Keg Posted March 18, 2000 Share Posted March 18, 2000 This is my first post so be gentle with me. A quick Q about the manual that I haven't been able to answer from a search of the 35,000+ (!) posts to this forum. I have seen requests for it to be ring-bound. Will this be the case ?? Apart from allowing us to print out extra info from CD/online it would also cut costs for future CM's as extra chapters could just be inserted/or old info removed. Any thoughts ? PS : Thanks BTS for providing the Holy Grail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Captain Foobar Posted March 18, 2000 Share Posted March 18, 2000 Yeah! Wouldn't that be cheaper than a bound edition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keg Posted March 18, 2000 Author Share Posted March 18, 2000 Perhaps not at first for CM1 - though I'd be happy to pay for this. Also, I suppose those buying later CM's but not having CM1 could buy a ring-bound manual at an extra cost (or more more sensibly just buy CM1 - you know it makes sense !!!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keg Posted March 18, 2000 Author Share Posted March 18, 2000 Ummmm... I suppose it might make it easier to illegally copy though. Anyone ? ........(silence) I guess no ring-bound manual then. [This message has been edited by Keg (edited 03-19-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Wind Posted March 22, 2000 Share Posted March 22, 2000 I have also done a search and noticed some more people asking for a ring bound manual. I have no preference but would think that the manual would not be ring bound. Why ? Well, it would be bulky and therefore cost more to post. It almost certainly would cost more to produce. I am not aware of any other ring bound computer manual (theremust be a reason for this). The last requests for ringbound manuals went unheard (uncommented) - therefore it looks unlikely. Anyway, does it matter ? - manuals and games have only a finite life. What is more important is that you are immersed in the "gaming experience" as soon as you start playing and therefore will have no time to read the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted March 22, 2000 Share Posted March 22, 2000 Hello Keg, Norman is correct. Ring bound manuals cost a LOT more to produce, store, and ship. One reason to have a ring bound manual is so that you can add/replace pages as the game develops. But with computer games, CM or otherwise, this is largely not the case due to short lifespan. While you might play ASL for 20 years, for example, CM 1 will only be played for a fraction of that and with no substantial changes to rules. As CM evolves so to will the documentation, but it will replace what came before it. So if you buy CM 1 and then a year later buy CM 2 you will get a brand new manual. This is necessary because of the number of changes and because each game is seperate from each other (i.e. someone might buy just CM2 and not CM1, so they need full documentation). Bottom line is that it doesn't make sense for us to absorb the costs and headaches of ring bound documentation. Not a bad suggestion, just not a very practical or necessary one from our point of view Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Von Rom Posted March 22, 2000 Share Posted March 22, 2000 Steve: I hope CM lasts a long time on my hard-drive. The classic games will never go out of use. Just look at the work being put into the Steel Panther series on the web with add-ons, etc. That game is 6 years old. The new scenarios, etc add life and keep the game fresh (not to mention the fact, that not everyone can afford to keep up with the tech requirements of newer games). I hope CM has a scenario editor and/or random battle generator - anything to help keep it fresh and playable ------------------ "A Sherman can give you a definite edge" - Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Heroes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keg Posted March 22, 2000 Author Share Posted March 22, 2000 Thx all (esp BTS) for the replies. I suppose I WILL be too busy getting thrashed by the new AI to have time to pick up a battle manual ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted March 22, 2000 Share Posted March 22, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Von Rom: I hope CM has a scenario editor and/or random battle generator - anything to help keep it fresh and playable <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Of course it does! there's some great articles about it at http://wbr.thegamers.net/ ------------------ Visit my webpage! http://cm4mac.tripod.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigAlMoho Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software: One reason to have a ring bound manual is so that you can add/replace pages as the game develops.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I think that a three ring binder would be inappropriate but the type of ring binding that allows the manual to lay flat would be very nice... Al [This message has been edited by BigAlMoho (edited 03-22-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pford Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 Why have a printed manual? It just adds cost. I will agree that it is nice to sit and read but why not ship the manual on the CD as a PDF or HTML document only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JonS Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 Ick! For the love of God, NO! Please, not an online manual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark IV Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 HTML is bad enough, but NO .pdf, please ! What a useless format. I have the full Acrobat and I still say it's useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neutral Party Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 You can't take computer to the can guys - come on Don't know about the rest of you but that's the only place I get to read these days. At least without a two and a half-year old jumping on my gonads. Too bad about the ring-bound idea getting the boot. However I'm now at the stage where I would accept just about anything. So print it on whatever you like and bind it however you like. Just stuff it into a big envelope, put a functioning game CD in too and then just send it to me - c/o the nut house. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Captain Foobar Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 How about an Adobe version on CD, in addition to the bound manual? I can buy my own 3 ring binder...... Not a big issue with me, but I think it would be cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAEZ Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 I usually bound all the manuals which games I like and keep as collection items I guess that all we can ask BTS is that the manual has the necessary space-margin to allow u to punch holes and put rings on it. I usually do this not to add more pages but to preserve the manual's life longer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakko Ichiu Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 Spiral binding is nice and cheap and, if done properly (thick, heavy covers), lasts a good long time. Plus, it lies flat better than other bindings. Ethan. ------------------ Das also war des Pudels Kern! -- Goethe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 Yeah, a nice spiral binding with good quality covers that won't let the spiral holes tear or fray would be the best option. I like the way they lay nice and flat for reading on my desktop. ToP came with such a manual and it worked very well. Since Steve and Charles plan on retrofitting the improvements of future CM's into the previous titles there would be some use to a ring bound manual but I suppose one could just buy the newest version of CM and use that manual as the manual for CM1 since it will have all the latest improvements detailed in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted March 29, 2000 Share Posted March 29, 2000 Steve, now that things are wrapping up, do you know if you are going to be using a good spiral binding for the CM manual? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hundminen Posted March 29, 2000 Share Posted March 29, 2000 I'm with Neutral Party on this: BTS, please provide a PRINTED manual, not an on-line one. I have all kinds of time to read a printed manual: 1) On the Crapper I hope I don't get a bad case of the 'roids with all the extra time I'll spend on the crapper with a good printed manual. 2) Bed-time Reading Hey...married with kids...'nuff said. 3) Business Trips On the plane, bed-time reading, on the crapper. 4) At the In-laws House On the crapper. Spiral-bound, 3-ring bound, colour, glossy? Who cares - as long as it's fat and full of lots of goodies. Hundminen (Off to the crapper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark IV Posted March 29, 2000 Share Posted March 29, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>we are not going to make the manual available in electronic format.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>-9/22/99 BTS <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>2. The 2nd draft of the massive user manual has been completed<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>-today, 3/28 or 28/3 depending on orientation, BTS Official Announcement Hmmm. Does this indicate the manual will be on a 3" thick CD? No, impractical, that. And PDF? Do you think that people who could produce something as cool as the Intro Trailer, from something as cool as CM, would provide a manual in something as blatantly uncool, pirateable, and crapper-hostile as a frigging portable document file? Negative, mates. I see the key words here as "not...electronic" and then, "massive". This says "large" "paper" to me. Beyond which all else is immaterial, since I have access to 3-hole punches, drill motors, and other unregistered implements of destruction. Mark IV -Sycophant of Search, with apologies to Guachi, the Magellan of Search-as-sig-theme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Fox Posted March 29, 2000 Share Posted March 29, 2000 Oh no! It's Jason and the Searchonauts The quest for the fabled Golden FAQs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guachi Posted March 29, 2000 Share Posted March 29, 2000 Training them one by one!! Join me at the yahoo chat, Simon!! http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/combatmissionclub Jason FA'Q!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark IV Posted March 29, 2000 Share Posted March 29, 2000 Trained to search, but not to Yahoo. The site was nice once, but I don't have the patience to hack my way back in. Won't try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MantaRay Posted March 29, 2000 Share Posted March 29, 2000 Well,I guess when CM gets to my door, I will convert the manual to a computer. I only will do this so I can justify why I just bought a scanner, and give me something to do with it besides just using it to hold the Kleenex boxes. Besides I can then add to it some cool CM pictures. Woohoo. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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