pc manuals

[kainemaxwell]

Ya know, cheap games are fun, but I do prefer having a hard copy of a manual nearby instead of having to refer to a pdf, especially with rpgs or adventures, or one those Star Wars games.

[Tanooki]

I agree, but I think both would be best.

Long ago I got this CD that had both Civ for Win and Colonization for Win on it (Explorer's Pack I think) and anyway those cheapos only put a PDF on the disc and it was extremely un-useful for Civilization so I actually went as far as going to a copy shop and had the entire thing printed page by page (2 pages per manual = 1 paper) and then I cut them all proper and glued the damn things together, then bound the book with a thick layer of masking tape. I still have it 20 years later now and in one piece. :)

[Lictalon]

I agree, but I think both would be best.

Long ago I got this CD that had both Civ for Win and Colonization for Win on it (Explorer's Pack I think) and anyway those cheapos only put a PDF on the disc and it was extremely un-useful for Civilization so I actually went as far as going to a copy shop and had the entire thing printed page by page (2 pages per manual = 1 paper) and then I cut them all proper and glued the damn things together, then bound the book with a thick layer of masking tape. I still have it 20 years later now and in one piece. :)

I bought that same CD. The real fun is that for copy protection, Civilization had you look up advances in the manual, so it was necessary to get a copy of it out. A real pain when dealing with a PDF.

[kainemaxwell]

I agree, but I think both would be best.

Long ago I got this CD that had both Civ for Win and Colonization for Win on it (Explorer's Pack I think) and anyway those cheapos only put a PDF on the disc and it was extremely un-useful for Civilization so I actually went as far as going to a copy shop and had the entire thing printed page by page (2 pages per manual = 1 paper) and then I cut them all proper and glued the damn things together, then bound the book with a thick layer of masking tape. I still have it 20 years later now and in one piece. :)

That's dedication.

[Tanooki]

Yeah maybe, but it was a real bitch keeping a PDF open trying to get passed the multiple copyright checks after so many centuries, and in general anyways to get info while playing. Sometimes a PDF just doesn't work well at all, and in this case definitely. I should have it around somewhere unless it was wrecked or lost in a move and forgot about it. I know the disc was lost, but I made a backup of the Civ install, not Colonization though as I never liked it.

[kainemaxwell]

Yeah maybe, but it was a real bitch keeping a PDF open trying to get passed the multiple copyright checks after so many centuries, and in general anyways to get info while playing. Sometimes a PDF just doesn't work well at all, and in this case definitely. I should have it around somewhere unless it was wrecked or lost in a move and forgot about it. I know the disc was lost, but I made a backup of the Civ install, not Colonization though as I never liked it.

Yeah much as I love the old games when I get something from gog.com, I would prefer a hard manual, then having to print parts of a pdf. Feels better having it next to you especially when you're learning, rather than alt-tab'ing all the time.

[wizardofwor1975]

I agree, but I think both would be best.

Seconded, I like having both a hard copy and a digital copy (PDF) of a game's manual as well. Nowadays companies seem to be more concerned about their bottom line than making their customers happy. Really makes you nostalgic for the days of Microprose and their phenomenal game documentation.

[Gameguy]

I voted for having a hard copy. PDFs aren't really usable if the game is actually complicated enough to need a manual, you either have to print it out to have it handy or you have to keep exiting a game to look at the PDF file.

I guess a PDF would be handy if you ruined the manual and needed to print a new one, but other than that it's really not needed if you have a hard copy.

[Jorpho]

Manuals are of increasingly little relevance these days – not necessarily because of increasing simplicity and tutorials, but because all the reference material you used to have to look up separately is neatly integrated into the interface, rather than requiring you to flip to the relevant page in a lengthy tome.