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Text File | 1990-05-10 | 35.9 KB | 1,100 lines |
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- Mah Jongg
- -V-G-A-
- Version 2.2
- June, 1990
-
-
- Program and Documentation
- Copyright 1988 - 1990 Ron Balewski
-
-
-
-
- Mah Jongg -V-G-A- 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 $15.00 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: A Message to v1.1 users ....... 3
- WHAT IS MAH JONG -V-G-A- ............... 4
- HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS .................. 4
-
- THE GAME OF MAH JONGG .................. 5
- The Tiles ......................... 5
- The Suits ......................... 5
- The Game Board .................... 5
- Playing Mah Jongg ................. 6
- Strategy .......................... 6
-
- PLAYING MAH JONGG -V-G-A- .............. 7
- The Basics ........................ 7
- The Added Features ................ 8
- Special ...................... 8
- Messages ..................... 8
- Restore ...................... 8
- Quit ......................... 8
- New Game ..................... 8
- Save ......................... 9
- What's Left .................. 9
- Back-up ...................... 9
- Help ......................... 9
- Turning Off the Menu .........11
-
- The Special Sub-Menu ............. 12
- Background .................. 12
- Info... ..................... 12
- DOS Shell ................... 12
- Sound ....................... 13
- Timer ....................... 13
-
- Keyboard Commands ................ 13
- Load Tile Set ............... 13
- Box Cursor Toggle ........... 13
- Hall of Fame ................ 14
- Book-Marks .................. 14
-
- Command Line Options ............. 14
-
- IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY ................. 15
- TECHNICAL SUPPORT ..................... 15
- WHAT'S NEXT ........................... 16
- SHARWEWARE ............................ 17
- DISCLAIMER ............................ 17
- PERMISSION TO COPY .................... 17
-
- Appendix A: The Files ................ 18
-
- Special thanks to Warren Storosko for his valuable assistance with
- this project. Many of Mah Jongg -V-G-A-'s special features are a
- direct result of his helpful suggestions.
-
- Thanks, also, Rick & Jami Chism for "beta testing" MJVGA.
- - Page 2 -
-
-
-
-
-
- FORWARD
-
- A message to current users
-
-
- With this release, I've deleted the NEW.V20 and NEW.V21 files.
- There is a new NEW.V22 file, though, which outlines what's been added to
- this release. If you're using MJVGA21, you'll just have to read this
- file. If you're using something earlier, you should at least browse
- through this entire manual.
-
- I'd once again like to thank those who have registered the various
- versions of MJVGA (this is the fourth release already!). Your constant
- support and encouragement is what keeps me working on MJVGA.
-
- I'd now like your opinion on something. Many shareware authors
- offer for sale to their users a laser-printed, bound version of their
- manual. Since most future updates to MJVGA will be simply to make
- what's there a bit better (there probably aren't many new features to
- add), this may be a good time for me to introduce such a book. I'd sell
- it only to registered users for whatever printing, binding, and shiping
- charges would be. The master would be done on a laser or ink-jet
- printer at 300 DPI, then high-quality copies would be made for
- distribution. I'd probably have it bound with one of those plastic
- binders resembling a spiral-bound notebook. The cover would be whatever
- price would allow -- hopefully at least clear plastic with a nice cover
- page beneath it.
-
- Before I go through this much trouble, though, I'd like to know if
- anyone would want one. I'd also like your opinions on the printing &
- binding method, book size (standard 8.5 x 11 or something different),
- and how much you'd be willing to pay for it. If it'd cost more than
- most people would pay, it'd be a wasted effort. Likewise, if you're
- willing to pay a few dollars more, I may be able to put together
- something a bit nicer.
-
- Some other thoughts -- How about personalizing it? Or including a
- message to someone & a bound-in floppy disk holder so you can give a
- personalized registered version of Mah Jongg -V-G-A-to someone as a
- present? All thoughts and ideas are welcome!
-
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- - Page 3 -
-
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-
- WHAT IS MAH JONG -V-G-A-?
-
- Mah Jongg -V-G-A- 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 -V-G-A- 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 -V-G-A-. But if yours can, prepare yourself for
- the meeting of the past and future!!!
-
-
- WHAT DO I NEED?
-
- Mah Jongg -V-G-A- will run on properly-equipped PC's and
- compatibles with 512k of memory. It should run with less, but I don't
- know the exact lower limit.
-
- A VGA graphics card and a Logitech-compatible mouse are also
- required. Certain convenience features require a three-button mouse.
- However, the game can be played with a Microsoft-compatible two-button
- mouse.
-
- I also recommend a secondary monochrome monitor. Mah Jongg -V-G-A-
- will use both the VGA and the monochrome monitors simultaneously to
- display the game board and statistics. While you don't NEED the
- monochrome display, I find it to be a useful part of the game.
-
- A fast processor isn't really necessary. While a fast machine and
- a fast graphics card will speed up tile removal somewhat, the game plays
- just fine on a standard turbo XT.
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- - Page 4 -
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- 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.
-
-
- 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.
-
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- - Page 5 -
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- 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 -V-G-A-. 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 -V-G-A-, 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.
-
- --> 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.
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- - Page 6 -
-
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-
-
- PLAYING MAH JONGG -V-G-A- 2.2
- -----------------------------
-
- THE BASICS
-
- To start Mah Jongg -V-G-A-, just place the game disk into a drive,
- log onto that drive, and type MJVGA22 at the DOS prompt. After some
- disk activity, the opening screen will come up. A short time later, the
- title screen will fade and the dragon will be drawn.
-
- If you have a monochrome monitor connected to your computer, you
- should be sure that it's turned on. From here on, I'll assume that
- you're looking at both monitors. If you only have a VGA monitor, just
- ignore all references to the Monochrome.
-
- 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 (and its listing on the
- monochrome will be highlighted) 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 and its
- listing will return to normal.
-
- If you click on a tile which is not free, a 'Tile Not Free"
- meessage will appear on the left side of the screen after which the
- offending tile will automatically be de-selected. Likewise, if you
- select two tiles wcich don't match, you'll see a "Tiles don't match"
- message after which both tiles will be de-selected.
-
- The counter at the top-left of the VGA screen (and on the right
- side of the monochrome screen) 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. The
- menu of features can be found in the upper right section of the VGA
- display. I'll explain each of these features individually in a moment.
- But, to activate any one of them, just point to the desired feature with
- the mouse and click the left button.
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- - Page 7 -
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- THE ADDED FEATURES
-
- For convenience, I'll describe the features as they appear in the
- menu from top to bottom, starting with Special.
-
-
-
- SPECIAL
- =======
- Selecting SPECIAL will open up a smaller sub-menu on the left
- side of the VGA screen. You shouldn't need these features too
- often, but they're nice to have just in case. I'll describe
- each of these special features in detail later on.
-
-
- MESSAGES ARE ON / OFF
- =====================
- This option controls whether or not the "Tile not free" and
- Tiles do not match" messages are printed. The messages are
- initially on. They can be toggled on / off by clicking on the
- box. When the messages are turned off, un-free tile selections
- are ignored and mis-matched selections are simply reset.
- Experienced players may prefer to turn off the messages to keep
- mis-clicks from slowing up the game with messages.
-
-
- RESTORE
- =======
- Restore will load a game previously saved to disk. A window
- will open and you'll be asked to type a file name. If you hit
- this button accidentally, just cancel the restore by pressing
- Return without typing a file name.
-
-
- QUIT
- ====
- Selecting Quit will clear both monitors and return you to the
- DOS prompt.
-
-
- NEW GAME
- ========
- Clicking on New Game will start a new game of Mah Jongg. The
- VGA screen will clear and the title screen will appear while the
- computer shuffles the tiles. Then, the title screen will fade
- and a new dragon will be drawn.
-
- The New Game option can also be used to start the current game
- from the very beginning without having to use the BACK-UP
- command repeatedly. To re-start the current game, just hold
- down the right mouse button while clicking on the New Game
- button.
-
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- - Page 8 -
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-
- SAVE
- ====
- The Save command is Restore's partner. You can save a current
- game to disk for later completion by clicking here. You'll be
- asked for a file name for the game. If you decide not to save
- the game, just press Return without typing anything. Either
- way, you'll be returned to the current game.
-
-
- WHAT'S LEFT
- ===========
- To see exactly what tiles are left in the dragon, just click
- here! 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 RIGHT mouse button.
-
- To quickly find out how many of one type of tile are left, just
- high-light the desied tile before selecting What's Left. A
- message will appear on the left side of the screen telling
- exactly how many of the selected tile are left. Note that if
- you select a Season or Flower, the total number of Seasons /
- Flowers will be shown.
-
- Of course, monochrome users will seldom have to use this
- feature. All of this information (and much more) is constantly
- displayed on the monochrome monitor.
-
-
- BACK-UP
- =======
- Each time you click on Back-up, your last move will be taken
- back. Note that the tile(s) which are being returned to the
- board will be momentarily highlighted on the monochrome screen.
- This feature helps you to quickly return to "wherever I removed
- those such-and-such tiles." You can back-up all the way to the
- beginning of the game, if you like.
-
-
- HELP
- ====
- Help is really it's own little sub-function. When you click on
- help, 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" message on the left side of
- the screen. You're now free to start a new game or back-up to
- try to correct errors in this one (I often do this).
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- - Page 9 -
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- If one or more moves is left, the message will tell you how
- many. The tiles for the first move will be highlighted on both
- monitors. Then, a small control panel with five buttons will
- appear on the left section of the VGA screen. To leave Help,
- click on Exit. 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 help menu will disappear and your
- selected move will be executed.
-
- You can also "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, click on "X-ray" in the help menu. A tile will
- be shown in the upper left section of the screen. 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.
-
- All stacks will grow dark and begin to flicker except for the
- stacks containing the chosen tile. They will be highlighted.
- You'll also notice an irritating high-pitched sound coming from
- the PC's built-in X-ray machine. It's sometimes difficult to
- interpret this X-ray, depending on the tile set.
- Heavily-painted tiles are impervious to X-rays and can give
- false readings. But, the readings are usually quite helpful.
- And with practice, you'll get better at reading the X-ray.
- After all, your family physician went to school for countless
- years to learn to read them! One last thing -- the X-ray will
- tell you which stack a tile is in, but NOT how deeply it;s
- buried! If it's on top, you'll see it. But if it's buried,
- you'll just have to dig!
-
- To turn off the X-ray machine, just click any mouse button. You
- can then select another tile with the previous / next buttons or
- return the game by clicking on Exit.
-
- If you high-light a tile before clicking on Help, you'll be
- shown only moves which use the selected tile value. For
- example: If you select the One of Dots and then click on Help,
- all One of Dots moves will be shown. If no moves are possible
- using the selected tile, you will be so informed.
-
- The help system is automatically exited when you select Do It!
- to keep you from playing the entire game from within the Help
- menu. After all, we've got to give the Dragon a fighting
- chance!!
-
- Some people have told me that they like to play MJVGA on their
- own without help, but would like a quick way to find out if
- there are any moves left. You can do precisely that by holding
- down the right mouse button while you click on help. All you'll
- see is a message on the left side of the screen which tells you
- how many moves (if any) are left. The message will disappear
- after three seconds. You'll be on your own to find the moves!
-
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- - Page 10 -
-
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-
- ATTENTION THREE-BUTTON MOUSE USERS:
- This feature is for you! When you're in the HELP sub-function,
- you can step through the moves by using the center and right
- mouse buttons. Pressing the center button is just like clicking
- on PREVIOUS. The right button is a short-cut for clicking on
- NEXT. You can select EXIT by pressing the center & right
- buttons at the same time. (These Previous / Next / Exit mouse
- button shortcuts will also work from within the X-ray menu.)
- There is no short-cut for Do It or Shoot! That'd make the HELP
- function too convenient!
-
- There is also a short-cut to entering the Help menu available to
- you. Just click the center button! If you click the center
- button while holding down the right, you'll be put into the
- abbreviated help mode described above.
-
-
- TURNING OFF THE MENU
- ====================
- The entire features menu can be removed from the gameboard by
- clicking on the upper "MAH JONGG -V-G-A-" title. When the menu
- is removed, all menu operations are disabled except for "HELP",
- which can still be accessed via the center mouse button. To
- return the menu and restore its operations, just click in the
- title area again.
-
- What's the reason for this feature? None, except for aesthetics.
- Someone suggested that the board might look nicer if the menu
- could be removed. I tried it and found out that he was right.
- The board looks MUCH nicer when you don't have to stare at that
- ugly menu!
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- - Page 11 -
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- THE SPECIAL SUB-MENU
-
- I'll now describe the functions available in the SPECIAL sub-menu
- in the order of their appearance:
-
-
- BACKGND
- =======
- This feature will let you TEMPORARILY change the background
- color of the board. When you select BACKGrouND, another small
- window will open. You'll see three bar-graphs labeled Red,
- Blue, and Green. You can raise or lower the content of any
- color by clicking on its UP or DOWN button. The color will
- increase or derease one "notch" for each click. Holding down
- the center button while clicking will increase or decrease the
- color value by 10 "notches" with each click. When you've got
- the color set to what you want, just click the right mouse
- button to return to the game.
-
-
- Note that this color change is temporary. When you quit the
- game, the color will be lost. The next time you run MJVGA, the
- default color will be used. If you wish to change the
- background color permanently, you must use The Draftsman.
-
-
- INFO...
- =======
- Selecting INFO... simply displays the game title, a copyright
- notice, a shareware notice, and the author's name & address.
- This isn't necessary, but it's nice to have just in case the
- program gets separated from its .DOC file. To return to the
- game, click the RIGHT mouse button.
-
-
- DOS SHELL
- =========
- This feature will let you drop to DOS without losing your
- current game (and without having to save it). I added this
- feature because I always seem to get important business phone
- calls requiring access to a file on my PC during a game of Mah
- Jongg!
-
- To return to the game, just type EXIT at the DOS prompt.
-
- NOTE: As with any shell-to-DOS, you MUST NOT run any TSR-type
- programs from within this shell! Doing so could crash the
- system!! If you choose to run a TSR from here, don't say I
- didn't warn you!!!
-
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- - Page 12 -
-
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-
-
- SOUND
- =====
- This button simply toggles the sound on and off. With the sound
- turned off, you won't hear all the various beeps, clicks,
- buzzes, and bloops.
-
- TIMER
- =====
- The Timer button toggles the timer display off and on. The
- timer will continue to keep time, even if the display is turned
- off.
-
-
-
- Selecting any item on the Special sub-menu will automatically close
- the sub-menu. If you'd like to exit the sub-menu without making a
- selection, just press the right mouse button.
-
-
-
- KEYBOARD COMMANDS
-
- There are several features which are accessable only by pressing a
- key on the keyboard. The menus were getting just too darn crowded, so
- the new features seem to be "overflowing" onto the keyboard!
-
- LOAD TILE SET
- =============
- You can load in an alternate tile set at any time by tapping the
- "L" key. A list of available tile sets will be shown. To
- select a set, use the mouse to move the highlight bar to the
- desired set, then click the left mouse button.
-
- The tile sets which you choose from must be located in the MJVGA
- subdirectory. There is also a 24-set limit with this version.
- You can choose from only the first 24 tile set files that MJVGA
- finds. I hope to have this limitation removed in a future
- version -- I was just too lazy to re-program it for this
- release.
-
- CURSOR BOX TOGGLE
- =================
- MJVGA supports an alternate "box" cursor in addition to the
- standard mouse pointer. When the box cursor is turned on, a
- thin box will be drawn around a tile when it's being "pointed
- to" by the mouse cursor. Some people seem to like this feature,
- while others don't. It does make tile selection a bit more
- accurate, but can be quite distracting. If you like the box,
- use it -- if not, don't. It can be turned on & off by tapping
- the "B" key. Note that when the box cursor is active, the mouse
- arrow will NOT disappear -- they'll both be visible.
-
-
-
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-
- - Page 13 -
-
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-
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- HALL OF FAME
- ============
- MJVGA maintains a "Hall of Fame" for winners. Whenever you win
- a game, if your time is one of the top ten, you'll be asked to
- enter your name into the hallof fame. The hall of fame honor
- roll can be called up at any time by pressing the "H" key.
- Click any mouse button to return to the game.
-
- The "Hall of Fame" file can also be edited with the included
- editing utility. For details, please see the utilities manual.
-
- BOOK-MARKS
- ==========
- MJVGA will store up to five "book-marks" which will allow you to
- easily back up to a given point in the game. To save a position
- in one of the book-marks, just type <SHIFT-1> thru <SHIFT-5> for
- book-marks 1 thru 5. To back up to a bookmark, just type it''s
- number. MJVGA will then back up move-by-move (just as if you
- repeatedly clicked on back-up) until it gets to the marked spot.
- Please note that these book-marks are NOT currently saved with
- the game when you select SAVE GAME.
-
-
- DOS SHELL
- =========
- You can now easily get to the DOS shell by hitting <CTRL> - D at
- any time. Someone suggested adding a "boss key" feature, and I
- decided that getting you to an innocent-looking DOS prompt
- quickly would probably be enough to save your job. So, here it
- is! As with the menu-selected DOS shell, you just type EXIT to
- return to the game.
-
-
-
- COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
-
- Mah Jongg -V-G-A- v2.2 will accept five different command line
- options -- S, T, M, F, and D. The purpose of each is as follows:
-
- B - Begin the game with the "box cursor" turned on
-
- S - Begin the game with sound off
-
- T - Begin the game with the timer display off
-
- M - Begin the game with messages off
-
- D - Enables the dual-monitor feature. MJVGA21 will NOT use a
- secondary monochrome monitor unless ordered to via the D
- parameter. Earlier releases used a second monitor by default.
- However, that caused compatibility problems on some systems
- without monochrome cards.
-
-
-
-
-
- - Page 14 -
-
-
-
-
-
- F - Read PAL.CFG and all .ICN files from another disk or
- subdirectory. Some examples:
-
- f=a: <== This reads all files from drive A:
- f=E:\MJVGA\TILES2\ <== Reads tiles from E:\mjvga\tiles2
-
- Note that all subdirectory references MUST be terminated with a
- backslash (as above).
-
-
-
-
- Any of these options (except for re-enabling the monochrome
- monitor) can be changed once the game is started. These options simply
- control the position of these switches when the game starts. They let
- you set up the game to your liking without having to click on buttons
- once the game starts.
-
- The parameters must be single letters (except for the F parameter)
- separated by a space. They can be entered in any order.
-
-
-
- IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY
-
- So far, I've come across only one problem that you may encounter.
- The main symptom is the lack of a mouse pointer, although you will be
- able to highlight tiles with the left button.
-
- The problem is caused by an out-of-date mouse driver. MJVGA uses
- the 640x480 VGA graphics mode, and mouse drivers which were written
- before VGA became a standard simply don't know how to deal with the
- high-resolution graphics screen.
-
- I've heard about this problem with the Kraft Micro-Mouse, the Mouse
- Systems mouse, and the Logitech mouse.
-
- The solution is to simply get a newer mouse driver from the
- manufacturer of your mouse. I know for a fact that Logitech (which is
- what I use) and Mouse Systems have updated drivers available which will
- correct this problem.
-
-
-
- TECHNICAL SUPPORT
-
- If you have any problem with MJVGA, 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 MJVGA will run on all systems! No software company can
- do that! But so far, I haven't heard of any major compatibility
- problems (except for the out-of-date mouse driver problem addressed
- above). So, chances are it'll run OK on your PC.
-
-
-
-
- - Page 15 -
-
-
-
-
- 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.
-
-
-
-
- BULLETIN BOARD
-
- Jami, the Sys-Op from The Party Line BBS which has been serving as
- my techincal support board, has moved to Texas. So, there is no longer
- a MJVGA support board. I haven't yet decided whether I should put up
- my own BBS or just do without a tech support board.
-
- Jami will have a BBS operating in Texas, and I plan to send her all
- MJVGA updates and tilesets. So, you should still be able to get the
- latest version there. For her Texas BBS number, please look for a file
- called BBS.NUM on one of the disks. I don't have it yet, so can't
- include it in this document.
-
-
-
- WHAT'S NEXT
-
- I'm still looking for more tile sets. My offer to send a disk full
- of tile sets (when available) to anyone who contributes an original set
- to the collection is still valid. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten
- enough sets to fill a disk yet! So, keep drawing!
-
- I really don't know what new features (if any) will be added to
- MJVGA from here. It does just about everything I can think of. If you
- have any suggestions, send them in -- I need them!
-
- I'm also looking for a new project. If you know of any games
- similar to Mah Jongg or Solitaire that need to be computerized, please
- let me know.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- - Page 16 -
-
-
-
-
-
- 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 $15.00 (or any amount that you see fit).
- 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 MJVGA that you have. All registered users will receive the
- next update free-of-charge. However, if I don't know what you've got, I
- may send you a duplicate copy!
-
- Whether or not you choose to register, I'd like to hear your
- comments and suggestions on Mah Jongg -V-G-A-. 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
-
-
-
-
- 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.
-
-
-
- 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.
-
- - Page 17 -
-
-
-
-
- Appendix A
-
- The .TIL and .TIS files
-
-
- If you'd like to give some newly-created tile to a friend, you've got
- to know which file to give him! That's the purpose of this Appendix!
- The .TIL files are related to the images as follows:
-
- V00.TIL == Bamboo 1
- thru thru
- V08.TIL == Bamboo 9
- V09.TIL == Dots 1
- thru thru
- V17.TIL == Dots 9
- V18.TIL == Crak 1
- thru thru
- V26.TIL == Crak 9
- V27.TIL == North
- V28.TIL == East
- V29.TIL == South
- V30.TIL == West
- V31.TIL == Dragon C
- V32.TIL == Dragon P
- V33.TIL == Dragon F
- V34.TIL == Spring
- V35.TIL == Summer
- V36.TIL == Autumn
- V37.TIL == Winter
- V38.TIL == Orchid
- V39.TIL == Plum
- V40.TIL == Mum
- V41.TIL == Bamboo
- V42.TIL == Reserved -- Internal use
- V43.TIL == Reserved -- Internal use
-
- PAL.CFG == Color configuration file (changeable with The Paint
- Shop section of The Draftsman)
-
- If you customize a complete set of tiles and save them to a separate
- diskette, BE SURE to include an EXACT COPY of V42.ICN and V43,ICN.
- Without these files on the same disk & subdirectory as PAL.CFG and the
- other .ICN files, MJVGA will refuse to load!!! Also note that these
- files are not (at present) user-changeable!!!
-
- The .TIS (tileset) file is new to MJVGA21 and later. It consists of all
- the above tiles saved as one large file. A collection of .TIL files can
- be assembled into one .TIS file with the PAKTIL utility. The UPPAKTIL
- utility will do the opposite -- break a .TIS file apart into 44 .TIL
- files and one PAL.CFG file.
-
- Note that The Draftsman REQUIRES .TIL and PAL.CFG files to operate. It
- WILL NOT work on a .TIS file. Before using The Draftsman, you MUST use
- UNPAKTIL to disassemble the thile set that you want to change.
-
-
-
- - Page 18 -
-
-
-