Mattel Electronics
MIND STRIKE
Cartridge Instructions

USE WITH ANY INTELLIVISION@ MASTER COMPONENT, COMPUTER ADAPTOR AND COMPUTER
KEYBOARD.

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OBJECT OF THE GAME

The object of the game is to destroy your opponent's castle while protecting
your own from attack. You move numbered pieces towards your opponent's castle on
a video game board. Choose any of 50 checkered, futuristic boards - or design
your own! Capture your opponent's pieces of a lesser numerical value when they
get in your way. As your skill improves, use the advanced strategies described
later and push the game to the outer limits of your abilities.

Two different kinds of games are possible - MIND STRIKE and SPEED STRIKE! In
Mind Strike, players alternate turns and take their time deciding moves, as in
chess. Play against a friend or against Max, the computer. To make the game even
more challenging, reprogram the computer by changing the "strategy settings"
before you start to play. This makes your opponent weaker or smarter, as you
wish. You can also create Gus, a second computer player. Watch Max and Gus play
each other to study strategies.

The other game is called Speed Strike. Players move simultaneously, the faster
the better. It's a unique battle of mind and clock! Here you alwaysplay against
a friend. To add excitement to your game, you can increase or decrease the speed
of the action!

To win, in either game, you need to land a numbered piece on the opposing castle
or remove all the opposing pieces from the board. But, as you probably suspect,
it won't be easy!

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YOUR KEYBOARD

DEPOSIT PIECES (EDIT 1-7

CHOOSE NUMBER OF PLAYERS 0, 1, 2

MOVE GREEN CURSOR (EDIT) arrow keys

BACKSPACE (erase) down arrow

TOGGLE BOARD ON/OFF (EDIT) space bar

DEPOSIT CASTLE (EDIT) C

NEXT BOARD (scrolling boards) space bar

TYPING COMPLETED RTN

EDITING COMPLETED RTN

NOTE: DO NOT USE THE KEYPAD AND DISC A THE SAME TIME.

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YOUR HAND CONTROLLERS

Slide MIND STRIKE™ overlays into Hand Controller frames, so that they cover the
keypads. Insert cartridge in Computer Adaptor cartridge slot. (See Computer
Module Owner's Guide for equipment connection details.)

For 1-player games, use LEFT Hand Controller

For 2-player games, Player 1 uses LEFT Hand Controller

LEFT Hand Controller controls GREEN pieces and GREEN cursor. RIGHT Hand
Controller controls WHITE pieces and WHITE cursor.

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GETTING STARTED!

CHOOSE THE GAME

Once you see the title screen, hit any key on your Computer Keyboard, except
SHIFT and CTL, to move into the game. You will see the following on your screen:

Select: 
1] Mind Strike
2] Speed Strike

To play Mind Strike, type in [1] on your Keyboard. To play Speed Strike, type in
[2]. Hit [RETURN] after either selection.

Note: Always erase wrong entries or misspelled words before you hit [RETURN] by
using the left arrow key [%/<-] on your Keyboard.

CHOOSE NUMBER OF PLAYERS
In Mind Strike, you'll be asked "Number of Players?"
Choose Number of Players: 
On your keyboard, type in: 
2 for a two player game
1 for You vs. Max
0 for Max vs. Gus

(Max is the computer. Gus is another computer player.)
Then, hit [RETURN] 
In Speed Strike, you're automatically set for a two player game.
Watch "Board 1" appear on the screen. 
CHOOSE YOUR PLAYING BOARD
Hit [RETURN] if you want to play on "Board 1." 
Or, hit the space bar to scroll from board to board...up to "Board 50," and hit
[RETURN] after deciding on one. (Refer to page 35, CREATE YOUR OWN BOARD, for
instructions on how to design your own board.)

You'll be prompted "Yes?"

START!
Type in START on your keyboard to begin either Mind Strike or Speed Strike! 
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PLAYING MIND STRIKE!

Press Direction [Disc] to move your cursor over your own numbered pieces on the
board. Position your cursor over the piece you want to move.

Here are the basic and advanced moves you can make:

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BASIC MOVE

Press any [SIDE] button to activate the piece (source piece) you have chosen to
move. Watch how the piece's background color changes to indicate it has been
chosen. Then put the cursor over the destination square (the square that you
want to move the piece to). Press any [SIDE] button to complete your command.
Your piece will jump up in the air and fall exactly on the destination square,
accompanied by a lock sound.

The greater the capture power (number on the piece), the slower the piece will
travel towards its destination. A piece can move horizontally, vertically, or
diagonally on the board, but NEVER over another piece. To figure the maximum
distance in squares a piece can travel, subtract the piece number from 8. That
means a 7 can only move one square, while a 1 can move seven squares.

If you activate a piece and then change your mind, you can deactivate the piece
by pressing [CLEAR] on your keypad overlay. Then you can activate the new piece
that you want to move.

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BASIC ATTACK

Same as before, except that you command your piece to fall on an opponent's
piece. If your piece is greater or the same in "capture power," then you will
remove your opponent's piece permanently from the board. Otherwise, your piece
will be removed from the board.

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DINK

If you use your 1 to attack a 7, your piece will be removed from the board. But
the opponent's 7 will be reduced to a 6. This is called "the dink." It only
works when a 1 attacks a 7. It is used to reduce a 7 and make it less powerful.

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ADVANCED MOVES

Once you activate your piece with a SIDE button, you can move it in two ways.
The basic way is to simply move it as one piece to the destination square. The
advanced move goes two steps further.

SPLITTING

You can split the piece into two pieces of lesser value and send either piece to
the destination square while leaving the other piece behind. For instance, you
can split a 7 into a 3 and a 4. If you move the 3 (leaving the 4 behind), you
can move it the same distance that you could a regular 3. You can also decide to
move the 4 (leaving the 3 behind) and the 4 moves like any other 4. Remember:
the distance you are allowed to move a piece is the capture power of a piece
subtracted from eight.

A 7 can only move one square at a time. The advanced move comes in really handy
when you're three or four moves away from your opponent's castle and you have a
7 or other large number. You can split your piece and attack it immediately.

To split a piece into two pieces, activate the piece first with any [SIDE]
button. Then move your cursor to the destination square. Press the number key on
your Hand Controller which equals the value of the piece that you want to move
to that square. The original piece will immediately split into two: the piece
moving toward the destination square and the piece left on the source square.

MELDING

You can also move your piece on top of one or your other pieces and combine the
capture powers. However, there are two limitations. First, the sum of the two
numbered pieces can't be more than 8. Second, the resulting piece number will be
the sum of the two pieces MINUS 1. For instance, if your 4 lands on your 2, you
get a 5 (4 + 2 = 6, 6 - 1 = 5). If you try to combine a 4 and a 6 or any other
two pieces which add up to more than 8, the computer rejects the attempt. To
combine your two pieces, simply activate your source piece and position your
cursor over your other piece (destination piece). Press any [SIDE] button.
Finally, try and split and meld on the same move.

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ADVANCED ATTACK

You can attack the basic way by landing one of your pieces on an opponent's
piece of equal or lesser capture power. Or you can attack by splitting your
piece number into two numbers and sending one of them out to capture your
opponent's piece, provided your split piece is equal or greater in capture
power.

WIN

While you wait for your turn, plan a powerful strategy. Land one of your pieces
on your opponent's castle or capture all of your enemy's pieces. In Mind Strike,
landing on the enemy's castle automatically destroys the castle and make you a
winner. If you're playing the green pieces, watch the "GREEN WINS" message
appear on the screen.

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PLAYING AGAINST MAX

If you select a 1 player game, you play against Max.

Playing against Max is the same as playing a human opponent. Pay attention to
Max's moves. He plays well, but not as well as you might think. You can beat
him! If not, reprogram the "strategy settings" to make him weaker, as explained
on page 28 (STRATEGY SETTINGS). If Max's game is not up to yours, you can make
him stronger instead.

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PLAYING SPEED STRIKE!

The same rules hold, except that instead of playing in alternate turns, you play
simultaneously - non-stop! Play as fast as you can - but wisely.

If you attack a piece, your opponent may move the piece while your piece is in
mid-air. In fact, he could be attacking another of your pieces with it. It's
wild! So be alert and play quickly! Note that a piece that has just reached its
destination cannot be re-activated immediately. The piece flashes for awhile,
depending on the piece number, and stops. Then you can activate it!

TIME BOMBS

To win you must land any of your pieces on the opponent's castle or remove all
of your opponent's pieces from the board, as in Mind Strike. But, there's one
difference. If you land on the castle, you must wait until the castle blows
up...which may be from 30 seconds (if your piece is a 7) to 50 seconds (if your
piece is a 1)...since you only carry time bombs!

SAVE YOUR CASTLE

The strategy changes because it is possible to save your castle AFTER it has
been attacked. If your opponent's 3 lands on your castle, you may remove it by
capturing it. Capture it with any piece that is close enough and is a 3 or more.
Then, remove your own piece from your castle or you will blow yourself up.

It's still best to defend your castle BEFORE it is attacked because the damage
caused by the attacking pieces is cumulative. The larger the piece an the longer
it is left there, the more damaged and vulnerable your castle becomes to future
attacks.

ZOOM

Two valuable buttons on your keypad overlay are ZOOM HOME and ZOOM RIVAL. Push
[ZOOM HOME] at any time during the game and your cursor immediately moves to
your own castle. Push [ZOOM RIVAL] and your cursor immediately moves to your
opponent's castle. In Speed Strike, where time is so important, these two
buttons might save your castle or win the game for you if used wisely.

SPEED SETTINGS

To enter the Speed Settings, first get a "Yes?" prompt. SPEED 1 x Optional. To
change the speed of the game for Player 1. x is any number from 1 to 8 (8 the
top speed). Unless you change it, the game is automatically set to 8!

SPEED 2 x Optional. To change the speed of the game for Player 2. (Same as
before.)

LOWER NUMBERS MAKE THE CASTLE MORE VULNERABLE.

(Make sure you hit [RETURN] after any of these commands.)

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SOME SIMPLE COMMANDS!

To enter any command, you must first be prompted with a "Yes?"

Hit [RETURN] on your keyboard to get the "Yes?" prompt on your screen. (If you
are in the middle of a game, type in a capital [Q]. Your game will end
immediately with a "GAME OVER" message. Then, hit [RETURN] on your Keyboard to
get the "Yes?" prompt.)

Type in any of the following commands, depending on what you want to do:

BOARD x To directly display a specific board. x is any number from 1 t0 50.

NEXT To go to the next board. Acts like the space bar.

RETURN To return to the last board displayed.

START To start the game.

SHOW To display the "strategy settings" of Max. Mind Strike comes with a built-
in program of "strategy settings" which you may change. (See FIDDLING WITH MAX'S
MIND!, for details.) Does not work on SPEED STRIKE.

RESET To reset Mind Strike or Speed Strike to the title screen (starting
points). All new strategy and speed settings are erased. Same as pressing RESET
on the Master Component.

SELECT Reselect game options without erasing strategy settings (as RESET will).

DEMO To automatically scroll from board to board, starting with the current
board. Note that if the keyboard is not attached, the cartridge will issue a
DEMO automatically. To reset, the Master Component [RESET] button must be
pressed.

ECS To go directly to ECS (see ECS user's manual).

HELP To print brief command descriptions.

(Make sure you hit [RETURN] after any of these commands.)

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FIDDLING WITH MAX'S MIND!

Max comes with his own built-in "strategy settings" that allow him to play with
certain skills. You can reprogram these settings to make Max more or less
powerful!

For example, if Max has been beating you every time for the past 6 or 7 games,
you'd better make him less smart. Change some settings and experiment a bit with
the results. At first, it will be "trial and error"...then you'll get familiar
with the settings and their relationship to Max's thought process when choosing
or moving a piece on the board.


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REPROGRAMMING MAX
Get to the point where a "Yes?" prompt appears on the screen. 
Type in the following command on your keyboard:

SHOW To display the current "strategy settings" of Max. 
Here is the way it appears on the screen: MAX 

CAPTURE ________ 12 ____________ 50 
SPLIT __________ -1 ____________ -5 
SPSIZE _________ -3 ____________ 0 
MELD ___________ -1 ____________ -10 
SAVE ____________ 0 ____________ 0 
DINK ____________ 0 ____________ 50 
DONT ____________ 0 ____________ -1000 
ADVANCE _________ 1 ____________ * 
THREAT __________ 2 ____________ 10 

 
YIKES _________ -12 ____________ -5 
SAFE ____________ 2 ____________ 10 
SUPPORT _________ 1 ____________ 10 
ORY1 ____________ 4 ____________ 80 
ORY2 ____________ 4 ____________ 25 
HRY1 ____________ 2 ____________ 20 
HRY2 ____________ 1 ____________ 1 
BASE ____________ 0 ____________ 5000 
URGENT __________ 0 ____________ 1000 

 
POINTS _________ 40 ____________ 0 
COUNTS ________ -20 ____________ 0 
RANDOM __________ * ____________ 2 
TIME ____________ 5 ____________ * 
QUIT ____________ * ____________ -1000 

NOTE:  Column 1 values range from -99 to 99. 
 Column 2 values range from -5000 to 5000. 

Now you can reprogram these settings: 

Hit [RETURN] to return to the "Yes?" prompt. 

Type in on your keyboard the "keyword" for strategy settings you want to change.
Then type the first new number (1st column), followed by the second new number
(2nd column). Then hit [RETURN].

For example, "capture" is now followed by a 12 (1st column), then a 50 (2nd
column). To change the settings, type in "capture," then type in each number.
Finally, hit [RETURN]. (If a "*" appears in a column, the setting only needs one
number.)

Type in SHOW and hit [RETURN] to actually see your new program of numbers
displayed on the screen!

Repeat step 2 for every "strategy setting" you want to change. 

Go to READING MAX'S MIND! page 25, for details on what these settings mean. 

(Always hit [RETURN] after any command.)

MAX VS. GUS

Here you have to deal with two "strategy settings"...one for Max and one for
Gus. Initially, both settings will be the same.

Type in the following commands before playing, to reprogram the settings:

MAX To set Max for a current "strategy settings" display. 

SHOW To display the current "strategy settings" of Max. Then, reprogram as
discussed on page 21.

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GUS To set Gus for a current "strategy settings" display. 

SHOW To display the current "strategy settings" of Gus. Then, reprogram as
discussed on page 21.

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COPY To copy the strategy settings of Max into Gus, or vice versa, depending on
who is the current player. If Gus is the current player and you type COPY, then
Max's settings are copied into Gus's. Then if you still want to make a few
changes, you can.

CLEAR Sets all "strategy settings" to zero, (so you can experiment with them one
at a time).

(Always hit [RETURN] after any command.)

READING MAX'S MIND

A game is on. It's Max's turn! 

Max always take two mental passes before deciding on a move. Because there are
so many possibilities, Max uses two passes.

FIRST PASS

Max scans the board, looking at every possible legal move, and saves what he
thinks are the best 5 (or whatever "time" is set to) moves.

For each legal move, he asks the question of each strategy setting:

"Does this move CAPTURE?..."
"Does this move SPLIT?..."
"Does this move ........."

If it does, then Max does these calculations to determine how good the move is: 

(Piece number x 1st Column) + 2nd Column = Points

If one move involves several strategy settings (it usually does), then all the
points for that move are added together for a point total that determines the
overall value of that move.

He saves the moves that seem the best (those with the highest point count) and
makes a second pass to decide on the best move.

SECOND PASS

During Pass 2, Max actually makes the moves in his mind and asks the question
"if I moved there, what would that do to the entire board set-up?" He re-
evaluates the entire board set-up using Pass 2 strategy settings only. He checks
his own overall position AND his opponent's overall position. The best move for
MAX is the one that helps him OR hurts his opponent.

Example:

Max must decide on his best move during Pass 2, using the original "strategy
settings."

One move. Max is considering attacking the rival castle ("base") with his 3. The
strategy settings for "base" are 0 and 5000.

(Piece number x 1st Column) + 2nd Column = Points
(3 x 0) + 5000 = 5000
Another move. Max is considering whether to defend his own castle ("urgent") from attack by a rival 3. He is considering blocking the 3 with a 7 (interposing the 7). The strategy settings for "urgent" are 0 and 1000. 
(Piece number x 1st Column) + 2nd Column = Points
(7 x 0) + 1000 = 1000
5000 is higher than 1000. So, Max decides to attack the opposing castle and, of course, win the game. 

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Notice that, for a move to be selected, Pass 1 must think it's good and Pass 2
must ultimately choose it. There are two passes because there are simply too
many moves for MAX to evaluate each one entirely.

A negative reward for any strategy setting discourages MAX from making a move
that would use that strategy. MAX will ignore a setting which has both columns
set to zero.

You can hear MAX think! During Pass 1, he makes one tone for each possible
source piece and another tone for each possible destination square. During Pass
2, MAX highlights each possible source piece and destination square.

Different strategy settings work better for different boards.

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STRATEGY SETTINGS

Obviously there are quite a few strategy settings to learn but if you take the
extra time now to review what each one means, you'll enjoy many more hours of
playing the game in the future. First learn what situations the settings apply
to and then learn exactly how all those numbers work.

Max reviews these strategy settings during his first pass:

CAPTURE

This setting helps MAX decide whether to capture his opponent's piece or not.
Multiply by the number of the pieces captured.

SPLIT

Considering a move involving a split. Multiply by the piece MAX wants to split
into two pieces.

SPSIZE

This setting also helps Max evaluate a potential split. It is evaluated with
"split" to determine a move. Multiply by the size of the piece moving out.

The "split" setting determines how often Max will split a piece and "spsize"
determines the size of the piece that moves out.

MELD

Considering a move involving a meld (combining pieces). Multiply by the size of
the resulting piece.

SAVE

Considering melding with a piece that otherwise could be captured. Multiply by
the size of the destination piece BEFORE it is melded. (The saved piece.)

DINK

Added in only when a 1 attacks a 7. Multiply by the piece that is being split
(source of the 1).

DONT

The opposite of capture, "dont" is added in when MAX moves a small piece into a
larger enemy piece. This is a good example of a negative reward - it is best to
keep this one set to the maximum negative, so it will never appear to be a good
move. Multiply by the lost piece.

ADVANCE

Moving his piece closer to your castle. The reward is the size of the piece
moved MULTIPLIED BY the number of squares closer MULTIPLED BY the number in the
first column. A small reward keeps Max moving forward. The second number is
ignored.

The following strategy settings are considered in BOTH Pass 1 and Pass 2:

THREAT

When a piece has the possibility of capturing a rival piece, regardless of the
rival's protection. Multiply by the size of the rival piece. Can be added in
twice if a piece threatens two rival pieces.

YIKES

When a piece can be captured by a rival piece AND it is not being protected by a
large enough piece of its own to retaliate. This setting should protect MAX from
needlessly losing pieces. Multiply by the size of the piece in trouble.

SAFE

"Safe" is added instead of "yikes" when the piece IS being protected by a large
enough piece to retaliate. Multiply by the size of the piece which is protected.

SUPPORT

Added in when a large piece can cover a smaller piece in case of attack,
regardless of whether or not it's in danger. This setting encourages Max to keep
his pieces together. Multiply by the size of the protected piece.

ORY1 (Opponent's Ray)

Added in when Max's piece is on a direct, open line (ray) to your castle (ie. in
a position to win in the next turn if no defensive action is taken). This
setting encourages winning offensive moves. Multiply by the size of the piece on
the ray.

ORY2 (Opponent's Ray)

Added in when a piece can move into a "ory1" situation on the next move. Can be
added in twice if two possibilities are seen. This setting should encourage an
offensive move. Multiply by the size of the piece that you would be moving.

HRY1 (Home Ray)

Added in when Max's piece is on a direct, open line (ray) to his own castle.
This setting encourages defensive planning. Multiply by the size of the piece on
the ray.

HRY2 (Home Ray)

Added in when a piece can move into a "hry1" situation on the next move. Can be
added in twice if two possibilities are seen. This setting should encourage a
defensive move. Multiply by the size of the piece that would be moving.

BASE

Capturing the rival castle ("base") and winning the game. "Base" should be set
to the maximum so Max will always choose the winning move. Multiply by the size
of the piece capturing the castle.

URGENT

Moving a piece to block an opponent from moving onto MAX'S castle (interposing).
Multiply by the size of the piece to be moved.

RANDOM

Random reward. The reward is a random number from 0 to the second number (the
first column is ignored). Keeping this low but non-zero will ensure that MAX
chooses different moves in identically good situations.

The following rewards are added in to Pass 2 only, and take a slightly different
form.

POINTS

Reward for the sum of the player's pieces. The sum of the pieces is multiplied
by the multiplier (the number in the first column). The second number is
ignored. For example, if a player has a 5, 4, and 2 on the board and "points" is
set to 3, the reward will be (5 + 4 + 2) * 3 = 33. This setting keeps Max from
losing points by melding without a good reason. It also encourages Max to
capture rival pieces, so his setup gets more "points" than yours.

COUNTS

Reward for the number of pieces. The number of pieces is multipled by the
multiplier. The second number is ignored. In the above example, if "counts" is
set to -4.....0, the reward will be (3 pieces) * -4 = -12. A negative reward
here also keeps Max from splitting up pieces unnecessarily.

In addition, two GAME CONTROL VARIABLES are kept with the strategy settings.
These should always be set, while any or most of the strategy settings can be
cleared to 0.....0.

TIME

Number of moves Max saves from Pass 1 and considers during Pass 2. The
multiplier (the number in the first column) must be a number from 1 to 10. (Max
will put it in range if it's not.) The second number is ignored. It is a good
idea to keep this to at least 3. The higher the number, the more moves Max will
consider from Pass 1 during Pass 2. That means he will take more time.

QUIT

Tells Max when to resign. Max compares his best move from Pass 2 to the second
number. (The multipler is ignored.) If his best move is lower, Max will quit the
game. It is a good idea to set "quit" to a larger negative number so Max will
quit only when he's really in trouble.

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CREATE YOUR OWN BOARD!

You can modify any existing board or create boards of your own through the EDIT
and CREATE commands.

Get a "Yes?" prompt on your screen first! (See SOME SIMPLE COMMANDS, page 19,
for details.)

Type in either EDIT or CREATE on your keyboard:

EDIT To edit the last board displayed.

CREATE To create a board from scratch. First you must select 1 of 4 symmetrical
designs offered on the screen.

(Make sure you hit [RETURN] after either command.)

These two commands place you in the Edit Mode. Then, you can press any of the
following keys on your keyboard to edit or create a board:

Arrow Keys To position the GREEN cursor on the screen or board. The WHITE cursor
automatically moves in a symmetrical pattern to the green cursor.

Space bar To deposit a square (and its symmetrical partner) and to erase a
square (and its symmetrical partner), except the castle.

1-7 To deposit a numbered piece from 1 to 7 at the current cursor position.

C To place a castle at the cursor position.

When you've created the board you want, press [RETURN].

RETURN To tell the computer that the editing in the Edit Mode is completed. The
computer will check to see that:

Castles are on the board.

All squares connect

At least 7 total points are on the board.

I f all 3 conditions are not met, the computer will not leave Edit Mode.

Once the board has been approved, both cursors disappear and the "3rd dimension"
is added to the board.

You may end an editing session at any time by typing a capital [Q] (for QUIT) on
your keyboard.
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©1982 Mattel, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
