I actually went and researched Mahjong in response to this topic. A lot of the complexity of coding such a beast would be your definition of what Mahjong is.
There's apparently a number of different variations ranging from relatively simple to immensely complex. Our card game Rummy is based on it. I studied a couple of simpler multi-player versions, and had a simpler solitaire set up explained to me by my wife. The game's setup as a solitaire game presents some unique challenges in an audio environment, having multiple levels, some of which you can see only partially that all must be displayed more or less simultaneously. In the traditional games, the challenge is more one of mastering the rule sets well enough to create a game that accurately reproduces the game play. Warning: I did not investigate American Mahjong extensively because it appears much simpler and more derivative from the original versions. That said, it might be a way to progress. If I were to attempt it, with the help of my pet coder (hi Aaron! that's you), I'd lean toward doing a multi-player version based on the Hong Kong old style rules I studied. They seemed simple enough to master relatively easily, complex enough to be interesting, and different enough from card games to present a unique challenge. That said, I don't see it happening any time soon. I need to get a Mahjong set and experiment with it before I could design an AI that played even reasonably well. Take care, Jeremy -- In the fight between you and the world--back the world! Frank Zapa --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
