making money on MJ/Windows (probably more
than I am) by selling copies. The least you can do is cover my expense
of sending you a copy. Unless your request is accompanied by a
stamped, self-addressed return mailer & a blank formatted disk (or a $3
check), your request for a freebie WILL GO DIRECTLY INTO THE CIRCULAR
FILE!!! THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS!!! If you are considerate enough
to cover my costs, though, I will definitely send you a fresh, new copy
of MJ/Windows. Be sure to send your request on your company
letterhead, since I WILL NOT send copies to the general public! Only
registered users & shareware distributors will qualify to get disks
directly from me. Again, NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
- Page 20 -
