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SHOLLY'S QUICK SHOTS #1: The Mahjong Collection 7/18/08 7:23 PM
Welcome to my first-ever Quick Shot! The idea here is to do a "bite-size" Tip Sheet for several similar games at once--games that aren't deep enough to merit their own Tip Sheet.
In this first installment, I'm covering three of the Mahjong games: Midas Mahjong, Mahjongg Fortuna, and Mahjong Treasure. These three games vary slightly, but they all play essentially the same (which is why Mahjong Masquerade is not included).
In all three of these games, the idea is to click off the matching pairs, which has been a staple of computer gaming ever since the game Shanghai came out what seems like eons ago. The original game of Mah Jongg is actually a four-player rummy-like game of Chinese origin that uses the tile set found in Midas Mahjong.
Each game is a bit different from the other two, and I'll cover those differences first. After that, we'll talk about general strategy for all three games, followed by individual strategy tips for each game.
MIDAS MAHJONG:
Now that King.com has revamped its classic tile-matcher, the objective of the game has changed. The idea is no longer to find the correct path through the layup, but to blow through as many layups as you can. You get seven minutes to click your way through as many boards as you can handle. Each level layup has the same shape, by which I mean that every time you play, Level 1 is always the same shape; Level 2 will always be the same shape, though different from Level 1; etc. Complete at least one level to get an achievement point.
You may shuffle at any time, and a freshly shuffled board will always have an available match, but if there were any available pairs on the board when you hit the Shuffle button, you'll be penalized ten seconds. The other games have this feature as well, but only in Midas Mahjong do I know exactly how much time is taken away, as it's the only one that uses an actual clock.
MAHJONGG FORTUNA:
Just two levels in this one, with the second one twice the size of the first. The tile set features all zodiac-related symbols, as do all the available layups. Be aware of the Sun Tiles, which don't match each other in any way except for the little circle in the upper left corner.
As with the other two games, shuffling when there is an available pair will cost you time off the bar. You get a 500 point bonus for clearing the first level, and 1000 for the second. You must clear both levels to get an achievement point.
MAHJONG TREASURE:
This one is a bit different, with its hexagonal tiles and allowing "simple" (number only) matches, but the basic mechanics are similar. This one has three levels, each larger than the last. There is a bonus of 500 for clearing the first level, 1000 for the second, and 1500 for the third. You must clear all three levels to pick up an achievement point.
Shuffling with an available match on the board will cost you time, as the compass needle will move closer to the North position, and you'll literally get laughed at. This penalty applies even if only a simple match is available, so be careful.
The actual number of points you score varies from game to game, and I won't bore you with the details of each one, but the mechanics are the same in all three. Each time you remove a pair, you get a base score, plus a time bonus depending on how much time elapsed since the previous pair you removed. (Note that in Mahjong Treasure, perfect matches are worth 15 points more than simple matches.)
Now, let's talk strategy.
GENERAL TIPS FOR ALL GAMES:
Study the board before you click off your first pair. Look for several pairs you can click off in quick succession. If it takes you longer than five seconds to find the next match, then stop and study the board for another bunch of matches before proceeding. If it takes you more than ten seconds to find a match, you should probably shuffle.
When deciding which two of three matching tiles to remove, give priority to the tiles that will open up a long chain of matches. If none of them will do this, then remove the pair that is blocking the most other tiles. If none of the tiles are blocking any others, remove the one(s) farthest from the main group, as this will save you from having to look from one part of the screen to the other.
The game ends if you run out of moves or time on any level, but you should never run out of moves if you're careful. When you're down to the last four tiles, be extra careful if you have a loose pair and a stack of two. If the two loose tiles match each other, DO NOT click them, or you're dead. You'll have to shuffle them away and take the time penalty, but better that than running out of moves. You may have to shuffle more than once, as you should only click off the pair when the stacked tile matches one of the loose ones. (Note: You can actually run out of moves with four tiles left in Mahjong Treasure, if one tile sits atop a triangle of tiles. Be alert, and don't let that happen.)
MIDAS MAHJONG TIPS:
Don't even look at the clock. You play for seven minutes regardless of your performance on each level, unless you screw up and run out of moves as mentioned above. Just stay focused the whole seven minutes, and click away.
MAHJONGG FORTUNA TIPS:
The tiles in this game are quite small, and sometimes the relative heights of tile stacks is hard to determine. Lowering your screen resolution may help with the tile size issue; as for the tile stack issue, mousing over any questionable tile will tell you if it's free or not. (It'll blink if it is.)
MAHJONG TREASURE TIPS:
I've had most of my success making only perfect matches as far as I can, even though this means taking a penalty every time I shuffle away a simple match. I'm not overly stubborn about this, of course; I start making simple matches when I judge that I can no longer afford a time penalty. However, taking simple matches as they come may work better for you, as long as you can click them off quickly enough to make up for the 15 fewer points you get for each one.
So there you have it, the inaugural Quick Shot. As always, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have. Take care and good luck!
In this first installment, I'm covering three of the Mahjong games: Midas Mahjong, Mahjongg Fortuna, and Mahjong Treasure. These three games vary slightly, but they all play essentially the same (which is why Mahjong Masquerade is not included).
In all three of these games, the idea is to click off the matching pairs, which has been a staple of computer gaming ever since the game Shanghai came out what seems like eons ago. The original game of Mah Jongg is actually a four-player rummy-like game of Chinese origin that uses the tile set found in Midas Mahjong.
Each game is a bit different from the other two, and I'll cover those differences first. After that, we'll talk about general strategy for all three games, followed by individual strategy tips for each game.
MIDAS MAHJONG:
Now that King.com has revamped its classic tile-matcher, the objective of the game has changed. The idea is no longer to find the correct path through the layup, but to blow through as many layups as you can. You get seven minutes to click your way through as many boards as you can handle. Each level layup has the same shape, by which I mean that every time you play, Level 1 is always the same shape; Level 2 will always be the same shape, though different from Level 1; etc. Complete at least one level to get an achievement point.
You may shuffle at any time, and a freshly shuffled board will always have an available match, but if there were any available pairs on the board when you hit the Shuffle button, you'll be penalized ten seconds. The other games have this feature as well, but only in Midas Mahjong do I know exactly how much time is taken away, as it's the only one that uses an actual clock.
MAHJONGG FORTUNA:
Just two levels in this one, with the second one twice the size of the first. The tile set features all zodiac-related symbols, as do all the available layups. Be aware of the Sun Tiles, which don't match each other in any way except for the little circle in the upper left corner.
As with the other two games, shuffling when there is an available pair will cost you time off the bar. You get a 500 point bonus for clearing the first level, and 1000 for the second. You must clear both levels to get an achievement point.
MAHJONG TREASURE:
This one is a bit different, with its hexagonal tiles and allowing "simple" (number only) matches, but the basic mechanics are similar. This one has three levels, each larger than the last. There is a bonus of 500 for clearing the first level, 1000 for the second, and 1500 for the third. You must clear all three levels to pick up an achievement point.
Shuffling with an available match on the board will cost you time, as the compass needle will move closer to the North position, and you'll literally get laughed at. This penalty applies even if only a simple match is available, so be careful.
The actual number of points you score varies from game to game, and I won't bore you with the details of each one, but the mechanics are the same in all three. Each time you remove a pair, you get a base score, plus a time bonus depending on how much time elapsed since the previous pair you removed. (Note that in Mahjong Treasure, perfect matches are worth 15 points more than simple matches.)
Now, let's talk strategy.
GENERAL TIPS FOR ALL GAMES:
Study the board before you click off your first pair. Look for several pairs you can click off in quick succession. If it takes you longer than five seconds to find the next match, then stop and study the board for another bunch of matches before proceeding. If it takes you more than ten seconds to find a match, you should probably shuffle.
When deciding which two of three matching tiles to remove, give priority to the tiles that will open up a long chain of matches. If none of them will do this, then remove the pair that is blocking the most other tiles. If none of the tiles are blocking any others, remove the one(s) farthest from the main group, as this will save you from having to look from one part of the screen to the other.
The game ends if you run out of moves or time on any level, but you should never run out of moves if you're careful. When you're down to the last four tiles, be extra careful if you have a loose pair and a stack of two. If the two loose tiles match each other, DO NOT click them, or you're dead. You'll have to shuffle them away and take the time penalty, but better that than running out of moves. You may have to shuffle more than once, as you should only click off the pair when the stacked tile matches one of the loose ones. (Note: You can actually run out of moves with four tiles left in Mahjong Treasure, if one tile sits atop a triangle of tiles. Be alert, and don't let that happen.)
MIDAS MAHJONG TIPS:
Don't even look at the clock. You play for seven minutes regardless of your performance on each level, unless you screw up and run out of moves as mentioned above. Just stay focused the whole seven minutes, and click away.
MAHJONGG FORTUNA TIPS:
The tiles in this game are quite small, and sometimes the relative heights of tile stacks is hard to determine. Lowering your screen resolution may help with the tile size issue; as for the tile stack issue, mousing over any questionable tile will tell you if it's free or not. (It'll blink if it is.)
MAHJONG TREASURE TIPS:
I've had most of my success making only perfect matches as far as I can, even though this means taking a penalty every time I shuffle away a simple match. I'm not overly stubborn about this, of course; I start making simple matches when I judge that I can no longer afford a time penalty. However, taking simple matches as they come may work better for you, as long as you can click them off quickly enough to make up for the 15 fewer points you get for each one.
So there you have it, the inaugural Quick Shot. As always, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have. Take care and good luck!
Hey those are pretty good tips. Actually lowering the screen resolution works really well on all three of these games and maximizing the broswer window although mahjong fortuna still hurts ones eyes no matter what you do. I guess that must be its charm.