Thank You!!!

Seminole · 09-25-08, 08:56 AM

Yes...and look just how far manuals have digressed?...

..over that same time peroid...

One of my early titles was Their Finest Hour....The Battle of Britain by Lucas Arts.

The game though tons and tons of entertainment, is positively stongeage by today's standards.

BUT....that manual....

....I still have it in my reference library as it is a pretty comprehensive resource on the history of the BoB, as well as a detailed gamer's guide to playing the game.

...and come to think of it..I still have those 5 1/2 inch floppies somewhere too...

Diopos · 09-25-08, 09:41 AM

Ah the manual thing!
In the B.C. era (Before Computer that is) wargaming manuals had to include fundamental things as! Combat Result Tables, Terrain Effect Modfiers and so on. So you had the "numeric soul" of the game staring you in the eyes. Throw in the rest of the rules and voila! here are you're game tactics/strategy! Some times it was easy, some times not, some times they had an "air" of their own and some times they were just plain difficult for the sake of being... uhm plain difficult. But the game manual was a there. Even if it was badly written you could always introduce some "home rules" if you had some "experience" (the equivalent of "modding").

Than came the A.C. era (After Computer obviously eh!). Hey no need any more to sum attack and defense values and throw the dice and consult this or that table. The puter does that! Right? Well yes! So If you don't use the tables and the charts and all that frustrating items any more why should you even be "exposed" to them!
So the developers, promoters, etc decided:
1.) Informative manuals can be complicated and "scare off" casual players
2.) We can "hide" major portions of the game engines/rules as "hardcoded" and/or "protecetd"
Now you need to experiment more with the game you choose to play. This maybe good or bad. Imagine spending your little free (gaming) time for weeks on a game that is too simplistic or too complex for you. Now this could happen in a table top game too but as soon as you opened the box and had a glimpse on the manual and the game components... well somehow you Knew if the game was right for you or it would end up in the top shelf...unused.

...of course you have movement and graphics that get better all the time and hidden enemy units... but I was born in the B.C. era.

doulos05 · 09-25-08, 09:44 AM

Yeah, sadly that's a reflection on the mainstream attitude towards computing. When games like that were being written, people viewed computers like houses. Obviously if you're going to be spending any length of time in it, you want to see how everything works and maybe even do a bit of home improvement. Now, it seems the majority of people see computers like most people see the airplanes they fly on.

They don't care how it works, why the wingtips are bent (fuel economy, for those who are curious. It can reduce fuel consumption by 5-10% because it reduces the turblence created by the wings) or how the controls work. They only care that they get on at one airport and get off safely at another (preferably the airport listed as the "destination" on their tickets). While I'm a bit young to remember first-hand things written with the "your computer is your virtual house" attitude, I'm a sucker for retro-tech and Linux so I'd like to think I see my computer like I see my house (and I'd also like to think I'm a bit of a handy-man in my computer, because I certainly don't think I am when it comes to my real house

), and I try to crawl around in the attic and basement every so often to see what's there and even make a few changes. It's kinda sad to me that most people don't see it that way (especially since, just like home repair, once you know a little it goes a long way).

The devs did a great job building the house, but I'm glad that the modders have gone in and moved a few walls, added that extra half-bath, and completely renovated the kitchen. It adds a lot of value to what would otherwise just be a slightly above average house for this neighborhood.

What? Too much? I carried the metaphor too far, didn't I. I know, I felt it too but I just couldn't stop.

Diopos · 09-25-08, 09:48 AM

Did you get a permit for the house renovation????

09-25-08, 08:56 AM	#1
Seminole Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,012 Downloads: 102 Uploads: 0	Yes...and look just how far manuals have digressed?... ..over that same time peroid... One of my early titles was Their Finest Hour....The Battle of Britain by Lucas Arts. The game though tons and tons of entertainment, is positively stongeage by today's standards. *BUT*....that manual.... ....I still have it in my reference library as it is a pretty comprehensive resource on the history of the BoB, as well as a detailed gamer's guide to playing the game. ...and come to think of it..I still have those 5 1/2 inch floppies somewhere too... __________________

09-25-08, 09:41 AM	#2
Diopos Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Athens, the original one. Posts: 1,226 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Ah the manual thing! In the B.C. era (Before Computer that is) wargaming manuals had to include fundamental things as! Combat Result Tables, Terrain Effect Modfiers and so on. So you had the "numeric soul" of the game staring you in the eyes. Throw in the rest of the rules and voila! here are you're game tactics/strategy! Some times it was easy, some times not, some times they had an "air" of their own and some times they were just plain difficult for the sake of being... uhm plain difficult. But the game manual was a there. Even if it was badly written you could always introduce some "home rules" if you had some "experience" (the equivalent of "modding"). Than came the A.C. era (After Computer obviously eh!). Hey no need any more to sum attack and defense values and throw the dice and consult this or that table. The puter does that! Right? Well yes! So If you don't use the tables and the charts and all that frustrating items any more why should you even be "exposed" to them! So the developers, promoters, etc decided: 1.) Informative manuals can be complicated and "scare off" casual players 2.) We can "hide" major portions of the game engines/rules as "hardcoded" and/or "protecetd" Now you need to experiment more with the game you choose to play. This maybe good or bad. Imagine spending your little free (gaming) time for weeks on a game that is too simplistic or too complex for you. Now this could happen in a table top game too but as soon as you opened the box and had a glimpse on the manual and the game components... well somehow you Knew if the game was right for you or it would end up in the top shelf...unused. ...of course you have movement and graphics that get better all the time and hidden enemy units... but I was born in the B.C. era. __________________ - Oh God! They're all over the place! CRASH DIVE!!! - Ehm... we can't honey. We're in the car right now. - What?... er right... Doesn't matter! We'll give it a try anyway!

09-25-08, 09:44 AM	#3
doulos05 Planesman Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 195 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	Manual Digression Yeah, sadly that's a reflection on the mainstream attitude towards computing. When games like that were being written, people viewed computers like houses. Obviously if you're going to be spending any length of time in it, you want to see how everything works and maybe even do a bit of home improvement. Now, it seems the majority of people see computers like most people see the airplanes they fly on. They don't care how it works, why the wingtips are bent (fuel economy, for those who are curious. It can reduce fuel consumption by 5-10% because it reduces the turblence created by the wings) or how the controls work. They only care that they get on at one airport and get off safely at another (preferably the airport listed as the "destination" on their tickets). While I'm a bit young to remember first-hand things written with the "your computer is your virtual house" attitude, I'm a sucker for retro-tech and Linux so I'd like to think I see my computer like I see my house (and I'd also like to think I'm a bit of a handy-man in my computer, because I certainly don't think I am when it comes to my real house ), and I try to crawl around in the attic and basement every so often to see what's there and even make a few changes. It's kinda sad to me that most people don't see it that way (especially since, just like home repair, once you know a little it goes a long way). The devs did a great job building the house, but I'm glad that the modders have gone in and moved a few walls, added that extra half-bath, and completely renovated the kitchen. It adds a lot of value to what would otherwise just be a slightly above average house for this neighborhood. What? Too much? I carried the metaphor too far, didn't I. I know, I felt it too but I just couldn't stop.

09-25-08, 09:48 AM	#4
Diopos Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Athens, the original one. Posts: 1,226 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Did you get a permit for the house renovation???? __________________ - Oh God! They're all over the place! CRASH DIVE!!! - Ehm... we can't honey. We're in the car right now. - What?... er right... Doesn't matter! We'll give it a try anyway!