Quality of the manual?

[EODTech]

I'm currios as to what the manual is going to be like.
Is it gonna be a flimsy 20page 4x6 inch book?
Or is it gonna be a through color book that covers everything?
I would love to see a manual that is something akin to the binder style manual that came with Falcon 4.0.
Any one know what to expect?

[Zenny]

My best guess would be kind of a thick book like 50pgs or so.

But in my opinion I don't really like manuals shipped with MMO games. I usually find them to be quickly outdated making all the details useless. Unless it only told the basics, which I highly doubt.

[Angelos]

Your left button shoots. R reloads. That's all you need to know.

[Matuse]

Why on earth would a game with such basic simplicity of gameplay have a multi-hundred page manual like Falcon 4.0?

The answer to your question is that the only people who know what the manual is going to be like work for Sony, and aren't talking. Personally, I can't imagine there will be very much to it. History of the factions, weapon breakdowns, instructions on how to play...*maybe* a story of some kind. What else does it really need to have? Not like this is a game that really needs much (or really, ANY) manual.

[EODTech]

You're right it's a simple concept.
But the enviroment is so rich you could write page after page.
The different empires, detailed weapon and vehicle descriptions.
some nice fold out maps. I just think a lot could be written to fill out the enviroment.

[Harps]

yah i was wondering too .. hey does any1 know if there is going to be a cinimatic ?

[Angelos]

Hopefully we'll have fold-out maps and such.

But really, for all the info, they could just have a link to PSU.

[EODTech]

I hate links and manuals that are on the computer.
If I'm on my computer I want to be playing not reading.
And two a big thick PS manual would make great reading in the crapper

[slide_k9]

All my gamez manuals are read on the crapper too!

Hopefull they will include a nice short sci-fi book for abit of background/atosphere/emergency bog-roll

[BigDickMccoy]

Big game manuals do have a purpose!

[Angelos]

Yeah if I get a big manual I head straight to the crapper too.

[LesserShade]

Originally posted by EODTech
I hate links and manuals that are on the computer.
If I'm on my computer I want to be playing not reading.
And two a big thick PS manual would make great reading in the crapper

^Bingo.

Crapper reading.. that is what manuals are all about. I must have read that falcon 4.0 manual 4 or 5 times on the crapper. However, I suggest everybody find yourself a cheap laptop and set up an 802.11b wireless network for PSU whoring on the can.

[Matuse]

Large manuals also cost substantially more. In addition to production (art, writers, etc), once you get above X critical size, you also need to jump up in binding quality...a couple of staples through the spine only goes so far. Why waste money on absolute and total fluff?

I do appreciate good game manuals, but generally there is a reason for it. Planetside lacks such a reason. There just isn't that much to it. Plus, as stated earlier, there is substantial reason to NOT put in a lot of stuff. The more information in the manual, the more there is to be wrong the next time the game gets patched.

[LesserShade]

That doesn't change the fact that I want some reading material for the $50 i'm going to spend in addition to the $13 i will likely spend per month.

They should mail me patch notes hand scribed and leather bound.

[glsauron]

Originally posted by LesserShade
^Bingo.

Crapper reading.. that is what manuals are all about. I must have read that falcon 4.0 manual 4 or 5 times on the crapper. However, I suggest everybody find yourself a cheap laptop and set up an 802.11b wireless network for PSU whoring on the can.

Ive honestly been thinking about doing that. Finding a cheap laptop that some exec is selling (decent computer anyway, just in a laptop package), having a docking station for recharge and simplicity, and setting up a cheap network so I can surf on the crapper.

We need new lives.