Please click here if you do not see a Nav Frame at left
How to Get the CARD FILE UPGRADE for
Shanghai Second Dynasty or
Shanghai Mah-Jongg Essentials
I have Activision's Shanghai Second Dynasty (or Shanghai Mah-Jongg Essentials) and although it's lovely that it comes with the 2000 AMJA card, I would much prefer to play it with the current NMJL card. Is that possible?
Yes, it is.
The game comes with a Custom Card Editor feature, which gives you the ability to edit your own mah-jongg card. The feature is accessed in the FILE menu in the game. Full instructions for using the Custom Card Editor are given under the HELP menu. (Click Manual-Rules, then pull the jewel icon down. Under the section heading "American Mah-Jongg," look for "How to Program Your Own American Mah-Jongg Card.")
Using the editor creates a "card file," which is an electronic version of the printed card that's usable by the game. The player must (of course) have the PRINTED card, and the computer must have the card FILE. It takes me about one hour to edit a new card when they come out. I provide the card file to the AMJA, in fact. It is that easy to program a card! On March 31, 2004, I got the new NMJL card in the mail - an hour later I had it working in Shanghai Second Dynasty on my Windows XP machine. That's how quick and easy it is, once you have mastered the use of the Card Editor feature.
If, however, you do not feel up to the task of using the Custom Card Editor, I can sell you the current NMJL card file. The AMJA card file must be purchased direct from the AMJA (http://www.amja.net).
The 2008 card file upgrade is available now. Of course it comes with detailed instructions!
A. EMAIL. I can email the card file to you. Provide your email address. This is the recommended method.
B. CD. I can "snail mail" a CD to you. You need to provide your mailing address when making payment. If your computer is a Macintosh, make sure your machine can read CDs made on a Windows PC.
| Format | Cost | Shipping | Total |
| $6.00 | Free | $6.00 | |
| CD* | $9.00 | $1.00 | $10.00 |
* The CD includes the current NMJL card file, plus past NMJL/AMJA card files, plus tile sets for the tile-matching games, and answers to the most frequently asked questions about Shanghai Second Dynasty.
A. You could use Paypal (an online credit card service). http://www.paypal.com - my email address (needed in order to send funds) is tomster@sloperama.com. Shipment immediate upon receipt of email from Paypal that you have paid. (This is the recommended method - if you pay via Paypal and request the upgrade by email, it should usually arrive in your mailbox within hours, not days!)
B. If you prefer to pay by check or money order, make payable to Tom Sloper and use this Order Form. Shipment upon receipt of check. Allow several days.
1. You must have Shanghai Second Dynasty or Shanghai Mah-Jongg Essentials already installed on your computer. (If you don't have the game, then... sorry! The game is long discontinued by Activision. I do NOT know where you can buy one. Try eBay.)
2. You must have the current NMJL Card, purchased from the National Mah Jongg League, Inc. Click here to go to the NMJL website, or click here to read FAQ 7i and learn about American cards in general.
1. Limited Replacement Policy.
2. Limited Support Policy. Purchase of the card file upgrade does not entitle the purchaser to customer support for the Shanghai game itself. If you have a problem that is strictly related to the card file upgrade, I'll do my best to help. But if you have a problem with your Shanghai game, your only recourse is to phone Activision at (310) 255-2050. I do NOT provide customer support for Activision products. Period. Read FAQ 24.
AMJA
If you want a card file upgrade for the latest AMJA card, you can buy that directly from the AMJA.
Macintosh Users
IF YOU HAVE VERSION 1.0 OF THE SHANGHAI GAME:
Version 1.0 has a bug that doesn't allow the game to read files not "filetyped" for the game. I do not have access to a Mac, thus this file is not "filetyped."
So if you have version 1.0 you will have to use a filetyper (it's up to you to find, download, and install a filetyping utility, without much help from me) - OR you will have to download the v1.1 patch from http://www.activision.com (you have to search the support area to find it, if they still have it available). The v1.1 patch is the better option for Mac users, if you can get it from Activision. OR you could use the Card Editor feature yourself. Read the instructions in the game's Help menu.
All the patch servers are no longer working!
>From: Ruud Snoep @ tiscali.nl
>Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 8:10 AM
>Subject: xp patch mahjong second dynasty
>hello tom, do you know a site where to download the windows xp patch for mahjong second dynasty; i have the cd but up to now it is only working on my windows 98 and on google all the servers i found with the patch are no longer working; thank you; ruud snoep.
中&西: Hello Ruud,
I respectfully request that you please do not ask me any technical support questions for any computer games, including the Shanghai games that I designed and produced when I was an employee of Activision.
But to answer your question, you shouldn't be using Google. You should just be going directly to http://www.activision.com/support/. The patch is right there.
Greetz,
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
MJ溌Sloperama中com
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 27, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
To all my beloved readers: Please never ask me technical support questions for any computer games, including the Shanghai games I made when I was employed by Activision eight years ago. Read FAQ 24 (at left).
**This line was written on April 1st.