Post by gbaiko on Feb 7, 2006 20:25:01 GMT
This topic contains a list of frequently asked questions about MTE, tips on how to solve game problems, and information about how to use features of the game.
For questions about Tilesets, refer to the Tilesets FAQ:
mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=sayhello&action=display&thread=1139513796
For questions about the forum, refer to the Forum FAQ:
mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=sayhello&action=display&thread=1139513881
Making Backups
Q: How do I back up my "player" directory?
A: All MTE data, including your player names, ranks, times, etc. are stored in files located in the "player" directory. The directory is located in: C:\Program Files\Mahjong Towers Eternity. We recommend making frequent backups of this directory in the event that you lose points from a game crash or lose your player in the game. It's a good idea to also back it up to an external source (CD, email), in case your hard drive crashes.
Many players have opened the game and found that their players have disappeared and the game asks them to create a new player. With these backup files, many of us have recovered our players, so it's important to back up the game! Some players feel more comfortable backing up the entire game directory, and that works as well.
Game Errors
Q: I get a "Director Player error" in the game, what is this error?
A: The "Director Player error" occasionally occurs in the game when you try to look up layouts by a specific designer's name. If the game can't connect to the BFG server, it can't look up the player information and the game crashes with this error message. Players have also gotten this error when creating layouts and tilesets in the game.
MTE uses shockwave, and the director player error appears to be a shockwave error. See below for information about downloading the latest version of shockwave. Also, be sure to back up your "player" directory often so that you can recover any lost points and best times stats if you experience a game crash from this error.
Q: What other software should I keep up-to-date for MTE?
A: In order to run MTE, make sure your computer has the latest versions of these components installed.
DirectX:
www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/re....D-85FC42 2D1388
Flash:
get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Shockwave:
www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer/
Java (for online version of MTE):
java.sun.com/webapps/getjava/BrowserRedirect?locale=en&host=www.java.com:80
Q: I get the following errors when I run the game: Mahjong has encountered a problem. Please make sure you have the latest version. And then this appears (Object expected) (Symbol expected{85051, 1, 1}. What can I do to fix this?
A: Your "players" and "times" file has maxed out in the game from playing a large number of layouts. Please post on the forum asking for assistance, or send a pm to aperratt for help.
Ranks/Badges
Q: What are the different ranks and badges in the game?
A: The ranks/badges are listed here: mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=whoareyou&action=display&thread=1124073911
Q: Why isn't my correct rank showing up online?
A: This can happen if you exit the game using the 'x' at the top right of the main game screen instead of the "Quit" button. This can also happen if your firewall software prevents the macromedia program from pushing stats to the BFG server. If you run ZoneAlarm, you can allow the program to run. For the Windows firewall, you can add MTE to the allowed list and this should solve the problem. To add MTE to the allowed list, go to the Control Panel and double-click on Windows Firewall. Then click the Exceptions tab, click the "Add Program" button, find MTE in the list and then click OK.
Q: How can I play on my new computer with my old name and my old rank?
A: Copy the "player" directory in C:\Program Files\Mahjong Towers Eternity over to your new computer. This directory contains all of the game data that stores your player name, times, etc.
Q: How do I see my rank online?
A: Here's the link if you want to view players on the web. You can search for a specific player and also sort the players list by specific ranks. www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/players.php
Here's how you search for a specific player: Enter the player name in the Find Player box and click Go. Click on the player name to see the rank. Note: there is a bug on the page when you search for a player - all players show up as Bronze Rat but when you click on the player name you'll see the correct rank.
Here's how you view all of the players that have a particular rank: Select the rank that you want to view from the View Rank box (e.g., Lightning Dragon). Then at the bottom of that page, you can change the Results per Page drop-down to a higher number (like 500), to see your standing within that rank.
Points System
Q: How many points do I get for playing layouts, including making matches and playing in concentration mode?
A: For a complete description of the points system in the game, see this topic:
mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=gameplay&action=display&thread=1123962284&page=1
Q: How does the points system work (finish bonus calculation)
A: When a layout first gets released, it is automatically worth 2,500 points. After people have played it 10 times, the score gets adjusted. For example, if a layout has 12 attempts and only 9 completes, it will have a 75% success rate and the score will get adjusted up to 3,000. If a layout has 50 attempts and 50 completes, it will have a 100% success rate and the score will be adjusted down to 500. Impossible layouts that only have a 0%-3% completion rate are worth 10,000 points. Those are just some examples, but as layouts get played the score gets adjusted according to how difficult the layouts are and according to how many players are able to complete them.
Q: What is concentration mode?
In concentration mode, you get 3X the points of the finish layout value. But you have to wait until the score gets adjusted on a layout, otherwise you'll just get the initial 2,500 point value. The score gets adjusted after a layout has been played 10 times. So if a layout has been adjusted to 3,000 points, you can get 9,000 points for that layout in concentration mode.
Layouts
Q: How do I look up layouts by designer?
A: In the game, click "View Player". A new window will come up and click "Find a Player". Then you can search by the designer's name to find all layouts by a particular designer.
Q: How do I look up layouts by layout name?
To find a specific layout in the game, click "Get More Layouts" in your Favorites area and then select "Find by Name". Then in the next box enter the name of the layout. To find a layout online, go to www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/layouts.php
In the "Find Layout:" box enter the name of the layout and then click "Go".
Q: How do I view all layouts?
A: If a designer submits more than 10 layouts a day, only the first 10 layouts that are submitted appear on the lists in the game. To view all layouts that are shared, you can view the layout list online:
www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/layouts.php
Q: Where can I find a list of the top layout creators?
A: www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/index.php
Newest List and Other Game Lists
Q: What layouts make the Newest list?
A: The Newest list is comprised of layouts that are 70 tiles or more, and generally the most recently shared layouts show up on this list. Designers are allowed to publish 10 layouts within a 24-hour period; any layouts that are shared after 10 are shared don't show up on any of the lists. Also, any layouts that are between 44-68 tiles do not show up on any lists.
Q: What layouts make the Popular list?
A: Layouts that get a lot of play show up on the Most Popular list, but after two weeks they drop off of the list so that newer layouts can get cycled onto that list.
Q: What layouts make the Hardest list?
A: Layouts that have a 0%-1% completion rate.
Q: What layouts make the Random list?
A: The Random list is a good way to find older layouts, since it's a randomly generated list selected from all of the available layouts (if they made the Newest list or other lists in the game).
Q: What layouts make the Smallest list?
A: The Smallest list is for 42-tile layouts only.
Stars
Q: How many points are needed for one star?
A: 23.219.250 points.
Q: Where can I view the stars list?
A: www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/index.php
Game Buttons
Q: What does the "Drop From Favorites" button do?
"Drop from Favorites" removes a layout from your favorites list. It in no way affects that layout's finish bonus. And if you search for that layout later, it will still be available in the game.
Q: What does the "Report to Moderator" button do?
When you click "Report to Moderator" it not only drops the layout from your favorites, but (we assume) it sends a red flag of some sort to Big Fish Games for them to check out the level. So they can decide if it is inappropriate and remove it if necessary. For example, a layout that spells out a swear word may not be appropriate. When you report a layout to the moderator, it does not automatically drop off of the layout lists for other players. In addition, the information is stored in a local file in your MTE directory so you can't download that layout again.
For questions about Tilesets, refer to the Tilesets FAQ:
mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=sayhello&action=display&thread=1139513796
For questions about the forum, refer to the Forum FAQ:
mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=sayhello&action=display&thread=1139513881
Making Backups
Q: How do I back up my "player" directory?
A: All MTE data, including your player names, ranks, times, etc. are stored in files located in the "player" directory. The directory is located in: C:\Program Files\Mahjong Towers Eternity. We recommend making frequent backups of this directory in the event that you lose points from a game crash or lose your player in the game. It's a good idea to also back it up to an external source (CD, email), in case your hard drive crashes.
Many players have opened the game and found that their players have disappeared and the game asks them to create a new player. With these backup files, many of us have recovered our players, so it's important to back up the game! Some players feel more comfortable backing up the entire game directory, and that works as well.
Game Errors
Q: I get a "Director Player error" in the game, what is this error?
A: The "Director Player error" occasionally occurs in the game when you try to look up layouts by a specific designer's name. If the game can't connect to the BFG server, it can't look up the player information and the game crashes with this error message. Players have also gotten this error when creating layouts and tilesets in the game.
MTE uses shockwave, and the director player error appears to be a shockwave error. See below for information about downloading the latest version of shockwave. Also, be sure to back up your "player" directory often so that you can recover any lost points and best times stats if you experience a game crash from this error.
Q: What other software should I keep up-to-date for MTE?
A: In order to run MTE, make sure your computer has the latest versions of these components installed.
DirectX:
www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/re....D-85FC42 2D1388
Flash:
get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Shockwave:
www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer/
Java (for online version of MTE):
java.sun.com/webapps/getjava/BrowserRedirect?locale=en&host=www.java.com:80
Q: I get the following errors when I run the game: Mahjong has encountered a problem. Please make sure you have the latest version. And then this appears (Object expected) (Symbol expected{85051, 1, 1}. What can I do to fix this?
A: Your "players" and "times" file has maxed out in the game from playing a large number of layouts. Please post on the forum asking for assistance, or send a pm to aperratt for help.
Ranks/Badges
Q: What are the different ranks and badges in the game?
A: The ranks/badges are listed here: mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=whoareyou&action=display&thread=1124073911
Q: Why isn't my correct rank showing up online?
A: This can happen if you exit the game using the 'x' at the top right of the main game screen instead of the "Quit" button. This can also happen if your firewall software prevents the macromedia program from pushing stats to the BFG server. If you run ZoneAlarm, you can allow the program to run. For the Windows firewall, you can add MTE to the allowed list and this should solve the problem. To add MTE to the allowed list, go to the Control Panel and double-click on Windows Firewall. Then click the Exceptions tab, click the "Add Program" button, find MTE in the list and then click OK.
Q: How can I play on my new computer with my old name and my old rank?
A: Copy the "player" directory in C:\Program Files\Mahjong Towers Eternity over to your new computer. This directory contains all of the game data that stores your player name, times, etc.
Q: How do I see my rank online?
A: Here's the link if you want to view players on the web. You can search for a specific player and also sort the players list by specific ranks. www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/players.php
Here's how you search for a specific player: Enter the player name in the Find Player box and click Go. Click on the player name to see the rank. Note: there is a bug on the page when you search for a player - all players show up as Bronze Rat but when you click on the player name you'll see the correct rank.
Here's how you view all of the players that have a particular rank: Select the rank that you want to view from the View Rank box (e.g., Lightning Dragon). Then at the bottom of that page, you can change the Results per Page drop-down to a higher number (like 500), to see your standing within that rank.
Points System
Q: How many points do I get for playing layouts, including making matches and playing in concentration mode?
A: For a complete description of the points system in the game, see this topic:
mahjongtowers.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=gameplay&action=display&thread=1123962284&page=1
Q: How does the points system work (finish bonus calculation)
A: When a layout first gets released, it is automatically worth 2,500 points. After people have played it 10 times, the score gets adjusted. For example, if a layout has 12 attempts and only 9 completes, it will have a 75% success rate and the score will get adjusted up to 3,000. If a layout has 50 attempts and 50 completes, it will have a 100% success rate and the score will be adjusted down to 500. Impossible layouts that only have a 0%-3% completion rate are worth 10,000 points. Those are just some examples, but as layouts get played the score gets adjusted according to how difficult the layouts are and according to how many players are able to complete them.
Q: What is concentration mode?
In concentration mode, you get 3X the points of the finish layout value. But you have to wait until the score gets adjusted on a layout, otherwise you'll just get the initial 2,500 point value. The score gets adjusted after a layout has been played 10 times. So if a layout has been adjusted to 3,000 points, you can get 9,000 points for that layout in concentration mode.
Layouts
Q: How do I look up layouts by designer?
A: In the game, click "View Player". A new window will come up and click "Find a Player". Then you can search by the designer's name to find all layouts by a particular designer.
Q: How do I look up layouts by layout name?
To find a specific layout in the game, click "Get More Layouts" in your Favorites area and then select "Find by Name". Then in the next box enter the name of the layout. To find a layout online, go to www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/layouts.php
In the "Find Layout:" box enter the name of the layout and then click "Go".
Q: How do I view all layouts?
A: If a designer submits more than 10 layouts a day, only the first 10 layouts that are submitted appear on the lists in the game. To view all layouts that are shared, you can view the layout list online:
www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/layouts.php
Q: Where can I find a list of the top layout creators?
A: www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/index.php
Newest List and Other Game Lists
Q: What layouts make the Newest list?
A: The Newest list is comprised of layouts that are 70 tiles or more, and generally the most recently shared layouts show up on this list. Designers are allowed to publish 10 layouts within a 24-hour period; any layouts that are shared after 10 are shared don't show up on any of the lists. Also, any layouts that are between 44-68 tiles do not show up on any lists.
Q: What layouts make the Popular list?
A: Layouts that get a lot of play show up on the Most Popular list, but after two weeks they drop off of the list so that newer layouts can get cycled onto that list.
Q: What layouts make the Hardest list?
A: Layouts that have a 0%-1% completion rate.
Q: What layouts make the Random list?
A: The Random list is a good way to find older layouts, since it's a randomly generated list selected from all of the available layouts (if they made the Newest list or other lists in the game).
Q: What layouts make the Smallest list?
A: The Smallest list is for 42-tile layouts only.
Stars
Q: How many points are needed for one star?
A: 23.219.250 points.
Q: Where can I view the stars list?
A: www.mahjongtowerseternity.com/index.php
Game Buttons
Q: What does the "Drop From Favorites" button do?
"Drop from Favorites" removes a layout from your favorites list. It in no way affects that layout's finish bonus. And if you search for that layout later, it will still be available in the game.
Q: What does the "Report to Moderator" button do?
When you click "Report to Moderator" it not only drops the layout from your favorites, but (we assume) it sends a red flag of some sort to Big Fish Games for them to check out the level. So they can decide if it is inappropriate and remove it if necessary. For example, a layout that spells out a swear word may not be appropriate. When you report a layout to the moderator, it does not automatically drop off of the layout lists for other players. In addition, the information is stored in a local file in your MTE directory so you can't download that layout again.