[jg18]

By "manuals," I'm not including separate install/configuration guides if they came with those.

I'm curious because it's well-known that people don't read manuals, but the FreeSpace games are pretty complex, especially the HUD.

[Apollo]

I didn't know FreeSpace had a manual.

[NGTM-1R]

RTFM

[niffiwan]

errr.. manuals?  Logically I know that given the age of the game, it must have been released with a hard-copy manual, but I honestly cannot remember a single thing about it, for either FS1 or FS2

Does it help your survey if I say that I read the complete "Star Wars: Rebellion" manual several times?    (I remember it 'coz it was *huge*) And I have a drawer full of hard copy manuals at home, of which I would bet that I'd have read 95%+ of?  I'd better go check that drawer tonight to see if I can find my freespace manuals!!! 

[pecenipicek]

By "manuals," I'm not including separate install/configuration guides if they came with those.

I'm curious because it's well-known that people don't read manuals, but the FreeSpace games are pretty complex, especially the HUD.

i think only those of us who actually owned/own the original box-set even have the manual.

i personally much preferred the other thing that came with it, known as the key explanation, nicely overlaid over an image of a standard 102-key layout. **** if i know where it ended up tho, i'd scan it in an instant if i knew where it was.

errr.. manuals?  Logically I know that given the age of the game, it must have been released with a hard-copy manual, but I honestly cannot remember a single thing about it, for either FS1 or FS2

Does it help your survey if I say that I read the complete "Star Wars: Rebellion" manual several times?    (I remember it 'coz it was *huge*) And I have a drawer full of hard copy manuals at home, of which I would bet that I'd have read 95%+ of?  I'd better go check that drawer tonight to see if I can find my freespace manuals!!! 

call me when you read over and over the commanders guide that came with Total Annihilation: Commander's pack

[jg18]

By "manuals," I'm not including separate install/configuration guides if they came with those.

I'm curious because it's well-known that people don't read manuals, but the FreeSpace games are pretty complex, especially the HUD.

i think only those of us who actually owned/own the original box-set even have the manual.

The GOG versions include the manual as a separate download.

[niffiwan]

errr.. manuals?  Logically I know that given the age of the game, it must have been released with a hard-copy manual, but I honestly cannot remember a single thing about it, for either FS1 or FS2

Does it help your survey if I say that I read the complete "Star Wars: Rebellion" manual several times?    (I remember it 'coz it was *huge*) And I have a drawer full of hard copy manuals at home, of which I would bet that I'd have read 95%+ of?  I'd better go check that drawer tonight to see if I can find my freespace manuals!!! 

call me when you read over and over the commanders guide that came with Total Annihilation: Commander's pack

Never actually owned TA, only borrowed it / played multi from the 2nd disk.  Of course, I then bought TA:K... more fool me!

[Lorric]

Me, I got FS2 off GOG and thus no manual. Don't have FS1. However, I generally read the manual cover to cover before playing every game I get. Even a new Dynasty Warriors game, when I know exactly how to play it because I have over twenty of them and they all follow the same basic formula. There's usually still stuff worth reading about in there though. I usually enjoy reading the game manual, and I really enjoy seeing people play games I own on youtube or whatever, not knowing how to do things or doing things but could be doing something so much easier because they didn't read the manual. I even have on occasion asked store staff to let me read the manual to help me decide if I want to buy the game. I know I did that with Colony Wars and my first FIFA game, and bought both. I know I also refused at least one game after reading the manual in store. I was also refused once.

[jg18]

Me, I got FS2 off GOG and thus no manual.

The GOG versions include the manual as a separate download.

[Lorric]

Me, I got FS2 off GOG and thus no manual.

The GOG versions include the manual as a separate download.

You know I'm not sure what the sequence of events was. FS2 was my first GOG purchase, but I think I would have been aware of it. I may have been just so eager to immediately try this one, that I jumped in, and the training missions took care of everything for me. I think this is likely, that I just jumped in and stayed there, because sure enough, I have loaded up the manual, and I don't think I've read it. FS2 I was extremely eager to play it.

Freespace 2 does an excellent job of teaching you the game, I just loaded up the manual, and sure enough, I don't think I read it. I may have searched it for specific things.

I don't understand the not reading thing. I'll read anything you put in front of me. I'll read everything I see walking down the street if I haven't read it before. I'll read every poster on the wall if you sit me down somewhere where I have to wait. Others however do not...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIvea_QWF4g

I'd have seen through that in one second flat. Reading is very effortless for me though. But I still don't understand why people can't read a few words on a sign or something. Is it effortless, or effortless because I made it effortless through reading a lot?

[Veers]

My FS2 boxed version came with a manual. I just don't remember if I flipped through it before playing or after playing.

FS1 didn't though, but my version isn't a boxed set. I learned to play by just playing FS1, I found the entire experience very enjoyable and the learning curve was rather gentle.

[Lorric]

I wonder if you should have asked the question just in general about people's manual reading habits?

I think my days of buying games from stores will be largely over now, but I would always enjoy getting on the bus and ripping off the celophane and getting the game manual out and reading it on the way home. If I hadn't finished it by the time I got there, I'd carry on reading it. The game would go in, and I'd watch the game "play itself" with a demo or two as well if possible, before starting. It all builds anticipation really nicely. Getting games online is still quite new to me though. And I'm also aware of how more and more game makers are walking their users through their games in-game, so I wonder if this long habit might be susceptible to change now... It's hard for me to say, because these days I only buy a new game once in a blue moon. But I'm sure now I just had to check out FS2 straight away, and the training missions just allowed me to keep right on going.

Oh and a little shout out to KOEI. They make really nice manuals 

[Solatar]

I got Freespace bundled with a Gateway computer (for some reason).  No manual, but with the tutorial missions I never missed it.  There's really nothing in the manual that you can't learn from those missions.

[Kopachris]

I got retail FS1 about when it came out.  I was playing it when I was six years old, IIRC.  Didn't find the manual until a couple years ago.  Kept it and read through it for nostalgia's sake.  Never got FS2 in a box, though, and didn't download the manual, so I don't have that one.



Holy crap my computer is a mess.

[Lorric]

Hmmm, nice. Quite a fat manual. Flight Manual, I like that. It's thick enough, ha ha!

Wing Commander Saga, the team made a big manual for that mod. I didn't know of it's existence until I completed the mod, but it really is a great manual, one of the best game manuals I've ever read.

EDIT: I can see my text on that screen 

See, I told you I read everything 

[KyadCK]

Almost exactly the same story as Kopachris for myself actually. 

[Dark Hunter]

I was a really weird kid who actually did read manuals for games he got.

Repeatedly and in great detail, in fact.

I don't so much anymore (generally only if I can't figure out a control for whatever reason), but FS1's manual was among those I read.

[niffiwan]

I found it, which means that I must have read it ('coz I was like that )... and I need to change my vote...

[Colonol Dekker]

Read them both HEAVILY, have them both at home, didn't get one with Silent Threat though due to it being a secondhand copy from CEX circa 2000.

[redsniper]

If you didn't read the manual, you won't know about KresCo Engineering and Dave's House 'o Fighters.