Your suggestions for the game manual

[Guest aaronb]

In order to cut down on the number of angry emails, bbs and usenet posts:

- a list of all significant abstractions.

E.g., a note that vehicles stop instantly, because most vehicles don't move fast enough for this to be a problem, and the AI would choke on on getting to a specific point if deceleration were included.

CM sells itself on realism; anywhere realism has slipped a bit for gameplay, horsepower, or other reasons, people will be at least frustrated, and at most nasty. A list of significant abstractions would stem this tide.

[Darren J Pierson]

Long post warning!

Most of my ideas have already been posted, but why let a lack of originality stop anyone?

First up, I think that every game option/command that a player can hit needs to be in the manual. That might sound like an obvious statement, but I can't tell you how many games I have hunted throughout the manual to find out what some small icon or choice really meant.

Second, a tutorial is a must, IMO. You want to ease new users into the system. I remember ASL's training chapter (what was it in, Paratrooper?) A tutorial with something like a Drill Sgt. putting you through your paces while teaching you the system would be cool, informative and set the right tone.

Third. For crying out loud, give us an index!!!!!!! Nothing screams low quality to me than companies that don't put indexes into the manual. When I am playing, I want to look up the command and find it w/o fighting the whole book!

Fourth. I like the unbound three hole punch format. That way I can put it in a binder and have it handy. Plus, as pointed out earlier, it stays open to the page you want. What I really like about this format is that as BTS and others add info/appendices for the system, I can print them out and put them right in the same book. It would be really great if everyone used a similar format so that it would all look great. (Does this remind anyone of the ASL manual? Like I said, no points for originality here!)

Fifth. Being a history grad student, I love historical info. Plus, I think that a short history section (or, better yet, a long one) gives a gamer an insight into how the designers see the historical period. BTS has done a fine job aiming for realism, but history is always an interpretation, and understanding how the developers see their universe is helpful.

Sixth. The best part of good board wargames to me was always the designer's notes. This board is great, but the product shouldn't require master lurker status like I have to understand it.

Well, my apologies for being so long winded, but when I finally step out of the shadows, I get verbose.

Thanks.

Darren J. Pierson

[This message has been edited by Darren J Pierson (edited 01-03-2000).]

[Los]

Nice ideas Darren and all!

Los

[Justin Hoerter]

One thing that might be overlooked is CM's ability to playback a turn. This could be quite helpful when discussing some of the more basic tactics. As was mentioned before, tutorial's are problematic in unscripted games like this one. Given all the possible results we've seen in the Beta demo scenarios (Tiger wiping out all hellcats, or succumbing to them instantly). A tutorial would be difficult if your main unit was destroyed... However, a saved game with placed orders and a few recorded movies (particularly nice if they can be strung together) showing the results of charging that mg with and without suppressive fire would be very nice. A couple of references in the manual to these files could help players see how best to handle a situation, particularly when discussion more intricate orders (ie. side by side ambush set-ups utilizing different approaches). This occured to me after watching some of the AAR's posted at combathq.thegamers.net I very much enjoy seeing how another has tackled a given situation.

Additionally, when new to a game I sometimes like to watch AI vs AI battles. This can often help give me a feel for what is appropriate and what isn't. I'm not sure if this will make CM v1.0, but I'd like to see the feature eventually.

[Delaware Dave]

Post the proposed table of contents and possibly the index and let us comment and suggest additions to them.

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[Fionn]

Perhaps a PBEM game of the tutorial which the newbies can play the movies of would be a good idea?

The AAR shouldn't be in the manual but should be printable...

By having the PBEM movie turns of the tutorial showing the player exactly what he is supposed to achieve in the tutorial the newbie could bring himself up to standard with the control system etc much more quickly.

Comments, flames etc?

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___________

Fionn Kelly

Manager of Historical Research,

The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers

[maxm2]

Sorry if this has been mentioned 20 times (I didn't have time to read all three pages of suggestions and want to get this off), but

the most frustrating experience to me in many years of game manuals has been my inability to find the information I'm looking

for because the index is either absent or dreadful--and I'm including online help here.

I'm sure you've had the same experience: you want to find out how long off-map artillery takes to arrive, so you look up

"artillery" and find out just how to target arty--and nothing else. You look up "arrival time," "delay," "shelling," "bombardment,"

etc., etc. and nothing. You look in the table of contents and there's the section on artillery you've already read through three

times. Etc., etc., etc. So at best I resign myself to playing the game for weeks until I figure it out, or going online and posting a

question (if I know about a bulletin board) or emailing or calling the tech help (I have essentially given up on that, but I know

CM may well be different). However, if I'm the newbie or reviewer people talk about, I may end up frustrated. And it leaves

a bad feeling about the game in any case.

Often I find that the issue is discussed--in the hypothetical case of arty delay, say, under "tactics" or "strategy:" "Remember that

an off-map bombardment [oh--so that's the magic word: "bombardment!"...but of course "bombardment isn't in the index or I

may never have thought of it as an antonym] may not arrive for up to three turns depending on the situation." (Good luck in

finding how it depends on the situation)

I always wonder: why don't the developers just give the manual and game to ten people with little or no previous wargame

experience and ask them to write down all the words they needed to find in the index and couldn't? Why didn't they even run

the "find" function and note that there is nothing about "delay" or "arrival time" etc.??

Finally, there is almost never a "see also" under the term in the index, which would sure save a lot of torn hair.

Thanks for listening, and putting out a product that's already wonderful in the beta demo!

--Max Molinaro

[CrapGame]

I'll repeat the need for a manual that can be laid flat with three-hole punches. This way, we can insert our own pages of notes to any place in the manual that we want. It can help us keep track of things in our own way. Also, a complete index is a nice plus.

CrapGame out

[guachi]

If BTS wants people to actually READ the manual they should make it as interesting as possible.

Things like tips in the sidebar of the pages. Or a narrative style when describing units from the point of view of the soldiers. This should include more than just a dry description. But rather how units sound or look.

I know Steve has mentioned that unit information that is available in game won't be included in the manual, but a description no matter how brief and genereal would be useful.

Jason

[Mikeydz]

As for the AAR thing Fionn mentioned, I think that you guys should redo the Alpha AAR game map in the gold version and replay it for the tutorial...

(ok, ok... I'm just trying to help Fionn by giving him a second shot at redemption in that misson against Moon. (Look out! Jabo's at 10 o'clock high!!!))

Mikey