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                  N I N G P O   M A H J O N G   D E L U X E
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Version: 1.3
Status: Complete
Guide written for Ningpo Mahjong Deluxe - full version, for the PC.
Also covered: the demo version and the online-only version.

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This guide is Copyright 2005 - 2007 Lisa Harrison (Lisanne).

This document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise 
distributed publicly without my advance written permission. Use of this guide
on any web site other than the sites listed below or as a part
of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright owners.

Please send any e-mails concerning the contents of this guide, questions about
the game, requests for permission to put it on your site etc to:

[email protected]

Please note that it may take me up to a week to respond to e-mails. At present,
this guide may only be shown on the following sites:

www.gamefaqs.com and its affiliates
www.neoseeker.com
http://dlh.net
www.supercheats.com
www.honestgamers.com

Thankyou.


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X. CONTENTS
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1. Introduction
   - Blurb
   - Availability
   - Online Inclusions
2. How to play
3. Options, menus and controls
4. Basic strategies
5. Layout strategies
6. Challenges
7. Things I learnt while writing this guide (not much!)


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1. INTRODUCTION
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BLURB
-----

Welcome to one of the most addictive games I have ever played! Mahjong can be
played on virtually any console in a variety of different guises, many of which
I have tried for myself, but this version has a special something that makes it
somehow better. If I could say what that was then I could go out and make my
own games and possibly get very rich, but unfortunately I can't as I simply do
not know. It's probably personal preference but I just wanted to let you know
if you're reading this that I wrote it because I love this game. Isn't that the
whole point of playing games: because we love them?

PLEASE NOTE: there are essentially three versions of this game available: 
 o the full deluxe version covered by this guide, which must be paid for and
   obtained through an official source or via upgrading the demo,
 o the demo version of the full game which can be downloaded for free, and
 o the online version which runs in a browser window through a java applet.

All versions of the game appear identical, but are designed to encourage the
eventual purchase of the full game, which is the one covered by this guide.
However, the only real differences in the game are in how much of the game is
available to the player - the demo version is a stripped down version of the
full game which runs in a similar way to the full version, whereas the online
version is substantially smaller and includes only four layouts.
This guide can be used for all versions.


AVAILABILITY
------------

All versions of this game are available from www.popcap.com via clicking the
link for "Ningpo Mahjong" in the game list. Once on this page, you will notice
that all three games are available easily to you.

 o To play online in your browser, use the "Click To Play" link. This operates
   using Java so ensure that this is compatible with your PC before trying to
   do this.

 o To play the demo of the main game, use the "Download Free" link in the "Go
   Deluxe" section of this page. This is also available within the online-only
   version window.

 o To purchase the game, click the "Buy Now" link. I strongly recommend making
   sure you really do enjoy the game first though by playing the demo version
   before committing your precious cash. You can get a lot of free mileage out
   of most PopCap games before having to purchase them. You will also be able
   to upgrade to the full version from the demo at any time while playing it
   on your PC, and can use a clearly visible link in the game to do this.

The download size for both the demo and the full version (demo has all the
features of the full one but those features are unavailable - this means you
only have to download it once) is 3.5MB.


ONLINE INCLUSIONS
-----------------

To minimise the quantity of bandwidth used, PopCap have understandably kept
the things in the online-version in a very limited form. If you are playing
this, sadly much of this guide won't apply to it - namely most layout guides.
This game does provide four layouts of very varied difficulty: Classic,
Coliseum, Orchid and Dragon. Dragon is the most difficult of these by far.
The strategies provided here apply to online as well as deluxe versions as
these layouts are identical, so go to the sections below to find them.

Given the nature of the online game, I have decided not to write a separate
guide for it especially as I don't think there will be much call for one. If
you want me to write one, then please e-mail me and I'll see how much demand
there is.

Browsers: I have tested this game using FireFox, Netscape and Internet
Explorer. The only problem I had was with FireFox - it just wouldn't load no
matter how patiently I waited. I eventually found that PopCap have released a
FireFox plug-in specifically to deal with this issue that works for some PopCap
online-only games - it can be downloaded and used as an extension and is free
to obtain from the PopCap site. There are no other browser issues that I am
aware of.


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2. HOW TO PLAY
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If you have played Mahjong before, then you will notice that this game provides
the solitaire version and has no option for the multiplayer type of game.
All layouts in the game have 144 tiles and they vary in difficulty. The rest of
this section of the guide is really aimed at those who have never played
Mahjong before and would like to read an explanation of how it works - go
straight to the next section if you already know the rules.

The game of Mahjong is a board-based puzzle game. A pattern appears on-screen.
The screen should be taken to represent the board, and the pieces forming the
pattern are known as "tiles". The principle of the game is to clear all the
tiles from the board in the fastest time possible.

Tiles must be cleared by finding and removing them in pairs of the same type.
The board starts with 144 tiles placed on it, with four of each type of tile
appearing on the board (so that there are two pairs of the same type to be
removed). You can remove pairs simply by selecting two tiles of the same type.

In order to remove tiles, they must match as described above. Trial and error
is the best way to learn what matches and what doesn't, but as a general rule
you need to look at the numbers and symbols on the tiles. Try using one of the
different sets provided with the game if you have particular difficulty with
the default set. Note also that there are some tiles which seem to match others
in a seemingly random way - the only way to learn these pairs is by just
getting lots of practice in until you remember them naturally. There really is
no other way to learn them, I'm afraid. Often the colours will give you a clue
though.

Once you have found some matching tiles, you have to ensure that they are
available to remove. This is easiest learnt through practice - it very quickly
becomes instinctive. To be removed, the tile must have no other tiles on top
of it, have no tiles covering any part of it, and must not be blocked in on
both the right and left sides by other tiles. Thankfully, this version is
very helpful with this as it's really quite difficult to explain! If you hover
your mouse cursor over the tiles, you'll see that it will outline some with
red and some with green frames. If the tile goes green when the mouse is over
it, then it is available. You will not be able to select a tile that isn't.

If you get stuck at any stage during play, the game has plenty of options
available to help you along, including a very short guide to the rules. Much
more helpful than this guide are the other options on the lower-right of the
screen while playing a game - particularly the "hint" option. See the section
below for details of these. Good luck!


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3. OPTIONS, MENUS AND CONTROLS
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Upon starting the game from your PC, or online, there will be several options
available after clicking the option to play. All options are selected by using
the mouse (left-click to select an option or an arrow to see other options).
Anything that can be selected will be highlighted when the mouse's cursor
hovers over it. Keywords for skim-readers are illustrated **THUS** in the text
below.

Deluxe version owners will be able to scroll tbrough the **TILESETS** and
**TABLE-TOP** colours by clicking on the arrows beneath the text for each of
these. The choices you make will be previewed in the box in the upper-middle
of the screen, so you can check them all before playing.

The area in the middle of this initial screen shows you the choices of
**LAYOUTS**. Scroll through these using the arrows to see a preview of the
individual patterns involved, before selecting **START** underneath the image
to select that game choice.

Everything in the **OPTIONS** sub-menu is self-explanatory, as is the 
**RULES** screen. These choices are in what will form a left-hand toolbar,
and stay in that same location regardless of whatever else may appear along
with them.

In-game, **NEW GAME** will appear in purple text in the top-left. After
confirming its selection, you'll be taken back to the layout selection screen.
**PAUSE** pauses the game, although this will hide the game in progress.
Note that the game WILL pause automatically every time you click on anything
that isn't in it, such as that work report you're meant to be doing if your
manager walks into the office! This happens even when you're not in the middle
of a game, so if you leave the window at any time you'll come back to find the
pause screen in front of you, regardless of whether or not you could even see
that option in the first place.

**HINT**, **SHOW MOVES**, **SHUFFLE** and **UNDO** are the "help" options, but
incur time penalties. "Show moves" is something I find completely useless, as
it shows too many moves to see properly! "Hint" incurs a 30 second time
penalty, but you will get a hint anyway without needing to select it if you
can't find any free tiles. If any tile is selected, the "Hint" option turns
into **FIND MATCH**. Given that all of these choices incur penalties, these
options should all be used very sparingly except when first getting used to
the game or when you have no choice.

Controls
---------
The game uses the mouse. Left-clicking on a tile selects it. Left-click on a
matching tile and the pair will be removed from play. If you select a tile and
want to de-select it, right-click anywhere on the screen to save time, or just
click on it a second time with the left button.


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4. BASIC STRATEGIES
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It is impossible to "lose" a game in this version - the shuffle option allows
you to avoid this. However, beating a game without shuffling is what many
players aim for, and whilst this is down to a combination of luck and practice,
there are certainly a few things that you can do to try to improve the odds in
your favour. The tips in this section will tell you how to avoid needing to
shuffle whilst playing the game in any layout, so that you can start improving
your times as a result. It must be borne in mind, however, that needing to
shuffle to beat a layout isn't necessarily a reflection of skill - the game
places tiles randomly, so sometimes it's easier than others even within the
same layout. If you feel like the game is giving you a raw deal, then try out
the Coliseum layout as its high number of available tiles make it arguably the
easiest to complete without shuffling.

 o Remember that there are four of each tile in the layout at once - if you
   can do so, remove all four. Prioritise these so you take them first.

 o Tiles stacked on top of each other make life difficult. Always take tiles
   that are on top of something before taking the underneath tiles in case
   they are blocking something you need. For simplicity, I have referred to
   the different stacks as "levels" in this guide, so following this example,
   take the highest level first and the bottom level last. "Bottom level"
   means the lowest down. The advantage of this is that you can't see through
   tiles, so this way you won't need to.

 o In the more difficult layouts, try to make sure that you can see three or
   four of each tile that you remove. At least one of these should be on the
   bottom level. Think of it this way: four tiles make two pairs. What if you
   take one pair and leave the other pair in a trapped position, such as one
   on top of the other? If you can see a lower level third matching tile, then
   even if you can't remove it yet, you know you will be able to at some stage.

 o Some tiles in the layouts are in a location such that they don't block any
   other tiles at all. I refer to these as "safe". They are tiles which
   aren't on top of anything else and have either no tiles or just one tile on
   either their right or left side (but not both, because then the middle one
   would be blocked!). Particularly as a game progresses, these appear with
   increasing frequency as you remove other tiles from the layout. These should
   not be removed until the last minute - nothing is blocked by them and they
   are easy to obtain, so there is no reason to. If you can see a matching pair
   of "safe" tiles, then take them only in pairs of one safe and one other, so
   that you know the other pair that matches it isn't blocking itself in
   elsewhere.

 o If a tile on an upper level of the layout is blocking more than one tile
   beneath it, then this should be removed as quickly as possible. You can
   often see the patterns of the tiles beneath so you can use these to help
   you prioritise which to take first.

 o If you don't like the tileset, remember that there are others available (not
   in the online-only game, unfortunately). Whilst this may seem a strange tip
   to include, remember that spending ten seconds at a time trying to find a
   match just because you can't get used to the tiles is probably easily
   avoided! Personally, I favour the ones that look like sweets as they have
   very contrasting colours and clear patterns so pairs can be found without
   "looking", as such. Saves time and effort and is easy to get used to. This
   may seem obvious, but it's incredibly easy to overlook doing this!

 o Practice makes perfect. Fortunately this game is highly addictive to the
   point at which I am damn near obsessed with it, so practice is something
   you could find yourself getting a frightening quantity of.

 o If you're aiming for insane times, then keep your targets realistic to
   avoid getting too annoyed. For weeks, I found it impossible to beat the
   elusive four-minute target for Coliseum. Then I suddenly managed a fluke
   time of just over three minutes. Now I'm aiming for two minutes. A little
   at a time is all you can ask of yourself. Sounds obvious, but deceptively
   easy to forget.


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5. LAYOUT STRATEGIES
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These strategies are intended to tell you the areas to watch out for in each
individual layout, to carve those all important seconds and ultimately minutes
from your best times. This is an expansion on the "Basic Strategies" section,
which covers strategies applicable to all layouts. Please refer there if you
haven't already - even if you are very familiar with Mahjong, I may have
thought of one or two ideas that you haven't. Possibly. Worth a try...

PLEASE NOTE: Due to similar strategies working for layouts of the same rough
type, and to keep this guide down a more sensible and readable kind of size,
I have grouped together several different layout names and provided an example
strategy for each. In all cases, the first name listed is the layout I have
strategised for. This really will work for all layouts listed, but if you have
more problems, let me know and I will rework this section.


a. CLASSIC - Also for Pyro, Vista.
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This layout can be either fiendishly difficult or pathetically easy, and it's
really just down to luck as far as that's concerned. Of course, knowing this
layout well will certainly help sway things in your favour, and it's always
good to know where the traps are.

The problem is not only that quite a few of the tiles are hidden right from
the start, but that it's also fairly uniformly wide. The remove highest first
rule doesn't work so simply for this layout because quite often you'll find
one of those pesky traps on the bottom level! For example, imagine that you've
already taken all the high ones, as usual, and are left with lots and lots of
tiles in a big square on the bottom level. Chances are that you're left with
pairs only rather than sets of four, so you can't be choosy. Now, what if two
of those pairs (I'll label them * and x for convenience) were left in one row
going left to right in the following formation: *x*x You can't match them.
Game over, four tiles remaining, and plenty of obscenities being hurled at the
computer, I'd wager.

Now, the only chance in hell you're going to have in getting around this one
if you've not been lucky in the setup, is to be aware of this situation and
take a few seconds to look at it. You can't see much of the bottom of this one
at the start, but identify any potential problems as soon as you can by
checking the stuff you open up. Realistically you can't just match off only in
sets of four and get through this one (there won't be enough visible), but as
well as clearing the height you should aim to take off the longest parts of the
bottom level as well. The left and right edges of the top, bottom and middle
parts should go as well as the usual high pieces. Naturally, take the very
highest piece first, since it's covering four other tiles. From then on, I
always take the next block of four that was just opened on this level. Now, as
well as concentrating on the upper levels, take the right and left sides too at
all levels and hopefully you should get through without needing to shuffle.


b. COLISEUM - Also for Del Mar, Miramar, Julian.
------------
This is arguably the easiest layout in the game. Lots of tiles are available
right from the start, so very fast times are easy to achieve here. Also, the
fact that there are rather a lot of "safe" tiles (tiles which do not obstruct
any others and therefore can be left alone until necessary) certainly helps.

Of course, the layout does have its problem areas. The central block of the
layout is stacked high in the centre, and the sides of its middle rows are
quite wide. Caution should also be taken with the lower corner blocks too -
the tiles are stacked to a deceptively high level and it is easy to overlook
these sections if you concentrate too readily on the central block. However,
in this layout you really can afford to remove pairs from the upper levels
first whilst ignoring the lowest level. Chances are that you'll get through
without shuffling anyway, so it shouldn't cause any problem.

Getting the best times here isn't too difficult given the high availability.
Personally, I work on instinct - I believe that knowing the layout is the key
to this. Shuffling is inevitable on occasion but if you remove the upper
levels first, it's less of a risk on this one. This layout can be particularly
helpful for a beginner too, given its comparative ease.


c. ORCHID - Also for Balboa, Solana, Ramona.
----------
Not a favourite of mine, this layout has easy to moderate difficulty and the
speed of the game can vary greatly. Whilst the tiles are all stacked very high
here, the rows are only one tile wide, so as soon as you hit the bottom level,
they are all safe tiles. The only exception is the middle section, which runs
the whole width of the layout.

There are few easily identifiable problem areas since the height for the most
part is uniform, and none of the bottom level tiles can be seen so the entire
game must be played almost entirely on the basis of luck. The highest levels
do cover multiple tiles each, so these should be prioritised, especially if
you can see matching tiles underneath them. Once these are all cleared though,
the whole thing becomes much easier. If you can't clear them all, then I'm
afraid you just got unlucky, and that's something I really can't give any
strategy for!


d. DRAGON - Also for Marina, Avocado, Scripps.
----------
This is quite possibly the most difficult layout in the game, and one which
I haven't yet been able to complete without needing to shuffle at least a
couple of times. Despite the fact that there are only the same number of tiles
as in all the other layouts, the concentration being centred both along the
top and bottom seems to be the main problem, and prioritising the upper levels
first doesn't work for this reason. Quite simply, the entire layout should be
taken as top priority in order to have a chance of being successful.

The top and bottom sets of rows will in all likelihood be the areas where the
tiles start to get problematic. Although the height is greater in the centre
with the top tiles covering multiple tiles each, I have never failed in this
section when playing. There are just a few safe tiles - blocks of three to the
middle sides, and one each at the very top and very bottom in the centre. Also,
as the top to bottom middle column is only stacked to a width of one, once the
higher level tiles are cleared then all the tiles there will be safe too. For
this reason, concentrate your main efforts towards the corner sections. Do
spend a few seconds looking over the layout before playing to see whether you
can spot any obvious problems such as tiles obstructing matching ones - this
should be done right down the centre and at the sides. Also, as you expose
bottom level tiles, check to see whether they are blocking in matches from
left to right too.

Trying to match sets of four as a priority is probably the best thing you can
do here, although clearly this isn't going to get you far. It will provide you
with a head-start, however. Alternatively, if you're prepared to accept that
shuffling is inevitable and just want to aim for the best time you can, then
just don't strategise. Match what you see and keep going as fast as you can
until necessary. There really isn't anything else to say since I haven't
strictly speaking completed this one successfully myself yet!


e. INVADER - Also for Torrey.
-----------
At first glance this appears to be rather tricky, as the tiles are stacked
high through the middle and many tiles are obstructed. However, appearances
can be deceptive and once the higher tiles are cleared, you'll notice that
the gaps running the middle section actually make a deceptively large number
of tiles appear available. Although it can be difficult to know where to start,
this one is easy once you get going.

Because of the high availability, just work from the top down. Once you get
to the bottom level you're unlikely to fail. Knowing where any obstructed
matching tiles are is probably a good cautionary idea, since several of the
pieces here cover several more tiles each, but besides that it's an easy
layout to complete without shuffling. Don't ignore the higher tiles on the
two small side blocks - quite often these seem to be blocking something you
really don't want them to block! Just look at them before you start working
on the middle to make sure you haven't missed anything.


f. POWAY
---------
To put it mildly, the entire layout is one big problem area, so strategising
is quite difficult here. Tiles are stacked high in every single section. Just
go for the fours! I can't think of anything else to say here - this is really
hard. Strategy submissions welcome!


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6. CHALLENGES
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So, you think you're good? In all fairness, if you've come this far and are
still reading then you probably are - or at least, you have the willpower to
be after some more practice. The aim in this game, as you know, is to achieve
the lowest possible time for each layout. For one layout in particular, I do
excel, and haven't yet found anyone who can beat my time... this is where YOU
come in! Take a look at the times below and please do e-mail me if you can
beat them. You'll be listed in my place until such time as someone beats you!
Since there are certain layouts which I do not like and therefore rarely play,
I would particularly appreciate this as I want the challenges to be, you know,
actually challenging! All these times include any time penalties for hints,
shuffling etc that may have been accumulated during the course of play:

1.  Classic -  04:42
2.  Coliseum - 02:02
3.  Orchid -   06:52 (Melissa)
4.  Dragon -   11:31
5.  Invader -  05:47
6.  Marina -   08:50 (Melissa)
7.  Pyro -     04:36
8.  Vista -    05:44
9.  Del Mar -  03:46
10. Avocado -  11:40
11. Miramar -  04:51
12. Balboa -   05:47
13. Solana -   04:22
14. Torrey -   04:21
15. Scripps -  07:34
16. Poway -    05:52
17. Ramona -   03:09 (Melissa)
18. Julian -   03:51

Thankyou to Melissa for e-mailing her best times to me...

Thankyou for reading and have fun!

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7. THINGS I LEARNT WHILE WRITING THIS GUIDE
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 o Must match tiles... learn nothing... match tiles...