huh? The E button (at least in Bryce lights) controls shadows, intensity, color, ranged or otherwise, etc. In objects it controls smoothing (or unsmoothing), degree of (that's angle, not intensity), etc.
A is attitude (orientation, distance, size, etc), M is Material (choose, go into the Deep Texture Editor [if you dare..;]), etc. Not sure where your other buttons went. There's also G (group), and U (ungroup) if you have more than one object selected.
If my trebuchet model was good enough, I'd send it along. I have it in either .3ds or .obj, if I can find it (I'm starting to have too many models..;)

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)