Who's Writing the Manual?
TychoCelchuuu
Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Just Curious, Really</div>So as part of the nostalgia kick that I and lots of other people are on thanks to the new trailer, I've been reading the <a href="http://www.brywright.co.uk/ns/manual-104/introduction.html" target="_blank">incredible 1.04 manual</a> (kindly hosted for us by bry & co). It's awesome, but for the life of me I can't remember who wrote it, which brings me to my question: who's going to write the NS2 manual? Can we expect the same kind of quality, or is it going to be one of those "here is a page of backstory, two screenshots of the UI, all the keybindings, the system requirements, and the credits" manuals that are so popular these days?
Comments
A Commander Hotkeys reference card would be nice, though, although you could also post this online in a printable format.
While I do hope we get an excellent manual as before I somehow seem to doubt it. The 1.04 manual really set the scene and got you into the NS world
I'm sure we can trust the devs, and they will come up with something great.
A good NS 2 manual is a must! I loved the level of description in the 1.04 manual, as it wasn't just about what was in the game. It gave descriptive scary descriptions of the aliens ect.
- how a youtube VIDEO manual ? I've always felt that a slide show / video is much more effective, and less time consuming - you can watch it while the game downloads and installs, then you are ready to rock right away.
the video would explain
what all of the controls do, and how to set them up to make the most out of the game for both teams. explained by TSA marine and then Hive mind for aliens.
how to setup things for performance for video and resolution
back story etc (could be an old marine or general retelling a story of when he fought in the TSA etc)
goal of each team
different strategies
types of weapons
etc
also if it is interesting enough, it can double as advertising for the game <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
- how a youtube VIDEO manual ? I've always felt that a slide show / video is much more effective, and less time consuming - you can watch it while the game downloads and installs, then you are ready to rock right away.
the video would explain
what all of the controls do, and how to set them up to make the most out of the game for both teams. explained by TSA marine and then Hive mind for aliens.
how to setup things for performance for video and resolution
back story etc (could be an old marine or general retelling a story of when he fought in the TSA etc)
goal of each team
different strategies
types of weapons
etc
also if it is interesting enough, it can double as advertising for the game <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's a lot more work, considering you'd also need a written reference for people who, say, just need to know what voice chat is bound to by default.
[edit]it's != its
Even the origional NS had the in game help thing - which is normally sufficient to begin with ... but a lot of people I'm sure would enjoy reading a manual. Though, as people have mentioned, you'd need a more finalized game before that would really be able to be completed.
Silly Tycho - it was Jeff Paris. He also wrote fan fiction like Six Days in Sanjii. It's all right here in this <a href="http://www.brywright.co.uk/ns/manual-104/notes.html" target="_blank">pamphlet</a>.
EDIT: ... seriously though a system like L4D has for its training would be very handy. They probably don't have time to make a full training map for first release.
What who where when you.
YOU.
--Scythe--
Silly Tycho - it was Jeff Paris. He also wrote fan fiction like Six Days in Sanjii. It's all right here in this <a href="http://www.brywright.co.uk/ns/manual-104/notes.html" target="_blank">pamphlet</a>.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What who where when you.
YOU.
--Scythe--<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah holy crap, it's MonSe!
Ontopic: A well maintained wiki would be awesome.
Even better, a solid tutorial map for both Kharaa and Marines
Found the old training map thread: <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=90930" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index....showtopic=90930</a>
I don't even understand what this means.
The only exception is purely tabulated information such as hotkeys and statistics - such information NS could fit onto a single page.
If it needs a manual, you're doing it wrong.
Enjoyment has nothing to do with the issue. Some people are most used to referring to static instructions when learning new processes. They won't like the experience, but it'll enable them to functionally interact with the product. The 1.04 manual was an attempt of wrapping that necessity in an entertaining package. We can now start discussing where it succeeded and where it did not, but I don't see how the existence of that bonus invalidates the concept of the manual itself.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If it needs a manual, you're doing it wrong.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A beautiful design philosophy, to be sure - as long as you still include a manual, because not every one of your customers is going to be familiar with the concepts you used to define your usability baseline.
The manual could focus on creating a really cool story and descriptions of the units/weapons/maps..it could be unspecific on purpose (to avoid changing it before release) in the form of a marine briefing..with limited intel on the alien creatures etc. All you know is what they look like but no idea how much damage they can do and what kind of abilities they got..and the marine weapons are brand new prototypes rushed into service, so you aren't completely sure of their capabilities either.
There are lots of possibilities <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> I'd love to write parts of it, although i don't know if my English is good enough for that, since i'm not a native speaker.
If it needs a manual, you're doing it wrong.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If it NEEDS a manual, then yes, your game is probably too complicated. NS doesn't NEED a manual in the same way that nobody NEEDS a diagram to tell them how to put together their model kit; they could simply try every single combination of pieces until they find one that fits. NS <i>should</i> have a manual in the same way that a model kit <i>should</i> have an instruction kit, because it provides a nice way for newbies to learn the game without getting yelled at by people like you who apparently have zero tolerance for someone who doesn't like figuring things out through a process of trial and error which leaves them largely useless or even harmful to their own team. I for one prefer to read at least a FAQ for a multiplayer game before I play so that I don't screw over all my teammates when I'm first playing.
They're comin' outa the woodwork!
?
Hiya fellas.
I digress...Tycho nailed it basically. Should a good game <i>need</i> a manual ? No, it should be intuitive enough you can get by without one. Should it have one anyway ? Yes, because I prefer to do more then just 'get by' when I play a new game. Besides, it should have cool fluffy bits in it and stuff <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
?
Hiya fellas.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<a href="http://www.bizhype.net/laconica/rob/ns_screens/ns_intro.swf" target="_blank">This</a> comes to mind.
[edit]Also,
<a href="http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=7914" target="_blank">http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=7914</a>
[edit]Also,
<a href="http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=7914" target="_blank">http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=7914</a><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Lobster made of meat... so true.