Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm is a grand tactical wargame set at the height of the Cold War, with the action centered on the year 1989.

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Sunbather
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Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by Sunbather »

When I, for example, want to use my PDF reader to search for all instances where "Supply" is mentioned, the search function spits out a whopping 157 results. This is because on every second page the complete Table of Contents is listed again. In my opinion, this doesn't make sense at all. Not only does it make searching and navigating the manual a nightmare, it also takes away a lot of space unnecessarily. You already have the ToC on page 1, just like in every other book or manual. And programs like Adobe Acrobat give you the option to include a ToC on the left side which can easily be turned off if you don't need it.
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CapnDarwin
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Re: Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by CapnDarwin »

I assume you are using the ebook PDF of the printed manual and not our up to date Field Manuals (FMs) that are PDF and set up like you are asking for with a single TOC (with hyperlink capacity). You can get to the FMs via the in-game help menu or navigate to the games document/FMs folder.
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

Cap'n Darwin aka Jim Snyder
On Target Simulations LTD
Sunbather
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Re: Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by Sunbather »

CapnDarwin wrote: Thu Jun 27, 2024 5:36 pm I assume you are using the ebook PDF of the printed manual and not our up to date Field Manuals (FMs) that are PDF and set up like you are asking for with a single TOC (with hyperlink capacity). You can get to the FMs via the in-game help menu or navigate to the games document/FMs folder.
Absolutely great! I was too daft to realize that the FMs contain the same and even more up to date stuff as the manuals.

And please excuse me if I came across as snarly, I was in a state of anxiety, making the first moves in my first PBEM game ever... Phew.
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CapnDarwin
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Re: Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by CapnDarwin »

No problem. I think a lot of folks miss out on all the documents we have, and there are Operational area guides on the content, forces, and maps being used.
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

Cap'n Darwin aka Jim Snyder
On Target Simulations LTD
Sunbather
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Re: Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by Sunbather »

CapnDarwin wrote: Thu Jun 27, 2024 7:37 pm No problem. I think a lot of folks miss out on all the documents we have, and there are Operational area guides on the content, forces, and maps being used.
I will make sure to check out the operational guides! I guess it's just confusing that right there in the main documents folder is a file called MANUAL and then you think you've already found what you're looking for and you don't look any further. Maybe it should be the other way around: put the live manuals and guides into the main folder and put the ebook versions into an extra folder.

By the way, having a ToC on every second page in a printed manual does make some sense. So I feel doubly stupid now, haha.
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CapnDarwin
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Re: Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by CapnDarwin »

We have all the document pointers in the game's Help menu, so you can find what you want and have it up if needed in-game. I'll admit the documentation locations and naming are a bit confusing and kind of the price we pay for a printed manual, I guess. At least the FM PDFs are updated as we go. ;)
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

Cap'n Darwin aka Jim Snyder
On Target Simulations LTD
Sunbather
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Re: Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by Sunbather »

CapnDarwin wrote: Fri Jun 28, 2024 11:39 am We have all the document pointers in the game's Help menu, so you can find what you want and have it up if needed in-game. I'll admit the documentation locations and naming are a bit confusing and kind of the price we pay for a printed manual, I guess. At least the FM PDFs are updated as we go. ;)
I am now using the FMs and they are so much better when it comes to navigation but also when it comes to content.
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CapnDarwin
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Re: Manual is still bad to navigate due to the ToC on every second page

Post by CapnDarwin »

The FMs are updated as we go (or the best we can do as there are only two of us dealing with documents and sometimes we find "new" features or tweaks by surprise and then need to update the FMs again. More FMs are coming to cover the Modding side of the game. They keep getting pushed back as I have other hotter tasks to work on. Such is the indy dev life. 8-)
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

Cap'n Darwin aka Jim Snyder
On Target Simulations LTD
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