Awful awful manual

[unmerged(1408)]

I think you can never have enough threads that bash this awful awful manual. No organization. No description of game options whatsoever. It avoids details at all cost. Such an awful awful manual. Just awful. Awful awful awful..

One thing that makes me go crazy is all the greyed out options in the game. How am I supposed to know when they'll be available to me? Do I lack gold, do I lack the tech level, or is it one of those special cases or rules?

This being the case, is there any hope of an official or unofficial strategy guide, or at least another manual written to help players who actually want to fully understand how to play the game? Is there no justice? Where's the humanity? What have I done to deserve this? Have I been forsaken? Why?? Why???? Such an awful awful manual to accompany such a good game..

 

[BiB]

I quite enjoyed it. Was glad to see my German was still quite up to speed.

 

[289Mustang]

I agree Ahmad, this is one of, if not the worst game manual I have ever seen shipped with a game.

 

[Johan]

Originally posted by Ahmad
One thing that makes me go crazy is all the greyed out options in the game. How am I supposed to know when they'll be available to me? Do I lack gold, do I lack the tech level, or is it one of those special cases or rules?

Have you tried reading the popup box that comes when you hold the mouse over the greyed-out button?

 

[Ursa Major]

Hey! isn't that like... cheating?

 

[unmerged(1562)]

Not the worse though ...

Originally posted by Ahmad
I think you can never have enough threads that bash this awful awful manual. No organization. No description of game options whatsoever. It avoids details at all cost. Such an awful awful manual. Just awful. Awful awful awful..

Remember the original manual for the original East Front? Now there was a loser. At least this manual has some interesting historical trivia. However, I would sure like a manual that tells me how to play the game! I admire all the posters I see here who are apparently able to fight their way through this and have fun. Maybe after the 1.08 patch ...

 

[unmerged(213)]

Manual is OK/not OK

The manual is not the worst by far. I see it as a discussion about the game, not a how-to manual. As a discussion, it is not bad. It tells you that things are there and that they work. In this regard, it is a pretty good manual. Also, the translation into English was well done. For the most part, it is easy to read and makes sense, conveying the meaning of the original manual as far as I can tell.

Unfortunately, the game is complex enough to learn and unintuitive in places, that how-tos are really needed. The published table of contents helped and I frequently use it, but I've found myself relying on the FAQs a bit too often at times instead of the manual for basic things like figuring out how to move ships out of port and loading troops. I do find that I can usually puzzle out how something is supposed to work if I spend a little time on it.

The tutorial scenario and discussion in the manual could have rescued this problem but they also aren't how-to.

For their next manual (EU2?), I'd like to see a combination of both a discussion of the game, and some added how-to guidance.

 

[Carolus Rex]

I disagree big time.
The manual is great. Awesome. You guys just havent taken your time to understand it. L

 

[Otrex]

This manual is pretty sweet

What the manual really needs is a proper layout. It needs sections and subsections. Kinda like 1.0, 1.1 and so on. Then a little keyword reference area in the front or back.

 

[unmerged(548)]

MHO is that the manual is greate on it's own. The thing really missing is the How to bit, where both the manual and the tutorial leaves far too much to be desired. I must say that I myself was struggling the first few hours, and I had played the original BG.
They really should have taken in someone with 0 previous knowledge of the game to assist while writeing the manual/ creating the tutorial.
Once you get familiarized with the game it's very easy to forget to mention the most basic/easy stuff that people keep stumbeling over the first few times they play.

 

[Olaf the Unsure]

The manual is fine as far as it goes. It does a great job of history and strategy. But it's very weak on basic interface and mechanics issues. I still don't know what some of the in-game numbers and graphics mean.

I think Paradox could solve some of the so-called 'lack of immersion' complaints if they would post something around here explaining all of the numbers and dials and things. There's actually quite a bit of data available to the player but people either don't know where to find it or don't know what it is when they see it.

 

[unmerged(172)]

I have to agree with the post above. I liked it. But then again it was perfect for me. I'd been reading about the basics of the game for 18 months before the game was released.

I can understand the need for those without the prior knowledge.

Hey...


But don't worry.

It's not perfect, but all the answers are here (believe it or not), in the forums. You only need ask.

Storm.

 

[unmerged(1576)]

I was also reading about the game from this website a long time before I registered or recieved the game. (this week)

There is a very real need for a 'how to' section in the manual for the product to be considered a 'turnkey' product.

But I would sooner interact with the other players in the EU community and read the FAQ on the web to get the real answers...

It would be a huge manual if all this information was included, and it would have required significant development time to prepare...

Time that is better spent with the product in front of me in MHO.

 

[Octoparrot]

I agree the manual is awful from a gaming point of view. It does not explain the interface and the game mechanics in clear turns and omits a considerable amount of information. I enjoy the interweaving of history and the description of European history near the back, but this is not sufficient to make a good manual. If it combined user interface/game mechanics explanation with the history, that would be an awesome manual.

Of course, most manuals these days are just interface and not even mechanics; you get a skimpy booklet and a flier promoting the strategy guide in the box, which contains info that should have been in the manual in the first place. This game is so heavily dependent on historical context that this approach wouldn't work--we really need that combination of interface, game mechanics and historical explanation in ONE source, out of the box. Why introduce another barrier to entry on a subject that is already arcane to much of the gaming public?