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Hoyle Mahjong Tiles

Welcome to Hoyle Mahjong Tiles. You can find information you need to play Hoyle Mahjong Tiles in the following sections:

	Getting Started	Overview Signing in Starting and leaving games Playing games in full screen mode Saving and restoring games
	Playing Games	How to play Mahjong Tiles How to play Gravity Tiles How to play Memory Tiles
	Customizing Games	Setting game rules and options Changing the game atmosphere Creating layouts for Mahjong Tiles
	Player Settings	Changing player settings Viewing statistics and current standings
	History	The history of Mahjong Tiles


Overview of Hoyle Mahjong Tiles

Hoyle® Mahjong Tiles includes three exciting games:

Mahjong Tiles  The classic solitaire game. Find and remove pairs of matching tiles. This game is sometimes called Taipei.

Memory Tiles  Find and remove pairs of matching tiles from a grid of face down tiles by clicking the tiles to reveal them, one pair at a time. This is similar to the card game called Memory or Concentration.

Gravity Tiles  Remove as many tiles as possible from the grid by clicking adjacent groups of tiles of the same color; tiles above those tiles fall down.

Mahjong Tiles and Memory Tiles can be played with either one or two players. Gravity Tiles can only be played with one player. Click here for more information on adding a second player:

See Also

How to play Mahjong Tiles

How to play Memory Tiles

How to play Gravity Tiles


Signing in

When you first open Hoyle Mahjong Tiles, you must sign in. Once a player is signed in, the game keeps track of information for that player until the player’s record is explicitly deleted.

The player who signs in at the initial screen is the host. Other players may be signed in simultaneously in order to play against each other. This is called “head-to-head” play and is available in Mahjong Tiles and Memory Tiles. At any time, you can examine and modify the list of active players; click here for more information on changing player settings:

To sign in:

1	Select the name of an existing player, or type the name of a new player.

2	Choose the silhouette for the player. To change your player’s silhouette, move the scroll bar under the player view area at the right of the Sign In dialog box.

3	To add a new player, type a name in the box and click the New button.

To sign in as a different player, click a name in the player list.

To delete a player, click a name in the player list, then click the Delete button.

4	Click OK to accept the player settings.

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Playing games in full screen mode

You can make Hoyle Mahjong Tiles fill your entire computer screen so that the games are easier to see.

To play in full screen mode:

Click Fill Screen on the Options menu. Hoyle Mahjong Tiles resizes to fill the screen.

To turn off full screen mode:

Click Fill Screen on the Options menu. Hoyle Mahjong Tiles returns to its original size.

Notes:

Maximizing the game window will not make the screen bigger; you must use the Fill Screen command. The Fill Screen command may not work on all computers.

Windows users: If you open the online help while in full screen mode, the full screen mode is turned off. You’ll have to go into full screen mode again after closing the help.

If your computer program windows are set to use large fonts (either in Windows or on the Macintosh), you might have trouble seeing the bottom of certain Mahjong layouts when in full screen mode. (Windows and Macintosh computers are usually not set to use large fonts, so this is usually not a problem.)

To avoid this problem, turn off full screen mode when playing those layouts, or reduce the font size setting on your computer (see your Windows or Macintosh operating system documentation for instructions on doing this).

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Starting and leaving games

From the Main Screen…

Select the game you want to play; for Mahjong Tiles and Memory Tiles, select One Player or Two Players.

OR

Choose a game from the Go To menu.

From within a game…

To leave the game and return to the main screen, choose Main Screen from the Go To menu.

To go to a different game, choose a game from the Go To menu.

To start a new session of the game you are already playing, click New Game on the File menu.

To quit the Hoyle Mahjong Tiles program…

Click Exit on the File menu.

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Saving and restoring games

You can save your games in progress. Saved games can be continued later, either during the current game session, or during a future session with Hoyle Mahjong Tiles.

To save a game:

Click Save Game or Save Game As on the File menu.

To open a saved game:

Click Open Game on the File menu.

Note:	Only the player who was the host when the game was saved can open the game.

If you save a game during your current session, you can quickly return to the point at which the game was last saved by reverting to that saved game.

To revert to a saved game:

Click Revert To Saved Game on the File menu.

Opening or reverting to a saved game replaces the game you’re currently playing.

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Changing player settings

The player who signs in at the initial screen is the host. Another player can be signed in so that you can play against that person. This is called “head to head” play and is available in Mahjong Tiles and Memory Tiles.

For head to head games, you can only add or remove players before you start playing a game.

To change player settings:

1	Click Players on the Game menu.

2	You can change player settings as described below. Some settings can only be changed before a game starts.

To add a second player to a game, click Add.

To replace a player with a different person, click Replace. Note: You can only replace the host of a game (the first player) if you opened the Players dialog box from the Main Screen.

To remove the second player, click Clear.

To change the settings for a player (the player’s picture), click Settings.

Note:

When you start a game, all of the actively signed-in people are seated in the game. However, if you have two people signed in, and select a game that only allows one player (Gravity Tiles), the extra player must be signed out first.

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Changing the game atmosphere

You can change game atmosphere options (speed of play, sound effects, background music, and animations) by clicking Controls on the Preferences menu. To change the game background, click Background on the Preferences menu.

To change game speed:

1	Click Controls on the Preferences menu.

2	Move the Speed slider bar towards Slow or Fast to adjust the speed.

3	Click OK to accept the new setting.

To control sound effects, animations, or background music during games:

You can control whether you hear sound effects (like shuffling tiles) or background music during game play, or whether game animations run.

1	Click Controls on the Preferences menu.

2	For Sound Effects: Click On to turn game sounds on. Click Off to turn sounds off for all games.

For Animations: Click On to turn all animations on. Click Off to stop extra animations from running during games.

For Background Music: Click On to turn all background music on. Click Off to stop background music from playing during games. To select specific background music, click on the music in the Background Music Selection list.

3	Click OK to accept the settings.

To change the background that appears when you play:

1	Click Backgrounds on the Preferences menu.

2	Click a background style in the list. A preview of the background appears.

3	Click Apply to see the background in the current game. Click OK to accept the background change.

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Setting game rules and options

Many of the games offer rule variations, so that you can play the game according to your preferences and skill level.

To change game rules and options:

Click Settings on the Game menu while in a particular game.

You can change all game settings before game play begins. However, once a game is in progress, some settings cannot be changed.

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Viewing statistics and current standings

You can display player statistics by clicking Statistics on the Game menu. The Statistics dialog box includes information on wins, losses, points, scores, and standings as they apply to each game. You must finish at least one game to see statistics for that game.

You can display the standings for the current game during play by clicking Current Standings on the Game menu. The Current Standings dialog box includes information on points, scores, and standings as they apply to each game.

To view statistics:

From within a game, click Statistics on the Game menu. Click the player name to view statistics for that player.

To view current standings:

From within a game, click Current Standings on the Game menu.

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How to play Mahjong Tiles

In Mahjong Tiles, you try to find and remove matching tiles. You can only match tiles that are “free” and can be removed without moving other tiles. You can play with one or two players.

To play Mahjong Tiles:

1	Select a layout (pattern) to play. Tiles are arranged randomly into that layout.

2	Try to find pairs of matching tiles. Click a tile, then click another tile to try to find a match. If you find a match, the tiles are removed from the layout. For more on how tiles are matched, see the section below.

Only tiles with no other tiles on top of them, and at least one side exposed (left or right side not touching another tile) are considered free and can be removed. Both tiles must be free. Click here to see an example:

If you’re not sure whether or not a tile is free, try clicking it. Only free tiles can be selected.

3	Keep matching pairs until there are no more pairs in the layout, trying to end with the fewest tiles remaining. The game ends if there are no more matches, and you can then stop and begin a new game, or reshuffle the remaining tiles and continue to try to solve the puzzle.

At the end of a game, click Shuffle Tiles for a new game with the same layout, click Don’t Shuffle Tiles to play the same game again (you might do this to try to get a better score), or click New Layout to play a game with a different layout.

If you didn’t win the game, you also get a chance to undo your last move or to shuffle the remaining tiles. Both of these options give you another possible chance of winning the game. Or click the Leave button to leave Mahjong Tiles and play a different game.

To play two-player Mahjong Tiles:

1	From the Main Screen, click Mahjong Tiles, then click Two Players.

If you don’t have two players signed in, the Players dialog appears. Click the Add button to add a second player.

2	Select a layout (pattern) to play. Tiles are arranged randomly into that layout.

3	Click OK when you’re ready to start the game. The clock starts for the first player, counting down the timer (normally 30 seconds).

4	On your turn, click a tile, then click another tile to try to find a match. For more on how tiles are matched, see the section below.

If you find a match, the tiles are removed from the layout and the turn passes to the other player. If you run out of time, the turn is passed to the other player.

5	The game continues until both players fail to find a match on their turn. The player with the most matches wins. If players have the same number of matches, the player with the least amount of time left wins.

How tiles are matched

There are seven categories, or suits, of tiles. Mahjong Tiles uses two different tile sets: Chinese and Egyptian. You can change the tile set you play with in the Mahjong Tiles settings (click Settings on the Game menu). To see pictures of the different tile sets, click here:

In five of the seven suits, you can only match tiles that are exactly identical by number and picture. You can’t match tiles that have the same number only. Two tiles with 9 of Circles match, but a 9 of Circles and a 9 of Bamboo don’t match.

In two special suits, Seasons and Flowers, you can match any tiles in that suit. In Seasons, you can match any of the seasons together (Spring and Winter or Summer and Fall, for example). In Flowers, you can match any of the flowers together.

Seasons and Flowers look different in the Chinese and Egyptian tile sets:

  Seasons (Chinese)	Flowers (Chinese)

  Seasons (Egyptian)	Flowers (Egyptian)

Note that the tiles you get in a game will depend on the number of tiles in the layout, so not all layouts will include Seasons and Flowers.

Game actions and options

To find a pair of matching tiles automatically, click Find Match on the Actions menu (or press M), and then click Remove Pair on the Actions menu (or press Enter) to remove that pair. You cannot use Find Match in a two-player game.

To undo your most recent match, click Undo on the Actions menu (or press Ctrl+Z). You can undo as many times as you like. You cannot use Undo in a timed game.

To change game options for Mahjong Tiles, click Settings on the Game menu. You can change the following options (all options must be changed at the start of a game):

Tile Set:	Choose between Chinese tiles (traditional tiles used in the game of Mahjong) or Egyptian tiles (tiles based on Egyptian hieroglyphic characters).

Layout:	Choose a different layout to play with; you can also remove layouts you’ve created or create new ones.

Timer:	For a two-player game, you can change the time limit for each player’s turn. For a one-player game, you can turn on a timer for a more intense game. (In a one-player game, the game ends if your time runs out without finding a match.) Available time limits are 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds.

Tiles face down:	Places all tiles face down; you can only see tiles when you place your mouse over them. Use this option for an extraordinarily challenging game.

Gameplay hints

For an easier game, look for a layout with a lot of free tiles. For a harder game, look for a layout with large blocks or rows of tiles.

Sometimes a tile will have more than one free match. In this case, try to remove tiles that free up other tiles in preference to stand-alone tiles.

You can create your own layouts to play with. Click here for information:

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Creating layouts for Mahjong Tiles

You can use the Layout Maker tool to make your own custom layouts for Mahjong Tiles. You can start from scratch, or load in an existing layout (either one you created or one that was provided with the game) to start a new layout based on that layout.

To create a new layout with the Layout Maker:

1	Click Mahjong Layout Maker on the Go To menu.

To start with an existing layout, choose Load from the Layout Maker’s Layout menu. Select the name of an existing layout, and click OK.

2	To add a new tile, click the screen in the spot where you want to add it. To move a tile, click it and drag it to its desired location. To remove a tile, right-click it.

To move a new tile on top of another tile, first click an empty space on the layout to add the new tile, and then drag it on top of the existing tile.

3	You can add up to 144 tiles to your layout. The total number of tiles you place must be a multiple of four and cannot be greater than 144.

4	Save your layout by clicking Done on the Layout menu and typing a name for the new layout. (This must be a unique name, you cannot save a layout over an old layout.)

To leave the Layout Maker without saving the layout, choose Cancel from the Layout menu.

A game using your new layout is started automatically. Your layout’s name will now appear in the list of layouts that appear when you start a game.

Tips for making good layouts

A larger number of tiles usually makes a better game. Try to place at least 100 tiles.

Avoid placing tiles in long rows, as this makes a lot of tiles inaccessible.

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How to play Gravity Tiles

In Gravity Tiles, you try to remove as many tiles as you can from the board by removing groups of two or more matching tiles. Removing large groups gives you more points.

To play Gravity Tiles:

1	Click on a group of two or more tiles of the same color. The group of tiles is removed, and any tiles above those tiles fall down.

If you remove an entire column of tiles, any columns on the right are moved to the left.

2	Keep removing groups of tiles. See if you can remove them all! Points are awarded for clearing tiles from the board, for removing entire columns of tiles, for removing large groups of tiles, and for removing all tiles of one color.

At the end of a game, click Shuffle Tiles for a new game, or click Don’t Shuffle Tiles to play the same game again (you might do this to try to get a better score). Click the Leave button to leave Gravity Tiles and play a different game.

Game actions and options

To undo your most recent action, click Undo on the Actions menu. Any tiles that were removed are returned to the board, and any fallen tiles returned to their original positions. You can only undo the action you most recently performed.

To change the number of tile colors used in the game, click Settings on the Game menu. Choose 3 colors for an easy game, 4 colors for a medium game, and 5 colors for a hard game. Colors must be changed at the start of a game.

Gameplay hints

It is often safe to remove groups of tiles at the top of the board first, as these will have minimal effect on other tiles and it is easier to tell what is going to happen when they are removed.

A good strategy is to clear tiles on the left side of the board first, since columns that are removed collapse the board from right to left.

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How to play Memory Tiles

In Memory Tiles, tiles are dealt face down in a grid. Try to find and remove all matching pairs of tiles in the least possible moves by remembering where tiles are located.

To play Memory Tiles:

1	Click a tile to turn it over, and then click a second tile to turn that tile over. If the tiles match, they are removed. If not, they are turned face down again.

Important! See below for information on how tiles are matched; not all tiles that can be matched are identical.

2	Keep trying to match pairs of tiles until there are no more tiles left. Your score is shown at the end of the game: you get points for each match you find, (and lose points for each miss), and you get bonus points for getting triplets (three matches in a row). Triplets are shown as golden globes under your player plaque.

To play two-player Memory Tiles:

1	From the Main Screen, click Memory Tiles, then click Two Players.

If you don’t have two players signed in, the Players dialog appears. Click the Add button to add a second player.

2	Click OK when you’re ready to start the game.

3	On your turn, click a tile to turn it over, and then click another tile to turn that tile over. If the tiles match, they are removed. If not, they are turned face down again.

If you found a set of matching tiles, you can try again. Otherwise, the turn passes to the other player.

4	When the grid is cleared, new tiles appear. The game continues until one player gets the number of matches needed to win. This number is set in the game settings (normally, 20 matches are required to win).

How tiles are matched

There are seven categories, or suits, of tiles. Memory Tiles uses two different tile sets: Chinese and Egyptian. You can change the tile set you play with in the Memory Tiles settings (click Settings on the Game menu). To see pictures of the different tile sets, click here:

In five of the seven suits, you can only match tiles that are exactly identical by number and picture. You can’t match tiles that have the same number only. Two tiles with 9 of Circles match, but a 9 of Circles and a 9 of Bamboo don’t match.

In two special suits, Seasons and Flowers, you can match any tiles in that suit. In Seasons, you can match any of the seasons together (Spring and Winter or Summer and Fall, for example). In Flowers, you can match any of the flowers together.

Seasons and Flowers look different in the Chinese and Egyptian tile sets:

  Seasons (Chinese)	Flowers (Chinese)

  Seasons (Egyptian)	Flowers (Egyptian)

Note that the tiles you get in a game will depend on the number of tiles used in the grid, so not all games will include Seasons and Flowers.

Game options

To change game options for Memory Tiles, click Settings on the Game menu. You can change the following options (all options must be changed at the start of a game):

Tile Set:	Choose between Chinese tiles (traditional tiles used in the game of Mahjong) or Egyptian tiles (tiles based on Egyptian hieroglyphic characters).

Peek Option:	Two-player game only: Choose this option to briefly reveal the tiles at the beginning of rounds; every third round is a blackout round and no tiles are revealed.

Head-To-Head Pairs to Win:	Two-player game only: Set how many pairs need to be found by a player for that player to win the game. Most games last several rounds.

Grid Size	Sets the number of tiles used in the grid. Select 4 x 4 for an easy game, 6 x 4 for a medium game, and 6 x 6 for a hard game.

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Both of these tiles are free and can be selected		This tile cannot be selected


Chinese Tile Set

Egyptian Tile Set


The history of Mahjong Tiles

Mahjong Tiles is a simplification of Mahjong. Mahjong (also called Mahjongg) is an Americanized version of “Game of the Four Winds”, an ancient Chinese game of the 19th century.

An American businessman named Joseph Babcock, who was living in Shanghai at the close of World War I, played the Chinese game and fell in love with it. He thought it would appeal to Americans, so he set about codifying (and streamlining) the rules. Babcock coined the name Mahjong for the new version; supposedly, he took this name from the bird that appears on one of the game’s tiles. The bird represents a mythical figure called by the Chinese (this is an approximation) Mah Jongg, “Bird of a Thousand Intelligences.”

Babcock might not have been as smart as that bird, but his hunch about the gaming marketplace was sound. Mahjong became a thunderous hit in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia in the 1920s. The game is still played today, though it no longer commands an army of fanatics as it did 70 years ago.

Mahjong is superficially similar to Dominoes in that both games use tiles and the arrangement of the tiles forms the board. Mahjong Tiles also resembles certain card games, such as Gin Rummy, where making matches is the order of the day.

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