View Full Version : Are instruction booklets necessary anymore?
tony_good
10-28-2006, 03:18 PM
I mean, I honestly can't remember the last game I had that didn't begin with a tutorial level of some kind, leading me to wonder why companies don't just save money and packaging and leave the book out entirely.
Agree? Disagree? Thoughts?
ChronoTriggaFoo
10-28-2006, 03:42 PM
Somewhat necessary because of the obligatory seizure warnings and legal information. But as far as most of the manual is concerned, you can pick it up in the game tutorials usually.
I fondly remember the older days when there was a higher frequency of manuals that would pepper nice drawings thoughout and include actual tips/strategies.
diskoboy
10-28-2006, 07:37 PM
I don't think I've read an instruction manual sice the C-64 days.
However, there are a few games where reading the manual can be quite crutial. The Civilization series and most RPG's are examples. Even then, I just glance over what I need help on, and thats it.
jajaja
10-28-2006, 07:43 PM
True that more and more games uses in-game tutorial, but far from all. I like the manuals for collection purpose too :) I also think its required to include some kinda of instructions anyway.
Jimmy Yakapucci
10-28-2006, 08:03 PM
I tend to like manuals. There are times that I just want to sit down and look at the manual. it is the same with computer games/other software. It's kind of hard to check the in-game manual while playing the game. Also, as someone else said, some of the manuals can be really nice. Look at the manuals that Working Designs put out with their games, especially the collections.
swlovinist
10-29-2006, 01:30 AM
If games stop putting manuals in, what will I look at on the toilet? :D
PapaStu
10-29-2006, 01:40 AM
I mean, I honestly can't remember the last game I had that didn't begin with a tutorial level of some kind, leading me to wonder why companies don't just save money and packaging and leave the book out entirely.
Agree? Disagree? Thoughts?
Its been seen that alot of people don't actually read the manuals and thats why many games have that interactive first level in em. The manuals alot of the time now are getting smaller and smaller. Just look at the new EA stuff, 8 total pages, all in black/white and they don't really explain anything
Half Japanese
10-29-2006, 02:26 AM
The only reason I don't really look at instruction manuals anymore is that 9 times out of 10 I can safely bet that it'll be a B&W dealie with minimal information that probably took all of 20 minutes for some bottom-feeding lackey to churn out.
If I open a game and notice from the edge of the pages that it's a color manual, I'm far more prone to check it out. If it has art in it, even better.
I look at it this way: are they necessary? Nope. Technically they are no longer relevant as it applies to the average gamer. Are they appreciated? I think to anyone that visits this forum or has more than a passing interest in gaming/collecting they are a definite plus. DVDs seem to be slowly phasing out the printed inserts (or at least nice ones) as well, but I would always rather have bio information and things of that nature in print in the liner notes rather than a few "pages" of text on the DVD itself. It shows initiative on the studio's behalf and a sense of pride in the final product. You don't see that enough these days in ANY medium, be it music, print, film or what-have-you.
iamchris
10-29-2006, 12:38 PM
If games stop putting manuals in, what will I look at on the toilet? :D
QFT
I think if manuals stopped being put in manuals I'd die a little inside. I remember my parents renting games for me, and the only thing that made the car ride home go faster was reading the manual, pretending I was playing the game.
Do you really want to deprive the kids these days of that? DO YOU?
playgeneration
10-29-2006, 01:49 PM
Personally i hate being forced to do stupid tutorial levels in every game. Why should i spend 10 minutes scrolling through boring text telling me button A is jump. I much prefer to have no tutorial, and a decent manual that i can look at if i actually do get stuck.
Iron Draggon
10-29-2006, 03:17 PM
printed manuals aren't really necessary at all anymore, as long as you can print you own manual from a PDF file included on the disk... this isn't what I prefer, as it ends up costing me more money to print my own manual than it would cost a publisher to print a manual for me, so I actually end up paying more to get a similar result... but I'm willing to do it, if I have no other choice... I still think that publishers should be passing on their added savings from not printing a manual for me on to me though, instead of just adding it to their ever increasing profits...
mezrabad
10-29-2006, 06:02 PM
Any game I've gotten from Blizzard had a really well-done manual (Diablo I&II, Starcraft, Warcraft III). Homeworld also had an excellent manual full of information and history that really fleshed out the experience. I really liked that about those games. So, I guess I'd like to see more of them.
I remember sitting down before I started a game and reading through the manual. Especially the character descriptions and the back story of the game. It was one of my favorite parts of gaming experience ... man I miss those days.
Berserker
10-29-2006, 06:28 PM
Agree? Disagree? Thoughts?
Agree. I've got about 30 PS2 games... I've never bothered looking at the manuals for any of them. Not a single one. Reading this thread however has me wondering if I might've missed any nicely done manuals, art-wise, but other than that I'd say they really aren't necessary.
On the other hand, some PC games I do feel obligated to at least leaf through the manual. Oblivion, for example. Mostly this is because there are things of actual value in there that you otherwise wouldn't really be able to just find out about without going out of your way in-game. Finding out whether the kinds of spells you want your character to use are Mysticism or Alteration, for instance, so you can plot his skills at creation accordingly. Some of that stuff can be pretty vague if you're not that familiar with the game. Also, they never tell you in the tutorial that you can manipulate things around you by holding 'Z' - rattling chains or throwing cups or skulls... not exactly crucial information, but good to know.
I would say for the most part that manuals were never really required when it came to most console games, even though in the NES days I used to flip through every one. I think this came more from the thought-process you have for video games when you're younger -- endless possibilities, that this is a whole world hidden inside of the game cartridge or something like that, and that for all you know anything is possible. So the manual is like your guide before just diving right in... something like that.
disagree.
Lets get our money's worth! unless they drop the price on games... since production costs would decrease, I doubt that would happen...
Anyway, I enjoy games like Oblivion that include story with the instruction book, as a kid I used to read them before playing to get the background..
shadowkn55
10-29-2006, 09:43 PM
I say keep the manuals and dispense with the in game tutorials. In the games where you can't skip it, it ruins the replay when you have to redo alot of elementary stuff. It also adds nice resale value for those that choose to keep it around.
bangtango
10-29-2006, 11:38 PM
disagree.
Lets get our money's worth! unless they drop the price on games... since production costs would decrease, I doubt that would happen...
Anyway, I enjoy games like Oblivion that include story with the instruction book, as a kid I used to read them before playing to get the background..
Like Yars Revenge on the 2600?
Getting back on topic, though.......
I agree with Nik. We're going to get charged the same price for games, whether they come with the manual or not. Might as well get the manual for our money. It isn't like RockStar or Capcom will sit around saying, "Aw, hell. We aren't shipping this with a manual, so let's price this at $42.83, instead of $49.99." Besides, what is wrong with learning how to play the game without needing to have it plugged in? That is where reading a manual comes in.
Garry Silljo
10-30-2006, 12:01 AM
Are they necessary? No. Sonic Mega Collection is a good example because you can look at digital recreations of all the original booklets, so even if there is no tutorial, the book can be on the disc and not printed seperately. Yet it had a manual anyway, so go figure.
However, they are nice to have and I dont see them leaving anytime soon.
Kejoriv
10-30-2006, 05:21 PM
For some games they are. The more complicated RPGS. Plus manuals are greating reading material in the bathroom.
2Dskillz
10-31-2006, 12:14 AM
I love the manuals. I honestly to this day (just like when I was a child) read the entire manual before playing. I often find it staggering the lack of manual reading that goes on. Read any gamefaqs forum and you will see numerous questions pertaining to the very basics of the game. Basics that were clearly explained in the manual.
Manuals have always been a part of the gaming experience and should continue to be so.