Yakuza 0 Mahjong help

[SSheepGuy]

I was playing Yakuza and the game is really fun. I recently got started playing mahjong recently and I don't understand a damn thing. LOL. I started looking at the mahjong guide for Yakuza and watched a 3 hour video on YT about mahjong and it's still deep and complex for my feeble mind to understand. Can any of you guys give me an explanation on what pieces you need to use to win in a "For Dummies" style? And do you guys have good tips on how to memorize the character tiles?

Edited November 11, 2018 by Gamesareify

[Redgrave]

It helps to know what numbers the tiles are. Basically you want the numbers in a set (e.g. the green tiles or the tiles that have the round coin looking things) to go in an order of 1-2-3, 4-5-6, or 7-8-9. In a nutshell, you will want to have different sets in your hand that have different symbols that go off on each other. So say you have one set that has 4-5-6, and then another set has 1-2-3. This means you are close to getting a winning hand. I believe you need a third or fourth set to also have corresponding numbers like that in order to win a hand or call Riichi. More on Riichi below.

 

However, you can also win by having what I think is the Full House equivalent by having a full set go 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9. My biggest mistake when playing Mahjong was I kept looking too deep into the numbers until I realized that the tiles only go by threes so I kept winding up with things like 2-2-3, 7-7-8 and kept thinking I could win with things like 5-5-5-5 so on. And for some reason I thought getting sets like 4-4-4, 5-5-5 helped. I think what happened was I kept seeing people say "look at the opponents hands" and I saw the winning hands the opponents have with sets that looked like that and it really tripped me up. 

 

I believe you can also have duplicates of the same set. So let's say for example with the tiles that have the round things you get 1-2-3, you can have another of the same set of tiles with 1-2-3 and it can count for you.

 

Oh and there's also Dragon and Wind tiles. I honestly have no idea what the Wind tiles do or mean, but I always kept at least one in my hand and would make sure to have two or three Dragon tiles. I believe Dragon tiles help you call a Riichi better. What's a Riichi you ask? It's basically what happens when you get a good hand and when you do it the game goes into auto-pilot and you are able to take an opponents tile that you need to complete a set. This doesn't always happen, and the opponents will more than likely manage to get it before you because the game seems to favor the opponents more.

 

So basically a winning hand can look like this: [Tile set 1] 1-2-3 [Tile set 2] 4-5-6 [Tile set 3] 7-8-9, Two or three Dragon Tiles and a Wind tile. Or this: [Tile set] 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9, Dragon tiles. So now that no one is confused let's move on!

 

The next issue is being able to take other opponents tiles. You've probably noticed that you can take opponents tiles (I believe it's called a Pon). This is a beginners trap as it is not a good idea to do this especially early on in the match because it means you won't be able to call a Riichi or at least makes it way harder to. Some people, including me, say it's not a good idea to do it at all. I don't think I've ever won a match where I do this and have it benefit me in any way. If it did then it must not have not helped or it wasn't a significant enough win. Calling Riichi is the way to go.

 

Since I more than likely did nothing at all to explain it well and probably confused you further like a lot of other people did me, here's a video that helped me when I tried going for it. It's Yakuza 6 footage but it's basically the same thing except the tiles are actually numbered in Yakuza 6.

 

 

Basically, get sets of numbers in 1-2-3 or if you want to you can try to get a full set of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 with a single tile set and always be sure to call Riichi by pressing square repeatedly since that's the only way to get the Riichi option to show up. You'll know you're close to winning if you press square during your turn and you get the option to call a Riichi. If you see the option for Riichi come up, look at the tiles you have so you can replicate that or at least keep in mind the hand you have. After that you have a bigger chance of winning. Unfortunately the game is still pretty RNG heavy and so what might happen most of the time is the opponent calls Riichi before you can even get enough tiles. Or perhaps worst of all, you call a Riichi and when the game goes into auto-pilot one of the opponents calls a Ron and wins because you automatically laid down a tile they needed to win the game. I cannot stress how much of a terrible feeling this is especially when there really isn't much of a way to prevent it.

 

It took me forever to figure it out but just don't overthink it and don't look too hard into the numbers like I did and you should be fine.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Redgrave

[Jigsy1]

If it's possible, try get seven pairs.

[Happy]

Get 4 sets of 3 (either sequences or triplets) and one pair. Press square every round to see if it lets you call Riichi, do so if you can. Ignore everything else. If you do this long enough you should theoretically be able to brute force your way through most of it.

Memorizing the man tiles will come naturally.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Happy

[DaveMcDamage]

To get through the game requirements you only really need the basics which people have mentioned.

 

Get triples as in 1,2,3 or 111 or the dragon symbols (red, green and the white blank tiles) or the wind tiles which are the black text tiles. You can also go for doubles of the same pairs so 1,1, red dragon, red dragon etc etc. 

 

The thing to avoid where possible is stealing. Its tempting at first to get the tile what you want but when you do that it makes the hand much more difficult as you cannot call for Ron unless you get given the tile you need on your turn. So avoid stealing as much as you can and when your hand starts to look complete, press square to call for Riichi. This means you only need one tile and when calling choose a tile which has more tiles left in the game. So lets say you have all sets but need either a 2 or a 3, call Riichi and then if the 2 you need shows 1 left in the game but 3 shows 3 tiles, you would be better off going for the 3. It then goes into auto-mode and if you get the 3 then you win. or if you get the 3 on your next turn this is when you get Ippatsu. Note though that you can still lose or draw when calling Riichi which is whys its important to check the tile you need rather than just mashing the button on calling. 

 

Also in the mahjon options switch on red dora I think it is. This gives red tiles for certain suits which give extra points. You also have the dora tile but for now concentrate on the triples and doubles. I'd also advise when going for the 10 mil to play in expert table. The rest call Riichi slower but the payout is whack even when you win. On the expert tables you get anything from 6 mil for coming first. 

 

Once you get the basics down mate its such a top game. Many fear it due to the language barrier on tiles but its so simple and now my favourite mini game. 

Edited November 11, 2018 by DaveMcDamage

[x27xx]

Getting the Riichi Ippatsu requirement was the hardest one for me. It's all luck based. I got it by getting 7 pairs with less than 15 cards left to be dealt.

[thefourfoldroot]

This was the game that made me give up on the Yakuza 0 plat. Knowing I won't be able to get the plat on the other games also makes me slightly less interested in playing them. Which is a real shame. 

Edited November 11, 2018 by thefourfoldroot

[Lordguwa]

37 minutes ago, thefourfoldroot said:

This was the game that made me give up on the Yakuza 0 plat. Knowing I won't be able to get the plat on the other games also makes me slightly less interested in playing them. Which is a real shame. 

 

i wouldn't give up on it completely, just gotta keep trying till good results patience is key.

i nearly thought about starting yakuza 0 myself the other day but i decided against it.

Edited November 11, 2018 by kingdrake2

[SSheepGuy]

On 11/11/2018 at 3:56 AM, Redgrave said:

It helps to know what numbers the tiles are. Basically you want the numbers in a set (e.g. the green tiles or the tiles that have the round coin looking things) to go in an order of 1-2-3, 4-5-6, or 7-8-9. In a nutshell, you will want to have different sets in your hand that have different symbols that go off on each other. So say you have one set that has 4-5-6, and then another set has 1-2-3. This means you are close to getting a winning hand. I believe you need a third or fourth set to also have corresponding numbers like that in order to win a hand or call Riichi. More on Riichi below.

 

However, you can also win by having what I think is the Full House equivalent by having a full set go 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9. My biggest mistake when playing Mahjong was I kept looking too deep into the numbers until I realized that the tiles only go by threes so I kept winding up with things like 2-2-3, 7-7-8 and kept thinking I could win with things like 5-5-5-5 so on. And for some reason I thought getting sets like 4-4-4, 5-5-5 helped. I think what happened was I kept seeing people say "look at the opponents hands" and I saw the winning hands the opponents have with sets that looked like that and it really tripped me up. 

 

I believe you can also have duplicates of the same set. So let's say for example with the tiles that have the round things you get 1-2-3, you can have another of the same set of tiles with 1-2-3 and it can count for you.

 

Oh and there's also Dragon and Wind tiles. I honestly have no idea what the Wind tiles do or mean, but I always kept at least one in my hand and would make sure to have two or three Dragon tiles. I believe Dragon tiles help you call a Riichi better. What's a Riichi you ask? It's basically what happens when you get a good hand and when you do it the game goes into auto-pilot and you are able to take an opponents tile that you need to complete a set. This doesn't always happen, and the opponents will more than likely manage to get it before you because the game seems to favor the opponents more.

 

So basically a winning hand can look like this: [Tile set 1] 1-2-3 [Tile set 2] 4-5-6 [Tile set 3] 7-8-9, Two or three Dragon Tiles and a Wind tile. Or this: [Tile set] 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9, Dragon tiles. So now that no one is confused let's move on!

 

The next issue is being able to take other opponents tiles. You've probably noticed that you can take opponents tiles (I believe it's called a Pon). This is a beginners trap as it is not a good idea to do this especially early on in the match because it means you won't be able to call a Riichi or at least makes it way harder to. Some people, including me, say it's not a good idea to do it at all. I don't think I've ever won a match where I do this and have it benefit me in any way. If it did then it must not have not helped or it wasn't a significant enough win. Calling Riichi is the way to go.

 

Since I more than likely did nothing at all to explain it well and probably confused you further like a lot of other people did me, here's a video that helped me when I tried going for it. It's Yakuza 6 footage but it's basically the same thing except the tiles are actually numbered in Yakuza 6.

 

 

Basically, get sets of numbers in 1-2-3 or if you want to you can try to get a full set of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 with a single tile set and always be sure to call Riichi by pressing square repeatedly since that's the only way to get the Riichi option to show up. You'll know you're close to winning if you press square during your turn and you get the option to call a Riichi. If you see the option for Riichi come up, look at the tiles you have so you can replicate that or at least keep in mind the hand you have. After that you have a bigger chance of winning. Unfortunately the game is still pretty RNG heavy and so what might happen most of the time is the opponent calls Riichi before you can even get enough tiles. Or perhaps worst of all, you call a Riichi and when the game goes into auto-pilot one of the opponents calls a Ron and wins because you automatically laid down a tile they needed to win the game. I cannot stress how much of a terrible feeling this is especially when there really isn't much of a way to prevent it.

 

It took me forever to figure it out but just don't overthink it and don't look too hard into the numbers like I did and you should be fine.

Thank you. That helped a lot. I'll try not to over think it. I wish they would at least number each tiles or at least the character tiles.

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by StraySGuy999

[PooPooBlast]

It is something that took me a while to understand but now I actually enjoy it. (lol I have to because Yakuza Kiwami 2 has a win 30 matches using ron or tsumo). But it was something that I definitely did not get in 1 day. I would play this game in short bursts in between activities also to break the initial overwhelming feeling. 

 

First time I played it, I just kept referring back and forth to the different possible melds as well as to memorize the symbols which takes time so all I can say is be patient. 

 

Finally you won't learn much without playing and reading theory and that goes for any minigame.  So just play over and over, using trial and error and eventually you'll start to catch on pretty quickly. Imo one of the things that immensely helped me was after every defeat, I'd look at the AI's hand to see how did they win and then trying to formulate a certain pattern in my brain on how to win myself in the future. 

[thefourfoldroot]

4 hours ago, kingdrake2 said:

 

i wouldn't give up on it completely, just gotta keep trying till good results patience is key.

i nearly thought about starting yakuza 0 myself the other day but i decided against it.

I tried for ages, until I realised I'd rather be playing something fun, and that I could actually comprehend. So I completed the game and then got rid of it. Given I just got the next on plus I'll play it at some point, but with no intention of going for the plat. 

[Redgrave]

4 hours ago, Gamesareify said:

Thank you. That helped a lot. Looking at the opponents tiles and stealing tiles messed me up too. I'll try not to over think it. I wish they would at least number each tiles or at least the character tiles.

 

 

Yeah, I think that's the biggest issue. Yakuza 6 numbered the tiles thankfully. I don't know why it took them so long to do that though.

[SSheepGuy]

Thanks for all the help, guys! I appreciate you all. I've managed to get a riichi ippatsu, Haneman and going all out 10 times. I need only Mangan 3 more times, a full straight, and getting the 10 million on mahjong. 

Edited December 1, 2018 by Gamesareify

[thefourfoldroot]

These luck based trophies, especially in a games who's language I don't understand, are horrendous. Mayjong single-handedly caused me to give up on the plat. 

 

Edit: sorry, forgot I already posted that. 

Edited December 1, 2018 by thefourfoldroot

[PooPooBlast]

20 minutes ago, thefourfoldroot said:

These luck based trophies, especially in a games who's language I don't understand, are horrendous. Mayjong single-handedly caused me to give up on the plat. 

 

Edit: sorry, forgot I already posted that. 

I felt overwhelmed initially but it just boiled down to slowing down a little and trying to learn the mechanics of it. I mean it is a game that is enjoyed by many many people in east asia so surely there must be patterns that can be memorized or understood if others can. Imo you should give it another go but it's up to you though .

[thefourfoldroot]

59 minutes ago, PooPooBlast said:

I felt overwhelmed initially but it just boiled down to slowing down a little and trying to learn the mechanics of it. I mean it is a game that is enjoyed by many many people in east asia so surely there must be patterns that can be memorized or understood if others can. Imo you should give it another go but it's up to you though .

I tried to learn the rules, and learnt just enough to know that getting these trophies are ultimately down to luck. 

Maybe if I enjoyed the game... But I feel I need to devote a lot of time to it and learn the Japanese characters and I'd rather be playing Videogames than doing that, honestly. Shame, because the Yakuza games are great, but knowing their is no plat trophy to go for makes me less likely to enjoy them than other similar games. 

Edited December 1, 2018 by thefourfoldroot

[PooPooBlast]

2 hours ago, thefourfoldroot said:

I tried to learn the rules, and learnt just enough to know that getting these trophies are ultimately down to luck. 

Maybe if I enjoyed the game... But I feel I need to devote a lot of time to it and learn the Japanese characters and I'd rather be playing Videogames than doing that, honestly. Shame, because the Yakuza games are great, but knowing their is no plat trophy to go for makes me less likely to enjoy them than other similar games. 

Ahh fair enough. 

 

As for the characters, at least in Kiwami 1 or Kiwami 2, can't remember, they introduced small English letters at the corners to help you remember the names. 

[SSheepGuy]

I did all the requirements for mahjong. I love playing it. It was fun. 

 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Gamesareify

[heyTrust]

any helpful tips for a newbie? i cant seem to understand the game .....

[SSheepGuy]

This is the simplest way I could help you. Just so you know, I'm not articulate in explaining and If I didn't help, watch videos on it online or play to understand the mechanics better. So to win at mahjong, you need 4 sets and a pair. A set is 3 tiles with sequential numerical order(EX: 1,2,3) or 3 tiles with the same value. A pair is two tiles that are the same. Basically, you need 4 sets of 3 tiles and a 1 pair of 2 identical tiles. If you think you need one more tile to win, mash the square button for Riichi. I tried explaining it the best I can.

I understood better through playing, watching videos on mahjong, and people explaining it to me.

P.S: You'll need to memorize the character tiles and the other tiles(specifically, the dots and the bamboos)to know their value.

1 hour ago, leandroxpto said:

any helpful tips for a newbie? i cant seem to understand the game .....

By the way, you seemed to finish the Climax Battles. Can you explain how to do Proving Grounds 1-8 and Melee 3-6?I'm having a hard time with them.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2018 by Gamesareify

[heyTrust]

On 10/12/2018 at 1:28 AM, Gamesareify said:

This is the simplest way I could help you. Just so you know, I'm not articulate in explaining and If I didn't help, watch videos on it online or play to understand the mechanics better. So to win at mahjong, you need 4 sets and a pair. A set is 3 tiles with sequential numerical order(EX: 1,2,3) or 3 tiles with the same value. A pair is two tiles that are the same. Basically, you need 4 sets of 3 tiles and a 1 pair of 2 identical tiles. If you think you need one more tile to win, mash the square button for Riichi. I tried explaining it the best I can.

I understood better through playing, watching videos on mahjong, and people explaining it to me.

P.S: You'll need to memorize the character tiles and the other tiles(specifically, the dots and the bamboos)to know their value.

By the way, you seemed to finish the Climax Battles. Can you explain how to do Proving Grounds 1-8 and Melee 3-6?I'm having a hard time with them.

 

 

 

 

 

i used this guide https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/241144-yakuza-0/faqs/74451/climax-battles and watched some of dantedevil videos on youtube , some of those have specific tricks to it . I can help you out with it if you want and you could help me with mahjong

[SSheepGuy]

9 hours ago, leandroxpto said:

i used this guide https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/241144-yakuza-0/faqs/74451/climax-battles and watched some of dantedevil videos on youtube , some of those have specific tricks to it . I can help you out with it if you want and you could help me with mahjong

Thanks for the help. I'll check out the videos and the guides. If I need your help, I'll reach out. 

As for me, there's really not much I could help you with in terms of mahjong. Forming your hand is luck based. You'll have to learn how to discard the tiles you don't need.

Don't give up playing mahjong.

Edited December 11, 2018 by Gamesareify

[BDRick35]

I don't know if the "Gambler Binding" was helping or not but i've finally completed mahjong after more than a year. It actually can be fun after you learned it. Playing with "Red Dora" sure helps you get the Mangan CP. My tactic was mostly first discard the dragon, wind tiles if i only had one of them. Then check pairs or matching triples. Then Discard single tiles. After that i tried to discard most one or nine tiles, read this tip some days ago and it really helped. You can form more triples with an eight, rather than a nine. Final Phase is just get lucky and complete your Hand. And Always check if you can call Richi (by pressing square), because you can sometimes miss it.

It can be frustrating some times, especially when calling richi and you don't get your last missing tile but eventually you'll earn every CP.

[Wagszilla]

I completed all the Mahjong CP items but one thing I was curious about is how to you “go out” / win a hand when you don’t call Riichi?

 

If I’m taking a discarded tile (Kan, etc), how to I play other items that are already in my hand?

 

I’ll re-read the Mahjong Guide tomorrow to see if I missed it during skimming but maybe someone can hook me up with a quick answer. 

[cckerberos]

17 minutes ago, Wagszilla said:

I completed all the Mahjong CP items but one thing I was curious about is how to you “go out” / win a hand when you don’t call Riichi?

 

If I’m taking a discarded tile (Kan, etc), how to I play other items that are already in my hand?

 

I’ll re-read the Mahjong Guide tomorrow to see if I missed it during skimming but maybe someone can hook me up with a quick answer. 

 

You win a round of mahjong when you have the necessary sets of tiles and your hand is worth at least 1 han. So you win without calling riichi by assembling a different yaku that is worth at least 1 han.

 

If you take a discard your hand is considered "open". If you haven't taken any discards, it is "closed".

 

Some yaku are only worth points when your hand is closed, but there are others that are still worth points with an open hand (you have to memorize which is which, there's no easy way to tell).

 

For example, gathering three of the same dragon tile is worth 1 han whether your hand is open or closed. Same thing for having a hand that is all pons. So you can feel free to steal discards if you're aiming for either of those.