Dammit WTF is it with no manuals anymore??

I just got done trying out NEO Scavenger, gave up less 15 minutes into the game because it was hard to understand what buttons did what and what decisions meant what and what using moves meant etc. etc. etc. so I install this one and NO FUCKING MANUAL.

I get it. Many of the younger folks don't like manuals. Fine. They should still be included though so that we can have a CHOICE. If you don't like manuals, ignore it, never open up or download the file. If you do like them, it's there.

I buy games here assuming manuals because almost every game I've bought here had them. No more, if I don't see a manual listed as bonus content, NO SALE.

Take it for whatever it's worth GOG and/or developers, no more sales for this customer unless a manual is included.

You can use this Wiki - http://banished-wiki.com/wiki/Main_Page

Yeah, I know it's not the manual, I'm just trying to help. ;)

edit: also, manual for NEO Scavenger is now available - http://www.gog.com/forum/general/the_what_did_just_update_thread/post4927

I consider the in game help file to be the manual for this game? I learned the basics of game play by reading it. See attached image for how to open it.

If that does not give you enough there are many walk throughs that can be Googled, and several tips pages can be found online as well.

Also lots of info, videos and mods at banishedinfo.com.

Hovering your cursor over every button will pop up a description of what the button does.

Edit: I should mention that the game interface is one of the simplest that I have used in a city builder, easy to learn. The game is deceptive as it can be very difficult even after you learn how to play it so if you are wanting a game that takes minimal effort Banished may not be the game for you. It took me several games (hours) just to survive the first winter as I made many mistakes with allocating my tiny work force.

Even now in my current game at year 78 with almost 1,700 residents . . I have miscalculated on my crop management and find my village dying of starvation after a scarlet fever outbreak. Not sure I can even stop the starvation but if I do I will have lost many. So . . what I'm saying is it is/can be a VERY frustrating game to play but it can also be very rewarding. Expect to play several hours before you start mastering the survival steps. =)

I would be happy with a simple quick reference card I can either print out or put on my tablet so I can have a quick list of commands and UI elements at hand while playing any game. Just something I don't have to get out of the game to reference.

Flynn

Then you will be pleased with the Banished help file that can be opened in-game without affecting the game in progress or returning to the game start menu. See attached for example of help topics. =)

Edit: All screen navigation can be done with the mouse so the WASD keys are not really used, at least by me.

Yeah, I have Banished and like that the help is actually in-game and doesn't take you out of the game to open your web browser, heh.

Flynn

actually, the tutorial is damned terrible I found - had no option but to resort to the wiki as to "WHY WONT THEY DO THAT?" kind of situations.

also: OFGs post is from december... havent seen em since sadly.

The tutorial was excellent help when I first started out. It explains quite a few things. IIRC there is also in-game help. These things aren't incredibly detailed, explaining best strategies and whatnot, but then the good old fashioned manuals rarely were either. They're not supposed to be a walkthrough after all, half the fun is finding out stuff yourself.

I agree. Manuals, especially charts and tables of things the inhabitants would know, things you would find out but have to write down to remember, would be, and at one time were, invaluable. In-game help is no substitute, usually, since it is usually quite abbreviated. I'll let you know what I think when I've finished my first town.

By "finished" do you mean "watched my population suddenly disappear because I forgot one thing"?

WOW-touchy! Somebody's had issues..... Actually, to be honest, my first town died out (freezing). The second did well, and the third is on its' way.

But to stay on topic- (for the rest, I'm on the company's forum) - the in-game "manual" in this case isn't bad, but the game is listed as "beta" and there are a few changes. I'll say it's better than most today but not as good as the old style in-box-manual and Prima guide combo, on paper!

Some people are so much attached to printed material in 2015 that would discard a manual that is an *in game book* and complain about "no manual exists".

This is the same complain I have heard about AOW III in many reviews. The people are not only so attached to out-of-game information given, but they fail to *read in-game dialogs* which tell them that "I brought with me the Tome of Wonders that has everything I need". And, guess what, there is a book icon at the top left that, when you hover on it, it says: "Tome of Wonders".

Yeah, no manual at all :P.

It is the 21st century folks. Printed material costs and you want cheap games. In addition, having the manual *in game* and integrating accordingly is the best approach. Designing an interface that almost makes even this in-game manual redundant is the best!

After de-attaching yourself from the need of the "traditional" manual, you can use the game's build-in conveniences.

Cheers!

Agreed. I love having a physical, printed manual to leaf through while watching TV or idly doing something else that doesn't require much concentration (or, of course, to reference while playing the game in question, without having to ALT + TAB out of it), but I'll be damned if I'm going to go to the expense of printing out a physical copy from a PDF file -- especially since the best, most detailed manuals can be several dozen pages long. Ditto for ordering a manual off eBay or whatever. So, for me, my preferences are as follows:
1. printed manual
2. in-game manual
3. good-quality PDF manual
Best-case scenario would be a physical copy of the game (DRM-free, of course) with a substantial physical manual AND a well-implemented in-game manual; however, since physical copies of PC games are dead or dying in most places, the next-best thing is a good in-game manual. I wouldn't call the one in Banished "good", exactly, but it gives the player pretty much all of the basic info needed to play the game and it was a one-man project, , so I can't fault it too much.