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> Hi there, recently I purchased a copy of Peoject: Snowblind that didn't
> have the English manual in it (just the French version) Now Edios has
> shipped out copies of manuals to all their distributors to "elastic band"
> on Canadian copies of SnowBline, but this got me to thinking. Forgive me
> if this is an old topic, but wouldn't it be cheaper for companies to post
> their manuals for their games online (like some Microsoft titles do
> already) in PDF format - especially for players that pick up used games
> (since the used gaming market is pretty big from a console standpoint)
>
> In my mind, there is little risk of this encouraging piracy or casual
> copying, since manuals or subsets are available from gaming sites like
> www.gamingfaq.com - but why put the onus on the consumer who ligitamtely
> paid for a game, now to find the manual - and if it's an old game, having
> to actually purchase it (via shipping and handling) This doesn't make
> sense to me at all. Any comments?
>

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>
> "Nick" <nfwilson@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:u%23Cum8BIFHA.1288@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>
> Outside of a detailed RPG I rarely even open the manual. But with that
> said:
>
>
> I think the manual should be on the game disk, with a menu choice when you
> hit start/pause to go to a table of contents, etc. It would also be
> cheaper than printing the manual, and you have it handy when you need it
> most. A standard library could be incorporated, not unlike a generic pdf
> viewer, that reads the manual file. That is, like Xbox live basic
> features it could be a feature that would always be there.
>
>
>
>

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>"xTenn" <xTennRemovePart@tds.net> wrote in message
>news:OWVONUCIFHA.1396@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>
>That's actually a good idea -- re putting it on the disk. Least then it's
>available for quick refernce -- which is what I'd need to for since a lot of
>games don't have a standard saving procedure (ala Buffy) I also like the

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>idea of XBox live hosting the manuals too -- I'm sure there would be a cost
>to the infrastructure, and some titles don't include XBox live code (even
>though just simply presence information is awesome - ala Fable)

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> In article <OK5MobCIFHA.1288@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl>,
> Nick <nfwilson@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> One of the problems with this idea is that the manual is never ready when
> the game is. Just as the paper program for a live stage show is never
> printed until the day before the curtain rises, a video game manual is
> generally composed and formatted at the eleventh hour (usually when the
> writer knows what features did or did not actually make it into the game.)
> To integrate the manual into the game media as one more file would be an
> organizational miracle, even for a developer as big as Microsoft.
>
>
> This is a better idea. When Sega couldn't get the English language manual
> for Time Stalkers to print in time, they put together a quick reference
> guide that shipped with the game. On the last page was a note directing
> buyers to a URL that had the complete manual in PDF format. Sixty-four
> pages of detailed instructions, hints, and beautiful art. And believe it
> or not, it's still available for download on Sega's main website.
>
> -KKC, who got a free lunch today. And healthy too.
> --
> --S.S.B. is the code name for America's daring, highly | kendrick @io .com
> trained special mission force. Its purpose: to |
> defend human freedom against al-Qaeda, a ruthless | Please don't use
> terrorist organization determined to rule the world! | eBay. Ask me why.

quote:

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>
> "Nick" <nfwilson@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:u%23Cum8BIFHA.1288@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>
> Outside of a detailed RPG I rarely even open the manual. But with that
> said:
>
>
> I think the manual should be on the game disk, with a menu choice when you
> hit start/pause to go to a table of contents, etc. It would also be
> cheaper than printing the manual, and you have it handy when you need it
> most. A standard library could be incorporated, not unlike a generic pdf
> viewer, that reads the manual file. That is, like Xbox live basic
> features it could be a feature that would always be there.
>
>
>
>

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>
> Man you need to be MCSE certified to get the Manual.....
>