A big CHUNKY manuel

[Gammaray fan]

Remember the big FAT manuel from Civ1? It was like a bible with a history lesson (basically), and all the necessary info about the game, (and unnecessary info - like info on how leaders were really like as well as their temperament in the game)
There has been a disturbing trend lately to size down manuels, and move most of it onto electronic format, but this should be avoided in civ3.
I want to see an all new and improved big FAT manuel. In fact I wouldn't mind if it was even CHUNKIER!!!

[Adm.Naismith]

Paper manuals are two edged swords. SMAC had decent size manual... only rushed out so quickly to come without an index and full of wrong info (game rules and values changed in last weeks game balancing) and quickly out of date, after the game patches adds commands and features.

A well balanced learning curve, a training small scenario, an enhanced Civilopedia (easy to upgrade to keep as for patches and mods/fan's scenarios): we needs more in electronic format.

I'll love the ability to add players notes to Civilopedia, to include any good suggestion and memo I planned and developed, or any wise strategy I learn from Apolytoner Game Masters.

Think about a Civilopedia that let you link something like Velocyrix's SMAC Strategy Guide, with reminders and trigger events!
E.g., you discover a new tech and Civilopedia pop-up the relevant suggestion of Vel or your Civ reach some power value relations to the others players and, as your Advisor try to suggest you standard Firaxis wise, it add (or replace with it) more deep notes you wrote/imported related to your usual style of play.

I had the SMAC Tech poster, but its flat paper limit can't help me to drill my way to wanted advance. I'll love a tool to better navigate and search on Civ III tech tree.

I remember a Intel Computer Show two years ago where they showed us an interesting interface concept, able to reproduce arguments and their relations, as a spinning globe (mainly made of exhagons) where every time you focused to an argument all the surrounding polygons where sorted for relations and relevance (the nearest are strictly related, others fade far).

Of course paper manuals helps a bit to fight sw piracy, as added bonus to customers, but we can have others tricks do the same: a brief proper history paperback (I'll love that, it'll help me to explain my purchase of CIV III to my wife ) , a bunch of small unit figurine (plastic or metal) to collect...

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Admiral Naismith AKA mcostant

[Flandrien]

Big manuals are EXPENSIVE to produce.
Especially when compared to the production cost of a CD.
So, don't expect a big paper manual.

[Fredric Drum]

Manuel who? Not the one from Barcelona, I hope?

Seriously.. who needs manuals?

Fred

[Nikolai]

quote: Originally posted by Fredric Drum on 04-23-2001 08:58 AM Manuel who? Not the one from Barcelona, I hope? Seriously.. who needs manuals? Fred

Me!!!!!!!!

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Who am I? What am I? Do we need Civ? Well....

[Father Beast]

Civ1 and Civ2 and AC all had good manuals. Personally, I will take the manual and read it in bed, often before I install the game. before a week is out I've always read it from cover to cover.

Please, Please, PLEASE! a bound manual! the PDF files are OK for CDs I get used, but A new game should have a real one. That's why I paid 5$ more for a boxed used version of AC instead of the CD Rom Classic new.

'Nuff Said

[Ilkuul]

quote: Originally posted by Fredric Drum on 04-23-2001 08:58 AM Seriously.. who needs manuals?

Very seriously... ME TOO!! The bigger and fatter and chunkier the better! I like Adm.Naismith's idea of being able to add your own notes to the Civilopedia, and I'll certainly always refer to that and to whatever charts etc. are supplied... but nothing can replace the sheer enjoyment of browsing through a well-written, comprehensive manual, not understanding everything, but beginning to get an overall feel of the game - plus all the background info, storyline, etc. - before you plunge in for some actual hands-on experience! And if you have a specific problem you want help with, there's nothing to beat a thick paper manual with a PROPER INDEX! I hate struggling my way through umpteen computer screens vainly trying to locate one particular piece of information that's buried under some heading you would never have thought of looking at!

Firaxis, whatever else you do, give us a REAL manual!!

[Roman]

I for one like electronic manuals. What concerns me, though, is that I want to be able to find out all the relationships between variables. This would be extremely helpful for making scenarios. As I said in one of my previous threads: "Firaxis, pleese provide thorough documentation of all the relationships between variables in the game." I don't care whether they are provided on paper in the manual, or electronically on the CD, or even dowloadable from the Firaxis website, as long as the documentation is somwhere!!!

[Nemo]

i want a big fat manual, i dont care if it is in .pdf or from the forest (i.e. paperback). if it comes down to a large .pdf or a so-so paper book, i want teh .pdf. i just dont want to feel jipped after paying ~$40 for a game, only to have to go BACK to teh store and buy a ~20 "Strategy Guide"/manual seperate from the game (e.g. like ctp), just to understand what a few undocumented things are supposed to do, and how to use them properly. that is just BS if it turns out that i feel like i dont understand the game features...after reading the manual.

info on little details helps both beginners and advanced players excel. and if the beginner cant get past those lower, easy levels, it hinders the "one more game" feeling. the first sections should be basics for teh beginners with history or whatever, and teh later sections should be detailed about the complete function/role of everything else in the game.
[This message has been edited by Nemo (edited April 23, 2001).]

[Lawrence of Arabia]

I want a big manual with lots of pictures, graphs and everything in it. It should explain every facet of the game into detail and even include some historical facts.

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Its okay to smile; you're in America now

[Sindai]

Anything even resembling AC's manual would be great, I found it quite useful.

[Chronus]

I want a paper-bound manual because it's too cumbersome to drag the computer into the bathroom . . .

[SerapisIV]

I'll add my vocie to the chorus, as sad as it is, after I had just gotten the game (or was picking it off the shelf after a few months, I read the SMAC/CivII manuals in bed too, even if I'd already been playing the game for months, just hoping to find some new nugget of info to play better in my next game.

[Adm.Naismith]

quote: Originally posted by Chronus on 04-24-2001 12:42 AM I want a paper-bound manual because it's too cumbersome to drag the computer into the bathroom . . .

That's easy: use a notebook as I do (not ever carried into the bathroom, to be true, but...)

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Admiral Naismith AKA mcostant

[Bereta_Eder]

I just had time to read the title of this thread but I can say this:

I WANT A BIG CHUNKY MANUAL FOR CIV III with everything included