                           NBA Live 96 Editor
                           ------------------

                          Version 3.7, 07/01/96

            Copyright (c) 1996 by TASsoft, All Rights Reserved
       Written by Tim Tschirner, timt@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de


Overview
--------

NBA Live 96 Editor for Windows lets you edit all the attributes of
the players that are originally featured in NBA Live 96 plus the ones
you created with the built-in create function of NBA Live 96.
This gives you the ability that the created players don't have to be
rookies any longer. Also, you can now assemble your own All-Star Teams,
since the editor can copy every player to one of the All-Star Teams.
With the NBA Live 96 Editor you can also trade every player to any team,
just like with the Trade function of NBA Live 96. And finally, you
can create and apply patch files.

Inside this Archive, you'll find the following files:

WNBAED.TXT    -  The file you're just reading
WNBAED.EXE    -  NBA Live 96 Editor, 16-bit Version
                 (for use under Windows 3.x)
WNBAED32.EXE  -  NBA Live 96 Editor, 32-bit Version
                 (for use under Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51)
PATCH12.ZIP   -  DOS-based program to create and apply patches
                 (for more info see PATCHER.TXT inside PATCH12.ZIP)

This program is Freeware, so spread it ;-) But, please, leave the
archives contact. Also, none of the included files may be changed
in any way. You can always find the latest version at my NBA Live 96
Web Page, which has the following URL:

       http://www-users.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/~timt/nba96.html


Installation
------------

To install, simply copy either WNBAED.EXE or WNBAED32.EXE (depending
on the Windows version you're using) to your NBA Live 96 directory (or
to any other directory of your choice), add a Link to it (or create
an icon in any Program Manager Group) and there you go.
When you start the Editor for the first time, you must specify a valid
NBA Live 96 Executable File and/or a valid NBA Live 96 Roster File
in order to start editing. If you like, you can work with only one
file, and you can change and deselect the work file(s) any time you
want to. The names of these files will be saved in the file WNBAED.INI,
which will be created by both the 16-bit and 32-bit Version of the NBA
Live 96 Editor in your Windows directory. The reason why the 32-bit
version doesn't use the registry is because it only wastes time and
space.
If you have already used Version 1.x of The NBA Live 96 Editor, it is
recommended that you first delete the file WNBAED.INI before running
Version 2.0 or later for the first time.

Caution: You should make backup copies of the files you're editing.
-------- I don't take any risks and cannot be held responsible for
         any damage that might occur to your files and/or your
         system.
         Remember that you can always get a fresh copy of NBA96.EXE
         and NBA96G.EXE from your NBA Live 96 CD, while you have to
         be extra careful with the ROSTERS.* files.


Removal
-------

If you ever want to remove the NBA Live 96 Editor (now why would you
want to do that anyway? :), simply delete WNBAED.EXE (and/or
WNBAED32.EXE), WINBAED.TXT and WNBAED.INI, which you can find in your
Windows directory.


Usage
-----

Well, there's nothing much to say, since the NBA Live 96 Editor
should be pretty intuitive to use. Here are the basic techniques:

Selecting the work files
------------------------
 - to select the NBA Live 96 Executable File, click on the Select
   ExeFile Button and choose a valid NBA Live 96 Executable File
 - to select the NBA Live 96 Roster File, click on the Select
   RosterFile Button and choose a valid NBA Live 96 Roster File
Note: If you have selected both an Executable File and a Roster File
----- and later wish to edit only one file, click on the appropriate
      Deselect Button.

Selecting a player to edit
--------------------------
 - use the Navigation Buttons
   or
 - enter the player's Overall Number in the Advance-To field and click
   the Advance-To Button or press Return
   or
 - select the player's name from the Advance-To Combo Box
   or
 - select a team from the SelectTeam Combo Box and then select
   a player in that team from the SelectSlot Combo Box

Editing
-------
 - simply click in the field you want to edit and edit the value
   or select a new value from the Combo Boxes (where applicable)
Note: If you change the Status of the current player, saving is done
----- in the following ways, according to the files you opened:
      - if you're working with the Executable File only, the changes
        are saved in this file
      - if you're working with the Roster File only, the changes are
        saved to the player data in this file, not in the roster order
      - if you're working with both files, the changes are saved in
        the Roster File in the roster order only

Saving Changes
--------------
 - to save the changes you made, click on the Save Button

Making a player an All-Star
---------------------------
 - select the player you want to make an All-Star (see 'Selecting a
   player to edit' above)
 - select the the All-Star Team, then the Slot in the selected All-Star
   Team and hit the Make All-Star Button

Trading a player
----------------
 - select the player you want to trade (see 'Selecting a player to
   edit' above)
 - select the Team you want to trade the player to in the
   Team ComboBox and hit the Trade Button
   and/or
 - select the slot in the Team you want to trade the player to
   and hit the Trade Button
Note: The trade function works exactly like the one which is originally
----- featured in NBA Live 96, changes are made to the roster order
      only. This does also mean that if there's already a player on
      the position you want to trade the current player to, both players
      will be swapped and the status information will be automatically
      set.

Making a patch file
-------------------
 - to make a patch file, click on the Make Patch Button
 - in the File Dialog, select the File you want to compare the
   currently opened NBA Live 96 Executable File with (in most
   cases the file to compare with will be NBA96.EXE)
 - in the next File Dialog, select or enter the name of the
   Patch File to create (if you don't enter a file extension, it
   will automatically be set to P96)

Applying a patch file
---------------------
 - to insert data from an already-made patch file, click on
   the Apply Patch button
 - select the Patch File in the File Open Dialog


Additional notes
----------------

I've tested this version of the NBA Live 96 Editor for quite some time
(yes, I'm using it myself ;-), but bugs are still likely to appear.
If you encounter some, or something doesn't appear to work as it should,
please let me know.
If you want to flame me real bad, keep in mind that this is Freeware
and that I spent quite some time programming it (and probably won't
get a single buck out of it :).
Also, if you think you found out what the Unknown Values are for, please
let me know as well.
My Internet E-mail address is:

        timt@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de

The latest version, along with loads of tools and other goodies
around NBA Live 96, can always be found at my NBA Live 96 Web Page:

        http://www-users.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/~timt/nba96.html

This is the official home of The NBA Live 96 Editor, but you should
also be able to find the latest version of The NBA Live 96 Editor at
the following NBA Live 96 Web Pages:

 - Stan Olson's NBA Live 96 Page:
   http://www.cu-online.com/~solso/nbalive96.html
 - Dave Zolnier's NBA Live 96 Page:
   http://www.eng.usf.edu/~zolnier/nba96.html
 - Nathan Leong's NBA Live 96 Page:
   http://www.ozemail.com.au/~nlprod/nbalive96.html
 - Jason Valestin's NBA Live 96 Page:
   http://www2.holli.com/~jjv/nba96/index.html


I'll try and implement some new functions over the time, for example
read the College List from the Executable File and edit other strings
in the NBA Live 96 Executable file.
Also, maybe I'll write a Help File, but that's pretty unlikely, since
the editor is just so intuitive to use :)


Version History
---------------

Version 1.0, 04/01/96
           - initial Release

Version 1.1, 04/02/96
           - redesigned User-Interface For Both Versions
           - better Performance
           - internal Changes

Version 2.0, 04/06/96
           - fixed A Bug In The Total Shots Calculation
           - added Support For The German NBA Live 96 Executable
           - added Validation Check For The Executable File
           - added SelectPlayer Combo Box
           - added Extended Value Checking For FG And TP Values
           - added A Gauge
           - changed Some Message Boxes
           - changed The GUI A Little
           - removed Special Windows 95 Control So That The 32-bit
             Version Runs Better Under Windows NT 3.51

Version 2.1, 04/11/96
           - added Shooting Range Rating
           - corrected Fatigue Rating (It Seems That It Is Saved
             In Two Values In Two Different Locations)
           - corrected Speed Rating
           - added The Possibility To Choose Jersey Number 00
           - added San Diego Clippers, Kansas City Kings And
             Not Drafted To The Draft Team Combo Box

Version 2.2, 04/12/96
           - the Inches Value Can Now Be 0
           - the 32-bit Version Does Now Save FirstName, LastName,
             NickName, BirthDate And BirthPlace Correctly
           - made The Hints On The Buttons Shorter, The StatusBar Now
             Displays The Longer Hints

Version 2.3, 04/13/96
           - added Unknown Ratings Page

Version 2.4, 04/15/96
           - the Correct Roster Order Is Now Read From The
             Roster File (If Specified)
           - added TeamSelect And SlotSelect Combo Boxes For
             Easier Player Selection
           - added Acquired And AcquiredTeam Values
           - added Option To Deselect Files
           - changed The Select Buttons A Little

Version 3.0, 04/28/96
           - the Value For Draft Position Can Now Be In The
             Three Digit Range
           - changed The Way Acquired and AcquiredTeam Values
             Are Saved:
             - if You're Working With The Executable File Only, The
               Changes Are Saved In This File
             - if You're Working With The Roster File Only, The Changes
               Are Saved To The Player Data In This File, Not In The
               Roster Order
             - if You're Working With Both Files, The Changes Are Saved
               In The Roster File In The Roster Order Only
           - added Trade Player Function, Which Works Like The One
             That Is Built Into NBA Live 96
           - added Functions To Make And Apply Patches

Version 3.1, 05/20/96
           - fixed A Nasty Bug In The Trade Player Function
           - tweaked Patch Routines A Little, Created Patch Files
             Are Now Smaller
           - added DOS-based Patch Program (PATCH12.ZIP)

Version 3.2, 05/21/96
           - some Internal Code Changes

Version 3.3, 05/22/96
           - added Appearance Combo Box For Easier Appearance
             Selecting

Version 3.4, 06/13/96
           - any Changes That Are Made Are Now Also Recognized
             When Selecting A New Player Via The Combo Boxes
           - the Unknown Rating #12 Is The Number Of Games Started
             And Was Moved To The Player Stats Page

Version 3.5, 06/20/96
           - fixed A Bug In The Use Of The Gauge Which Caused
             Some Roster Files Not To Be Read Correctly

Version 3.6, 06/21/96
           - fixed A Bug In The Use Of Some Combo Boxes, Which
             Displayed Incorrect Data After Saving Player Data
           - internal Code Changes

Version 3.7, 07/01/96
           - fixed A Bug In The 32-bit Version, Which Let This
             Version Behave Different From The 16-bit Version
             And Caused Some Files Not To Be Read Correctly


Acknowledgements
----------------

Thanks go out to:

 - Lutz van Hasselt for developing the original patch routines
   together with Brien, adapting the Patch routines to Pascal and
   helping me with the file structure
 - Brien Smith for developing the original patch routines together
   with Lutz, doing additional input, testing, suggesting some
   programming ideas and sharing some code with me
 - Dave Zolnier for his NBA Live 96 DOS Editors which also helped with
   the file structure
 - Joerg Killer for finding bugs, testing and creative input regarding
   the (still) unknown values
 - Mace for helping me with the bug in the trade player function
 - Clint Miller for detecting the Unknown Rating #12
 - Stan Olson, Dave Zolnier, Nathan Leong and Jason Valestin for their
   NBA Live 96 Web Sites
 - all the other people who reported bugs and suggested ideas
 - Electronic Arts for creating an awesome game (the built-in editor
   could've been a little better, though :-)


Legal Bits
----------

This product is not affiliated with Electronic Arts and the NBA in any
way, it's 100% my own work. The patch routines used are courtesy of
Brien Smith and Lutz van Hasselt.
NBA Live 96, Electronic Arts and EA Sports are registered trademarks
of Electronic Arts, Inc.

