diff --git a/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/intro.txt b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/intro.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..49dd483318
--- /dev/null
+++ b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/intro.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+[font="serif-bold-18"]0 A.D. in-game manual
+[font="serif-14"]
+Thank you for installing 0 A.D.! This page will give a brief overview of the features available in this incomplete, under-development, pre-alpha version of the game.
+
+[font="serif-bold-16"]Graphics settings
+[font="serif-14"]You can switch between fullscreen and windowed mode by pressing Alt+Enter. In windowed mode, you can resize the window. If the game runs too slowly, you can change some settings in the configuration file: look for binaries/data/config/default.cfg in the location where the game is installed, which gives instructions for editing, and try disabling the "fancywater" and "shadows" options.
+
+[font="serif-bold-16"]Modes
+[font="serif-14"]The main menu gives access to two game modes:
+
+• [font="serif-bold-14"]Single-player[font="serif-14"] — the game does not have any AI opponents yet, but you can use this to test the game's mechanics.
+
+• [font="serif-bold-14"]Multiplayer[font="serif-14"] — play against human opponents over the internet.
+
+To set up a multiplayer game, one player must select the "Host game" option. The game uses UDP port 20595, so the host must configure their NAT/firewall/etc to allow this. Other players can then select "Join game" and enter the host's IP address.
+
+[font="serif-bold-16"]Game setup
+[font="serif-14"]In a multiplayer game, only the host can alter the game setup options.
+
+First, select a map to play on. The "techdemo" maps are designed for testing particular gameplay features and are probably not generally useful.
+
+Next, you can use the drop-down lists in the player list to select who controls which player in the map. This always shows 8 players – anyone who is assigned to a player that doesn't exist in the map, or is not assigned to any player at all, will probably not have a fun time.
+
+When you are ready to start, click the "Start game" button.
+
+[font="serif-bold-16"]Playing the game
+[font="serif-14"]The controls and gameplay should be familiar to players of traditional RTS games. There are currently a lot of missing features and poorly-balanced stats – you will probably have to wait until a beta release for it to work well.
+
+Basic controls:
+• Left-click to select units.
+• Left-click-and-drag to select groups of units.
+• Right-click to order units to the target.
+• Arrow keys or WASD keys to move the camera.
+• Ctrl + arrow keys to rotate the camera.
+• F2 to save a screenshot (into %appdata%\0ad\screenshots\ on Windows, and ~/.local/share/0ad/screenshots/ on Unix).
+• Ctrl+Alt+F2 to save a very high-resolution screenshot.
+• F11 to view the built-in performance profiler.
+
+Use the "X" button in the top-right corner of this window to close it.
diff --git a/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/manual.js b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/manual.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..399227716b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/manual.js
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+function init()
+{
+	getGUIObjectByName("mainText").caption = readFile("gui/manual/intro.txt");
+}
diff --git a/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/manual.xml b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/manual.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9dac2867ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/manual.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+
+<objects>
+
+	<script file="gui/manual/manual.js"/>
+
+	<!-- Add a translucent black background to fade out the menu page -->
+	<object type="image" z="0" sprite="bkTranslucent"/>
+
+	<object type="image" style="wheatWindow" size="100 100 100%-100 100%-100">
+
+		<object type="button" style="wheatExit" tooltip_style="snToolTip">
+			<action on="Press"><![CDATA[
+				Engine.PopGuiPage();
+			]]></action>
+		</object>
+
+		<object type="image" sprite="wheatIndentFillVeryLight">
+
+			<object name="mainText" type="text" style="textPanel"/>
+
+		</object>
+
+	</object>
+
+</objects>
diff --git a/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/styles.xml b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/styles.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..95ad0b60ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/manual/styles.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+
+<styles>
+
+	<style name="textPanel"
+		buffer_zone="8"
+		font="serif-13"
+		scrollbar="true"
+		scrollbar_style="wheatScrollBar"
+		textcolor="black"
+		textcolor_selected="white"
+		text_align="left"
+		text_valign="center"
+	/>
+
+</styles>
diff --git a/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/page_manual.xml b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/page_manual.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..43edcea76a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/page_manual.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<page>
+    <include>common/setup.xml</include>
+    <include>common/styles.xml</include>
+    <include>common/sprite1.xml</include>
+    <include>manual/styles.xml</include>
+    <include>manual/manual.xml</include>
+</page>
diff --git a/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/pregame/mainmenu.xml b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/pregame/mainmenu.xml
index 56132bb9fb..614be53e8e 100644
--- a/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/pregame/mainmenu.xml
+++ b/binaries/data/mods/public/gui/pregame/mainmenu.xml
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@
 			type="text"
 			sprite="bkTranslucent"
 			textcolor="255 255 0"
-			size="4 4 230 300"
+			size="4 4 230 200"
 >[font="serif-bold-16"]WARNING[/font]
 This is an under-development unpolished snapshot. Some major components have been rewritten recently, and many gameplay features are still missing.
 
@@ -100,6 +100,33 @@ Watch for updates or get involved in the development: http://wildfiregames.com/0
 		>tooltipText
 		</object>		
 
+		<!--
+		==========================================
+		- MAIN MENU - RANDOM BUTTONS
+		==========================================
+		-->
+
+		<object type="button" style="wheatButton" size="8 230 158 270">
+			How to play
+			<action on="Press"><![CDATA[
+				Engine.PushGuiPage("page_manual.xml");
+			]]></action>
+		</object>
+
+		<object type="button" style="wheatButton" size="8 275 158 315">
+			Visit our web site
+			<action on="Press"><![CDATA[
+				Engine.OpenURL("http://wildfiregames.com/0ad/");
+			]]></action>
+		</object>
+
+		<object type="button" style="wheatButton" size="8 320 158 360">
+			Chat on IRC
+			<action on="Press"><![CDATA[
+				Engine.OpenURL("http://webchat.quakenet.org/?channels=0ad");
+			]]></action>
+		</object>
+
 		<!--
 		==========================================
 		- MAIN MENU - PARCHMENT BUTTONS
@@ -157,20 +184,19 @@ Watch for updates or get involved in the development: http://wildfiregames.com/0
 		>
 			<action on="Load"><![CDATA[
 				// Disable the Editor button if the Atlas DLL is not active.
-//				if (ATLAS_IsAvailable() == true)
-//				{
-//					this.enabled = true;
-//					this.tooltip = "Open 'Atlas', 0 A.D.'s Scenario Editor.";
-//				}
-//				else
-//				{
+				if (Engine.AtlasIsAvailable())
+				{
+					this.enabled = true;
+					this.tooltip = "Open the Atlas Scenario Editor in a new window. You can run this more reliably by starting the game with the command-line argument \"-editor\".";
+				}
+				else
+				{
 					this.enabled = false;
-					this.tooltip = "The Scenario Editor is not currently available.";
-//				}
+					this.tooltip = "The Scenario Editor is not available.";
+				}
 			]]></action>
 			<action on="Press"><![CDATA[
-				// Open Atlas Editor.
-//				ATLAS_Run();
+				Engine.RestartInAtlas();
 			]]></action>
 		</object>
 
diff --git a/source/gui/scripting/ScriptFunctions.cpp b/source/gui/scripting/ScriptFunctions.cpp
index f0a51cb7f3..e828f27486 100644
--- a/source/gui/scripting/ScriptFunctions.cpp
+++ b/source/gui/scripting/ScriptFunctions.cpp
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "ps/CLogger.h"
 #include "ps/Game.h"
 #include "ps/Overlay.h"
+#include "ps/GameSetup/Atlas.h"
 #include "ps/GameSetup/Config.h"
 #include "simulation2/Simulation2.h"
 #include "simulation2/components/ICmpCommandQueue.h"
@@ -46,6 +47,8 @@
  * scripts should call "Engine.FunctionName(...)" etc.
  */
 
+extern void restart_mainloop_in_atlas(); // from main.cpp
+
 namespace {
 
 CScriptVal GetActiveGui(void* UNUSED(cbdata))
@@ -273,6 +276,20 @@ void SendNetworkChat(void* UNUSED(cbdata), std::wstring message)
 	g_NetClient->SendChatMessage(message);
 }
 
+void OpenURL(void* UNUSED(cbdata), std::string url)
+{
+	sys_open_url(url);
+}
+
+void RestartInAtlas(void* UNUSED(cbdata))
+{
+	restart_mainloop_in_atlas();
+}
+
+bool AtlasIsAvailable(void* UNUSED(cbdata))
+{
+	return ATLAS_IsAvailable();
+}
 
 } // namespace
 
@@ -309,4 +326,7 @@ void GuiScriptingInit(ScriptInterface& scriptInterface)
 	scriptInterface.RegisterFunction<std::wstring, std::wstring, &SetCursor>("SetCursor");
 	scriptInterface.RegisterFunction<int, &GetPlayerID>("GetPlayerID");
 	scriptInterface.RegisterFunction<std::wstring, &GetDefaultPlayerName>("GetDefaultPlayerName");
+	scriptInterface.RegisterFunction<void, std::string, &OpenURL>("OpenURL");
+	scriptInterface.RegisterFunction<void, &RestartInAtlas>("RestartInAtlas");
+	scriptInterface.RegisterFunction<bool, &AtlasIsAvailable>("AtlasIsAvailable");
 }
diff --git a/source/lib/input.cpp b/source/lib/input.cpp
index a0c7114908..5e8fab32ef 100644
--- a/source/lib/input.cpp
+++ b/source/lib/input.cpp
@@ -47,6 +47,10 @@ void in_add_handler(InHandler handler)
 	handler_stack[handler_stack_top++] = handler;
 }
 
+void in_reset_handlers()
+{
+	handler_stack_top = 0;
+}
 
 // send ev to each handler until one returns IN_HANDLED
 static void dispatch_ev(const SDL_Event_* ev)
diff --git a/source/lib/input.h b/source/lib/input.h
index eacd2f7c0a..d17eb0fda9 100644
--- a/source/lib/input.h
+++ b/source/lib/input.h
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ typedef InReaction (*InHandler)(const SDL_Event_*);
 // events are passed to other handlers if handler returns IN_PASS.
 extern void in_add_handler(InHandler handler);
 
+// remove all registered input handlers
+extern void in_reset_handlers();
+
 // send event to each handler (newest first) until one returns true
 extern void in_dispatch_event(const SDL_Event_* event);
 
diff --git a/source/lib/sysdep/cursor.h b/source/lib/sysdep/cursor.h
index 153cab050b..3ebdfb042e 100644
--- a/source/lib/sysdep/cursor.h
+++ b/source/lib/sysdep/cursor.h
@@ -65,4 +65,10 @@ extern LibError sys_cursor_set(sys_cursor cursor);
  **/
 extern LibError sys_cursor_free(sys_cursor cursor);
 
+/**
+ * reset any cached cursor data.
+ * on some systems, this is needed when resetting the SDL video subsystem.
+ **/
+extern LibError sys_cursor_reset();
+
 #endif	 // #ifndef INCLUDED_SYSDEP_CURSOR
diff --git a/source/lib/sysdep/os/unix/unix.cpp b/source/lib/sysdep/os/unix/unix.cpp
index 4c8059b781..7c267eddfd 100644
--- a/source/lib/sysdep/os/unix/unix.cpp
+++ b/source/lib/sysdep/os/unix/unix.cpp
@@ -148,7 +148,8 @@ LibError sys_cursor_set(sys_cursor cursor)
 {
 	// Gaah, SDL doesn't have a good API for setting the default cursor
 	// SetCursor(NULL) just /repaints/ the cursor (well, obviously! or...)
-	ONCE(defaultCursor = SDL_GetCursor());
+	if(!defaultCursor)
+		defaultCursor = SDL_GetCursor();
 
 	// restore default cursor.
 	if(!cursor)
@@ -177,6 +178,13 @@ LibError sys_cursor_free(sys_cursor cursor)
 	return INFO::OK;
 }
 
+LibError sys_cursor_reset()
+{
+	defaultCursor = NULL;
+
+	return INFO::OK;
+}
+
 // note: just use the sector size: Linux aio doesn't really care about
 // the alignment of buffers/lengths/offsets, so we'll just pick a
 // sane value and not bother scanning all drives.
@@ -224,3 +232,33 @@ LibError sys_generate_random_bytes(u8* buf, size_t count)
 
 	return INFO::OK;
 }
+
+LibError sys_open_url(const std::string& url)
+{
+	pid_t pid = fork();
+	if (pid < 0)
+	{
+		debug_warn(L"Fork failed");
+		return ERR::FAIL;
+	}
+	else if (pid == 0)
+	{
+		// we are the child
+
+		execlp("xdg-open", "xdg-open", url.c_str(), (const char*)NULL);
+
+		debug_printf(L"Failed to run xdg-open command\n");
+
+		// We can't call exit() because that'll try to free resources which were the parent's,
+		// so just abort here
+		abort();
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		// we are the parent
+
+		// TODO: maybe we should wait for the child and make sure it succeeded
+
+		return INFO::OK;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wcursor.cpp b/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wcursor.cpp
index 6afc5758f3..abf23392ce 100644
--- a/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wcursor.cpp
+++ b/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wcursor.cpp
@@ -118,3 +118,8 @@ LibError sys_cursor_free(sys_cursor cursor)
 	BOOL ok = DestroyIcon(HICON_from_cursor(cursor));
 	return LibError_from_win32(ok);
 }
+
+LibError sys_cursor_reset()
+{
+	return INFO::OK;
+}
diff --git a/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wsysdep.cpp b/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wsysdep.cpp
index 6be8b998bc..0587ac5434 100644
--- a/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wsysdep.cpp
+++ b/source/lib/sysdep/os/win/wsysdep.cpp
@@ -413,6 +413,15 @@ LibError sys_pick_directory(fs::wpath& path)
 	return LibError_from_GLE();
 }
 
+LibError sys_open_url(const std::string& url)
+{
+	LONG r = ShellExecuteA(NULL, "open", url.c_str(), NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL);
+	if (r > 32)
+		return INFO::OK;
+
+	WARN_RETURN(ERR::FAIL);
+}
+
 LibError sys_generate_random_bytes(u8* buf, size_t count)
 {
 	HCRYPTPROV hCryptProv;
diff --git a/source/lib/sysdep/sysdep.h b/source/lib/sysdep/sysdep.h
index 382af20dff..8df0e181e5 100644
--- a/source/lib/sysdep/sysdep.h
+++ b/source/lib/sysdep/sysdep.h
@@ -122,6 +122,11 @@ extern std::wstring sys_get_user_name();
  **/
 extern LibError sys_pick_directory(fs::wpath& path);
 
+/**
+ * open the user's default web browser to the given URL.
+ **/
+extern LibError sys_open_url(const std::string& url);
+
 /**
  * return the largest sector size [bytes] of any storage medium
  * (HD, optical, etc.) in the system.
diff --git a/source/lib/tex/tex.h b/source/lib/tex/tex.h
index 2fc21aba06..55ab4fbfe4 100644
--- a/source/lib/tex/tex.h
+++ b/source/lib/tex/tex.h
@@ -261,6 +261,11 @@ extern void tex_set_global_orientation(int orientation);
  **/
 extern void tex_codec_register_all();
 
+/**
+ * remove all codecs that have been registered.
+ **/
+extern void tex_codec_unregister_all();
+
 /**
  * decode an in-memory texture file into texture object.
  *
diff --git a/source/lib/tex/tex_codec.cpp b/source/lib/tex/tex_codec.cpp
index 93869771a6..8da2197ae0 100644
--- a/source/lib/tex/tex_codec.cpp
+++ b/source/lib/tex/tex_codec.cpp
@@ -53,6 +53,11 @@ int tex_codec_register(TexCodecVTbl* c)
 	return 0;	// (assigned to dummy variable)
 }
 
+// remove all codecs that have been registered.
+void tex_codec_unregister_all()
+{
+	codecs = NULL;
+}
 
 // find codec that recognizes the desired output file extension,
 // or return ERR::TEX_UNKNOWN_FORMAT if unknown.
diff --git a/source/main.cpp b/source/main.cpp
index 88a8ab30bd..3d51b8588f 100644
--- a/source/main.cpp
+++ b/source/main.cpp
@@ -389,6 +389,15 @@ void kill_mainloop()
 }
 
 
+static bool restart_in_atlas = false;
+// called by game code to indicate main() should restart in Atlas mode
+// instead of terminating
+void restart_mainloop_in_atlas()
+{
+	quit = true;
+	restart_in_atlas = true;
+}
+
 // moved into a helper function to ensure args is destroyed before
 // exit(), which may result in a memory leak.
 static void RunGameOrAtlas(int argc, const char* argv[])
@@ -401,7 +410,7 @@ static void RunGameOrAtlas(int argc, const char* argv[])
 	CXeromyces::Startup();
 
 	// run Atlas (if requested via args)
-	bool ran_atlas = ATLAS_RunIfOnCmdLine(args);
+	bool ran_atlas = ATLAS_RunIfOnCmdLine(args, false);
 	// Atlas handles the whole init/shutdown/etc sequence by itself;
 	// when we get here, it has exited and we're done.
 	if(ran_atlas)
@@ -419,6 +428,12 @@ static void RunGameOrAtlas(int argc, const char* argv[])
 	ScriptingHost::FinalShutdown(); // this can't go in Shutdown() because that could be called multiple times per process, so stick it here instead
 	MainControllerShutdown();
 
+	if (restart_in_atlas)
+	{
+		ATLAS_RunIfOnCmdLine(args, true);
+		return;
+	}
+
 	// Shut down libxml2 (done here to match the Startup call)
 	CXeromyces::Terminate();
 }
diff --git a/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.cpp b/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.cpp
index bea044027a..6787931b6b 100644
--- a/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.cpp
+++ b/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.cpp
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ static void ATLAS_Run(const CmdLineArgs& args, int flags = 0)
 	}
 }
 
+bool ATLAS_IsAvailable()
+{
+	return atlas_dll.LoadDLL();
+}
 
 // starts the Atlas UI if an "-editor" switch is found on the command line.
 // this is the alternative to starting the main menu and clicking on
@@ -66,9 +70,9 @@ static void ATLAS_Run(const CmdLineArgs& args, int flags = 0)
 // notes:
 // - GUI init still runs, but some GUI setup will be skipped since
 //   ATLAS_IsRunning() will return true.
-bool ATLAS_RunIfOnCmdLine(const CmdLineArgs& args)
+bool ATLAS_RunIfOnCmdLine(const CmdLineArgs& args, bool force)
 {
-	if (args.Has("editor"))
+	if (force || args.Has("editor"))
 	{
 		ATLAS_Run(args, ATLAS_NO_GUI);
 		return true;
diff --git a/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.h b/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.h
index 7ec498f00b..14e4c01d15 100644
--- a/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.h
+++ b/source/ps/GameSetup/Atlas.h
@@ -23,10 +23,13 @@ class CmdLineArgs;
 // free reference to Atlas UI SO (avoids resource leak report)
 extern void ATLAS_Shutdown();
 
+// returns whether the Atlas UI SO is available for loading
+extern bool ATLAS_IsAvailable();
+
 // starts the Atlas UI if an "-editor" switch is found on the command line.
 // this is the alternative to starting the main menu and clicking on
 // the editor button; it is much faster because it's called during early
 // init and therefore skips GUI setup.
-extern bool ATLAS_RunIfOnCmdLine(const CmdLineArgs& args);
+extern bool ATLAS_RunIfOnCmdLine(const CmdLineArgs& args, bool force);
 
 #endif // INCLUDED_ATLAS
diff --git a/source/ps/GameSetup/GameSetup.cpp b/source/ps/GameSetup/GameSetup.cpp
index 1774138ff2..5d1e6ffb05 100644
--- a/source/ps/GameSetup/GameSetup.cpp
+++ b/source/ps/GameSetup/GameSetup.cpp
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "lib/res/h_mgr.h"
 #include "lib/res/graphics/cursor.h"
 #include "lib/res/sound/snd_mgr.h"
+#include "lib/sysdep/cursor.h"
 #include "lib/sysdep/cpu.h"
 #include "lib/sysdep/gfx.h"
 #include "lib/tex/tex.h"
@@ -97,6 +98,13 @@
 #include "ps/GameSetup/Config.h"
 #include "ps/GameSetup/CmdLineArgs.h"
 
+#if !(OS_WIN || OS_MACOSX) // assume all other platforms use X11 for wxWidgets
+#define MUST_INIT_X11 1
+#include <X11/Xlib.h>
+#else
+#define MUST_INIT_X11 0
+#endif
+
 #include <iostream>
 
 ERROR_GROUP(System);
@@ -555,6 +563,12 @@ static void InitSDL()
 	SDL_EnableUNICODE(1);
 }
 
+static void ShutdownSDL()
+{
+	SDL_QuitSubSystem(SDL_INIT_VIDEO|SDL_INIT_TIMER);
+	sys_cursor_reset();
+}
+
 
 void EndGame()
 {
@@ -572,6 +586,8 @@ void Shutdown(int UNUSED(flags))
 
 	ShutdownPs(); // Must delete g_GUI before g_ScriptingHost
 
+	in_reset_handlers();
+
 	// destroy actor related stuff
 	TIMER_BEGIN(L"shutdown actor stuff");
 	delete &g_MaterialManager;
@@ -588,6 +604,12 @@ void Shutdown(int UNUSED(flags))
 	g_VBMan.Shutdown();
 	TIMER_END(L"shutdown Renderer");
 
+	tex_codec_unregister_all();
+
+	TIMER_BEGIN(L"shutdown SDL");
+	ShutdownSDL();
+	TIMER_END(L"shutdown SDL");
+
 	TIMER_BEGIN(L"shutdown ScriptingHost");
 	delete &g_ScriptingHost;
 	TIMER_END(L"shutdown ScriptingHost");
@@ -643,6 +665,17 @@ void EarlyInit()
 
 	timer_LatchStartTime();
 
+	// Because we do GL calls from a secondary thread, Xlib needs to
+	// be told to support multiple threads safely.
+	// This is needed for Atlas, but we have to call it before any other
+	// Xlib functions (e.g. the ones used when drawing the main menu
+	// before launching Atlas)
+#if MUST_INIT_X11
+	int status = XInitThreads();
+	if (status == 0)
+		debug_printf(L"Error enabling thread-safety via XInitThreads\n");
+#endif
+
 	// Initialise the low-quality rand function
 	srand(time(NULL));	// NOTE: this rand should *not* be used for simulation!
 }