diff --git a/COMPILE-linux.txt b/COMPILE-linux.txt
index 4e068907a..f65f83dd7 100644
--- a/COMPILE-linux.txt
+++ b/COMPILE-linux.txt
@@ -48,18 +48,24 @@ DMD 1.031          (D compiler)
 
 
 The above versions are the ones I have tested recently, but other
-versions might work. OGRE, OIS and the other libraries have
+versions might work. OGRE, OpenAL and the other libraries have
 dependencies of their own, so I recommend using an automated package
 tool to install as many of these as possible. On ubuntu, try typing:
 
 sudo apt-get install libogre-dev libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libois-dev build-essential g++ gdc
 
-If you want to install Ogre, OpenAL or OIS manually, try:
+A note about
+
+libavcodec and libavformat are part of the FFmpeg package, which is
+part of the 'mplayer' project. Note that some of the codecs might be
+patented in your country.
+
+If you want to install Ogre, OpenAL, OIS or FFmpeg manually, try:
 
 OGRE:     http://ogre3d.org/
 OpenAL:   http://openal.org/
 OIS:      http://sourceforge.net/projects/wgois/
-
+FFmpeg:   http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/download.html
 
 
 Choosing a D compiler
diff --git a/COMPILE-win32.txt b/COMPILE-win32.txt
index d1e0a483c..7dabda491 100644
--- a/COMPILE-win32.txt
+++ b/COMPILE-win32.txt
@@ -25,23 +25,31 @@ Dependencies:
 Dependencies needed to build OpenMW:
 
 OGRE 1.4.9         (3d engine)
-Audiere 1.9.4      (sound engine)
+OpenAL             (3d sound system)
+libavcodec,
+  libavformat      (For MP3 playback)
 Mingw              (C++ compiler)
 gdc 4.1.3 (mingw)  (D compiler)
 
 The above versions are the ones I have tested recently, but other
-versions might work. OGRE, Audiere and OIS are complex libraries with
+versions might work. OGRE, OpenAL and OIS are complex libraries with
 their own set of dependencies. I recommend downloading prebuild SDKs
-instead of building them from source. You can find these here:
+instead of building them from source.
+
+libavcodec and libavformat are part of the FFmpeg package, which is
+part of the 'mplayer' project. Note that some of the codecs might be
+patented in your country.
+
+You can find the libraries here:
 
 OGRE:     http://ogre3d.org (See "Getting Ogre" in README-win32.txt for details)
-Audiere:  http://audiere.sourceforge.net/
-OIS:      Comes with Ogre
+OIS:      Comes with the Ogre SDK
+OpenAL:   http://openal.org/
 Mingw     http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/
 gdc       http://sourceforge.net/projects/gdcwin/
 
-(Note that the "official" D compiler, DMD, will not work, because it
-is incompatible with most C++ compilers in Windows.)
+(Note that the "official" D compiler, DMD, will not currently work on
+Windows, because it is incompatible with most C++ compilers.)
 
 
 Setting everything up
@@ -61,7 +69,6 @@ The build script expects to find the Ogre and Audiere SDKs in the
 parent directory. An example directory structure is:
 
 c:\openmw\Ogre       - Ogre SDK
-c:\openmw\Audiere    - Audiere SDK
 c:\openmw\openmw     - OpenMW source
 
 
diff --git a/README.txt b/README.txt
index fbaaea97e..2563e9baf 100644
--- a/README.txt
+++ b/README.txt
@@ -49,13 +49,12 @@ major goals on the web page.
 On the immediate TODO list:
 ===========================
 
-- read the data files in the correct code page
-- switch audio to OpenAL
+- full support for localized versions (with character recoding)
 - support for Mac
-- collision detection
+- collision detection + walking & fall physics
 - displaying creatures correcty, animation
 - rendering NPCs
-- GUI/HUD system
+- choosing a GUI/HUD system that playes well with OGRE
 - rendering outdoor scenes (exterior cells)
 
 
@@ -123,12 +122,13 @@ Thanks goes out to:
 Changelog:
 ==========
 
-0.4 (2008 jul. 20) - work in progress
+0.4 (2008 jul. 23) - work in progress
 
 - switched from Audiere to OpenAL (BIG thanks to Chris Robinson)
 - added complete Makefile (again) as a alternative build tool
 - much more realistic lighting (thanks again to Chris Robinson)
-- should work with Russian version
+- various localization fixes - tested with Russian and French versions
+- temporary workaround for the Unicode issue: invalid UTF displayed as '?'
 - various bug-fixes
 - cosmetic changes to placate gdc -Wall
 
diff --git a/core/config.d b/core/config.d
index 34a8037a5..65e0c2e76 100644
--- a/core/config.d
+++ b/core/config.d
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ struct ConfigManager
   // Create the config file
   void writeConfig()
   {
-    writefln("writeConfig(%s)", confFile);
+    //writefln("writeConfig(%s)", confFile);
     with(iniWriter)
       {
 	openFile(confFile);
diff --git a/openmw.d b/openmw.d
index 2275a4268..f3cfe93c6 100644
--- a/openmw.d
+++ b/openmw.d
@@ -100,6 +100,25 @@ void main(char[][] args)
       render=false;
     }
 
+  void showHelp()
+    {
+      writefln("Syntax: %s [options] cell-name [cell-name]", args[0]);
+      writefln("  Options:");
+      writefln("    -n            Only load, do not render");
+      writefln("    -ex,y         Load exterior cell (x,y)");
+      writefln("    -rk           Reset key bindings to default");
+      writefln("    -oc           Show the Ogre config dialogue");  
+      writefln("    -h            Show this help");
+      writefln("");
+      writefln("Specifying more than one cell implies -n");
+    }
+
+  if(help)
+    {
+      showHelp();
+      return;
+    }
+
   initializeMemoryRegions();
 
   /*
@@ -130,17 +149,9 @@ void main(char[][] args)
   if(cells.length == 1)
     config.defaultCell = cells[0];
 
-  if(help || (cells.length == 0 && eCells.length == 0))
+  if(cells.length == 0 && eCells.length == 0)
     {
-      writefln("Syntax: %s [options] cell-name [cell-name]", args[0]);
-      writefln("  Options:");
-      writefln("    -n            Only load, do not render");
-      writefln("    -ex,y         Load exterior cell (x,y)");
-      writefln("    -rk           Reset key bindings to default");
-      writefln("    -oc           Show the Ogre config dialogue");  
-      writefln("    -h            Show this help");
-      writefln("");
-      writefln("Specifying more than one cell implies -n");
+      showHelp();
       return;
     }