Hi all! An exciting JLMahJongg update coming in version 10.0.1. I’m adding a new feature to give you feedback on your skill level. Players will be rated by how many wins they get against players with a particular skill level. To get to the highest level (Black Belt), you will need to win against the pro computer players without using AI help. The skill levels are based on my favorite martial art, Tae Kwon Do, color belts: White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, and Black. There will also be a numerical rating between zero and ten.

Note that the skill rating should also work for the many who use the guest accounts. The rating is calculated and stored locally on each device based on the games played on that device. The rating posted for others to see will be the rating for the last person who used the particular guest account.

If you play against other real players, the skill rating will take into account the skill rating(s) of the other real players.

There are also other updates for version 10.x.x.

1. The tiles have had a minor makeover
2. Updated to Godot Engine 4.5
3. Removed unused network options (smaller and faster)
4. More bug fixes
5. Display improvements for smaller devices

The new tiles are already available in version 10.0.0 that is now available in the Windows, Android, and Online Browser versions.

JLMahJongg version 9.9.9 is now available on the Microsoft Store!

https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/XP8K3GCW3DZ39H

This update is now available for all devices. It fixes what happens if you are called dead – the other players continue playing without you. If you are dead and want to stop, select quit from the menu.

Also some display updates and minor bug fixes.

A new feature is tracking and display of your winning hand history and your number of wins for each line of a card you use.

The Pro computer players may now actively try to get a “Finesse” Mah Jongg. A Finesse is now defined as stealing any Joker just before calling Mah Jongg and scores double from all players.

John & Lisa

I have released update 9.9.8 that is available now for Windows and Apple. I will update Android soon. This update makes the app work better if your device blocks JLMahJongg access to our website. One user with an iPad had this problem. I tried to make it so you can still use the free card included with JLMahJongg. The app requires access to the website to enable use of the NMJL card data (2025).

Also, I removed general access to the custom tiles feature because there was little interest and too much room for causing trouble by using copyrighted images without permission. If you do want to design your own tiles and use them in JLMahJongg, contact us and we will work with you to make that possible.

Thank you to the person who left the scathing anonomous review on Apple App Store. I have been wanting feedback to help make JLMahJongg better. I suspect you may be a developer of one of the competing options. Part of the reason JLMahJongg looks dated it uses the Godot 2D engine with its origins in the 80’s. Also, I have been developing game apps since the 70’s, so maybe 80’s does not look so bad to me. I also developed user interfaces for military equipment and wonder if those now look “Modern”, like XBox games.

But I actually decided to use the 2D graphics for a number of reasons. As Einstein said: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” The MahJongg game does not really require 2D graphics. The main element in the game is the tiles. Originally was going to make 3D tiles and a 3D table, but decided that would only make it harder to read and use on a smaller display. The 3D MahJongg games I have tried prove to me that is true. Those games also do not feel like a real American Mah Jongg game. I wonder if the developers every played an American Mah Jongg Game in Real Life.

I am biased, obviously, but I like the tiles I designed. If you don’t like them, you can easily change to the standard tiles. The JLMahJongg standard tiles are better than any of the other tiles I have seen in other apps. Not as good as some of the designer sets, but I was unable to get permission to used those. Also, If you don’t like the voices, you can turn them off or record your own voices.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback and I will continue to try to make the graphics, interface, and features better. Hopefully someone will eventually want to use our app. If not, Lisa and I like it and that is what matters the most.

John & Lisa

P.S. Some important aspects of the app can’t be seen. JLMahJongg uses detailed calculation of the odds of winning each possible hand to drive the Computer Players (CP or Bots) play. You can see the odds when you view the recommeded hands. I have not seen any other app do this. You can learn by watching the best play possible when competing against our Bots at the Pro level. I had to make easier levels because it was too hard to win against the Pro bots. Also, our main display is similar to Real MahJong because it is optimized for easiest American Mah Jongg play.

Update 9.9.7 fixes a problem if you quit and try to restart. The app will hang at the next game point where you can stop the Charleston. It was trying to stop the game instead of just the Charleston. This update is currently being reviewed by Apple.

This only affects iOS devices because iOS does not let an app quit (there is no quit function) iOS apps can only be stopped by the user. (Swipe up from the bottom edge, then over to the right, and swipe the app off the display). Apple intends for apps to remain running after they are started. When apps are minimized, they do not use many resouces.

Sorry that a serious bug was just pointed out to me in the iOS version (iPad,iPhone) version of JLMahJongg. If you quit a game, then you can’t restart a new game without it hanging. For now please use the online version or after you quit, close the app completely before starting a new game (swipe up from the bottom, then swipe the app off the screen).

I will work on fixing as soon as I can.

This update fixes a number of bugs. The most important bug fixes are in the tutorial/demo.

For the next update we plan to add a feature that shows the history of your winning hands. We are also working on making the app available for Windows through the Microsoft Store.

Found a few more bugs in 9.9.4. Update 9.9.5 is in process of being reviewed and distributed. The main bug fixes are for the Advanced Setup options for Custom Tiles and Game Type.

Thanks again for trying JLMahJongg and any feedback you can give.

John & Lisa

Working on Update 9.9.4. This update fixes several bugs. The main ones are a problem with the cards that specify “Any Jokers”. Not generating all the hands it should. The odds calculation for the hand with 2 pairs of the same value are not correct. Trying to fix that. Not sure the odds calculation are exactly correct yet.

Draft updates for 9.9.4 should be available for the online versions and the Windows version. Need to get the other versions approved.

The “older” web version (right button) has been updated. It is for iOS devices (iPad and iPhone) that don’t work with the latest browser code.