Doom 3 Manual.

[wasted]

Ispired to post by dsm reply on Color of Doom, heh.

Hmm, it would be nice to have an original novel (or a full_pucture_like story) along with original game cd inside the box, imwo. Something that describes the events, units, stuff, personnel and etc.

I guess it might be done in corporative UAC manual\short-guide style.

Any ideas?

[gatewatcher]

No, too much money. What it would mean is we pay more for Doom III or id loses profit off it. There will be a manual, but don't expect anything fancy.

[Disorder]

It would be very nice, but I have a feeling that the UA-Corp website will be used for the same purpose. If not, then I'd love to see it, although it might be expensive.

[Fredrik]

Why not just wish that the game itself is comprehensive enough?

[dsm]

Fredrik said:

Why not just wish that the game itself is comprehensive enough?

Because some of us enjoy a good, written fic :-)

[Tyockell]

Im hopeing we get a nice lengthy booklet with doom 3 I really enjoy those, a story to go along with, equipment descriptions rough descriptions or enemies and what little they know about them so far. I think it would be a good idea I know I'd pay the extra money for it.

[dsm]

Tyockell said:

Im hopeing we get a nice lengthy booklet with doom 3 I really enjoy those, a story to go along with, equipment descriptions rough descriptions or enemies and what little they know about them so far. I think it would be a good idea I know I'd pay the extra money for it.

I don't think they should reveal enemies in the manual - but they should have a section describing the conventional (read: human-made weapons, read: everything but the soul-cube thing) weapons and the man-made equipment (Stim packs, med kits, etc. - everything but the more mysterious powerups like berserk and stuff).

What I'm actually even more interested in is a sort of manual introducing you to the modding tools built into the game.

[gatewatcher]

Physical manuals are outdated and near pointless. From what I've heard of the start of Doom, everything you need to know will be revealed by interacting with characters, computers, and roaming ability - all in-game. So what's the point of a manual explaining the game?

dsm said:

What I'm actually even more interested in is a sort of manual introducing you to the modding tools built into the game.

Well, that will most likely be included, but even that can be replaced by a pdf file, or help topics in the program itself.

[Zoost]

I read that a coffee-table type book is produced on "the making of doom3" together with Id. I'll buy it! And for manuals and stuff. I like reading on paper much more then on screen, besides i like to hold stuff and touch it.

[Disorder]

I'd love to see a manual though in the shape of an instructions book as if you were a UAC soldier. With useless stuff on how to clean your weapons and some more useful stuff, such as maps and blue-prints that don't give away too much of the game, but could proof useful later on.

[gatewatcher]

Disorder said:

With useless stuff

Right there.

[Tyockell]

dsm said:

I don't think they should reveal enemies in the manual

I was thinking more along the lines of like no photo of it just a brief description of it like say a name givin to it from certain characteristics hmmm some large demon for example be like 'there were encounters with a few large bi-pedal creatures, they have shown unmatchable strength and also resistence to conventional weapons. Only one marine lived long enough after an encounter to give us the information but was severly injuried from being throwin at a steel door. Quoted "It must have been over 10 feet tall had no eyes but it knew exactly were we were even after hideing and being quite, I think it could hear us breathing. We unloaded 2 clips into it and it barely even flinched it then picked me up and threw me at a steel door which it then proceeded through afterwards with ease".

So I just thought it would kinda be neat to have little info bits like this giveing you just enough information to maybe scare you but not give away enough to know what they are.

[lexx]

Hmm, it would be nice to have an original novel (or a full_pucture_like story) along with original game cd inside the box, imwo. Something that describes the events, units, stuff, personnel and etc.

That would be cool. What also would be good is if we could get something from the history of the game. Maybe some kind of book about the history of the making of the game. Or maybe like a cd companion with footage of the making of the game.

That would be awesome.

[Yo-Han]

Maybe some extra's in a "collector's item doom3"

I agree with the short stuff on weaponry and rules as a UAC marine..the hell stuff you simply do not know..it's another world, dimension and you'll find out playin'

[Vegeta]

I'd like to see something like the manual of Hexen II and Heretic II.

[Zoost]

lexx said:

That would be cool. What also would be good is if we could get something from the history of the game. Maybe some kind of book about the history of the making of the game. Or maybe like a cd companion with footage of the making of the game.

That would be awesome.

If you have read this thread carefully. You would have read that a coffee-table type book is produced on "the making of doom3" together with Id.

[LorD BaZTArD]

I reckon a manual with some background stuff would be cool. Like Quake 2's manual, but instead of detailing all the monsters, just detail some weapons, the basic layout of the base and maybe a flier about the UAC. Since you start before the accident apparently, it should look like some kind of Classified Military document.

Maybe even a Journal written by your character, filling in his journey to mars, or written as "you" like for example:

"2149: Shuttle to Mars Research Facility.

I hate shuttles, I really do, yet I've been on one for the past week being transported to mars. Seems I pissed off a superior one time accidentally and he thought it would be fun to ship me out to this barren rock knowing full well I hate space. The Union Aerospace Corporation (or the UAC for short) own the facility I'm heading for which does little for my attitude, the UAC are the biggest crooks in the galaxy and worst of all they have government backing, so they can and do get away with murder even going as far as destroying a ship the size of a small city once. It had over two thousand civilians on it and the UAC's publicity machine immediately went into action, blaming an accident with research on the vessel, despite the fact it wasn't their vessel and the massive hole through the front to the back of the ship indicated otherwise. Of course the public never saw that. They get fed images of a clean and productive company "paving the way for future technology today". I read the flier I got in my briefing and it was the biggest load of bullshit I have ever read. Since the place will be my home for the next few months I guess I could get used to it, atleast it's on a planet, despite the fact it's a barren red shithole named mars. It can't be any worse than this fucking shuttle"

Or go the direction of Alice and have a whole booklet separate from the manual. It detailed the thoughts of Alice's psychiatrist. A character you never even see, but it added quite a nice immersive touch to the game in my opinion.

True, some people might not like the journal approach, because YOU are supposed to be the character, but it really depends on the person really, Stuff like that though, that can create a fascinating background. A good background story adds alot to a games beleivability.

Manuals are not "outdated" either.....I prefer holding something I can read than looking through a Doc/Pdf file, plus you have the added bonus of being able to consult the book while you are playing.

[dsm]

LorD BaZTArD said:

I reckon a manual with some background stuff would be cool. Like Quake 2's manual, but instead of detailing all the monsters, just detail some weapons, the basic layout of the base and maybe a flier about the UAC. Since you start before the accident apparently, it should look like some kind of Classified Military document.

Maybe even a Journal written by your character, filling in his journey to mars, or written as "you"

Nah, as you said (or rather implied) there are people who want to imagine their own version of the doomguy - I don't want the doomguy characterized other than his mimicking and gestures in the cutscenes. I want full imaginative freedom here.

But what I'd like is some details on the Doom universe - things that NPCs won't be able to inform you about without it seeming stupid somehow (I mean, we don't go about talking about how our governments work daily do we?) - stuff like, when the UAC was founded, what made it such a powerful corporation and why it has strong military ties (though I can easily guess that myself, it'd be nice to have it actually explained). That's it, just some background that clears up the setting for you - the actual storyline (scientists are working on teleportation, the teleportation device is tampered with and opens a door to Hell) should only be revealed in the actual game though.

[Goat]

i dont want a manual at all. i dont want a pdf file or anything at all, except the standard Readme and all the help files and shit. i dont want to be spoiled. i dont want to know the weapons, i dont want to know the monsters, i dont want to know the items. it should all be in the game to be discovered.

[dsm]

Goat said:

i dont want to be spoiled

Spoiled? Do you necessarily get spoiled if you get a manual that explains how to play the game (like something that explains how you "use" stuff)?
You have to consider total beginners too - they haven't got years of FPS playing under their belt, so they haven't a clue where to start.
In fact, the manual is more for the beginners than anyone else, but even non-beginners wouldn't know how Doom 3's "manipulation mode" works if they haven't read all the info on Doom 3 that we have or played the Alpha.

Somehow, I always feel that a game without a manual is somehow incomplete, no matter how comprehensive the ingame storyline is.

[Fredrik]

I don't see any reason why you'd need a manual for Doom 3 other than for resolving technical issues. I don't see any reason why you'd need a playing manual for any other game either - if one is necessary, then the game's user interface is flawed.

[Goat]

dsm said:

stuff

alright some instructions would be nice, but no monsters, no story, no guns, just the nitty-gritty

it will all be explained in the game for sure.

[gatewatcher]

There's especially no reason for a Doom III manual, seeing as that it's beginning consists of walking around and interacting with people/things that explain everything to you.

[dsm]

gatewatcher said:

There's especially no reason for a Doom III manual, seeing as that it's beginning consists of walking around and interacting with people/things that explain everything to you.

Maybe, but they sure as Hell won't tell you interesting stuff like "when the UAC was founded" and the like - that'd just be goofy to have that kind of stuff in dialogues.

[Fredrik]

dsm said:

Maybe, but they sure as Hell won't tell you interesting stuff like "when the UAC was founded" and the like - that'd just be goofy to have that kind of stuff in dialogues.

So put that kind of stuff in computers. They're there for a reason.

[dsm]

Fredrik said:

So put that kind of stuff in computers. They're there for a reason.

If they can do it right, then yes.
What I'm worried about is whether they can introduce these story points in the game itself without making it blatantly inserted to enhance a story. It has to seem perfectly natural and that's where I have my doubts as to whether it can be done without any kind of manual story thing.

[gatewatcher]

Doom is a game, in the end who cares why the UAC was founded, it doesn't make a difference. Too much story just overshadows the game.

[Shaviro]

Fredrik said:

So put that kind of stuff in computers. They're there for a reason.

Yeah!
That's where most of the background stuff in 3057 will go. So if you're interested in the story, knock yourself out, but if you don't care it won't be in your face.

[Ultraviolet]

I think it should be like at a movie where you have to sit through at least 10 minutes of advertisements before the game begins and every now and then a "Fun Fact!" will pop up, such as "The UAC, a multinational conglomerate focussed on industrial research and space exploration, and also one of the antagonists in the Doom backstory, was founded in..." 5 minutes later there will be a "Pop Quiz!" asking the date the UAC was founded on and you can't play the game until you get the right answer. Wow, my brilliance sometimes amazes me. I'm gonna write to ID about this.

[Ichor]

...for the next few minutes, all that could be heard was loud laughter at Ultraviolet's wacky idea...