New mahjong guides online (rules / kanji / PS3)

[Barticle]

Hi all,

Just a quick note to let you know that I´ve made a couple of guides which are now hosted on GameFAQs. They´re specifically intended to support people playing the PS3 game Mahjong Taikai IV but they could prove useful to anyone playing MJ.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps3/game/930074.html

The main guide is a plain-text file which is a full guide to the PS3 game. The section on \"custom rules\" might be of interest as it explains twenty optional rules in Japanese MJ. In writing the guide I´ve tried to include as much Japanese terminology as possible too (although I do use the terms chow, fan, etc - sorry!).

Alongside this is an image file which lists mahjong-related Japanese text which could be helpful for anyone who´s just started playing MJ with Japanese software.


(removed direct image link since GameFAQs is blocking it :S - use link above)

I´m still quite new to both mahjong and reading Japanese so I´d welcome corrections or contributions to both the game rules and my efforts at translating. I can also send an uncompressed version of the gif on request.

You can email me at [my username] at hotmail.com or just follow-up in this thread.

Thanks. B)

Bart

PS I´ve just started writing a guide for Mahjong Fight Club (PS3 version) but from past experience it could take a few weeks or months... Stay tuned!

[Poochy]

Corrections: In Japanese Mahjong, the standard order of the dragon tiles are white-dra green-dra red-dra (Haku, Hatsu, Chun). Also, \"kousoku\" literally means \"high-speed\", though it\'s often translated to \"express\" because it\'s most frequently used when talking about trains and highways.

Skimming through the guide itself, I noticed that you have the romaji for \"custom\" spelled \"kasutamo\"; it\'s actually \"kasutamu\".

[Barticle]

Hey Poochy. Thanks for your reply.

I have the dragons listed as red-dra white-dra green-dra. I always remember the sequence as \"red, white and green\" since it sounds like the British phrase \"red, white and blue\" (flag colours).

Isn´t that equivalent to white-dra green-dra red-dra though? (since the sequence wraps around)

Or even green-dra red-dra white-dra? (I know some people remember it as being in English alphabet order: GRW)

I did wonder about Kousoku - it was only listed as part of compound words in my dictionary (like expressway). The meaning is clear though which is the important thing.

Good spot on the Kasutamo. I seem to have both Kasutamo and Kasutamu in my guide! :blush: I´ll fix that on my next update. Thanks again.

[Tom Sloper]

My childhood was in western New York State, and a big radio/TV presence there was WGR in Buffalo.
That\'s how I remember that the order is White, Green, Red

[Barticle]

That´s cool, Tom. It´s always interesting to hear other folks´ systems and mnemonics.

It turns out I used the same one as Gemma (mentioned in one of her columns) for remembering the wind sequence. At school we were taught the phrase \"Never eat Shredded Wheat\" to learn the clockwise sequence of compass points (Shredded Wheat is a brand of breakfast cereal).

You can use this in mahjong to give the anticlockwise wind order, although if you start from the dealer you have to change it to \"Eat Shredded Wheat? Never!\". :laugh: East, South, West, North.

Of course after a while you get a feel for the winds and you learn that North is behind (left) the dealer and South is ahead (right) and of course West is opposite. It´s handy when you´re still learning the game though.

[iandstanley]

thanks

[iandstanley]

You can use this in mahjong to give the anticlockwise wind order, although if you start from the dealer you have to change it to "Eat Shredded Wheat? Never!". :laugh: East, South, West, North.

Yeah learning the wind order for the first time can be a bit odd. When I first started playing MJ, I used to teach that west was opposite the east (initial dealer) wind. And that you would expect the other seats to be in normal geographical order except they aren\'t so switch N/S. That used to get a few odd looks!

Much later I heard of an explanation (don\'t shoot me down yet ...) why they are in that order:

[quote
The first seat/wind is east because the sun rises in the east.

Imagine you are standing in China facing the rising sun. Turning through a full circle of 360 degrees (clockwise following the rising sun), you will pass in order East -> South -> West -> North.

Mapping back to the board you map ESWN anticlockwise as this is the traditional circular directions in the east (many asian games of 3 or more players play in an anticlockwise direction ... often these games appeared prior to clocks/watches so they followed the traditional direction rather than some arbitary direction from we use in the west). /quote]

I don\'t know how true it is (I suspect that it is an elabourate load of tossh ... but it sounds good B)) and when I have used it ... it certainly stops the why don\'t they play clockwise ... that\'s dumb arguement that I come across from time to time.

[Barticle]

Yeah learning the wind order for the first time can be a bit odd. When I first started playing MJ, I used to teach that west was opposite the east (initial dealer) wind. And that you would expect the other seats to be in normal geographical order except they aren\'t so switch N/S. That used to get a few odd looks!

It is a simple way to explain it though.

As I understand it, it´s all a matter of perspective. It´s the difference between looking down at the ground from above or - the Chinese preference - looking up at the heavens from below.

"why don\'t they play clockwise ... that\'s dumb"

It´s clockwise if you look at it from under the table. :laugh:

[iandstanley]

Bart

I am also collecting (with the aid of Poochy) instructions for MFC (DS version which I understand is mostly the same though obviously better graphics on DS .... just kidding although I can\'t fit the PS3 graphics in my pocket!)

The good news is they are mostly complete (most of the game play modes are described including descriptions of most of the missions. Also near completely described are all the options.

You may find this a useful starting point

The full thread is available at http://www.reachmahjong.com/home/index. ... 0887#50887

[Barticle]

PS I´ve just started writing a guide for Mahjong Fight Club (PS3 version) but from past experience it could take a few weeks or months... Stay tuned!

I am also collecting (with the aid of Poochy) instructions for MFC [...]

You may find this a useful starting point.

Hey Ian. Thanks for thinking of me but I´m well aware of your DS thread - I have made several contributions in it! It´s just you, me and Poochy so far. Perhaps I need an avatar which is more conspicuous and memorable than a green cat! ;)

Poochy solved the mystery of the one rule I was stuck on (Buttobi) so I´ve now fully translated all the rule and option settings in MFC PS3, also the menus which are quite different. I´m writing these up in my new guide with full Japanese translations. I still have the stats screens to do though - and there´s an awful lot of them!