I was disappointed by the manual too : I didn't play any SE before Gold, and expected a good heavy manual when I received the package ... But the manual goes up to lengthy trivial explanations of simple interface functions ("Toogle AI" button : this button will toggle AI on ...
), without sufficient info about the game's MECHANICS !
The Online help has more detailed info, but still lacks on mechanics.
The tutorial is good, but too short and doesn't cover enough of the game.
Luckily I found this board and Dubious'guide, that have a wealth of info, but with the manual and HTML help alone I surely would have been left wondering ..
What's badly needed IMO is :
- More in depth explanation of ship design, research, intel and tac combat
- Tables and charts of tech trees, facilities and components type (as we have in any Civ or MOO game)
- Some "Strategy guide" chapter, with rough guidelines on setting up an empire, managing fleets, diplomacy and so on.
This game is great but as it stands now need a high dedication to enjoy, in part due to this faulty documentation.