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Option to Purchase Combat Mission Manuals Separately on the Storefront


Probus

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Is there any interest in the Battlefront community for the option to purchase the Combat Mission manuals separately from the games?

I bought all the games as downloadable content only and I'm really wishing I had bought the manuals with them.  Is anyone else interested in owning a copy of the manuals who doesn't already have them?

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49 minutes ago, Probus said:

Is anyone else interested in owning a copy of the manuals who doesn't already have them?

I doubt it. Limited-run manuals with color images are not cheap to print, and PDF files are vastly easier to update and distribute. Not much different than most games being digital distribution-only anymore. 

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1 hour ago, LukeFF said:

I doubt it. Limited-run manuals with color images are not cheap to print, and PDF files are vastly easier to update and distribute. Not much different than most games being digital distribution-only anymore. 

I can attest to the younger crowd not wanting hard copies, but Combat Mission seems to attract a lot more... Gray Beards than average. 

As for limited run/not cheap, I didn't mean a freebie, I want to pay for them. 

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Doh! You guessed what I was gonna ask for next! CM soundtracks to go on my record player (that, yes, I still have set up).

Well, to be honest, if you could tell me how to access the manual on my second monitor without minimizing CM on my first...  that would go a long way to alleviating my need for a hard copy of a manual. 

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Fed ex charges up to $.50 a page  (I expect BF would end up paying more as they aren't just printing but also binding and a smaller format).  The CMCW manual is 80 pages and a lot of it in color.  The 4.0 Manual is 126 pages though largely B&W.  Then you add shipping costs.

My advice if you really want a printed manual is definitely get it locally printed.  You'll save a lot and you can get it printed in larger format.  You can also load the CM manuals on any e reading device like Kindle.

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2 hours ago, Probus said:

Doh! You guessed what I was gonna ask for next! CM soundtracks to go on my record player (that, yes, I still have set up).

Well, to be honest, if you could tell me how to access the manual on my second monitor without minimizing CM on my first...  that would go a long way to alleviating my need for a hard copy of a manual. 

Apparently there's a renaissance in cassette tapes at the moment ... why?

Not what you want, but I open the pdf on an iPad next to my game rig if I need a manual moment, would work just as well on A N Other cheaper (Fire) tablet type thingy.

As someone who's worked in publishing for many years, printing a proper short-run book would be expensive for something that may only sell a few hundred copies at best. However, not wishing to pour water on this particular fire, I love books ... well maybe that's a bit strong, but I do like them - you could consider PrInt-on-demand. If you can get a few like-minded individuals together AND get permission from BF to print their manuals you might get them for a decent price. Plenty of companies out there offer the service, a quick shake of the Google tree will provide much fruit.

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7 hours ago, Probus said:

Is there any interest in the Battlefront community for the option to purchase the Combat Mission manuals separately from the games?

I bought all the games as downloadable content only and I'm really wishing I had bought the manuals with them.  Is anyone else interested in owning a copy of the manuals who doesn't already have them?

I don't see that happening. We print the game engine manuals and will continue that but title specific manuals wouldn't be worth it. We'd either have to charge so much that we would make them and not enough people would buy them for what we have to pay. Or, we'd lose money on every purchase ("we lose money on every sale but we make it up in volume!) . Shipping is already out of whack. We charge $28 USD for international shipping. Everywhere except Canada costs over $36 USD for shipping. And that doesn't include paying to have the packaging assembled and shipped....The handling part of "Shipping and Handling". 

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8 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

I don't see that happening. We print the game engine manuals and will continue that but title specific manuals wouldn't be worth it. We'd either have to charge so much that we would make them and not enough people would buy them for what we have to pay. Or, we'd lose money on every purchase ("we lose money on every sale but we make it up in volume!) . Shipping is already out of whack. We charge $28 USD for international shipping. Everywhere except Canada costs over $36 USD for shipping. And that doesn't include paying to have the packaging assembled and shipped....The handling part of "Shipping and Handling". 

whew'ee!😮  Expensive!

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20 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Apparently there's a renaissance in cassette tapes at the moment ... why?

Because cassette decks are relatively cheap now, you can get a well working Nakamichi for less than 500$ (new was 3.5k). And if you own a lot of cassettes already (I do),this is a bargain .......  and there is also some nostalgia. ;)

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2 hours ago, Ales Dvorak said:

Because cassette decks are relatively cheap now, you can get a well working Nakamichi for less than 500$ (new was 3.5k). And if you own a lot of cassettes already (I do),this is a bargain .......  and there is also some nostalgia. ;)

Okay, I understand your vested interest, but the kids? All that rewinding, and hours stuck with a pencil trying to untangle a chewed-up tape. Seriously, I do get the nostalgia thing, still have a most of my vinyl, which is more than can be said for my hair!

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8 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Okay, I understand your vested interest, but the kids? All that rewinding, and hours stuck with a pencil trying to untangle a chewed-up tape. Seriously, I do get the nostalgia thing, still have a most of my vinyl, which is more than can be said for my hair!

*No pencil untangling chewed-up tape with Nakamichi* :)

Ok, seriously I don't know why kids have such an interest in cassettes. Maybe because of the sound .... but it's useless record mp3 on tape and the tape is expensive, more expensive then 180g new vinyl. And kids also love fashion from 70', 60'. Maybe to be something special,unique...

Kids also buying vinyl, not the majority, but they do.More than 10 years Lenco put out usb record player (you don't need preamp)and people start buying vinyl again ..and ... remember CD?... well, it's dead - vinyl won.( I also have most of my vinyl (aprox 1k) and hair ... I think ;))

Well it's hard to understand nowadays kids surrounded with all this electronics....  using tape just to be different?

 

 

 

Edited by Ales Dvorak
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15 hours ago, Ales Dvorak said:

*No pencil untangling chewed-up tape with Nakamichi* :)

Ok, seriously I don't know why kids have such an interest in cassettes. Maybe because of the sound .... but it's useless record mp3 on tape and the tape is expensive, more expensive then 180g new vinyl. And kids also love fashion from 70', 60'. Maybe to be something special,unique...

Kids also buying vinyl, not the majority, but they do.More than 10 years Lenco put out usb record player (you don't need preamp)and people start buying vinyl again ..and ... remember CD?... well, it's dead - vinyl won.( I also have most of my vinyl (aprox 1k) and hair ... I think ;))

Well it's hard to understand nowadays kids surrounded with all this electronics....  using tape just to be different?

I put it down to nostalgia, and the pleasure of taking some time to enjoy something. I used to love studying the album art; now you're lucky if you get a pdf with your download, heck even downloads are old school, everything's streamed now, nothing tangible left to contemplate when listening ... 

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10 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I used to love studying the album art; now you're lucky if you get a pdf with your download, heck even downloads are old school, everything's streamed now, nothing tangible left to contemplate when listening ... 

True.

Today Hipgnosis (album covers) will be out of business. ;)

Edited by Ales Dvorak
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On 6/24/2021 at 6:16 PM, Lucky_Strike said:

heck even downloads are old school, everything's streamed now, nothing tangible left to contemplate when listening ... 

What are they gonna do when hackers take out their internet provider(s) for a couple weeks and they can't stream!  

 

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54 minutes ago, Probus said:

What are they gonna do when hackers take out their internet provider(s) for a couple weeks and they can't stream!  

Yup...  And what happens when the devices on which we store thousands of $ of content get obsolete.  Even now 3G users are basically being blackmailed into buying 4G capable technology to do no more than what they are already doing with 3G.  Same with the ever-changing and getting more expensive Windows OS etc.

One of my own favorite story ideas is what happens when a hacker breaks into the financial system and everyone's accounts are screwed.  I recall a couple of years ago, all the ATM machines of the UK bank TSB stopped operating for about 24 hours.  

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23 hours ago, Erwin said:

I recall a couple of years ago, all the ATM machines of the UK bank TSB stopped operating for about 24 hours.

Like Mr Murray said ... mass hysteria. As for me, I got enough analogue stuff to keep me busy for a lifetime or two, so long as they keep the coffee and single malt flowing ... and I can power up a game of CM or two!

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22 hours ago, Erwin said:

I thought you was joking...   But...

https://tankmuseumshop.org/products/tank-museum-monopoly

 

LOL My wife got it for me, knowing how much I like to play my 'tank' game (CM). Trouble is we can't play it 'cos she's a very bad loser. So at the moment it's still got quite a bit of cellophane on it. Maybe post Lockdown ...

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I was also intrigued by the "Trump Tank" card "game.  Wasn't sure if that was like"Up Front" or merely an informational set of card.

4 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

we can't play it 'cos she's a very bad loser

Well my spousal unit wants to do things "together", but  just laughs at me when I suggest a war game...

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8 hours ago, Erwin said:

I was also intrigued by the "Trump Tank" card "game.  Wasn't sure if that was like"Up Front" or merely an informational set of card.

Well my spousal unit wants to do things "together", but  just laughs at me when I suggest a war game...

Same here. On both points. 

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