Dark Avatar - Manual is in Beta 2B

Just an FYI

The user manual for Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar is in Beta 2B.

It's a PDF that you get to by pressing the "manual" button.

It's a LOT longer than the original Dread Lords manual (and it'll probably end up costing around $100k more in manufacturing when it's all said and done -- that's why manuals aren't usually this big).

The manual right now is messed up in the sense that it's the pre-print version. We'll be updating it with a "normal" PDF.  But I thought beta testers might get a kick out of seeing what a pre-print manual looks like and get a sneak peek at the backstory elements that were added including how population really works and why the star map is presented the way it is.

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Reply #1 Top
Many thanks Froggy

Bloody decent of you old chap (In an exaggerated British accent)

And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, the wife and your tadpoles!!
Reply #2 Top
Many thanks Froggy

Bloody decent of you old chap (In an exaggerated British accent)

And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, the wife and your tadpoles!!


well said with a good british accent   
Reply #3 Top
I've looked at it already, and was wondering why it looked half finished. Oh well, do a good job in updating it.
Reply #4 Top
The backstory was interesting. I found some errors in it though and it is in need of some editing.

Page 5, Introduction: "You can choose from ten civilizations"
Should be twelve.

page 9: "An interstellar war unfolded between the Human-led Coalition, which included the Altarians, Torians, and Arceans, and the Drengin Alliance, which included the Drengin Empire, the Yor, the Drath, and the Thalan. Two civilizations, the Korx and the Iconians, remained neutral."
Incorrect. The Human-led Coalition also included the Altarians, Torians, Arceans and Iconians. The Drengin Alliance also included the Yor. Three civilizations, Korx, Drath and the Thalan, remained neutral throughout the war.

page 28, backstory: "In the same way that a map of the Earth becomes distorted when it is flat, the map of the galaxy becomes distorted when made flat."
page 87-91, The Backstory: Editing needed.

My suggestion is to get someone good at editing to go through the whole manual. And remove all the "Regarding the...".
Reply #5 Top
Iggy - that's why its pre-print.

Someone will go thru it thats good at editing, it just hasn't been done yet.

Reply #6 Top

Well odds are the pre-print is what went to press so it's probably too late. But I'm all over making updates to it. 

Not sure where the Drengin alliance stuff came from, didn't notice that (didn't write that as the Drath aren't part of that). 

I wouldn't change the "Regarding the.." in either case because it was intended to be that (I wrote the "regarding the.." portions.

Reply #7 Top
Haven't had a chance to read it all yet. It's a pretty good size manual. Just wanted to say I love the obvious effort that is going into making it both informative and entertaining to read.

The only issue is my Acrobat reader is not displaying it properly. It's showing as a two page side by side setup, but one side will be the first page(1) and the other will be the last(91). As I go further the correct page will go up as the last pages go down ei (2) & (90), then (3) & (89). I may just have to find the right settings, but I can still read it ok. Just thought it worth a mention.

As usual, a bang up job devs.  
Reply #8 Top
It's showing as a two page side by side setup, but one side will be the first page(1) and the other will be the last(91). As I go further the correct page will go up as the last pages go down ei (2) & (90), then (3) & (89). I may just have to find the right settings, but I can still read it ok. Just thought it worth a mention.


Like Frogboy said, it's the preprint version. The opposing pages are like that because that's how the sheets will be printed and bound.
Reply #9 Top
Ahh.. Thanks for clearing that up. Now I won't go messing with all my settings in Adobe trying to change it.  
Reply #10 Top
Is there a Beta 2B change log anywhere? I've rooted around a fair bit, not least b/c I'm wondering about what's new with the espionage system.

My last game was Beta 2 and I only needed 3 spies to get Low intel. Do I need more spies now, or did the "James Bond" thing mentioned elsewhere lead to a new requirement that we leave spies in place for X turns before getting intel?
Reply #11 Top

There is one but not posted publicly.  A lot of the changes weren't documented this time because they were so many in detail.

For instance, a LOT of AI has been recoded for 2B.  More AI changes were in 2B than were in all of the updates since release.

Reply #12 Top
I couldn't find a page in the manual explaining keyboard shortcuts. Is there plans to add that before release? I love all the kb shortcuts I can get.