Copyright: Mr. Matt 1.24 ® 1996 by J. Andrzej Wrotniak


Contents
Welcome to Mr. Matt !

Welcome to Mr. Matt! I hope you will enjoy playing this game as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Although the rules are simple and you can figure out everything by yourself, please take a few minutes and read this help file.

Mr. Matt is distributed as shareware. Refer to the Registration and Support page to see what it means, how to register and what benefits you receive upon registering.

Contents

The game window

How to play

Game recording and replaying

Game editor

Menu function reference

Credits and copyrights

Other programs


The game window

This is the Mr.Matt game window. Click on the yellow stickers to learn about the meaning of its individual elements.

See also:

How to play

Menu operations


Basic game rules
How to play

To play a game, run the program and enter your name. Then click on the long button at the bottom of the game window and choose the name of the game fom a selector box. For starters, I recommend the game named "Easy One".

A game consists of a number of levels, selected by clicking on numbered buttons at the bottom. Originally, only the first level will be accessible; completing a level opens up the next one.

The currently selected level is denoted by a depressed button. A level marked in red is the one you have yet to complete. Mr. Matt remembers your progress from session to session, provided you are entering your name the same way each time.

Basic game rules and objectives:

This is Mr. Matt. You control him with the arrow keys on your keyboard: left, right, up and down. The goal is to have Mr. Matt eat all apples and not get hurt by falling stones.

This is an apple. When Mr.Matt moves into a square occupied by an apple, he eats it and the apple disappears.

This is a stone. If there is an empty space underneath a stone, it falls down. When it lands on another stone with an empty space to the left or right, it may roll to a side and  keep falling.

Mr. Matt may push a single stone horizontally if there is an empty space on the other side of it.

This square contains earth. Earth can support a stone. Mr. Matt can dig through it.

This is a block of wall. Mr. Matt cannot dig through walls.

This is how Mr. Matt looks after being hit by a falling stone. You can then restart the level by pressing any key. If you want to restart a level before that happens, hit the Escape  key.

After you complete a level by eating all apples, the next level will be made accessible. You win a game by completing all its levels.

See also:

The game window

Menu operations

Loading and saving games

Game editor

Changing the graphics


Menu function reference
Menu operations

Depending on the current mode some of the options (or whole menus) will remain hidden. These accessible from the edit mode only are denoted with [E], those seen only in the play mode -- with [P].

File -- basic, top-level operations

•	Load game...  --  select a new game to load from the disk

•	New game...  --  start editing a new game from an empty slate

•	Save game  [E]  --  save the current game as edited

•	Edit mode [P] --  switch into edit mode (if the current game is not read-only)

•	Play mode [E]   --  switch back from the edit to play mode

•	Quit Mr. Matt  --  exit the program (Alt-F4 does the same)

Note: only registered copies of Mr. Matt allow you to edit or create your own games, therefore the "New game" and "Edit" are  not accessible unless you register the program.

Game  [P]  --  the game-playing

•	Step back -- undo the last step (same as hitting the Backspace key)

•	Give up  --  quit the current game level  (same as hitting the Escape key)

•	Take snapshot  --  take a snapshot of the game (to come back to it later)

•	Restore snapshot  --  restart the game from the last snapshot taken

•	Play back --  replay the recording of the current level

•	Show solution  --  replay the complete solution of the current level (if it has been completed on your computer)

Note: In unregistered copies "Take snapshot", "Restore snapshot" and "Play back" options are active only at Level 1 of each game. The "Show solution" function is accessible only in registered copies.

Edit  [E]

•	Add new level   --  append a new (empty) level to the game

•	Delete level  --  remove the current level from the game

•	Clear level  --  fill the current level with empty space

•	Move level up  --  swap the current level with the preceding one

•	Move level down  --  swap the current level with the following one

•	Copy previous level  --  copy the previous level into the current one

•	Rename level  -- give the current level a new name

•	Rename game  --  give the current game a new name

Note: this whole menu becomes visible only in the edit mode, which is accessible only in registered copies of Mr. Matt

Options  --  access to some program settings

•	No stupid moves  --  prevent moving down from under a stone (an obvious way to lose a game by accident)

•	Sound  --  toggle the sound on and off; helpful for playing Mr. Matt during business meetings

•	Graphics  --  change the program graphics

Help  --  access to on-line help and version information

•	Help  --  calls this help

•	Registration -- shows information on how to register

•	About Mr. Matt  --  shows the version and copyright note

See also:

How to play

Loading and saving games


Loading and saving games

To load a new game (whether in Play or Edit mode), use the [File|Load] menu option. This wlll bring up the game selector dialog, from where you choose the game name.

Click on the arrow at the right to drop down a menu with the list of available games to select from.
The "Allow edit" box, available only in registered copies of Mr. Matt, should be checked if you want to be able to edit the game.

Some of the games supplied with the program are read-only, i.e. they cannot be edited. In such case an appropriate message will be displayed if the "Allow edit" box has been checked.

The stars preceding the game name correspond to the game difficulty level, from one to five (a highly subjective issue, of course).

When in the edit mode, you can save the current game wuth use of the [File|Save] menu option.

See also:

Menu operations


Game editor

Registered copies of Mr. Matt allow you to design and edit your own games. To switch into the edit mode, use the [File|Edit] menu option to edit the currently loaded game, or just [File|New] to start from a blank game.

While in the edit mode, the bottom part of the game screen changes:

In addition to the level-changing buttons at the right, there are edit buttons at the left. These buttons correspond to various items you can put on the current level map. With a given button depressed, any mouse click within the map area will put the corresponding item at the cell where the mouse was clicked.

(The empty buttons are reserved for future enhancements of Mr. Matt; at present they serve no purpose. I'm planning to add some nifty gadgets to the program in the next few months.)

New levels can be appended to the current game by using the [Edit | Add level] menu option. You can also move the current level up or down in the level sequence, delete the current level, clear it (fill with blank space), or change game and/or level name. These functions are briefly described in the Menu Operations page.

In order to be able to edit a game, you have to check the "Allow edit" box when you select the game to load. Most of the games supplied with the program are read-only: you will not be allowed to edit them.

See also:

Menu operations

Loading and saving games

Posting your own games on the Web


Posting your games
Posting your own games on the Web

If you have written your own Mr. Matt game (i.e. a set of levels) using the game editor and you would like to share with other registered users, I will gladly post your game on my Web page.

Just send a brief  message to my email address and enclose the saved .MAT file as a text attachment. You may also open the .MAT file with a text editor (for example, Notepad), copy the game to the Windows clipboard and insert it into your message -- I will figure it out and rebuild the game file.

Please make sure that all levels are passable. If you wish to include any hints for the more difficult levels, feel free to do so. Please state what author name (or nickname) would you like to have the game credited to.

Obviously, I reserve the right to decline posting of any games I find inappropriate, although I do not expect this to happen.

Thanks in advance -- we are going to have some fun together!


Changing the graphics

You may change the graphics used by the program. To do it, click on the "Options" menu, then on "Graphics".

Apples will be replaced by other objects you can eat (carrots, hamburgers), the stones, earth and walls will also look differently.

The game itself remains unaffected by these changes: its roles and objectives remain the same.

See also:

Menu operations


Game recording and replaying

Every step made by Mr. Matt is being recorded.  The whole sequence can be replayed from the start by clicking on the [Game | Replay] menu option.

When the replay ends (or when it is interrupted by pressing the Escape key), you can use the arrow keys to continue. This may come handy when you realize you've made a mistake some moves ago and would like to correct it without playing the whole level again.

A level passed with use of this option does not, however, count as completed: it will not open for you the higher levels.

In unregistered copies of Mr. Matt, game recording and replaying is available only at Level 1 of every game.

See also:

Showing the solution of a level


Showing the solution of a level

In registered copies of Mr.Matt clicking on the [Game | Show solution] menu option will replay the best solution of the current level on your computer so far.

"Best" means here the solution involving the smallest number of steps. Every time a level is completed, the current solution is compared with the best so far, and if it is better, i.e. achieved in fewer steps, it will replace that one.

If you interrupt the replay and complete the level yourself, the solution will not be considered for the "best" spot.

If a given level has not yet been completed on your computer, the best solution is, obviously, not available.

See also:

Game recording and replaying


Credits and copyrights

Mr. Matt is copyright © 1996 by J. Andrzej Wrotniak. The program is distributed as shareware; see Registration and Support for how and why to register.

The game started out as a clone of a number of older ones, called "Digger", "Skuldiggery" or "Cave Age" on various platforms (Amiga, Atari ST and Mac). The author of the original remains unknown; all traces indicate a German programmer.

This software has been developed using Borland's Delphi and contains parts of code copyright © 1995-96 by Borland International.

The sound files supplied with Mr. Matt have been created by Ted Tatman (thanks!) and are in public domain.

See also:

How to reach the author

Registration and support

Vendor information

Other programs...

Important: read the enclosed disclaimer before using the program!


How to reach the author

Your comments, questions, suggestions and possible bug reports are welcome. The best way to reach me is via email:

CompuServe   70611,2552
Internet             70611.2552@compuserve.com

If you do not have email access, or to send in your registration, use my snail mail address:

J. Andrzej Wrotniak
2057 Happy Lane
Crofton, MD 21114-1917
U.S.A.

You may also want to visit my  Web page (from where the latest version of the program can be downloaded):

http://www.freeflight.com/wrotniak/

See also:

Other programs...

Vendor information


Other programs...

There are two other programs I wrote for Windows (separate versions for Win 3.1 and Win95):

•	Kalkulator -- the Mother of All Calculators, a numerical utility and Swiss army knife for scientists, engineers and students

•	Midget  -- a simple to use yet capable replacement for the crummy calculator applett supplied with Windows 3.1 or Windows 95

Both programs are shareware; evaluation copies can be downloaded from the Compuserve (the Science Forum, Math Library) or from my Web page.


Vendor information

Evaluation copies of Mr. Matt can be distributed by BBS operators, on-line services, disk and CD-ROM vendors after obtaining my explicit permission.

This permission is not required for vendors and BBS operators approved by the Association of Shareware Professionals. In these cases contacting me, although not required, is still recommended, as I may be able to provide the most recent version of the program.

In any case it is required that all files in the original distribution archive are included without alteration, as listed in the PACKING LIST section of the accompanying README.1ST file.

See also:

How to reach the author


Registration and support

Mr. Matt is distributed as shareware: you are granted a trial license for a reasonable period of time to see whether you will find the program entertaining and worth the price I'm asking.

After that you have the options of either registering program, or removing it from your system. Not doing so puts you in violation of U.S. and international copyright laws, but, first of all, it is just unethical.

Evaluation copies of Mr. Matt do not have a time limit or any "nag screens". If you wish to play the game for a couple of weeks and then remove it from your system, do so without feeling guilty. If you like the game, do me a favor: give a copy to a friend, to all your friends.

Registering Mr. Matt will, however, bring you additional benefits:

•	unlocking of the enhanced features (game editor, snapshots)

•	unlimited free upgrades for the lifetime of the program

•	new version notifications by email

•	technical support via email and my Web page

•	additional Mr. Matt games as they are posted on the Web

See also:

How to register

The registration key

How to reach the author


How to register

There are a number of ways to register. Pick the one which is most convenient for you. In any case, include your email address if you have one -- I will use it to send you a registration key which will register your copy of Mr. Matt.

Only if you do not have access to email, I will ship you a 3.5" floppy with the current version of the program and with your registration key. This, however, takes somewhat longer and I would appreciate if you used this option only as the last resort.

In such case be sure to state which Windows are you using; otherwise I will send you the Windows 3.1 version of the game (which, by the way, also runs under Windows 95).

Your registration covers all future versions of Mr. Matt, both 16- and 32-bit (i.e., Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 and its successors).

Different ways to register:

Registering by mail

Registering on the CompuServe

Credit card orders via the Public Software Library

See also:

Special offer: the Mr.Matt / Midget bundle

Extra features in registered copies of Mr.Matt

Updates and upgrades

How to reach the author


Registering by mail

Send a check (U.S. funds only, drawn on a U.S. bank) or money order for $12 to my address:

J. Andrzej Wrotniak
2057 Happy Lane
Crofton, MD 21114-1917
U.S.A.

 Include a note stating Mr. Matt, your name and address. If you have an email address, be sure to include it as well; otherwise state clearly whether you prefer the 16- or 32-bit version mailed to you. (To make it even easier, instead of writing a note you may just  write "Mr. Matt" or "Mr. Matt" and your email address at the bottom-left of your check.)

See also:

Other ways to register

The Mr. Matt / Midget bundle


The bundle
The Mr. Matt / Midget bundle

So you may feel guilty spending money for just a game? Well, hear this: you may order a combination of Mr. Matt and Midget , saving 50% off the price of the latter.

•	When registering by mail by check or money order, the combined discount price is $17 (instead of $22)

•	When ordering via the PsL using your credit card, the total price is $23 (instead of $30). Just mention Item #14888 plus the Midget bonus.

Sorry, for the technical reasons the bundle is not available when you register on the Compuserve using the SWREG forum.

See also:

How to register


Registering on the CompuServe

The CompuServe subscribers may register online: GO SWREG and register product #13248 (Mr. Matt/16 for Windows) or #13249 (Mr. Matt/32 for Windows 95). The registration fee of $12 will be added to your next CompuServe bill, and you should receive the registration key usually within less than 24 hours via the CompuServe email.

Remember that whether you register the 16- or 32-bit version, your registration still covers both versions and the key file will work with whichever version you may choose to use.

See also:

Other ways to register


Credit card orders via PsL

The Public Software Library (PsL) is a respectable shareware distributor, providing registration services for about 1000 shareware authors. They will also handle credit card orders (Visa, MC, AE) for Mr. Matt.

Unfortunately, there is an extra cost attached to such a service. To cover it, at least partially, I had to attach a surcharge of $4 to credit card orders. The total cost of Mr. Matt when ordered through PsL is $16.

There are four ways to order via PsL with your credit card:

•	On the World Wide Web: click on the PsL button in the Mr. Matt home page to get to the PsL Registration Services form, then follow the prompts. The Mr. Matt home page is

http://www.freeflight.com/wrotniak/mrmatt.html

•	By phone: call PsL (Mo-Thu 7:00 to 6:00, Fri 7:00 to 12:30, Central Time) and order Mr. Matt, item #14888, at

800-2424-775 or 713-524-6394

Note: these numbers are for credit card orders only!

•	By fax: send your order with all relevant data: your name, address, email address, credit card number and expiration date. Order Mr. Matt, item #14888. The  PsL  fax number is

713-524-6398

•	Finally, if you live outside of the United States, you may prefer to mail the information as listed above to

Public Software Library Registration Service
P.O.Box 35705
Houston, TX 77235-5705
USA

Do not send your credit card order to my  address: PsL has to receive your order directly from you. When you register with PsL, the key file should be in your mailbox within 24 hours or less.

Let me stress again: do not use the PsL lines trying to get technical support, hints, or to inquire about the status of your order etc. The PsL people just arrange the monetary aspect of the registration and inform me promptly about it. They may not even know what the program does – they do not need to. For anything else, I'm your sole point of contact.

See also:

Other ways to register

The Mr. Matt / Midget bundle

How to reach the author


Extra features in registered copies

When Mr. Matt recognizes a valid key file in the program directory, it activates a number of extra features.

•	First of all, you will gain access to the game editor so that you can create and edit your own Mr. Matt games. These games can then be played by any registered user of the program.

•	You can take a snapshot of the current game at a given moment. If, at some time later, you decide you have made an error, you can restore the game the way it was at the moment the snapshot was taken.

•	The game replay works on all levels (not just Level 1 of each game)

•	The best solution of every level passed is stored on the disk and can be replayed any time.

Registered copies of Mr. Matt are also capable of playing additional games which will be from time to time posted on Mr. Matt's home page on the Web. These games will be not playable without registration.

See also:

How to register

Game editor

Showing the solution of a level


Topic1
Updates and upgrades

A program is like a living organism: it grows, evolves, matures. This is also the case with Mr. Matt. I am planning to work on it in the time to come: cleaning up the bugs (if any), polishing the user interface, improving the graphics, adding new game features, and, last but not least, providing data files with new games.

New versions of Mr. Matt can be downloaded, first of all, from my Web page. This is the best source, as updates can be posted here earlier than anywhere else. I am also planning to post new games from time to time; some of them playable only from the registered copies, but others accessible even without registration.

CompuServe subscribers should be also able to download updated versions of Mr. Matt from the Windows Games forum (GO WINGAMES, Library 10 for the 16-bit version, Library 19 for 32-bit) or from the Windows Shareware forum (GO WINSHARE, Library 13 or 16, respectively).

When you register, your registration key will be valid for all future versions of Mr. Matt. This means that you can get all updates and upgrades at no extra cost, as long as you can download them from one of the sources mentioned above. Just remember to keep your key file.

See also:

How to register


The registration key

MRMATT.KEY is a small, plain text (ASCII) file which you receive upon registration of Mr. Matt. It should be copied to the Mr. Matt directory, i.e. the same directory where the program, MRMATT.EXE, is located.

Do not attempt to modify this file in any way; it will simply stop working. Keep a backup copy of MRMATT.KEY in a safe place (for example, on a clearly labelled floppy disk).

If you feel uneasy about file operations or if your email program has problems handling file attachements, you may use the [Help | Registration Key] menu option to enter your key manually from the confirmation message I'm sending you; Mr. Matt will then create the key file in the right place.

Once Mr. Matt recognizes the key file, the enhanced features of the program will become activated.

Every time you get a new version of Mr. Matt from the CompuServe, from my Web page or from any other source, unpack the program archive into the same directory. This is the simplest way to assure that Mr. Matt will find the key file.

Needless to say, the key file is not distributable; it is for your use only. The file is also personalized with your name and a serial number. Things do happen; please let me know if your name has been misspelled (do not try to correct the mistake by yourself!).

Your registration is valid for all future versions of Mr. Matt (I am planning to enhance the program from time to time, also to add new games).


Disclaimer

This is what my lawyer told me to put here.

Although the author has extensively tested the software and reviewed the documentation, he makes no warrant or representation, explicit or implied, with respect to this package, its quality, performance, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, in any hardware or software environment.

In no event shall the author be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising from use, misuse or inability to use the software or documentation.

In addition, playing this game can become addictive, leading to lack of sleep, loss of weight, increase in the IQ and withdrawal from social life.


Kalkulator

Kalkulator is probably the most powerful program of its kind on the market. It may be used as just a calculator (but a very powerful one, capable of evaluating expressions), but it also sports a number of unique features distinguishing it from the me-too crowd:

•	More than 100 functions: log and exponential, trigonometric and inverse, hyperbolic, Euler, statistical distributions (including integral and inverse-integral), user-defined

•	Unit conversion, pre-defined physical constants

•	Numerical operations on expressions: integration, computing derivatives, finding zeros of functions, indexed sums

•	Function plotting (with smart handling of discontinouities and changes in curvature)

•	Statistical operations on points in a data buffer: sample parameters, histograms, polynomial regression (up to the ninth degree, with plotting), column-wise arithmetics on data

•	Finding roots of polynomial equations up to the fourth degree

•	Linear algebra: vector and matrix arithmetics, matrix inversion, systems of linear equations

•	NEW: Version 1.40 (Nov.7, '96) includes a computer math calculator for computer arithmetics and conversions between binary, octal, hex and decimal systems.


Level_Map
The level map

This is where Mr.Matt is running around, eating apples
(or other stuff) and trying to avoid the falling stones.


Level_Name
Level name

This is the name of the current game level.


Menu_Bar
The menu bar

From here you can access various menu operations.


Midget

Midget is the kid brother of Kalkulator. It offers most of the everyday capabilities of its more advanced sibling in a smaller, simpler (and cheaper!) package.

Using Midget is very simple: just type in your expression, like "2/7-1/9" or "3 log 12-sqr 33" and hit the Enter key.

The result can be also converted between different units of measurement, for example from ft/sec to km/h. It can be also displayed as a fraction, e.g., "2 11/21" or as deg/min/sec. All this is hidden behind an elegant and inobtrusive user interface.

The program remembers previously entered expressions, so that they can be recalled, modified or corrected and recomputed. It also allows to store calculation results in memory locations (variables) with an accuracy of 18 decimal digits and to use them in other calculations.

You can ask Midget to stay on top of other open windows; you may also copy the calculation results to paste them in documents you are working on.

To learn more about Midget, or to download an evaluation copy, visit my Web page.

See also:

Special offer: the Mr. Matt / Midget bundle


No_Steps
No. of steps

This field shows the number of steps you have made
in the current game level.


Time
Time display

The time you have spent in the current game level is
displayed here.


Title_Bar
The title bar

The title bar can be used to drag the game window around the screen.
It also shows the title of the curent game.


Andrzej

Pronounced "un-jay".


Wrotniak

Ex-physicist, specializing in Monte Carlo simulations of cosmic
ray showers. In the States since 1984, currently the Chief Scientist
and a software engineer at Aerospace Engineering and Research,
Inc. in Maryland, developing Air Traffic Control applications.
Writing math programs for fun in his free time.