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GB AoE ai Editor V1.0
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This program is Shareware. Please register. Send $5.00 US check
or money order to 

Len Goforth
711 Mill Street #16
Springfield, OR USA  97477

goforth@rio.com
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If you cannot come up with $5.00, please at least send email and
say thanks.


Set up
-------
     1. Unzip the file into your \AoE\data directory.
     2. Open Windows Explorer, and resize the window so that some
        of your desktop shows.
     3. With Explorer, go to your \AoE\data directory.
     4. Drag GB_AoE_AIedit.exe to your desktop (this makes a shortcut).

To Run
-------
Double click the shortcut on the desktop.



The Help File
---------------
The Help file contains some useful information on how to use the editor,
and it also has some tips on making your .ai file. Please read this before
asking for tech support.


Use Instructions
-----------------
There are two modes of editing 

- Normal - this has cut, copy, paste, and type over for quantities). 
  DO NOT, change the description! This is used by the program to decide 
  if a building or unit is available for building, or technology is 
  available for research.
 
  Normal mode also allows you to add comments to the top of the file
  by simply typing it in.

- Line Editing - this allows drag and drop to reorder the list, or drag
  to the trash can).

Switch back and forth between editing modes to get the most out of the
editor. You'll find that you can accomplish a lot in a little time, and there
are some very convenient features.

When an existing file is opened, the description is changed to what 
the program understands for depencies. Do not be alarmed if the 
description does not match the origninal file's. Please note the code
in the leftmost column. This is what is important (I believe). If you 
find errors in column 1 (the code), or column 4 (the dependency), please
let me know. The column postions are

    1 -  code
    10 - description
    31 - quantity of item to be trained/built
    38 - dependency

Cool stuff -
-----------
Use the menu item Search/Count to count any particular unit. Each unit
that you count is added to the list.  If you want to copy this count 
list to the file you are working on, click the Create Comment button
on the Count Form. You can clear the list at any time. However, it remains
intact until you clear it. This list can be edited in NORMAL mode.

Use the villager count Refesh button if you edit the count column in 
Normal mode.

The status bar at the bottom of the main form displays the current file
name, the editing mode, and an asterisk if the file has been edited.


Improvements, bugs, and suggestions
-------------------------------------
If you find something that needs to be fixed, please help by letting
me know. If you have suggestions for improving the program, such as 
additional features, I am all ears. Please address all bug reports,
technical questions, and suggestions to me, NOT TO Ensemble Studios
or Microsoft Games. Ensemble Studios and Microsoft WILL NOT support 
this product.


A Final Word
------------
AoE is a fine product. It is technically excellent (well, it could be a 
little better). The folks at Ensemble Studios have been very gracious in
answering technical questions, and are very friendly. I wish to express 
my thanks to Ian Fischer and Dave Pottinger for their timely support, as
well as countless others at Ensemble who have been of assistance.
 

Contact Information
--------------------
Len Goforth
goforth@rio.com
Springfield, OR USA

Please address all correspondence concerning this program to the email
address above.

Please register.  Have fun!  If you come up with a super cool .ai file,
email it along - I'd love to see it.


Len Goforth

