Sierra compilations - PDF manual question

[Simo Sakari Aaltonen]

Could anyone who gets their copies post a little something here about the PDF manuals included on the discs? Do they look like the full manuals from the original releases or ones from rereleases? Are any of the extra materials included in these PDFs?

[jcornwall]

Mine arrived just now (actually they came yesterday, but I was out) so I've opened up the Space Quest collection and started the installer. Let's see what there is...

The box is a double DVD-thickness case made of laminated card, with some rather nice artwork. Just a CD inside with a sleeve. The PDF manual is 43 colour pages with what I presume is the original artwork, given the dated style.

Page 2 has a new letter written by Ken Williams, pages 3 & 4 have a humourous look back on the SQ series. 5-9 are instructions for controlling the games. 10-20 seem to be a condensed version of the manuals from each SQ game, just enough to explain the scenario and gameplay. 22-24 cover copy protection codes. Credits on 25-26 and an old ad on 27. 29-43 seems to be the complete, uncondensed manual for Space Quest VI. There don't appear to be any extra PDFs on the CD or in the installed location, nor any EGA versions of the games.

Hope that helps. A little disappointing on the lack of extras, but I think I'll get stuck into Space Quest I a bit now. :D

[jcornwall]

Incidentally, the launcher seems to fire off DOSBox into full-screen 640x480 mode which is pretty horrible on an LCD.

I just run DOSBox, mount the Sierra directory and start the games manually. Then they run in a nice little window. :)

Ah, and use MIXER to lower the volume. It's very loud by default. While I'm at, you can automate all this by dropping it into the dosbox.conf file at the end [autoexec] section:

MOUNT C: C: \ (no space here, silly forum puts a smiley :D)
C:
CD PROGRA~1\SIERRA\SPACEQ~1
MIXER MASTER 50:50

[Simo Sakari Aaltonen]

Thanks for that info, jcornwall. I find it hard to comprehend why they would do an average job with the PDFs when doing a fantastic job would have meant something like a few hours' extra work per compilation.

* * * * *

One day all the classics will be rereleased in beautiful cardboard boxes with all the extra materials from the original releases included. The prices will be decent, the quality magnificent. The rip-off merchants on eBay, those who never played one of these games in their lives, will be left dazedly clutching their devalued hordes, hoping it is all just a nightmare.

Glory will return, homes rejoice
There will rise the song of adventure
Their nightmare, our dream
That which was, that which is to be

[jcornwall]

Just to add a little balance, I've had a look at some of the other collections and they seem to be a little more comprehensive manual-wise. The Police Quest manual is 202 pages long and the Leisure Suit Larry one 57 pages, both with extras like newspaper cuttings, etc.

How much of this is new I can't say, as I never owned the previous collections, but it certainly looks more than the manuals.

[Simo Sakari Aaltonen]

That sounds similar to the printed manuals that came with the previous releases of the LSL and PQ compilations. Those were quite nice, especially the creative "background" documentation. Good to hear some of this is included in digital form with the new releases. :)

[CrimsonBlue]

I might get the LSL collection, as the LSL6 one in my collection never seems to work properly. With that being the case, I've never been able to complete that one, which is a shame as many considers it to be one of the best.

[eriktorbjorn]

Just to add a little balance, I've had a look at some of the other collections and they seem to be a little more comprehensive manual-wise. The Police Quest manual is 202 pages long and the Leisure Suit Larry one 57 pages, both with extras like newspaper cuttings, etc.

How much of this is new I can't say, as I never owned the previous collections, but it certainly looks more than the manuals.

I have a European version of the Police Quest collection, which didn't include any manuals whatsoever. Not even the information necessary to get past the copy protection. :frusty: Sounds like this one's quite an improvement in that respect.

[Dasilva]

Theres a EU version?

[Cellardoor]

Theres a EU version?
I bought my PQ collection in Europe, and it did include the 200+ page manual.

From the descriptions above, it sounds like all PDF manuals are exactly like the manuals in the original Sierra collections.

[Simo Sakari Aaltonen]

To clarify for newcomers, these game series have been released in collection form before (last millennium). But these are new releases whose contents do not exactly correspond with the earlier collections:

1. Apparently the games run on integrated DOSBox, which makes them work with today's operating systems.
2. The new versions come with different packaging and cover art.
3. And the manuals are in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) form.

I hope I got all this correct! (I have the earlier editions and have yet to order the new ones.)

[fov]

I bought my PQ collection in Europe, and it did include the 200+ page manual.

Many European copies of the PQ Collection were packaged without a manual. This was a manufacturing error, not a release that didn't come with a manual.

IIRC, you were supposed to be able to send away for one from Sierra if you got one of those collections that didn't have a manual.

[Stain]

The manual in the Space Quest collection is just a scan of a manual from a previous collection of Space Quests 1-5 (yes, I meant 5). It is not the scans of the original manuals - very disappointing.

Then the scan of the actual SQ6 manual is added at the end of the file.

Just for nostalga's sake I wish they included the original manuals (although I guess they do not want old installation instructions, etc, appearing in it).

Stain

[Spikey]

For the record, the new SQ compilation's manual is that of the Sierra SQ pack release "Space Quest: Roger Wilco Unclogged" (name correct?), and then as Stain said, SQ6 manual.

- Spike