Two decades to posterity

[Nao]

I last posted here ten years ago, to celebrate Kyodai Mahjongg's tenth anniversary. I didn't know, at the time, that I would never release another version of the game. And yet...

It's hard to imagine that 20 years after its release, the website is still here, and I'm here to celebrate again.
I stopped development for a simple, good reason: burn-out. I'd spent a couple years working on useless details of KMJ instead of adding a story mode like every game does these days. (I had a really interesting story ready to use, too.)
Then I soon lost my PC and with it, my development environment, and it was too complicated to reinstall properly. I might be able to recompile the game one day, but I'm not placing any bets on it. I'd still like to put that story to words. Maybe I'll do a new KMJ from scratch. I don't know. And I'll get rid of that terrible Comic Sans MS font that hurts my eyes each time I point my eyes at the 'Hall of Fame'.

The fact is, Kyodai is still as wonderful as it was 20 years ago. It was the best of its kind (and probably still is), sold decently online and very well in retail (under the name 'Mahjongg Master'), it won Shareware Industry Awards two years in a row, was a precursor of the indie scene, inspired dozens of clones, and its soundtrack is just as timeless today as it was at the time. Miguel Samiez, once a simple neighbor who 'owed me one' for stealing a Final Fantasy CD before I tracked it down to him a year later (true story!), became a good friend and I became a fan. He wrote songs for me as his way to apologize, and it made him realize he wanted to be a musician. His later albums have all been fantastic. And finally, the KMJ community is still alive, I'm friends with many players on Facebook. They still play the game to this day. Even my mother-in-law has been playing it every day for years.

To thousands of people, Kyodai has to been them what Spider Solitaire is to me: the go-to game to launch for a quick minu...hour...evening when you want to clear your mind. I'm just happy I can be part of your lives.

I really have no reason to complain. After a few years of putting it aside, I started selling Kyodai again last year as a way for fans to support me (and my happy offspring), and I still sell a couple copies a week, so it's nice to know you all still care about it. For many years, I simply didn't realize. I missed out. Now I'll never forget.

Here's to another few decades of happy matching!

[jessam]

Well done, Nao I am still playing the games and still enjoy them.  I'm sure you will agree 20 years has just flown buy.  But, I am sure it's made you a fortune and well deserved too.  I am sure you have given pleasure to hundreds.

[Freddish]

Agreed. The adaptability is excellent. I get a yen to make a new tile set every now and then and enjoy that as much as the game.

I saw Paul McCartney in Frankfurt in '89. that was the tour where he first put his Beatles music back in his act. The ticket was 40 DM and that included train fare to and from the show. That was the best money to value ratio I ever had.
The $20 I spent on Kyodai is the second best.

[Nao]

@jessam> Not a fortune, because I got ripped off by eGames for my retail contract (I was so happy to be in physical shops, I accepted a ridiculous flat fee from them), but I'm a man of little needs, so to me it *was* a fortune.

@Freddish> Thanks ^o^;

[Artur]

Congrats on the 20th birthday. Maybe we'll see a new release in some years.

[Nao]

Well, I'll never say never!

Plus it's the only thing I've been able to sell more than a few copies of in my life.

[GotAMD]

I happened to be browsing my software library, came across Kyodai Mahjongg, and figured I'd check in just to see what was up for nostalgia's sake.  This is still one of my favorite games of all time! 

[Nao]

[langilal]

I wanted to congratulate you on the longevity of your wonderful game. Hardly a day goes by when either myself or my wife plays Kyodai - it still captivates us and still frustrates me (in a good way).
Even though you haven't created an update, or a new version, you have been tremendously helpful. A few years ago I was having a problem with Kyodai when Microsoft produced an update/upgrade that had me in a tizzy. You quickly offered me a solution that has kept me playing on.

Many thanks

Happy 20th.

[Nao]

Thank you!

[clisair]

@jessam> Not a fortune, because I got ripped off by eGames for my retail contract (I was so happy to be in physical shops, I accepted a ridiculous flat fee from them), but I'm a man of little needs, so to me it *was* a fortune.

@Freddish> Thanks ^o^;

Try contacting GOG.com. Lots of indies and AAA's sell there

[moonfern]

I love this game. I am always delighted when it continues to function on every new version of windows.

Kudos to you. 

[Nao]

Thank you

@clisair, GOG rocks (especially because they're a sister company of CD Projekt Red, the makers of my favorite AAA game), but they're very selective of the games they sell (even more so than Valve/Steam).
Also, I'm getting old and I don't feel like selling the qualities of my game to a company that gave up on its "Good Old Games" (i.e. retro) policy a couple years ago. I don't think I've ever seen an indie casual game over there, either. Or some kind of Shanghai clone in general.

[oldgreyhouse]

  Happy Anniversary Nao.
KMJ is still my go-to game.

[Freddish]

Wow! Good to hear from you, oldgreyhouse! It's been too long.