When a computer player wins a game you were sure was yours, it is fair to wonder whether it could see your tiles. At Mahjongg School it can't. Each computer player is handed the same view a person in its chair would have, and it picks every pass, throw and call from that view alone.
What each computer player is given
On every decision, each computer player receives exactly this, and nothing else:
- Its own tiles. The ones on its rack, face up to it.
- Every set face up, on every rack, including yours.
- Every tile thrown so far, in order.
- How many tiles are left in the wall. The number only, not which tiles they are.
- Whose turn it is, and which players have been called dead.
- The card being played, the same card you see.
Your tiles are only backs to it. So are the other two players' tiles, and the wall.
What a computer player can learn about you: the sets you have laid face up, and the tiles you throw. The rest of your rack is hidden from it, as it would be at a real table.
How it still plays well
A strong player at a real table reads the same things our computer players read: which tiles you have thrown, which sets you have shown, which tiles have run out. From those it works out which lines on the card you could still be building, and it holds on to the tiles you might need. That is skill any person can learn, and the Coach shows you how to do it.
The Coach sees only your side
The Coach works the same way. When it suggests a pass or a throw, it is looking at your tiles and the table, the same view you have. It never peeks at another player's rack to tell you what to do.
Questions
Can the computer players see my tiles at Mahjongg School?
No. Each computer player sees its own tiles, the sets face up on every rack, the tiles thrown, how many tiles are left in the wall, and the card. Your concealed tiles and the wall are hidden from it.
Does the computer know which tile I will draw next?
No. It knows how many tiles are left in the wall, not which tiles they are or their order.
Does the Coach look at the other players' tiles?
No. The Coach sees your tiles and the table, the same view you have, and nothing else.
Sources
What each player may see is set out in the school's rules page, section 7. Our video Can the computer see my tiles? shows a real game from the computer player's chair.