Proposition

Variform

Variform
I would like to discuss the following proposition:


A game is only ready for release when its features and gameplay can be understood by the large majority of players without those players having access to an online community to provide answers when no proper manual is available.

- It seems to me that this community replaces a manual.
- Without this community, most people would not understand many of the game features and mechanics.
- Even with the help of others, it remains often unclear if it is a feature or a bug.
- There are indeed many bugs.

If Elite Dangerous had been released in 1984, in this state, without a manual, it would not have been acceptable. I feel that FD relies on the forum to answer questions and in doing so is abusing it. I do not count a handful of video's that barely cover the basics to be an adequate manual. The FAQ is extremely limited. I consider proper guidance from a manual an integral part of the game.

So, please discuss the proposition. Please motivate.
 

AngerManagement

A
For me personally, half the fun is learning....when I first started, I knew very little about how the game worked, occasionally, I used the forum to get answers. Now, through trial and error, I have learnt al lot, but I still continue to learn.
I don't think it would be "Elite Dangerous" if you had a manual
Yes, there are some bugs, but for me, nothing game breaking

Don't you think too many people like to be spoon fed nowadays? Where's the harm is finding things out for yourself? Wouldn't that give a greater feeling of accomplishment?
 
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Rubbernuke

Rubbernuke
I think a PDF manual should have been provided to give an overview, but the tutorials cover the basics and people need to dust off the age old art of experimentation.
 

Joe Spivey

Joe Spivey
Yes, half the fun is learning but you shouldn't have to be asking 'What is this game about? What do i do? What do you mean it isn't all about PvP?' Information like this, along with key-mapping and other very basic things should be in a manual of some kind and directions to it made obvious on the log-in page. A big Stcky on the newbie forum would help too. You could also include a road map of where FD wants to take the game so that new players can SEE how the game is going to progress and expand.
 

AngerManagement

A
Joe Spivey said:
Yes, half the fun is learning but you shouldn't have to be asking 'What is this game about? What do i do? What do you mean it isn't all about PvP?' Information like this, along with key-mapping and other very basic things should be in a manual of some kind and directions to it made obvious on the log-in page. A big Stcky on the newbie forum would help too. You could also include a road map of where FD wants to take the game so that new players can SEE how the game is going to progress and expand.
Click to expand...

I agree, but I was referring to actually playing the game, not a description of it
 
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Figs

Figs
I agree. A complex game like this should have a pdf manual. Even now people are experiencing issues with rep, for example, when bounty hunting.
 

Serkor

Serkor
In the meantime, you can have a look there :

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=34437&highlight=forger

I also spent quite some time watching videos on Youtube. There are tons of them.

In short : with a little research + some learning you can easily find all what you need for playing.

In other times, we had games in boxes with manuals, the 600 pages manual of Falcon 4.0 is still lying on my desk. These times are gone, now it's all online.
 
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Variform

Variform
I consider the Youtube videos part of the online help, like this forum. It is part of internet. If all that community help would not be here, people would have great difficulty in getting answers.

I don't agree that the time of 600 page booklet manuals is over, in fact, why would it change? Today they do not even have to go to a printers. They can make it a pdf. But they did none of the sort and were entirely focused on rushing the game out before christmas. All other considerations were secondary. It is clear mister Brabens' buttocks are owned by some powerful investors.

I don't mind learning. But this is too much learning. I still don't know what all the interface is doing, e.g. the percentage bar on the left side of the scanner. Or how to use or what function the speed and distance meter on the left side mean. Does it relate to the option of linear or algorithmic in the options menu? Is there a relation between the two? Youtube videao's might help explain that, but isn't that the task of FD? Now I have to search the internet for answers on that. And someone might have explained it in a video...or not, I don't even have that guarantee. I am doing all the work so I can enjoy the games' features and be proficient while it is primarily FD's task to provide an enjoyable experience. That is what I paid for.

I wonder if the boxed versions include a paper manual?

So finding things out myself is not my idea of fun necessarily. And it is not too much to ask that all people who are different that way are left to their own devices. Right now I don't do any bounty hunting because I fear the outcome. I have one failed mission that won't remove itself from my mission list, I failed to find pirates and it is unclear how to go about doing these missions, were it not for the help from the community rather than FD.

I wonder what Mr. Braben meant when he said that the launch date was just another milestone, an important one perhaps, but just a milestone on a road to more content building. I worry that they are working hard on major expansions while some basic gameplay features are still unclear and not working properly. And the funny thing is, without an online community, I would never have known the whole influence things is broken.

They can make a video about the future expansions and what they like to see, planetary landings, walking in your ship, all fine. But the basics should come first, like a manual that details what the interface is, better descriptions of each of the options in the menu. You know, my English is pretty darn okay, and I can't understand some of these descriptions. Maybe a pilot could.
 

edguy

edguy
I use to love paper manuals back in the 80's 90's especially those big thick flight sim metal binding manuals - times have changed.
Agree would of been nice to have an official PDF overview however the contribution our Elite Dangerous community has given is absolutely superb.

View attachment 5842
 

Zeeman

Zeeman
I don't know... Back in the 80's, I always jumped into games without reading the manual. The manual was read when I couldn't play the game (school, for example).

Gunship and Falcon were exceptions...

Z...
 

LeetNoob

LeetNoob
Personally I wouldn’t bother reading the manual. I prefer to play/google/play/google with any game I play now. I learn more that way and you learn about other people’s experiences, techniques and ideas as well. There’s also a bit of fun in the learning phase.
 

Opeth_Ivey

O
I have been playing for over a month now and still have no idea how to use the coms panel to talk to npcs or other players. I have searched for any form of instruction on how it works and finally given up. If i don't need to know how it works then why is it even in the game?
 

-VR- Max Factor

-VR- Max Factor
Opeth_Ivey said:
I have been playing for over a month now and still have no idea how to use the coms panel to talk to npcs or other players. I have searched for any form of instruction on how it works and finally given up. If i don't need to know how it works then why is it even in the game?
Click to expand...

I've only just learnt how to use the comms and i've been playing since beta. To be honest its not that intuitive.
 
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