Ubisoft Eliminates Paper Manuals

[Elvin]

Lame, anything I say would be wasted.

[C_Guy]

Ubisoft takes another step in the direction of failure. No one I know wants to read manuals in Acrobat format. Flipping back and forth between your game and Acrobat Reader is not my idea of fun, especially for games with larger manuals that you need to reference often as you are learning how to play. (Impressions' city builders come to mind)



Maybe I am just old (fashioned) but when I buy a game I'm not going to download it. I want a box. I want the CD in a jewel case with an insert and I want a paper manual. I don't really care about the environmental impact - I want the whole package.



To satisfy everyone, Ubi should offer three editions of their games:

-Digital (download) only for the instant gratification types

-"Save The trees" paperless edition - perhaps with a small discount to encourage people to buy (why else would you?)

-Full package with paper manuals - for the serious gamers only



Along with forcing an Internet connection to play Ubi is making it real tough to want to buy their product.

[Ethric]

well, Ubi can eliminate DRM and save much energy used to run their server 24/7 (in which highly recommended in Go Green environment) while still making their customers happy. O btw, you can also reduce the upkeep cost for running the server especially for single player games and...ah, forget it, it is Ubi anyway.

Ahahahaa, touchè

[Dragon Angel]

In today's world, every GoGreen initiative is highly regarded for a company (as the last note in the news identifies), but I'm with Ethric the energy-saving measures for DRM servers would save a lot CO2... I hope they realize soon.

Of course, this is another move towards e-products (easier, and CHEAPER, to market), as DRM is, which is a BLUFF.

Regarding the manual itself, well, it depends on the manual, but I myself would prefer a inside-game civilopedia (if the manual is electronic, this is the way it needs to be, not .pdf), to a 10-page booklet with the basic functioning (that as arturichix, I won't read). Other thing is we receive a lorebook... but I can live with them in the collector's edition and not in the standard one.

[ToweringAmishPlumber]

Big deal! The "manuals" in virtually every computer game for years has been nothing but a matchbook size four page teeny tiny speck anyway. Ah, for the glory days of SSIs' Gold Box games - yum. Even better were the manuals for computer war games back in the day.



In case you haven't guessed, I LOVED complete, well written manuals.

[ToweringAmishPlumber]

In addition, has anyone noticed that the lack of manuals never seemed/seems to be reflected in the price. Frankly, this is nothing but bull**** and gives environmentalism a bad name.

[HodgePodge]

I consider myself an environmentally conscience person … but I see this as just another cheap trick UbiSoft is pulling on their customers. Maybe if they were honest about why they're doing the digital manuals, people might actually have some respect for them; but to try and pretend they're doing it for a good cause really reeks!

I still have all the manuals from all the games I have ever purchased; I read and use them whenever I play those great gems. Nothing is more uncomfortable on the eyes than trying to read a manual on your monitor screen.

I really miss the old days when many games were class acts … manuals, cloth maps, jewel cases, etc. Now the gaming industry has become producers of shoddy products … with UbiSoft leading the way.

[Alamar]

Honestly I think printed manuals are overrated. On this point I don't think UBI's move is a bad idea at all and I support it.



On the other hand UBI's initial H5 HoMM manual wasn't very good ... almost to the point they didn't need to bother even faking one. The User Manuals [EDIT: made by gamers] beat the tar out of anything that I ever saw officially from UBI.
Edited on Thu, Apr 22 2010, 13:33 by Alamar

[Roman]

I have no problem with the manuals being electronic only. Indeed, I think it is for the best, since I needn't waste physical storage space for the pathetic excuses for a manual that come with games these days.



That said, I am under no illusion that Ubisoft is makint this step for environmental reasons. It is a cost-saving initiative and the savings might be bigger than many realize - the company saves on paper and printing costs, but also on distribution costs, though yes, there is a slight benefit for the environment to be had (but nowhere near as big as the energy saved would be by shutting down their DDRM servers). Despite the fact that their motives are likely not environmental, since a return to the manuals of yore is not going to happen, it is a good move. Hopefully, the cost savings accrued will make gaming more financially viable for companies to engage in and have some minor environmental benefit too.

[parcaleste]

Next step - get rid off of the CD's.

[Avonu]

Well - they done that long ago - now we have DVDs.

And I wonder - no manual, no CDs/DVDs, no game box - but digital download games have the same price as games in shops.
So what we have got with this "no printed manual feature"? Nothing. Many of you don't read manuals but I personaly love to do that when game is loading, AI player has it turns or when I am off-line.
I liketo read encyclopedias in-game too (like Ufopedia or that from Civilization/Age of Empires/Mythology) but I prefer to play game instead reading -pedias. If you have printed manual, youcan do both things at same time and so also "save" the enviroment - less power use for my comp = better for Nature then this "no printed manual bullsh*t".

[GreatEmerald]

And I wonder - no manual, no CDs/DVDs, no game box - but digital download games have the same price as games in shops.

Blame Valve for being greedy. They have no reason to release the games for that high of a price. Compare, for example, Unreal Tournament 3 price on Steam and Impulse/GOG and you'll see what I mean.

[archcorenth]

I'm all for it, since they give us crappy useless manuals anyway.

[jeff]

I'm all for it, since they give us crappy useless manuals anyway.

Well one point is, the manuals they give us should not be crappy and useless. If they are not going to improve them then think of all those poor electrons being horribly wasted. Families of electrons losing their bread winner, electron children growing up as orphans. One weeps at the thought of the electron massacre that UBI is proposing.

[HodgePodge]

Well one point is, the manuals they give us should not be crappy and useless. If they are not going to improve them then think of all those poor electrons being horribly wasted. Families of electrons losing their bread winner, electron children growing up as orphans. One weeps at the thought of the electron massacre that UBI is proposing.

hahahahahahaha! …

[Marzhin]

think of all those poor electrons being horribly wasted. Families of electrons losing their bread winner, electron children growing up as orphans. One weeps at the thought of the electron massacre that UBI is proposing.

On the other hand, if our concern is really to save the poor electrons being wasted in useless stuff, we should probably start by removing 70% of the Internet

[Qurqirish Dragon]

think of all those poor electrons being horribly wasted. Families of electrons losing their bread winner, electron children growing up as orphans. One weeps at the thought of the electron massacre that UBI is proposing.

On the other hand, if our concern is really to save the poor electrons being wasted in useless stuff, we should probably start by removing 70% of the Internet

AHA! That is the real reason for the UBI DRM- environmentalism!

The reasoning:
1) Our (that is UBI's) games are the best there are. (standard premise for any software company)

2) Therefore, if people aren't playing our games, then they won't play anything. (why would they? By (1) anything else is a disappointment.)

3) If we shut down our servers, people cannot play our games, and so by (2), they won't play any games during this time.

4) Since by (3) they are not using their computers, these people will turn them off for the duration of the downtime.

5) Thus, they use less electricity, and so save the environment!



That about sums it up!

[Avonu]

6) We are genius!

[HellSpawn]

Who needs paper manuals when you can get a *.PDF file online?

Not to mention that most manuals that come with games, are printed on glossy paper, which is horribly expensive.

If you really want the manual, just google it if you can't find it on the actual website.

Once you find the manual, decide whether or not, you wish to print it out.

[Moragauth]

So what? You people love to whine. Don't play Ubi's games if you do not like their corporate strategy tbfh. I for one do not care. The manuals tend to be fairly limited and go out of date very fast. Better to have a PDF manual you can print out IF you want to. And if the manual removal is not "reflected" in cost reductions, it's either because a) they were already a loss-making item, i.e. did not contribute in any way to the profitability of the product or b) protections such as patents make it easy to not have to compete on price (though piracy would make one wonder how realistic this proposition remains.) If the firm perceives no added economic benefit from adding a feature, and perhaps a loss, it will remove it. So. What.



I fail to see how it makes reading "less popular" - it does make reading some very technical, dry often limited documents in paper form less popular, yes. Was that ever popular to begin with? WTF, go get some real literature at a bookstore... I admit I do like reading these manuals (esp. the BG II one) but please let's not act like it's some loss to the world... if your reading solely consists of game manuals, there's already an issue. Not like games don't now have loads of in-game info (e.g. tooltips) that you can read.



I love how environmentalists act oh so offended when the "green" philosophy is used, as it always is, as a marketting or political gimmick - a philosophy largely funded by political lobbyists and such concerns to begin with. Please, wake up.
Edited on Wed, Jun 09 2010, 10:58 by Moragauth