Lol yeah. I always read the manual, even when it's something stupid like a monitor, just so I never have to read it again. Besides, with a large download like empires, how do you not have 10 minutes to read the manual :confused:
You all realize, that "reading the manual" should NEVER be the way to teach somebody how to play the game, and some of it's useful details. The player should be able to understand what each weapon does just by looking at it. I mean, it's easy to understand that the rocket launcher fires rockets. It's easy to understand that the gun shoots bullets. But how the hell is anybody supposed to realize that a calculator can heal people? Or build for that matter. It would make more sense to make it some other thing, not a calculator. However, what that is is not coming to mind. Of-course, the other tool would somehow need a way to show how much "energy" it has so you can't build for infinity..
I realise that. I also realise that mods are a fringe 'industry' right now, and anyone going away from the norm should expect to have to do some reading to know what's going on. Mods are not something that everybody knows about right off the bat, everyone who visits a mod has discovered them in some way off the mainstream - even if it's just someone talking about counterstrike from the old days. And Empires? I could understand if this was just another fps, but I would hope that everybody who comes to empires realises it's something different, and hasn't just downloaded every single mod out there without knowing the first thing about it. When a game has a techtree, you know you're gonna have to learn about it.
Exactly. In fact, I kinda wish Empires didn't attract people who don't read the manual. It's comprehensive, I agree, I'll lighten it up a bit, but it's still pretty damn important. People who think this game is just another FPS will probably also see every kind of tactic go right over their head. Except the use of flashbangs and snipers lol
A machine filled with gears is not a game. A monitor is not a game. And some people don't want to read ten pages of text. People already have the "some info", which is why they are interested in downloading the game in the first place. Exactly. Very well said.
I also am someone who has NEVER read the empires manual. As a gamer, that's the furthest thing from my mind to read an ONLINE manual =P I know its lazy of me but that's how i am. I usually read game manuals(that come with the game as a book) if I don't know how to play the game. But mods and online stuff, I never ready manuals. So I have to agree that we should stop relying on noobs to read the manual when most wont. Like in my mind, it's a waste of time and I'd rather learn by playing. And let me tell you the engineer class was not easy to learn. I had to clue what to do with calc. I didn't know I had it until I noticed when I changed weapons =P Vehicles came to me pretty fast and knowing that everyone hated me driving in a jeep. And knowing whats good and not on tanks came from experience. Overall that stuff wasn't that long :]] Now comming took me a while... =P I used to play with a friend on one on ones to do that(befor ei knew about research). Then I finally learned research tree with a print out and took notes on it when i watched other commes. From that i learned :]] Point of this is online manuals a no no. Mail us all books =P
What do you want, a magical wrench that repairs tanks by hitting it? No TF2 thx. Also, TF2, Medigun, that doesn't look like it heals. Spy, Flipknife, doesn't look like it should be used for backstabs. Soldier, rocket launcher, doesn't look like it should be used for rocket jumping. See? You should always read the manual, and if you don't, you can't complain if people get pissed at you becuase you can't tie your own metaphorical shoes.
No. Well considering that the only class that has the medigun is called the "Medic", most players would assume that it heals people. But since when did engineers heal people with calculators? Yes it does, look at the angle at how he holds the knife. No, but it shoots rockets. Team Fortress 2 doesn't even have a manual.
But that's not the point. The point is you can't rely on people to read manuals. Now, I know that this isn't some action FPS no thinking game, but that is basically what this game attracts at first. Sure, there will be some people who bother to read the manual, but 9/10 people won't, because they're expecting an easy to understand game, and it should be easy to understand. When somebody first comes to play, having never read the manual, it should at least be obvious how to do some of the basic things like spawn, while they can learn the finer details that are not purely required to win, but help (like squad abilities or what engines work best in certain situations) just by playing. And no, I'm not saying that we need to copy TF2, I'm just using TF2 as an example because they did it right. You can just jump in and play and understand most of the game just by playing a round, because it's all very obvious. And the magical wrench thing? Well, I really can't think of an obvious thing to replace the calculator, that was just an example of something that would make the player go "hey I can probably build with this"
I actually have to agree with them. Not that people shouldn't read manuals, but that they simply won't so we should expect them to not read it to be realistic. It's just that it doesn't matter anyway cause we can't decide for someone else if they read it or not. People rarely read manuals. No one i know irl ever read a game manual, except me. The only manuals i ever read where the books with unit/weapon pictures, like back then with quake and doom, cause i wanted to see what monsters and weapons i would face/own before the end of the game. The only other manual i ever read was empires, and only because i was very very bored while i was downloading it and i saw a link to it on the site. Normally i never read manuals, untill i see something i don't understand and get troubled by it for several hours or even days untill i finally decide i should look it up in the manual. Since you can't do that with most downloaded games unless you go searching for the manual in the install folder or some file with a link in it (can take a lot of time) i never do this with downloaded games. Usually people read about the game, think it's interesting, download and start to play. Probably more than 90% of the time they will not read the manual BEFORE playing. I did it once and that happened to be with empires. The only way to make new players learn the game more quickly is by having the manual ingame. They will still start playing without reading the manual even if the link is there ingame, but when they get confused about something many will press escape, click on manual and go look for that specific thing they are confused about, read it, press escape again and continue playing. I see no other way of making new players learn more quickly. A manual divided in categories that is easily accessible from within the game is probably the best way. Wait weren't we talking about the 4th class?
heh you're so funneh and cute! http://store.steampowered.com/manual/440/ theres your manual... (just rightclick on TF2 in your games list)
drunk and why not just make scout immune to MG turret fire to make sabbing a totally noob friendy and team helpfull thing so yeah keep on rockin on
To that whole people-not-reading-the-manual-thingy: MS:C has these little windows when you start which include the most basic things. Also, what about a tutor-like thing (like in CS:CZ)? That could work too.
I'm gonna send this movie all over the forum.. Krenzo actually said that he liked it and that it could be implemented in the game, but that's up to the dev.
