Mahjong Patience: 25% Success Rate and Blind Spots

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around experiences and challenges faced while playing Mahjong, particularly focusing on success rates, strategies for spotting matches, and the nature of the game itself. Participants share personal anecdotes, compare different versions of the game, and express varying opinions on the game's design and randomness.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports a 25% success rate and questions the commonality of having a "blind spot" for matches in the game.
  • Another suggests that repeatedly looking at different parts of the board may lead to missing matches and recommends checking one tile at a time.
  • Some participants express frustration with the game's design, suggesting that the tiles do not appear to be placed randomly and that not every game is winnable.
  • There are mentions of different versions of Mahjong, with some participants noting that the game included with Vista is particularly challenging.
  • One participant shares a personal anecdote about playing with real Mahjong tiles, contrasting it with the digital version.
  • Several participants discuss their success rates, with one claiming a 40% success rate and another mentioning a best score achieved in under 6 minutes.
  • There are humorous suggestions about the addictive nature of the game and comparisons to other time-consuming activities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions regarding the game's mechanics and randomness, with some asserting that all games are winnable while others believe that certain configurations are unsolvable. The discussion does not reach a consensus on these points.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention varying experiences with success rates and game versions, indicating that personal experiences may depend on specific game settings or rules. There is also a lack of clarity on the randomness of tile placement and the win conditions across different versions of the game.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in casual gaming, particularly those who play Mahjong or similar tile-matching games, may find the shared experiences and strategies relevant.

wolram
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
Messages
4,411
Reaction score
551
I have become addicted to it, while my internet is down, so far i have a 25% success rate,
the thing is the last dozen or so tiles, the game says there is one move left, but i can look for ages and not spot it, in the end i go for (hint) when it shows where the match is it is so obvious, is it common to have a (blind spot) like this?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
That can happen when you randomly look at different parts of the board over and over again. When that happens, you can always check one tile at a time going from top to bottom.
 
I understand, I have gone as far as to run and get a neighbor to help spot the "missing" match.
 
hypatia said:
I understand, I have gone as far as to run and get a neighbor to help spot the "missing" match.

Hypatia, i do not know anyone else that plays this game, what is a good average?
 
wolram said:
Hypatia, i do not know anyone else that plays this game, what is a good average?
Where did you download yours, Woolie? I have played a few of these stacked-tile games and some are a lot user friendly than others.
 
turbo-1 said:
Where did you download yours, Woolie? I have played a few of these stacked-tile games and some are a lot user friendly than others.

Mine came with the Vista package.
 
You should try real Mahjong, its like gin/rummy. That game is just a match game using its pieces.

But I agree, very very addicting!
 
Which are you playing? Cat? Dragon, turtle?
 
K.J.Healey said:
Which are you playing? Cat? Dragon, turtle?

Cat and dragon are to easy, i only play turtle.
 
  • #10
I have no idea what a good score is, Woolie. In fact I don't think I've ever noticed what my score is...I'm just happy to finish that god-forsaken, time-sucking, addiction-forming game.

But do they try to pretend that the tiles are placed randomly? When I play the turtle, the top tile almost always covers one of its pairs !
 
  • #11
lisab said:
I have no idea what a good score is, Woolie. In fact I don't think I've ever noticed what my score is...I'm just happy to finish that god-forsaken, time-sucking, addiction-forming game.

But do they try to pretend that the tiles are placed randomly? When I play the turtle, the top tile almost always covers one of its pairs !


There is no way the tiles come out randomly, and i am sure not every game is winable, heck i have been wiped out after only ten moves or so, and the worst is when two tiles are left both the same one on top of tother.
 
  • #12
Yeah, it's fun, I got it with Vista too, one of the few upsides.
 
  • #13
binzing said:
Yeah, it's fun, I got it with Vista too, one of the few upsides.

I usually switch on then make a cup of coffee prep dinner, it is just about booted up then, i plan on switching off half houre before i go to bed.
 
  • #14
OK, I just played -- and lost -- and got a 238.
 
  • #15
lisab said:
OK, I just played -- and lost -- and got a 238.

That was a warm up game, we are all allowed one.
 
  • #16
wolram said:
That was a warm up game, we are all allowed one.

Oh you're just being kind :smile:

Go ahead and say it...I really suck at Mahjong!
 
  • #17
I play on Pogo, where you get more points for time. My best game is under 6 minutes, making my total score over 700.
I have played with real tiles, a very different game, is a gross understatement.
 
  • #18
K.J.Healey said:
You should try real Mahjong, its like gin/rummy. That game is just a match game using its pieces.

But I agree, very very addicting!

I agree. That match game isn't Mahjong!

They just attached the name of a game that few know how to play so they wouldn't realize their brain was slowly being sucked away in an idiot's game. You'd do just as well playing computer solitaire or using heroin or meth. At least the last two have some redeeming qualities.

You have to resist! We can schedule an intervention if you need it, but you have to want to quit!

Try playing minesweeper! It's methadone for mindless timekiller games.
 
  • #19
wolram said:
There is no way the tiles come out randomly, and i am sure not every game is winable, heck i have been wiped out after only ten moves or so, and the worst is when two tiles are left both the same one on top of tother.
They are all winable, it's the stacking rules that make this so.
I've tried the Vista version.
Vista, being what it is, seems to have lost my stats for it, since I last played a few months ago.

I had one game that I was thinking was a Vista bug and unsolvable.
Figured it out eventually, but it took a long time.
I kept trying because I could see there was a solution if I could just remove the rest of the tiles without making some obvious moves.

Not a bad time killer if you have to just sit there for hours, with no comm link, waiting for a process to complete.
 
  • #20
wolram said:
I have become addicted to it, while my internet is down, so far i have a 25% success rate,
the thing is the last dozen or so tiles, the game says there is one move left, but i can look for ages and not spot it, in the end i go for (hint) when it shows where the match is it is so obvious, is it common to have a (blind spot) like this?

I do the same thing when my internet is done. I have a ~40& success rate.
 
  • #21
Moridin said:
I do the same thing when my internet is done. I have a ~40& success rate.

40%, HUMMMM, I am sure Vista only gives me the hard games, either that or it can not do %s.
 
  • #22
I played Mah Jong with three others on Saturday; we played a full game (i.e, four winds), lasting from 1pm to 9pm. That was rather a short session.
:smile:
 

Similar threads

My list of the top five heavyweight boxers of all time
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
9K
When All TV Programs are Rated on Teen
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Starfield: New First-Person Epic Role-Playing Game by BGS
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
Could Ergonomics Boost Gaming Success?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Electro-chemical degradation of stainless steel wire in my garden Slug-o-Cuter?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
8 Traits Successful People Have In Common" with Richard St John
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
5K
I need help, please, designing a pool sensor for breaking . . .
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
High School Validating Darts Tournament Skill Levels: A Non-Intrusive Approach
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School The match rates in Bell Tests -- Lower than 50%?
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
3K
Undergrad How does the raster scan frequency affect the accuracy of a CRT TV picture?
  • · Replies 32 ·
2
Replies
32
Views
4K