Please CA, may we have a better manual?

**Fisherking** · 11-06-2008, 22:29

The thought came to me, that if the game isn’t finished then the manual isn’t finished.

Now granted, we are a bit down on the priorities list here when we are asking for better documentation in some people estimation, but it would help when all those people start screaming something is a bug when it should be there anyway.

Each subsequent manual seems to be a little smaller and less detailed then the one before and this is a trend that should be stopped if not totally reversed..

I don’t think that most of us need long dissertations on tactics, we just need basic documentation of the features and controls with a few explanations. Detail what is conditional or random at least some where on line…

The better informed the end users are with a product, the fewer complaints you should have.

**Sheogorath** · 11-06-2008, 22:54

Well, to be fair, the STW-MTW 'downgrade' was rather understandable. I mean, giving a detailed description of EVERY unit in MTW would have been rather expensive.
But I do agree that the post-MTW manual is rather disappointing. A fold-out tech tree is all well and good, but really...give us some flavor text, CA. People like little background bits in the manual, and the 18th century gives you some great stuff to write about.

**Martok** · 11-07-2008, 01:50

While I love Shogun -- it remains one of my top five favorite games, and I still play it -- the manual was atrocious. It was incomplete, and much of the information it did contain was inaccurate and/or flat-out wrong. MTW's manual is probably the series' best so far, and even it's still a little on the thin side.

I'm not saying we need something completely comprehensive -- figuring out how stuff works in a game is often part of the fun, after all. But a decent manual should at least cover the basic controls and game mechanics.

Also, it should be reasonably accurate. I don't care about the occasional typo, and I can forgive when the manual is off because something in the game was changed late in the production cycle (after the manuals were already being printed). It drives me up a wall, however, when manuals say you need such-and-such buildings/technologies in order to gain access to X unit, but fails to mention that X unit can only be trained in Provinces A & C, and/or that you have to wait until the game's Phlebonium Era starts before you can recruit them.

Originally Posted by Fisherking

I don’t think that most of us need long dissertations on tactics, we just need basic documentation of the features and controls with a few explanations. Detail what is conditional or random at least some where on line…

^^^ What he said.

**LadyAnn** · 11-07-2008, 05:27

Why do you need a manual when you have the ORG? :P

Annie

**Wausser** · 11-07-2008, 15:02

My RTW Gold edition didn't even had a manual

**Polemists** · 11-08-2008, 06:48

It's just for flavor more then anything. I mean espically in a game like this where you have a cabinet how hard is it to have little comments from either various historical figures, or various officials quirping in now and then.

I'm not asking the manual be all powerful, but i'd like it to be a little more personal and a little less like it came off a factory line.

**Sheogorath** · 11-08-2008, 21:17

Originally Posted by Wausser

My RTW Gold edition didn't even had a manual

Most 'gold' and 'game of the year' editions don't come with manuals now. That's basically industry terminology for the 'budget' or 'milking the franchise' edition.

**Wausser** · 11-09-2008, 04:09

Originally Posted by Sheogorath

Most 'gold' and 'game of the year' editions don't come with manuals now.

Well didn't need it anyways, I kinda "organized" RTW a few years before I actually bought it...

**puklo** · 11-17-2008, 06:36

Originally Posted by LadyAnn

Why do you need a manual when you have the ORG? :P

Annie

These are my sentiments exactly, m'lady. You said it right

.

**Polemists** · 11-17-2008, 11:24

Why do you need a manual when you have the ORG?

because everyone on org will be to busy playing the game to write anything?

**Martok** · 11-17-2008, 18:54

Originally Posted by Polemists

because everyone on org will be to busy playing the game to write anything?

Indeed; I certainly intend to be.

Note to self: Must remember to inform TosaInu I'm taking a leave of absence come February 3rd....

**Puzz3D** · 11-08-2008, 22:57

Originally Posted by Fisherking

Now granted, we are a bit down on the priorities list here when we are asking for better documentation in some people estimation, but it would help when all those people start screaming something is a bug when it should be there anyway.

It's better for Creative Assembly to have no documentation. That way they can claim that features are working as intended. The other excuse that they have used for not fixing bugs is that it would be of interest only to hardcore players. So for example, don't expect any numeric info about units that's displayed to be correct because if it isn't Creative Assembly considers that to be of interest only to hardcore players, and they won't fix it.