Manual for demo?

Michaelangelo · #1 December 5th, 2006, 02:43 AM

Is there a version of the manual available for online viewing... having fun with the demo until Christmas (I sure hope....) and I'm wishing I could browse through something with a bit of meat to understand what's actually going on here.

Thanks, I really like what I see so far!

Arralen · #2 December 5th, 2006, 09:33 AM

It's a deliberate decision of Shrapnelgames not to put anything from the manual online - that's part of the copy protection sheme, together with the serial that is given out with each game and transmitted to the devs server each time one joins a MP on the internet.

Therefore, you're mostly out of luck.

Mostly, because if you have some "singular" questions, we here at the forum would be glad to help you.

Michaelangelo · #3 December 6th, 2006, 10:10 PM

Thanks for the offer. So far I've tried searching for answers to most questions here on the forums. It's not the best in terms of functionality or interface, but it's better than nothing! The hard part is just coming to grips with the things most long-time players take for granted I suppose. There are a lot of strange abbreviations and terms that require a bit of digging to understand. I hope the manual doesn't make that assumption!

Endoperez · #4 December 6th, 2006, 10:17 PM

You have tried the tutorial, haven't you? The documentation probably came with the demo.

Meglobob · #5 December 6th, 2006, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Michaelangelo said:
Thanks for the offer. So far I've tried searching for answers to most questions here on the forums. It's not the best in terms of functionality or interface, but it's better than nothing! The hard part is just coming to grips with the things most long-time players take for granted I suppose. There are a lot of strange abbreviations and terms that require a bit of digging to understand. I hope the manual doesn't make that assumption!

The manual is very, very good.

Michaelangelo · #6 December 7th, 2006, 01:49 AM

I've tried the tutorial, it explains 'how' to play the game (mostly), but there isn't much to explain the factors that go into the game. The descriptions and unit stats explain some, but there seems to be a lot missing. It's hard to tell what many spells do, nothing to explain what certain effects mean and do and how they affect the game parameters, etc. Is that the kind of detail the manual provides, or is everything hidden behind the game engine?

Hullu · #7 December 7th, 2006, 02:23 AM

Manual provides an immense amount of information. Most of the things you need to know. How attack/defense/whatnot stats work, quite detailed descriptions of all the spells, etc.

The game is playable without the manual, but it really helps and makes it all the more interesting when you have some more information

Cainehill · #8 December 7th, 2006, 04:01 AM

Of course, the manual _doesn't_ say much of anything about the aging system or a couple other mechanics, not to mention saying nothing about all the various bugs.

Gandalf Parker · #9 December 7th, 2006, 12:33 PM

Hmmm what manual discusses bugs?
Besides, bugs are more temporary in this game than manual changes.

Michaelangelo · #10 December 7th, 2006, 12:50 PM

I've actually thought for some time that a game that documented the bugs would be quite interesting, especially if a designed feature of the game itself was to 'fix' the bugs by solving puzzles or completing certain sequences of events in the course of the game. It could even work in a game like Dominions. For example, you could have troops that had faulty stats or abilities that could be corrected via training, (which could include battles, training courses, etc). Kind of like an experience system only more quirky because you never know how your troops will behave until they gain training levels (and experience). But I digress...

Rumor has it, if I'm a good boy, I can expect my manual (and game) on Christmas morning.

(Edited to fix a spelling issue)