No printed manual

[leftydad]

I just received the physical shipment version of WW: Road to Victory, AND THERE WAS NO PRINTED MANUAL???!!!. That's the whole reason I bought the physical shipment version. What gives? Why is there no printed manual?

Very disappointed.

[LarryP]

I'm waiting for the physical shipment now, and I thought a manual would be included. [&:] I prefer a larger manual which printing gives anyways, I just get tired of doing it. I better get to printing then... [>:]

[leftydad]

Load the ink into your printer and start printing up the PDF. Every new purchase I've received from Maxtrix in the past year or so has included a PRINTED MANUAL, but not with this game. [:@]

[LarryP]

ORIGINAL: leftydad

Load the ink into your printer and start printing up the PDF. Every new purchase I've received from Maxtrix in the past year or so has included a PRINTED MANUAL, but not with this game. [:@]

I just started buying the physical copy in the last two years. I mainly did for the manuals. I better ask from now on if the manual is included. That's what I get for assuming. [:)]

[Erik Rutins]

Ok, we label all our releases clearly to let customers know whether a printed manual is included in the physical copy or not. We added this labeling system at the start of the year specifically to avoid confusion and disappointment. The vast majority of our new releases do include printed manuals, but not all. Although we released an announcement on this, it bears repeating...

First, each game has an "Edition" logo next to it in the store.

"Digital Express Edition" - Means no printed manual, physical copy has the usual box and CD but just the included PDF manual
"Standard Edition" - Means grayscale printed manual in the physical copy (in addition to the PDF manual)
"Collector's Edition" - Means color printed manual in the physical copy (in addition to the PDF manual)

In addition, if you read the game specs you will see that there is now a point there that lists whether there is a printed manual or not. For example, for WW2: RTV it reads:

Manual: PDF (Download) 72 pages

Whereas a "Standard Edition" like Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets reads:

Manual: PDF (Download) & B/W printed(Physical) 166 pages

I'm sorry you were disappointed by the lack of a printed manual, but I hope this reply makes it clear how to check for that in the future. We've tried to make it as easy as possible - just look for the edition logos and look in the game specs for more details.

Regards,

- Erik

[OttoVonBlotto]

Hate to contridict you but Im going to the game listing http://www.matrixgames.com/products/361 ... to.Victory states

Manual: Adobe PDF (Download) or B/W Printed Manual (Physical)

Which I took to mean there was a B/W printed manual in the box.

[Erik Rutins]

Interesting, I was going by the listing in the store. It looks like an error was made in the product page, but not in the store page. I'll fix that now and make sure the person in charge of that double-checks this in the future. Very sorry for the error on our part and any confusion it caused.

[LarryP]

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

"Digital Express Edition" - Means no printed manual, physical copy has the usual box and CD but just the included PDF manual
"Standard Edition" - Means grayscale printed manual in the physical copy (in addition to the PDF manual)
"Collector's Edition" - Means color printed manual in the physical copy (in addition to the PDF manual)

Regards,

- Erik

Got it. Won't happen again. [:)]

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
First, each game has an "Edition" logo next to it in the store.

"Digital Express Edition" - Means no printed manual, physical copy has the usual box and CD but just the included PDF manual
"Standard Edition" - Means grayscale printed manual in the physical copy (in addition to the PDF manual)
"Collector's Edition" - Means color printed manual in the physical copy (in addition to the PDF manual)

In addition, if you read the game specs you will see that there is now a point there that lists whether there is a printed manual or not. For example, for WW2: RTV it reads:

Manual: PDF (Download) 72 pages

Whereas a "Standard Edition" like Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets reads:

Manual: PDF (Download) & B/W printed(Physical) 166 pages

I'm sorry you were disappointed by the lack of a printed manual, but I hope this reply makes it clear how to check for that in the future. We've tried to make it as easy as possible - just look for the edition logos and look in the game specs for more details.

Regards,

- Erik

Erik, if you are up for a small suggestion from a humble editor of a few mere decades of experience, I would jettison the whole "Edition" continuum as being just too confusing by nature for us wargame playing maniacs. Finding a logo of any kind on a Web page, let alone realizing that you need to click on it to get vital information, is just too much for the "instant gratification" century.

Instead, each listing should SCREAM what's included right near the top of the page. "WW2-RtV, PDF manual only" ought to clarify things. "For printed manual, check the box on the order page" would advance the matter to the next step quite clearly. That way, your customer has to interact with the order page and specify exactly what he wants by way of a manual (of course, I can just see the thread firing up around here about "Why can't I get a printed manual with my digital download???") And make 'em see the price difference: "DD is $X. Physical copy is $X+10. Physical copy with B/W printed manual is $X+20. Physical copy with color printed manual is $X+30."

Besides, look at this: "PDF (download) & B/W printed(Physical)" reads like something out of a U.S. Army ordnance manual. Question remains, "Which end do you shoot with?" And we haven't even gotten to how confused some people must be over how to get a color copy instead of black and white. "Collector's Edition"? Please. Where are the 8x10 glossy autographed photos and special features including the developer's recorded stream of consciousness while writing code?

I know you guys were trying to make it easy for us guys. I think you just over-thought and over-built the beast is all.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: pasternakski
I would jettison the whole "Edition" continuum as being just too confusing by nature for us wargame playing maniacs. Finding a logo of any kind on a Web page, let alone realizing that you need to click on it to get vital information, is just too much for the "instant gratification" century.

+1

(and I told you so [;)] )

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe
(and I told you so [;)] )

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

You sho' nuff did, Eddy. And thanks.

[JudgeDredd]

Agree. Whilst the system makes sense to me (because I remember the announcement), some people buying here who missed the announcement will not know what the logogs mean.

Besides, how hard can it be to have your descriptions change?

Also, whilst on the subject, You're price listing is out of whack on each page of the item (any items). Sometimes the Digital Download is at the top, other times Physical Shipment is at the top. Not at big deal, but confusing none-the-less. I almost bought a physical shipment of a digital express edition (which I don't buy due to lack of manual).

Might I suggest they go in order of content?
Digital Download £xx.xx
    Downloaded setup file!
    PDF Manual (no printed manual)
Physical Shipment £xx.xx
    Physical disk in box
    Manual (B/W printed manual)
Physical Shipment + Digital Download £xx.xx
    Downloaded setup file now!
    PDF Manual
    Physical disk in box
    Manual (B/W printed manual)

Obviously, if the physical shipment was your Digital Express version, then it would state NO printed manual. You really do have to make it clear (I know you think your system makes sense, but only to people who have been here for some time (LarryP [:'(])). As stated many times in the past, some people are willing to pay extra for a manual (me)...other people will not waste the extra money on a physical copy if it does not have a manual (me).

Just my tuppence worth.

[pasternakski]

Very sensible stuff, JD. I know from my work in the drudgery that is editing, most people who create indexes to publications are blind to the fact that they are creating a tool that is useful to them, but completely unfathomable to those who actually have to use it... seems there is a little of that principle at work here, as well.

[LarryP]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

Obviously, if the physical shipment was your Digital Express version, then it would state NO printed manual. You really do have to make it clear (I know you think your system makes sense, but only to people who have been here for some time (LarryP [:'(])). As stated many times in the past, some people are willing to pay extra for a manual (me)...other people will not waste the extra money on a physical copy if it does not have a manual (me).

Just my tuppence worth.

Hey Judge! I vaguely remember reading about the manual rules, but when I ordered this last time, I had my elderly head in the clouds. I just assumed there would be a manual so it is clearly my fault. I would like to say that I went to the product page and saw the mistake, saying a physical manual is included, but I didn't. I just flat out blew it!

Usually I will not buy the physical shipment that does not include a physical manual. It's easy and fast to add another game to my collection of DVD saves. [8D]