AH Manual... still waiting..............

[Creamo]

I bought Falcon 4.0 again, but for only $20 USD cuz I had damn near destroyed the disk, and the manual bider was PUNISHED by hours and hours of tedious, yet informative, fun study. It was worth it to get a second manual that wasnt worn and torn.

I pay $30 a month for AH, and I don't think a binder type manual that can have say a layout so .pdf downloadable updates can be inserted in it is a large request. For a one time $20 fee, Hasbro gives you a damn 2 pound lump of manual which would yake 6 months to absorb.

All you old time WBS guys think all this stuff is natural in AH and online play. It AINT. Just figuring out radio keys for a newbie is a pain.

Make a freakin manual already, something to take place of the shampoo bottle reading in the bathroom. Webpage reading don't cut it, you cant put your computer in your knap sack for outta house reading.

I aint squeaking about gameplay, the product is solid. Just, how in the hell does it work?

 

[Mark Luper]

The only problem I see with a hard bound edition of the manual would be keeping it current. I love manuals too, I like that idea, however since there isn't one available I take what is on the web pages and print them out and make my own. I can then sit there and read something other than shampoo labels  

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MarkAT

"It is not the critic who counts,
it is the man in the arena..."
Teddy Roosevelt

[indian]

Creamo there is all kinds of stuff on this web site that tells how it works, alot of which I started and Ronnie  took over (saved me alot of time that way)

Look here for Help info
 http://www.hitechcreations.com/cgi-bin/frames.pl?page=helphom

then look here for help pages by players
 http://www.hitechcreations.com/cgi-bin/frames.pl?page=links

If you cant find it there then its not out there.

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Tommy (INDIAN) Toon
Indians Home page were links to help pages can be found.
Indian's Homepage

[Wanker]

You realize that if they take the time(not to mention the cost) of sending everyone a manual, it's going to delay any future releases?

No thanks. Forget the manual, keep crunching code & pixels.

[Renfield]

Yep - I agree with banana.

The material is available online for those that choose to download it. It isn't like it isn't available at all. The only thing anyone is really waiting on is themselves to go to the various files and print them out.

As Mark very correctly points out, keeping printed manuals up to date while the program is undergoing so many changes would be nearly impossible, and I'll add costly and wasteful.

That wasteful one is pretty important too - electronic format saves on paper big time. Those who want to print it can, but unfortunately most printed manuals are never read - never even cracked open - anyway.

Actually, Creamo - the point about the computer in your napsack for outta house reading is not true. Try the handhelds. They work great and mine probably sees most use as an electronic book. You can copy almost anything - including web pages and .pdf documents to one of these things and read them on the go. Very handy.

[Creamo]

Hmmm, the .pdf update idea slipped by at least 1 of yaz, but OK.

I thought my point of webpage help files being not user friendly as a book type manual was obvious Indian. If you missed that, alright as well. Still, your webpage format doesn't cut it either (nor is your help guide what I was talking about or complete). I will not be printing out those many links, trying to glue them together, nor buying a $400 pocket pc to read a freakin help file. Thanks anyways...

Wank, cost has ZERO to do with it. Do i know what it would cost to provide a manual with a complex online sim that takes months to learn, as well as costing $30/month per player? Nope, but operating costs of HTC and their profits have nothing to do with me. I just fwd the $$ every month, yet EXPECT topnotch support and documentation.

All I asked for was sharks with lasers on their heads... -Austin Powers-

[This message has been edited by Creamo (edited 10-15-2000).]

[Nash]

Nope. Creamo is 100% bang on here.

Ferget the web pages, forget the links.

One link that screams "Aces High Manual" in large letters (right under the AH download).

Click on that, you get a nice fat PDF file that ya can peruse at will.

I swear this would keep *alot* more of the 2-weekers around enough to start paying.

Great idea... not too hard to implement... and just good biz sense. It's about time, really.



[This message has been edited by Nash (edited 10-15-2000).]

[Creamo]

Oh man Nash, Id say your voice of reason was refreshing, but.....ahh piss off.

Still, you summed it up. And its the new "2 weekers" that would benefit most.

[Sancho]

What we need is a damn paperclip that will pop up in the game when you hit F1 and ask:  "What would you like to do?"  I can't think of a more helpful system.  

[Badger]

Creamo's point is 100% correct and Nash has proposed an excellent compromise solution to mailing everyone hard copies.

There is a $359.40/year (U.S.) price tag on this AH product.  Even MS provides a manual for there $40/year and FREE Zone access CFS2.

It would be very easy to provide a download of a PDF file format version of the current manual, which could then be view and printed by everyone, including players who use PDA's.

Regards,
Badger

[StSanta]

Agreed with Badger, but not Bleahmo  

 



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StSanta
9./JG 54 "Grünherz"

[funked]

PDF would be great.  

I bet HTC could get the players to do 75% of the writing.

Just create a list of topics that need explanations, and ask for submissions.

[-lynx-]

What would be very useful is stuff like "How to land a plane without crashing", "Why friendly collisions are off - stop swerving you dumb bunny, you can't collide with that plane" etc.

There seem to be an awfull lot of people with nothing better to do than to argue which battleship had better armour (we are still in Aces High right? I mean, it's not Captains Wet or something, is it? ) Why can't they create and maintain this pdf thing?

OTOH we do have Trainers Corps - can they be used for something useful for a change? .

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lynx
13 Sqn RAF

[Lephturn]

Hey Lynx, we Trainers play target drone a bunch.  You wouldn't believe how useful that ends up being.  

As for a PDF... well there is a bunch of extra work involved to put that together.  I think it is a good idea, but everyone should realize that it isn't free.  There are a grand total of 6 people at HTC, and putting a PDF together would take somebody's very valuable time.  Don't forget, this thing would have to be maintained and version controlled.  It's not a small undertaking.

A good idea, just don't underestimate the time it would take to produce this.  The software company I work for has one full-time person for everyproduct team that just does technical writing.  It's a bunch of work.

Oh, and yes, the trainers can and DO write articles on how to do things.  I'll see if I can't pull some of the stuff we've done together and see that it's up to date.

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Lephturn - Chief Trainer
A member of The Flying Pigs  http://www.flyingpigs.com


"My P-47 is a pretty good ship, she took a round coming 'cross the Channel last trip.
Just thinking 'bout my baby and lettin' her rip, always got me through so far."
 - Steve Earl

[-lynx-]

Leph - quit roadkillting and start writing you lazy bunch you Anyone can serve as a target drone!!! (If you are who I think you are you should have all this stuff written already - just use global "replace WB for AH" )

Seriously - a PDF manual can be compiled by players. I'm sure there will be plenty of volunteers. People do maps, sounds - you name it. Updates? Hmmm... (reading through the list of 1.04.5 changes) nothing there that would affect a manual in any form. Major upgrade - fair enough, certain things may need to be changed; but all in all - it doesn't seem like an impossible task.

HTC writing a manual? The worst people to trust with the task! Ever read any software manuals written by programmers? They are awful cuz people who write them know too much about the stuff they're writing about.



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lynx
13 Sqn RAF