Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition Manual (NOW AVAILABLE!)

JuliusBorisov

Cutters, you have been waiting for it!

Enjoy.

Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition Manual

kaguana

Thank you

Abel

I'm getting all barmy! Thanks!

Doubledimas

Is there a reason why Appendix A (stat charts and experience points/spell level charts) from the original manual is not included?

Doodleroo

Was really looking forward to this after the awesome and beautifully laid out documentation you guys created for BG and IWD, I mean, even the release notes were great...
But seeing this, I have to admit, I'm underwhelmed... pretty much looks like the cheap html-to-pdf exports you often see for 'business applications'

Queegon

It's the same manual as for the original PST, except it's missing 20 pages and added a Chris Avellone "thank you note".

Guess you should download the original manual, it's readily available on the web.

Queegon

This is a worthy fun read serving as a introductory material, includes spoilers though.

Doodleroo

Queegon said:

This should be the trailer and introductory material, and how else? In written form.

Thanks for that one - that's very cool and well done!

I'm a sucker for well laid out books. I have lots of RPG books at home which are simply a beauty to look at. The BG manuals and release notes followed this tradition. I enjoyed them a lot.

I just re-downloaded the original PST manual from GoG and compared to this new manual it is laid out much nicer. I mean there is not even a title page, proper index or page numbers in this new document. And as you already mentioned the original also contains additional information.

Just one example regarding layout, look at page 8 (Gameplay section), it ends with the header for the 'Find Traps' skill and the description is then on page 9, you don't do this if you lay out a document!

Sure, this is minor stuff and nobody reads manuals anymore nowadays anyway, but still, after the attention to detail Beamdog gave to previous documentation, my expectations for this manual certainly were higher and I can't help but feel disappointed. This whole document says 'rush job' to me

Still, I'm very grateful for all the work put into the EEs, so, if the money saved for a proper manual helps funding IWD2:EE, then I'm all for it!

Queegon

You can see from the vision statement that there were more plans for the TNO and depth of the game/dialogues/choices but didn't quite make it to the finished game.

JuliusBorisov

Thanks everyone for your feedback on the Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition Manual. We're listening to it because we're thinking about a potential v2 of the manual.

Teflon

Um great to see official manual.
@JuliusBorisov Will there be translation and if yes, would be done by that third company? Which did steam page and so on?

AndreaColombo

I too was looking forward to a manual as comprehensive and aesthetically pleasing as those that came with the other Enhanced Editions (the manual that came with SoD is especially good.) I'm glad to hear the team are considering a revised version of the manual that would be worthy of the great game Planescape: Torment is

Headbomb

Put me in the camp of those disappointed by the "here's a word document rendered into PDF" approach to the manual, especially since the PATCH LOGs for other EEs had wonderful art in them.

Dev6

This is the ugliest manual Beamdog has ever made...

JuliusBorisov

Teflon said:

Will there be translation and if yes, would be done by that third company? Which did steam page and so on?

It's not planned at this point.

Ammar

Details on the rules (XP charts & so on), would be welcome.

But the background lore and bestiary parts of the BG & IWD manuals would not fit Torment. Too much charm of the original was discovering the exotic world - and it makes perfect sense, that the Nameless One, waking up an amnesiac, has no background knowledge.

In PS:T the "lore manual" is part of the journal (i.e. NPC and bestiary section) and entries are unlocked at appropriate moments during the game.

Panthros

Any update on a new manual?

JuliusBorisov

Not yet.

alboy

Is there a new manual yet as it is a year now since your last post?

Timbo0o0o0

Is there a new manual yet as it is two years now since your last post?

JuliusBorisov

I don't believe there has been any progress, sorry. I guess there's no big chance a potential v2 of the manual will happen.

Rik_Kirtaniya

@JuliusBorisov I wonder if Beamdog or WotC would allow someone to make an unofficial manual for PST:EE (especially since they are probably not planning to make a new one)? I could probably design a good one (at least much better than the current one), but don't know the legal stuff around it.

JuliusBorisov

I think it would fall under the fan content. https://company.wizards.com/fancontentpolicy

In the past, we had an unofficial manual for BG by @bigdogchris - https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/14571/unofficial-game-manual-for-baldurs-gate-enhanced-edition/p1

AzureHawk

I need the manual for the Android/mobile phone version of the game. Honestly the manual should have been added into the game. Things like having no mouse and no right clicks need to have work arounds published!