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Game Manual - War in the West

 
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Game Manual - War in the West - 5/1/2012 4:41:14 AM   
bcgames


Posts: 2527
Joined: 6/2/2010
From: Bramble Rose Farm, KS
Status: offline 		To all,

I am responsible for writing the WITW game manual and WITW editor manual. Please provide here your ideas on how to make these documents useful to you. I'm quick on the up-take so don't feel like you have to write Tolstoy's War and Peace to 'splain your ideas for the bigger, better manual.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

v/r

bcgames

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RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/1/2012 6:59:18 AM   
buchand


Posts: 103
Joined: 11/22/2010
Status: offline 		Layer the manual - getting started section and then drill down. Maybe its just me but I like to plunge in and then find the details as I go.
Work with someone to set up tutorials on the key areas e.g. Sea, Air, Supply, etc
Put any charts/tables on a seperate page or embed them for easy printing.

Over to the community, good luck as we will all want different and mutually exclusive things

_____________________________

Plan? What plan? Attack!!

(in reply to bcgames)
Post #: 2
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/1/2012 8:49:12 AM   
glvaca

 

Posts: 1312
Joined: 6/13/2006
Status: offline 		I think the manual for WitE is pretty good.
But like the previous poster, a "game aid(s)" like most boardgames that consolidates the most important charts would be very handy.

(in reply to buchand)
Post #: 3
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/1/2012 9:07:03 AM   
DerGrenadier


Posts: 106
Joined: 12/11/2011
From: Germania Superior
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: buchand

Layer the manual - getting started section and then drill down. Maybe its just me but I like to plunge in and then find the details as I go.
Work with someone to set up tutorials on the key areas e.g. Sea, Air, Supply, etc
Put any charts/tables on a seperate page or embed them for easy printing.

Over to the community, good luck as we will all want different and mutually exclusive things


I`ll second that. I too like to play at once and as soon as I have questions I start looking in the manual.

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Post #: 4
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/1/2012 6:34:11 PM   
javats


Posts: 55
Joined: 1/21/2012
From: Flatland
Status: offline 		Not having to use the paper concept and using a PDF type of format is great. (exp. default with decrease margins for more print)
I like the manual (LETTER) layout, overall with rule numbering and especially the click-able TOC and rules references)
It would be nice to have the index click-able.
Making each section a stand alone of it's rules, with click-able references to other rules is great and should be used more
I always liked a concise rule statement in bold print. then followed by; 1. exceptions 2. explanations 3. lots of examples (all with graphics/pics)
For a game manual one could put all the examples in one separate section with forward & backward references. This might allow adding more examples by author or reader.
it is possible to having a version of just the concise rules statement and everything else hidden with each (click-able or cursor pass-over) to expand the other parts
The PDF like format allows more use of abbreviations because they auto expand with curses pass-over.


(in reply to DerGrenadier)
Post #: 5
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/2/2012 10:08:17 AM   
misesfan

 

Posts: 73
Joined: 3/15/2008
Status: offline 		Focus on those things the player actually can affect - for example,'86' the multiple pages on production. An exception is the railing of factories by the Soviets. How many questions are on the forum regarding this one important topic? Why? - the Soviets are able to rail their factories but the info is buried within the manual amongst a whole bunch of stuff that the player has no control of...

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Post #: 6
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/2/2012 11:00:00 AM   
Redmarkus5


Posts: 4456
Joined: 12/1/2007
From: 0.00
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: pwieland

Focus on those things the player actually can affect - for example,'86' the multiple pages on production. An exception is the railing of factories by the Soviets. How many questions are on the forum regarding this one important topic? Why? - the Soviets are able to rail their factories but the info is buried within the manual amongst a whole bunch of stuff that the player has no control of...


Good point.

Describe the things we can control first. Explain the underlying game mechanics in later chapters or annexes.

_____________________________

WitE2 tester, WitW, WitP, CMMO, CM2, GTOS, GTMF, WP & WPP, TOAW4, BA2

(in reply to misesfan)
Post #: 7
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/2/2012 2:45:17 PM   
coolts


Posts: 391
Joined: 2/1/2011
From: Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Status: offline 		Real world examples (like the new 'blue' text in the manual).  Those are an excellent resource.





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"Gauls! We have nothing to fear; except perhaps that the sky may fall on our heads tomorrow. But as we all know, tomorrow never comes!!" - Chief Vitalstatistix

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Post #: 8
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/2/2012 6:52:06 PM   
horse1974

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 11/9/2011
Status: offline 		That is available in several languages.

Regards.

(in reply to coolts)
Post #: 9
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/3/2012 7:55:25 AM   
56ajax


Posts: 1950
Joined: 12/3/2007
From: Carnegie, Australia
Status: offline 		Avoid repetitions, nothing worse when you are doing a word search through a document and find the same statement repeated over and over again.
Every window or pop up should be described.
Detail the implications of setting certain values, not just what they mean.
and if possible find proof readers across different nationalities to check for ambiguous statements and

Good Luck

(in reply to horse1974)
Post #: 10
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/3/2012 9:12:19 AM   
schascha


Posts: 295
Joined: 1/3/2012
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: horse1974

That is available in several languages.

Regards.



In french??

(in reply to horse1974)
Post #: 11
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/3/2012 9:18:21 PM   
dukewacoan

 

Posts: 150
Joined: 6/7/2010
Status: offline 		I think the Manual should have more focus on why to do things in specifics. Players in WitE are really left to follow the Forum to learn the interactions and many of the basics. Clearer designers notes or players notes/hints about fundamentals of air settings, etc is an example. If you do not follow the Forum, you are left to tons of trial and error about basics.

(in reply to schascha)
Post #: 12
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/4/2012 6:57:15 AM   
cpt flam


Posts: 2352
Joined: 1/16/2011
From: caen - France
Status: offline 		you can find it in
unofficial translation
hope this will help you

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Post #: 13
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 5/7/2012 4:41:52 AM   
bcgames


Posts: 2527
Joined: 6/2/2010
From: Bramble Rose Farm, KS
Status: offline 		The roll-up so far:

* Layer the manual – have a “getting started section” and the capability to drill down.
* Provide tutorials on the key areas (e.g. Sea, Air, Supply, etc.).
* Consolidate the most important information on charts and tables that are set up for easy printing.
* PDF format is great.
* Rule numbering and click-able table of contents and rules references is good.
* Have the index click-able.
* Make each section a stand alone with click-able references to other rules.
* Have a concise rule statement in bold print, followed by; 1. exceptions 2. explanations 3. lots of examples (all with graphics/pics).
* Put all the examples in one separate section with forward & backward references. This might allow adding more examples by author or reader.
Is it possible to having a version of just the concise rules statement and everything else hidden with each (click-able or cursor pass-over) to expand the other parts?
* PDF format allows more use of abbreviations because they auto expand with mouse-overs.
* Focus on those things the player can actually affect.
* Describe the things we can control first. Explain the underlying game mechanics in later chapters or annexes.
Real world examples (like the new 'blue' text in the manual). Those are an excellent resource.
* Provide the manaul in several languages.
* Avoid repetitions; there's nothing worse than when you are doing a document word search and find the same exact statement repeated over and over again.
* Every window or pop-up should be described.
* Detail the implications of setting certain values, not just what they mean.
* Find proof-readers across different nationalities to check for ambiguous statements.
* The manual should focus on the specifics of why things are done. Include clear designer's notes and/or player's notes/hints about fundamentals of air settings, etc.

What else?


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Post #: 14
RE: Game Manual - War in the West - 6/3/2012 2:50:43 PM   
Duck Doc


Posts: 693
Joined: 6/9/2004
Status: offline 		If by 'layering' is meant starting with basic concepts then 'drilling down' to more detail then I agree. For example, I found the air doctrine explanation (among many others) opaque enough & confusing at the beginning that I passed it by. I need to have air missions explained in a top layer then the air doctrine down at a lower, more detailed level. I can leave the air doctrine on default & proceed with playing. There are many key concepts buried in minutiae. Basic supply concepts is another example.

Perhaps a tutorial then a layer which allows the non-grog to play by giving the grand concepts then finally a detailed layer.

Would love to have expanded tutorials covering different concepts.

I also found the explanation of many of the rules to be incomprehensible to me after many readings & I gave up on some. I could give examples but I would have to get to the manual to find & enumerate them.

I am a non-grog who loves this game & I keep playing it on a somewhat intuitive level. Some of us are mentally handicapped.

< Message edited by Dale H -- 6/3/2012 6:34:56 PM >

(in reply to bcgames)
Post #: 15
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