How many of you would admit

[Fidel]

Originally posted by yin26
I read the manual. Save the last few pages of charts, it's worthless. Honestly. 200 pages of: 'This is how you move the map' 'Monarchy is a different kind of government from Despotism', etc.

Manual is worthless, Civilopedia is awesome! Game is great, Chieftain opponents are kicking my behind and it really feels great to play

Poster in the LE is also pathetic and so is the cardboard thingie for CDs. Cheapos...

[civmonger]

UGH! the manual AND the strategy guide are incomplete and basically useless except to inform of changes from Civ2. Just play the game and learn that way!

[Zanzin]

I found a few things in the game, the interface that is, illogical.

SHIFT key to acess queus is frusting.

also the fact that you can't move more than one unit at a time (unless it's an army).

Minor gripes, but frustraing.

Also, a quick game report - everything was going fine until the Germans declared war on me for not giving them my map. I thought - well, they're half a continent away, what can they do?

Kinda forgot about it until 15 german units showed up and trashed my empire. This was on chieftain, btw!! round abouts 650 AD.

[Grim Legacy]

Roger to the general opinion on the manual. Lots of text, but so little info. Except for the hard reference charts, the common theme is 'vagueness'.

Also agree on the interface quirks. Shift for the qeue... tsk.

[Yaga]

Anyone have an index?

The manual is rather difficult to glean information from, but I think the most frustrating part is the lack-o-valuable index. Try finding anything about "Mobilization" in the index, what it does, and when you will automatically stop being mobilized. Look up "Advances, Modern" and you get the list of *optional* Modern Advances.

True, this is the manual for a brand new game, and one really can't fault those who wrote it if information was unavailable or changed between when the game when gold and their copy did. ( Afterall, has anyone seen the icons listed on page 166? They've been replaced with the cryptic D E P H S - see their placement on the screenshot from pg 167)

Worse, many of these items aren't even listed in the otherwise helpful Civilopedia. Considering that the manual itself says "Many people don't read the manual until something goes wrong" you would think there'd be a lot more help from both these facets of the game, instead of the user having to left click, right click, double click, and Ctrl- and pray, in the hope that somewhere they'll figure out how to contact a Civ that isn't listed on the F4 / Foreign Minister's Screen.

However, God Bless 'Em for putting the game out that I can b**** about it

Yaga

[Alexander's Horse]

As a matter of fact, I have the manual - I just don't have the game yet

[Solver]

Hey! I really have to agree with AH, can't help here. I read the manual before I played my first turn, and this has gone a long way in making me understand how the new concepts work.
Horsie, won't you bite me?

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Solver
Hey! I really have to agree with AH

*Horse feints*

[Stuie]

Re: How many of you would admit

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
That you're frustrated with the game because you haven't bothered to read the manual and don't understand it yet.

Whatever initial frustration I had with the game was due to both not reading the manual and not playing the tutorial. However, I did not come around here whining about it.

Also, I'll agree that the manual isn't that great. It really white-washes some of the game concepts.

[Ecthy]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
As a matter of fact, I have the manual - I just don't have the game yet

I know the feeling...

[Ecthy]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
As a matter of fact, I have the manual - I just don't have the game yet

I know the feeling...

[Steve Clark]

Originally posted by Soren Johnson Firaxis


well, everything is in the manual AFAIK, but for people who just like to jump in, it might not be so easy...

Originally posted by Soren Johnson Firaxis


oh, I also wanted to mention that the interface is designed so that you do not have to ever go to the city screen if you don't want to (in fact, that is how I play...) I am curious if anyone has been playing this way, or have the short-cuts been hidden too well?

Apparently someone submitted to Firaxis the brilliant idea that everything should be done through hot keys, thus eliminating the popups and pulldowns.

[Fidel]

Originally posted by Solver
Hey! I really have to agree with AH, can't help here. I read the manual before I played my first turn, and this has gone a long way in making me understand how the new concepts work.
Horsie, won't you bite me?

You got a pirated copy? They were out in E. Europe on October 31
Manual is ****e. Try finding what are prerequisites for minor wonders or something. LImited edition my a$$...