Good game manuals have gone to hell.

[TLAM Strike]

I got to go the other way on this one. I don’t mind not having a printed manual, the only major printed manual game I purchased was Star Fleet Command and although I found it a good resource once I learned everything (which only took about a week) I never really used it except to occasionally read the ship descriptions when I get bored. The stories in the back of the printed SHII manual made for some good reading when I got nothing better to do and the reference stuff is helpful at times but I wouldn’t have minded it on pdf. Other than key commands I rarely use the manual after reading it once or twice the few exceptions have been the SC/DW manual (pdf) for some of the mission editor stuff, the MiG Alley manual (again pdf) for info on the gangues and flight operations and the SH1: Commanders Edition (another pdf) for some of the reference. A big box and manual is nice but in the end it just ends up as shelf decoration in my room. Maybe I just have a good memory and don't need a self contained reference.