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#1 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,557
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What I miss about printed manuals
The illustrations in them
![]() Some examples from the Paladin 2 manual: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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#2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Marseille / France
Posts: 1,533
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Thanks to HOL for that. A really useful and significant ressources from there (amongst many others
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#3 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,557
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I think this one fits a Monday morning:
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#4 |
Into the Wonderful
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Earthrealm
Age: 43
Posts: 1,432
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I also miss the smell.
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#5 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,557
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#6 |
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: UK - North East England
Posts: 58
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Printed manuals were (and still are) fantastic !
Much easier to look at a manual and check something if you're away from a monitor or other display device. As others have already said - The smell is amazing. The newer manuals today are a very poor substitute for a proper manual Especially where they essentially say - check out the PDF or online manual give you a link to it, and have some pretty graphics. Very dissapointing |
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#7 |
Coder/webmaster/gamer
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Canberra/Australia
Posts: 2,715
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Even worse is when the manual for the hardware that came with your brand new machine is not actually among the 15 on the manufacturer's site. And even when you find the manual elsewhere it does not actually have the instructions for turning off the unwanted anti-features, they appear to be completely undocumented :-(
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#8 |
cheeky scoundrel
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Spijkenisse/Netherlands
Age: 43
Posts: 7,113
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#9 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 772
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I remember once taking the Midwinter manual to my grandparents house to keep me occupied for 5-6 hours.
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#10 |
Also known as GarethQ
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Twickenham / U.K.
Posts: 750
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And ring bound manuals were the best. They could lie flat while you worked/gamed
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#11 |
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: ManCave, Canada
Posts: 1,676
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The Ultima manuals and cloth maps and also Wizardry manuals were just amazing to my teenage self
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#12 |
Geek Kiwi
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Age: 47
Posts: 217
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Gunship 2000 manual was a good read.... felt like you could fly a real Apache afterwards
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#13 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,557
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#14 |
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2022
Location: Eastbourne
Posts: 1,215
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A lot of companies used to make an effort with manuals, MicroProse manuals were generally excellent for example. The manual for F1GP definitely boosted my understanding and enjoyment of the real sport, as well as the game. Detailed, well-written and informative. Civilization's really explains the game clearly and gradually (though Civ's got a reasonable inbuilt tutorial and knowledge base as well, unusually for the time, though at a cost of some disk swapping).
Generally though, having a physical manual you can look at without having to window away from the game makes it so much easier to learn - ideally I'll get hold of the manual before attempting to learn such a game. No wonder it's mostly action games that have the most votes on LemonAmiga, despite sims and strategy games often selling really well in the day, they're generally much easier to learn without a manual. UK companies weren't so strong for 'feelies', all I can think of was the free Chupa Chups lolly with Zool and the sachet of ketchup with Bill's Tomato Game. |
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#15 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,557
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I guess it depends what you are looking for in a manual. They were very detailed and well designed. I can't say that I would read them for fun though
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#16 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 3,454
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I miss the taste. Digital just doesn’t have the same flavor.
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#17 |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,557
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#18 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Birmingham, UK
Age: 50
Posts: 221
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Yeah, the Microprose manuals were amazing.
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#19 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: M'Gladbach
Age: 47
Posts: 631
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After buying a game you could read the manual on the way home. I read them on the train and raised my anticipation.
Just don't do this if you drive youself. |
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#20 |
WhatIFF? Amiga Magazine
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Chiba, Japan
Age: 46
Posts: 512
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Especially for the productivity software as well, Final Writer and Vista Pro had great manuals, I loved reading them while away to get ideas on how to use the software better. I really miss those days.
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