# The &kappname; Handbook

Dirk
Doerflinger

    &Dirk.Doerflinger.mail;

Eugene
Trounev

    eugene.trounev@gmail.com

Frerich
Raabe
Reviewer

    &Frerich.Raabe.mail;

&docupdate;
&docversion;

This documentation describes the game of &kappname; version &kappversion;

KDE
kdegames
game
kshisen
arcade
board
mahjongg
tiles
one player

## Introduction

### Gametype:

Arcade, Board

### Number of possible players:

One

&kappname; is a solitaire like game played using the standard set of Mahjong tiles. Unlike Mahjong however, &kappname; has only one layer of scrambled tiles. You can remove matching pieces if they can be connected with a line with no more than two bends in it. At the same time, the line must not cross any other tiles. To win a game of &kappname; the player has to remove all the tiles off the game board.

## How to Play

### Objective:

Remove all the tiles off the game board within the shortest time possible.

&kappname; will load a default layout automatically once you start the game and you can start playing right away.

### Note:

The game timer will not start until you make the first move.

You should carefully study the tiles lied out on the game board and find two tiles matching exactly. When you have found such a pair use your mouse to select these.

Once you select a right pair of tiles they will vanish off the game board. However, even if the tiles you select appear as open they will only be removed off the board if they can be connected with a line having no more than two bends and not crossing any other tiles (the line cannot be diagonal).

Find as many matches as possible to remove all the tiles from the game board.

## Game Rules, Strategies and Tips

### Rules

Standard Mahjong set of tiles includes:

Group name | Tile name | Quantity in a set
Dots |  |
| 1 of Dots | 2
| 2 of Dots | 2
| 3 of Dots | 2
| 4 of Dots | 2
| 5 of Dots | 2
| 6 of Dots | 2
| 7 of Dots | 2
| 8 of Dots | 2
| 9 of Dots | 2
Bamboos |  |
| 1 of Bamboos | 2
| 2 of Bamboos | 2
| 3 of Bamboos | 2
| 4 of Bamboos | 2
| 5 of Bamboos | 2
| 6 of Bamboos | 2
| 7 of Bamboos | 2
| 8 of Bamboos | 2
| 9 of Bamboos | 2
Characters |  |
| 1 of Characters | 2
| 2 of Characters | 2
| 3 of Characters | 2
| 4 of Characters | 2
| 5 of Characters | 2
| 6 of Characters | 2
| 7 of Characters | 2
| 8 of Characters | 2
| 9 of Characters | 2
Winds |  |
| East Wind | 2
| South Wind | 2
| West Wind | 2
| North Wind | 2
Dragons |  |
| Red Dragon | 2
| Green Dragon | 2
| White Dragon | 2
Flowers |  |
| Plum (1) | 1
| Lily (2) | 1
| Chrysanthemum (3) | 1
| Bamboo (4) | 1
Seasons |  |
| Spring (1) | 1
| Summer (2) | 1
| Autumn (3) | 1
| Winter (4) | 1

- Matching tiles are such tiles where the face pictograms match exactly.

#### Note:

There are exceptions to this rule! In the traditional game of Mahjong each tile has a matching one except for the Flowers and Seasons tiles.

- The Flowers tiles have no doubles in the set and can be matched directly to each-other.

- The Seasons tiles have no doubles in the set and can be matched directly to each-other.

- Tiles can only be removed if they can be connected with a maximum of three connected lines that do not cross any other tile. Lines can be horizontal or vertical, but not diagonal.

#### Note:

You don't have to draw the lines by yourself, the game does this for you. Just mark two matching tiles on the board, if they can be connected by a line with no more than two bends, the line is drawn and the tiles are removed.

- Lines may only cross the empty border.

- Some games are unsolvable. If you would like to avoid unsolvable games uncheck the option Allow unsolvable games in the configuration dialog.

- The scores are awarded for the quantity of the tiles removed within the time of completion.

- If you played with the Gravity setting enabled, the score will be doubled.

- To be eligible for a place amongst the high scores player has to complete a game instance within the shortest period of time possible.

#### Note:

If the player uses cheat feature his/her record will not be considered as a high score.

## Interface Overview

### The Game Menu

The Game menu lets you control the status of the current game:

&Ctrl; N Game New

  Finish the actual game set and start a new session with new tiles.

F5 Game Restart Game

  Restart the current game with the same tiles.

P Game Pause

  Pauses the entire game, especially the timer which affects the scoring. The menu entry is also used for resuming the game.

&Ctrl;H Game Show High Scores

  Shows the (local) Top-Ten charts of &kappname;.

&Ctrl; Q Game Quit

  Quits &kappname;.

Some of the menu items can also be controlled by keyboard shortcuts. See for a list.

### The Move Menu

&Ctrl;Z Move Undo

  Undo the last step. Same as the Undo button in the toolbar.

&Ctrl;&Shift;Z Move Redo

  Redo the last step. Same as the Redo button in the toolbar.

H Move Hint

  Show a tip, which two tiles to remove next.

### The Settings Menu

Settings Show Toolbar

  Toggle on and off the display of the toolbar.

Settings Show Statusbar

  Toggle on and off the display of the status bar.

Settings Configure Shortcuts...

  Open a dialog which lets you redefine all the keyboard shortcuts.

Settings Configure Toolbars...

  Displays a &kde; standard dialog where you can configure the toolbar icons.

Settings Configure &kappname;...

  Opens the configuration dialog to change &kappname; settings.

### The Help Menu

&help.menu.documentation;

## Frequently asked questions

Who made this game?

The kdegames team. You can find their website here.

Where can I get cheatcodes?

You cannot get cheatcodes for &kde; games.

How do I start a new game?

You can start a new game using the New button on the toolbar, the Game New menu entry on the menubar or using the default shortcut &Ctrl;N.

I did something very wrong! Can I restart the game?

Yes. To restart the current game you can either use a shortcut key, or a menubar option.

How do I pause the game?

To pause the current game you may either use the toolbar, a shortcut key, or a menubar option.

I want to change the way this game looks. Can I?

Yes. To change the way &kappname; looks use the menubar to open the configuration utility.

I have made a mistake. Can I undo?

Yes. To undo your move you can either use a shortcut key, or a menubar option.

I have mistakenly undone a good move, can I redo it?

Yes. To Redo your move you can either use a shortcut key, or a menubar option.

Can I use keyboard?

No. This game does not feature a keyboard play mode.

I cannot figure out what to do here! Are there hints?

Yes. To use &kappname; hint feature can either use a shortcut key, or a menubar option.

I have to quit the game now, but I am not finished yet. Can I save my progress?

No. This game does not feature a Save option.

Where are the high scores?

To open the high scores dialog you can either use a shortcut key, or a menubar option.

I want to change the game configuration. Where do I go?

To open the configuration utility use Settings in the menubar.

I want to change the toolbar layout. What do I do?

To change the default toolbar layout use the Settings Configure Toolbars... option in the menubar.

## Game Configuration

Selecting the Settings Configure &kappname;... menu item will open a configuration dialog which lets you alter the behavior of the game.

&kappname; configuration dialog
&kappname; configuration dialog

Gravity

  Checking this makes the game even harder: If a tile is removed, all tiles lying above it will fall down one step.

Allow unsolvable games

  If checked, you run the risk of being presented with games that are impossible to solve. Note: Even when not checked, you will fail to complete a game if you remove the tiles in the wrong order!

Use Chinese style: any flower matches any flower, any season match any season

  Use the traditional rules for matching the tiles. Previous version of &kappname; used to allow only exact tiles matches, which is inconsistent with Mahjongg rules. It is recommended to keep this option checked.

Tiles can slide, but you can connect only in 2 lines instead of 3

  This option changes the rules to the point where it almost becomes a completely different game. When it is active, you can only remove the tiles if they can be connected by a line consisting of only two segments instead of the customary three. However, you are allowed to slide the tiles on the board, if the row or column where they are placed has some empty space. To make a sliding move, you have to click on the tile containing the column or row that can slide, and then on the matching tile. If there are two possible sliding moves, you will have to click on one of the two connecting lines to chose your preferred move.

Board Difficulty

  The slider controls the difficulty of the board from Easy to Hard.

Piece Removal Speed

  Adjusting this slider alters the speed at which the pieces are removed from the screen after a match has been made.

Tile Size

  This slider allows you to can change the number of tiles on the board. The more tiles you have, the harder (and longer) the game will be.

Help

  Opens &kappname; help pages (this document).

OK

  Saves your changes and closes the dialog.

Apply

  Saves your changes but doesn't close the dialog.

Cancel

  Cancels all your changes and closes the dialog.

### Default Key Bindings

Default shortcuts are:

New | &Ctrl;N
Restart Game | F5
Pause | P
Show High Scores | &Ctrl;H
Quit | &Ctrl;Q
Undo | &Ctrl;Z
Redo | &Ctrl;&Shift;Z
Hint | H
&kappname; Handbook | F1
What's This | &Ctrl;&Shift;F1

## Credits and License

&kappname; Copyright 1997 &Mario.Weilguni; &Mario.Weilguni.mail;

Copyright 2002-2004 Dave Corrie kde@davecorrie.com

Documentation Copyright 2000 &Dirk.Doerflinger; ddoerflinger@gmx.net

&underFDL; &underGPL;

## Installation

&install.intro.documentation;

### Compilation and Installation

&install.compile.documentation;

&documentation.index;