CptWasp Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 I own the Paradox version of CMSF, and the printed manual covers only the first part of the pdf manual. So I would like to print the second part on my own. Unluckily the pdf manual has white text over very dark background, so printing is not possible. Can you Battlefront provide gamers with a second, printer-friendly copy of the manual please? I think a lot of customers will appreciate this... and their toner-level too!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sivodsi Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 As a work around you could always copy and paste into a document. Might be tedious reformatting it all, but it is, after all, a labor of love, is it not? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptWasp Posted September 27, 2007 Author Share Posted September 27, 2007 Yes, but I would like to have the icons and the small images around too... not only the text... What I was asking for was an identical manual, but with white background and black text. With a normal pdf reader you can't change that, no? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barleyman Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 With full acrobat you can tediously remove the background images one-by-one. Then you can print the manual with black fonts with foxit reader. .. Or, the guy who made the original manual spends about 10 min with pagemaker and pops out perfectly formatted black-on-white PDF manual.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntarr Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 ...or you order the game that has the manual inside?.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinkins Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Yes the manuals (both paper and electronic) are hard on the eyes and printer. The paper copy is off-white font on gray. Its hard for me to read. "According to a manual by AT&T; (1989), the direction of the contrast (dark on light, or light on dark) might also affect legibility. When light text is placed on a dark background the text may seem to glow and become blurred; this is referred to as halation, and it may make the text harder to read. Some evidence for an effect of halation was found in the current experiment. The mean RT for light text on a dark background was x=17559.24, while the mean RT for dark text on a light background was x=16909.33. This finding might also be attributable to a subject experience factor due to the frequency of dark text on light backgrounds; more research is needed on this topic before any strong recommendations can be made." 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptWasp Posted September 28, 2007 Author Share Posted September 28, 2007 I think that with a minimum effort Battlefront can release a printer friendly manual. Ok, it's not a software issue, but still an issue. A lot of Matrix Games manuals were similar to the CMSF one, and after the user request for a more printer-friendly manual they released it in less than a week. I'm a Battlefront fan so I'm confident 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rune Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 This has been covered in a thread before. The answer is No officially. I'll see if I can find the thread and post it here, I know madmatt answered. Rune 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barleyman Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 If my memory serves, he just said that it prints "fine" on whatever printer he uses. I mean, it sure prints fine if you get ink for free. Ed: Actually it was Steve.. [ September 29, 2007, 02:52 AM: Message edited by: Barleyman ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Toe Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 I may have something useful for this thread if anyone can host it for me? Edit: And I'm not gonna get sued!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Toe Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 But I aint posting anything until Steve or Rune gives their approval! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javaslinger Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 Well, if you're intending to post instructions on how to 'easily' do what you seem to have done, I certainly don't see any reason why you can't post that. However, if you intend to post the actual manual with the PITA background removed, well, I doubt we'll see approval from that. So, I'd like to know how and with what you removed the background to make it less torturous to print. Thanks, Javaslinger 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Toe Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 Well, I did think of that, but it isn't easy to do it the way I did for a non techie type. However I may have a way around it involving a touch of scripting and downloading some open source software but It will take me a while to figure that out... Will keep you posted. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntarr Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 The manual may not be copied, photographed, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electrical medium or machine- readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent from Battlefront.com, Inc.. All rights not specifically granted in this Agreement are reserved by Battlefront.com, Inc. Pg.2 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philistine Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 Is there any reason Battlefront is against posting a printer-friendly manual? Normally, not posting a manual is (understandably) something of an anti-piracy measure--but not so much here where it is available in the demo. --Philistine 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javaslinger Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 That is a good point. But more simply, I certainly would argue that any owner of the game is free to alter it so that it is printable if he/she wants to do it on their own. Javaslinger 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptWasp Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 J_Toe, great work! Can you give me some hint at cptwasp@netwargamingitalia.net? Thank you (Battlefront, include a printer-friendly version in a patch please) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 If you wanted the full paper manual next time you might wish to ponder a bit longer on what version you purchase. If BFC released a printer friendly version all their direct purchasers might find it none too funny. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolf66 Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Originally posted by Elmar Bijlsma: If you wanted the full paper manual next time you might wish to ponder a bit longer on what version you purchase. If BFC released a printer friendly version all their direct purchasers might find it none too funny. But the printed manual is lousy too - not full colored like the pdf is ..... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptWasp Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 Originally posted by Elmar Bijlsma: If you wanted the full paper manual next time you might wish to ponder a bit longer on what version you purchase. If BFC released a printer friendly version all their direct purchasers might find it none too funny. ??? When I buy a game and I read "printed manual" I think "the manual is printed"! Indeed the Paradox manual is great, and the map too, but the manual is incomplete... so I need a printer friendly version of the part I miss. What's wrong? I'm a big Battlefront fan and a customer, I own a regular copy and I think it should be regular I can print the missing part of the manual... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntarr Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Off Battlefronts Sales Game Features Ability to play game in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish or French languages 196 page printed game manual (download version has pdf manual) ................etc. Paradox didn't even mention a manual in it's sales pitch. You should feel lucky you got one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnN Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Originally posted by Elmar Bijlsma: If you wanted the full paper manual next time you might wish to ponder a bit longer on what version you purchase. If BFC released a printer friendly version all their direct purchasers might find it none too funny. I'm not joking now, that's one of the most incredibly idiotic statements I've ever read on an internet forum and I really hope BFC don't have the same attitude. All someone gains for printing out a manual is something which is easier to read, cheaper to print and more likely to increase a customers ability to enjoy and understand the game. This is a manual which is already provided to them in full, in a printable as well as screen-readable PDF format so we're not talking about some sort of strategy guide that you purchase separately. I ordered direct from BFC and I'd be happy that more people out there will be able to enjoy and understand the game. Indeed the download version is the same price as the physical version from BFC so people buying it that way and printing the manual out themselves are actually doing BFC a favour unless BFC make a significant amount from shipping (which I doubt). Have fun Finn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnN Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Originally posted by Huntarr: Off Battlefronts Sales Game Features Ability to play game in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish or French languages 196 page printed game manual (download version has pdf manual) ................etc. Paradox didn't even mention a manual in it's sales pitch. You should feel lucky you got one. I'm hoping the smiley means that whole post was a joke - the downloadable version of a complex game with no manual is the downloadable version of a complex game that I'd never even consider buying. BFC complain a lot about people 'not getting' the game, well maybe in one or two cases a PDF manual that is more suitable for printing would help. As it would involve zero work (literally as well as practically now that someone has done it for them) for them surely that's a good thing? It's not as though the 'real' manual is particularly easy to read and I can easily imagine someone with poor eyesight wanting to print out a clearer/larger version of key sections for themselves even if they have it. Have fun Finn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Toe Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Hi guys, just to add a brief note will post a bit more later ot tom. but I will put up a copy for DL as soon as I manage to shrink down the file size. I've somehow managed to blow it up to a whopping 140MB and don't have the time to sort it now!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewood Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 In reality, I find the manual not very useful. Its missing a lot of important info and a lot has changed in just a couple of months. I look at the manual now and every time I read something, I wonder if it is implemented or if its changed. Believe it or not, I actually have a small notebook full of information I've picked up on the forums and through playing. Thats a heck of a lot more useful than the manual is right now. edit: btw, I find game manuals' most useful aspect is designer notes so I know why and how things are expected to work. I find very little approaching that in the CMSF manual. You can glean some of that from Steve's comments on the forum. There isn't even a FAQ, which is the second most useful part of a manual. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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