GAME MANUALS - Not walkthroughs

[Razor 1]

Steam should start or get the developers to post a manual (pdf's or Wordpad) of games.

In the past when manuals were on CD they were bought with the product. If the developer has one for the game they should be required to post it since they no longer have to print it for the jewel case.

Some pdf's can be found on the internet but it can be a royal pitb to find them.

Who is with me?

[Tito Shivan]

Gus the Crocodile の投稿を引用：

Zekiran の投稿を引用：

The developers are entirely responsible for what you see in their game or on their store. Steam cannot "require" anything.

Valve can require whatever they like, it’s their store. Which is not to say they should, but they definitely can.

Google's Playstore requires devs to publish patch notes when apps update. That doesn't change lots of developers just add 'Minor bug fixes' when releasing a new version.

crunchyfrog の投稿を引用：

Crazy Tiger の投稿を引用：

Too true. A manual for Stellaris would have changed completely by now, for example.

Lol, I was just thinking about games like 7 Days to Die.

Don't know for how long you have played it but they ditched their former grid-based crafting system for the actual one. So 'Please proceed to ignore all the chapters about crafting as they no longer apply'

As many other things, manuals are a snapshot of their own time. Nowadays the old printed game manual format has been improved in many aspect by better technologies, like online wikis.

[Satoru]

Generally speaking manuals are obsolete

Manuals mostly functioned as written tutorials. Games don’t generally make manuals because the in game tutorial is the manual.

Some games change dramatically. A manual for a Paradox game would be obsolete before you compiled the PDF document. It would then be double obsolete with every major patch

With many games constantly being updated and MMO style games, requiring a manual is pointless and would just confuse any user reading it a few months out.

[Washell]

The last game manual I read back to back was Civilization II. Ever since then the standardisation of game play and inputs and the inclusion of in-game tutorials, backed by players writing or youtubing about the finer points works better for me than any manual could ever cover.

[crunchyfrog]

Tito Shivan の投稿を引用：

Gus the Crocodile の投稿を引用：

Valve can require whatever they like, it’s their store. Which is not to say they should, but they definitely can.

Google's Playstore requires devs to publish patch notes when apps update. That doesn't change lots of developers just add 'Minor bug fixes' when releasing a new version.

crunchyfrog の投稿を引用：

Lol, I was just thinking about games like 7 Days to Die.

Don't know for how long you have played it but they ditched their former grid-based crafting system for the actual one. So 'Please proceed to ignore all the chapters about crafting as they no longer apply'

As many other things, manuals are a snapshot of their own time. Nowadays the old printed game manual format has been improved in many aspect by better technologies, like online wikis.

Yeah, that's why it rather sprange to mind. I've thoroughly enjoyed the game and it has changed drastically since inception.

[crunchyfrog]

Satoru の投稿を引用：

Generally speaking manuals are obsolete

Manuals mostly functioned as written tutorials. Games don’t generally make manuals because the in game tutorial is the manual.

Some games change dramatically. A manual for a Paradox game would be obsolete before you compiled the PDF document. It would then be double obsolete with every major patch

With many games constantly being updated and MMO style games, requiring a manual is pointless and would just confuse any user reading it a few months out.

Well put.

Just recently having returned from an absence to PC gaming, I've had to Google a fair few things to remind me of strategies and such, and some things are just woefully obsolete even online.