Astraware Mahjonng

Mahjongg Information

Current released version: 1.0 (January 2001)
Current release expires: never
Feedback to: Larry Dyde & Howard Tomlinson (mahjongg@astraware.com)
Game Info: http://www.astraware.com/palm/mahjongg/
Recent update headlines: First Major Release

Introduction

Mahjongg is based on the traditional Chinese game, with an implementation of the solitaire game.

The player is shown a carefully stacked pattern of tiles, and has to pick pairs of tiles which match until none are left. Full instructions for playing this version of Mahjonng are available on the Astraware web site.

Astraware Mahjongg Solitaire Features:

Stunning use of graphics throughout.
Three levels of difficulty - including patterns guaranteed to be solvable.
Full 8-bit color and greyscale support.
Selectable layouts, with three included in the basic game.
Selectable backgrounds, with plain colors or images.
Selectable tile sets with different patterns to choose from.
Multi-level undo.
Hint and shuffle features for trickier games.
Detection of unsolvable positions.
Intelligent demo-play mode - which displays the current time.
Two tile sizes for improved visibility and gameplay
Option to zoom in on individual tiles, or on the whole board.
Draggable screen to allow boards bigger than the screen.
Optional sound effects.
Animations to enhance the gameplay.
Tips for beginners when the game is first loaded. (Can be cancelled for experienced players)
Shortcuts for most common operations.
Expansion pack facility, so that the user can add more tile sets, backgrounds and layouts.
Individual high scores for each layout and level of difficulty.
Option to display game timer or real time clock.

How to install

Use an extractor program such as WinZip on the PC or Stuffit Expander on the Mac to get at the Mahjongg files. Double-click the file that starts 'mahjongg' to get it ready to HotSync onto your Palm.

Use the HotSync button as usual to install the game onto your handheld.

Now run Mahjongg and tap the screen to play the game!

If you've got any queries about Mahjongg or the registration process, first check out our frequently asked questions page on our website (you must be connected to the internet to access this). If this doesn't help, get in touch with us at support@astraware.com. If you've got any questions (or suggestions, we love those) about the game itself, please get in touch with us at the email address at the top of this page.

Playing Mahjongg

Install and run the game on your Palm.
Tap the screen to start a game !

The game will work out and build up a set of tiles in your selected layout.

To change the size that the tiles are displayed at, press the scroll up or scroll down buttons on your Palm.

There are also several other selections available from the menu:

Undo - This allows you to place back some of the tiles which you have removed. Up to 10 steps can be undone.

Hint Move - This will show you two tiles on the current screen which could be taken to form a match.

Shuffle Tiles - This will randomly re-organize the remaining tiles, this also stops you from getting a high score which is shown by a 'S' appearing after the timer.

Toggle Tile Size - Switch between using the large and small tiles.

Pause Game - Stop the counter while you are not playing the game or restart when you want to resume, this can also be done by tapping the screen while the 'Paused' message is shown.

Abandon Game - Leave the Current Game.

Demo Play - This will play the remainder of the game automatically.

Select Layout - Select the layout of the tiles, there are several layouts included in the game and others are available in expansions packs. If you are in a game when you change the layout you will have to start again.

Select Background - Select the background, there is a background included and others are available in expansions packs. You can also select a color (or shaded) background using this option.

Select Tile Set - Select the tiles to use, there is a beginner set and a traditional set included and others are available in expansions packs.

Delete Expansion Pack - If you have any expansion packs installed you can use this option to remove them.

Reset High Scores - Wipe the high score table for the current layout.

Level - The difficulty of the game, the Easy and Medium levels are guaranteed to be possible, but on Hard the layout is completely random!

Game Settings - Change the basic game settings including:

Tile Depth - More Depth gives you an extra border around the tiles to help you to see what levels tiles are at.

Volume - The level of the game tones, Silent, Quiet or Loud. (Setting to quiet also reduces the number of sound effects that get played)

Timer - Show the game timer, a Clock, or neither.

Palette Settings (Greyscale only) - this allows you to adjust the actual darkness of the light and dark grey colors. Combined with the contrast setting for your Palm device, a good display visible in your light conditions should be possible.
Register - here you will find your HotSync ID, which you will need in order to register the game. There is also a space for you to enter your registration code once you receive it.
'About Mahjongg' - this will show you the version of Mahjongg that you have installed on your Palm.

Hidden Features...

The game itself should be intuitive and easy to play - and we wanted to keep the menus as simple as possible too. However - some people requested other little features that we wanted to include, even if we didn't want to force a novice user to use them!

Tap on the 'tiles remaining' box at the top of the screen to get a hint.
Tap on the 'Layout' or 'Level' on the high score panel to go straight into changing them.
Graffiti Backspace will perform an undo.
Tap on the Timer/Clock to pause.
Use the Scroll Up / Scroll Down key to move between small and large tile sizes.
Tap and hold a small tile to show a zoomed version - release and it will go back a second later.

Registering

You can play 20 games of Mahjongg for free, as you decide whether you like it or not. After these games are up, the program will display a short message asking you to register.

When you register for Mahjongg, you'll get a key which will unlock the game and remain valid for future 0.x upgrades. Go to the Mahjongg web page at http://www.astraware.com/palm/mahjongg/ for more details.

You'll need to know your HotSync ID which you can find by running Mahjongg, and going into the menu, and selecting the 'register' option. Your HotSync ID will be filled in for you below.

When you register, we will generate a key based on your ID, which will normally be sent out by email within 48 hours of you registering. When you receive your key, go to the same register option, and enter the key into the space provided.

Astraware Products

Biplane Ace - One or Two player dogfighting action - play against the computer or against a friend over Infra Red!
Zap!2000 - A smooth colour and greyscale shoot-em-up in the best traditional style! Let out some stress on the invading aliens!
Zap!2016 - Specially designed for the Handspring Visor Prism, a smooth 16-bit colour shoot-em-up in the best traditional style!
Fire! - a fast paced remake of the old 80s handheld classic, Fire! (Shareware)
Bzzz! A cute screen-tapping game of catching flies - suitable for kids and adults! (Shareware)

Timetable for Palm - An organiser for teachers and students. (Shareware)

Palm Games Pack - get Zap!2000 and Zap!2016, Biplane Ace, Bzzz! and Fire! for your Palm at 20% off the price if you bought them separately.

Astraware PC Products

Bzzz! A cute game of catching flies - suitable for kids and adults!
Fire! The PC version of the 80s Handheld classic, Fire!

Release Revision History

Release 1.0 : January 2001

First Public Release
Beta Timeout removed

Expansion Packs

If you like a little variety now and then (don't we all?) then we've constructed some expansion packs for you to download and install into your Palm. The Mahjongg game will automatically open them and give you the option of using any of the backgrounds, layouts, or tile sets which are useable on your machine.

The available expansion packs are listed for you at the Astraware Mahjongg Extras Page

We hope also to add the facility for you to create your own backgrounds from a bitmap image.

Feedback

If you've got suggestions about how to improve Astraware Mahjongg - or with reports of any problems you've had, then please contact us!

Mahjongg enquiries/feedback: mahjongg@astraware.com
Registration problems: registrations@astraware.com
General Astraware enquiries: feedback@astraware.com

Legal

Astraware Ltd takes no responsibility for any adverse effect that this software could cause to your machine or the data on it: backup important data before using Mahjongg. Mahjongg is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. Mahjongg is licensed, not sold.

You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble this software.

Astraware’s and its suppliers’ entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Astraware’s option, either (a) return of the price paid, if any, or (b) replacement of the product that does not meet the warranty and which is returned to Astraware with a copy of your receipt. This warranty is void if failure of the product has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication. Any replacement software product will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. These remedies are not available without proof of purchase from an authorized source.