Where is the manual?

[Nukenin]

Where is the manual?

If there is no manual, why not?

I don't want a wiki, I don't want videos, I don't want community guides, I don't want rummaging through some in-game encyclopedia trying to piece information together—I want a manual, like the gods intended.

 

[Exemplar Voss]

I don't think I've seen a computer game manual in almost two decades. Two and a half?

As for why, production costs.

 

[ByteMe]

Yeah, replaced with startup tutorials and in-game/web wiki's. The world moves along and you either move with it or watch as it passes right on by. I too love the feel of old school paper manuals.

 

[Nukenin]

Just to pull a random Paradox game, Crusader Kings II has a manual. Probably a woefully outdated manual, probably was so when the game launched, but there you have it.

Production costs is an excuse and a poor one at that. Especially considering they have a good chunk of material within the game already in the form of the Encyclopedia.

They have an art book (which I just double-checked to ensure 'twas not concealing a manual!), so surely the omission of the manual is just an oversight.

A dwarf can dream, can't he?

Edit: Yeah, I'm plodding through the Encyclopedia entry by entry. I want to have some semblance of an overarching knowledge before I start subjecting any colonists to my ineptitude. I like the game and its potential enough already I just wanted to call out the absence of the documentation it deserves.

The pacing of the "hints" (at least when selecting the "Easy Start") doesn't seem very, well, pacey? If my drones had thumbs they'd be twiddlin' them.

 

[mshappe]

Nobody writes meaningful manuals any more. I do kind of miss it, but I've resigned myself to it.

 

[prof_doom]

Just to pull a random Paradox game, Crusader Kings II has a manual. Probably a woefully outdated manual, probably was so when the game launched, but there you have it.

I miss them too. CK2 came out six years ago, and paper manuals were already rare.
I still have all the old manuals from the Command and Conquer series.

 

[DominusNovus]

I will say this: if Paradox is going to be in charge of the wikis, in place of manuals, then they should have the basic info up on launch day. Having chart after chart of 'example' is hardly useful.

 

[spartansociety]

Oh, such sweet memories of childhood. I would open the manual in the car while on the way home and poor over the details.....even if the game was Dr Mario.

I still remember most of the poem on the front page of the Diablo 2 manual where I was stuck in the car for hours before I could play.

 

[thekillergreece]

I don't think I've seen a computer game manual in almost two decades. Two and a half?

As for why, production costs.

That's kind of a biased statement, I have seen some computer games having manuals.

 

[Heradite]

EU3 had a manual that was hundreds of pages long. That's when I knew I was hooked to Paradox.

Now I bought Surviving Mars digitally. No reason not to have a digital manual.

 

[Rhaegor]

No tutorial, no manual, and all of the wikis are useless. Even the encyclopedia lacks any concrete numbers or details.

 

[Quisition]

Many games have abandon the manual for a tutorial but here it seems we are trying the concept of no manual, no tutorial and minimal hints.. Seriously!?

 

[RayY]

I miss them too. CK2 came out six years ago, and paper manuals were already rare.
I still have all the old manuals from the Command and Conquer series.

I have the C&C manuals too

 

[Rex Chroatorvm]

Manuals were great... I remember that always when I bought a new game I read the manual before or during installing of the game

 

[DominusNovus]

No tutorial, no manual, and all of the wikis are useless. Even the encyclopedia lacks any concrete numbers or details.

Yup. Honestly, they should really just give us all the relevant stats from H-hour; someone will make a wiki with all of them anyway, why annoy the players?

But I’m feeling salty about P’dox thinking it would be interesting to hide all the HOI4 formable requirements, so I’m a little biased.

 

[Nukenin]

Having played the game a bit (5ish hours, some chunk of which was spent perusing each Encyclopedia entry and Hint) there is a considered lack of (at least initial) direction that I feel should be present in a game such as this, either in the form of a strong tutorial or a comprehensive manual. This is knowledge that I might cobble together after several more abortive hours of poking and prodding but that is not an enjoyable process.

I like the game, and that is what makes the lack of proper documentation even more disappointing. Those who have "grown" with the game's development might not see this.

I don't want to watch videos of someone else's play of the game to get an idea of what need or can be done. I want to draw my own conclusions and make my own way given a good M to RTF out of.

 

[Cethanis]

EU3 had a manual that was hundreds of pages long. That's when I knew I was hooked to Paradox.

Now I bought Surviving Mars digitally. No reason not to have a digital manual.

Ahhh that's nothing. I remember Baldurs Gate, Pharao even Starcraft. Those were more books then manuals, good old times.

 

[spartansociety]

Manuals were great... I remember that always when I bought a new game I read the manual before or during installing of the game

Because you had to swap each 3.5 inch disk out when you got the message so you had lots of time to read.

 

[Bankipriel]

Yeah. No in-game tutorial? No manual? No money from me. I refunded this game after 1.4 hours of annoyance. Hairbrained Schemes & PDX are releaseing mech tactical combat next month. A gamer only has so much time.

 

[Bankipriel]

Having played the game a bit (5ish hours, some chunk of which was spent perusing each Encyclopedia entry and Hint) there is a considered lack of (at least initial) direction that I feel should be present in a game such as this, either in the form of a strong tutorial or a comprehensive manual. This is knowledge that I might cobble together after several more abortive hours of poking and prodding but that is not an enjoyable process.

I like the game, and that is what makes the lack of proper documentation even more disappointing. Those who have "grown" with the game's development might not see this.

I don't want to watch videos of someone else's play of the game to get an idea of what need or can be done. I want to draw my own conclusions and make my own way given a good M to RTF out of.

100% this. I have been eagerly awaiting this game for months, but I had zero fun & refunded after 1.4 hours. I'm not interested in investing a week or two of play-time so I can have fun later.

And to be fair, the fault is surely (in part) mine. I spent months learning to play X3, weeks EU3, and I enjoyed that. Maybe this genre just isn't my cup tea of tea when the game's structure is this obtuse.