               You asked "What is Trade Wars Helper?"

Trade Wars Helper is a players TERMINAL PROGRAM with an optional
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE that maintains an ONLINE DATABASE of sectors
with their port, warp to, and other information.  Several commands are
available to utilize this information in addition to automating most of
the repetitive processes and a GRAPHICS MAPPING capability.  Trade Wars
Helper not only makes playing more enjoyable, it makes you much more
effective.

The latest version is TWHELP90.ZIP.  The shareware version can be
downloaded on the first call from the Just FUN Software BBS (801)
278-8839 and logging on as "Just Fun" with a password of "Software".
The file size is 350K and 14,400 bps capability is available.  This zip
file contains the GUI real mode shareware version and an example data
file allowing unregistered users to check out the GUI. 

The main features of Trade Wars Helper are:

Automated cross trading between paired ports, optionally using the
psychic probe to maximize experience points.  You can even cross trade
between nonadjacent sectors with or without the TransWarp Drive, "triple
trade", and involve the class 7 and 8 port in cross trading.  And for
those who like the evil side of things, there is the automated rob cycle
and sell/steal cycle which utilizes the psychic probe with increasing
accuracy at each trade without any intervention on your part!

Of course you must find the best ports to trade at or steal from so
there is not only the ability to locate specific port types and paired
ports, but also triple trading pairs, nonadjacent trading pairs,
transwarp trading pairs and other specialized combinations.

You don't just trade or steal, you want to travel around and explore the
TW universe, right?  Just enter the /u command to see the paths to the
five closest unexplored sectors or, better yet, just enter /e and have
TW Helper take you to the nearest unexplored sector!  Concerned about
mines or other enemy forces?  No problem!  Just buy a long range scanner
and tell TW Helper to density scan each sector before moving you into
it.  TW Helper can even move from one unexplored sector to another,
stopping only when your direct involvement is required!  And it can
optionally and automatically holoscan, deploy fighters and/or trade or
steal and even rob along the way!

Then there are the E-probe routines that can launch an E-probe to an
unexplored sector not warped to by any other known sector, launch to an
isolated sector, or launch so as to pass thru the maximum numbers of
sectors not visited during the current session.  This, like many
features in Trade Wars Helper, can be accomplished quickly and easily
only with a terminal program accessing an online database.

Other features include showing sectors with fighters closest to a dest-
ination sector, locating enemy fighters, attacking enemy ships, showing
isolated sectors, automated colonizing of a planet, automated buying and
conveying of product to a planet, automated hauling of colonists,
product or shields between planets, automated purchasing of planetary
shields, automated mine disruption, automated robbing of credits,
creating the TWVIEW and/or TWASSIST data files, merging another traders
database, accessing a scroll back buffer and creating a capture file.
TW Helper also keeps track of the last steal and rob ports, busted
ports, avoided sectors and Major Space Lanes.

And if all this weren't enough, Trade Wars Helper provides a graphics
(EGA/VGA) mapping capability with mouse or keyboard interactive
controls.  A specific sector and its adjacent sectors to any level can
be graphically displayed or the path between two sectors can be mapped.
Controls include the ability to change levels, scale, contents, and
separation to present the most useful layout.  In addition to being able
to click on any sector in the map, the sectors resulting from many of
the other commands can be selected using the mouse.  Whether used online
or offline this graphics mapping capability makes strategic planning
both more effective and more enjoyable. 

A new Universe Mapping module that utilized a technique known as Level
Diagramming has been added as of release 7.0.  This module uses the Crai
computers CIM to determine connections between sectors without having to
explore each sector.  An Ether Probe command can then be issue to
automatically launch the probes so as to move through as many unexplored
sectors as possible.  In addition to efficiently mapping the TW
universe, this feature also can be used to quickly locate the Stardock
and/or other two class 0 port in TW2002 version 1.03 and version 2.00
games.  At release 8.0 this feature was expanded to do cost effective
Ether Probe Mapping for the TW2002 version 2.00 game.  Imagine exploring
1000 sectors for the price of 25 Ether Probes!

Added at release 8.5 was the optional Graphical User Interface (GUI) for
Trade Wars Helper.  When using the GUI the graphics map is displayed in
the upper center portion of the screen.  To its left are the gauges and
readouts such as time and turns remaining, current sector, fighters,
shields and many more.  To the right of the map are the buttons clicked
on to initiate actions such as trade, explore, attack and others.  The
bottom portion of the screen is an eight line CRT to display the
messages from Trade Wars.  By being able to click on the function you
want and seeing the gauges, readouts, map and CRT, your screen becomes
the cockpit of spaceship!  You just gotta see it! 

At release 8.8 enhancement for the MBBS version were incorporated which
included the ability to chat when running a script, to halt a script
and/or move out when someone warps in the current sector and to pursue
a ship from sector to sector while attempting to destroy/capture it. 

If you haven't tried Trade Wars Helper before, now is the time.  Since
an example database is provided in the zip file, you can take a look at
the graphics feature and many of the commands and displays without ever
going online or initializing your own database!  The graphics command is
simply /G (capitalized).  And although it is quite easy to install and
run, an option has been incorporated to display only an introductory set
of commands to simplify the learning process.  Try it, and see for
yourself that Trade Wars Helper is simply "the best player utility
available"!
