Is there a stand-alone PDF (or similar) manual for FM 2011?

I know that there is an online manual; however, I'd rather have a stand-alone, all-in-one, PDF (or similar) manual.

I'd rather have the manual in the dvd case like always...

all this 'online manual' rubbish is stupid! It's like buying a car:

Me: "do you have a brochure?"

Salesman: "no, but you can download one off the website"

Me: "WTF?!?!?! I'm buying a £30k car and I have to download the brochure? See ya, I'll buy from somewhere else.."

(true story.. the salesman looked at me dumbstruck - the other customers in the dealership though... they suddenly realised there were no brochures!! hehehe )

Funny you should ask - a fansite has just produced a *.pdf manual, mainly targeted at beginners, called FMFT Guide. Forget the link but it's in here somewhere.

Funny you should ask - a fansite has just produced a *.pdf manual, mainly targeted at beginners, called FMFT Guide. Forget the link but it's in here somewhere.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/246819-DOWNLOAD-NOW-Free-Unofficial-Football-Manager-Guide

To OP, forget about the official manual. It's pretty much useless even if available as a pdf file. Which is not even so, iirc.

Thanks guys for the suggestion for the FMFT guide.

However, based on Lazaru5's post, am I right in assuming from what he said that retail copies came without a manual?

I am on the verge of disbelief that this game does not have a manual. The online manual assumes you have constant internet access (which most people do). However, I have never heard of a commercial game that didn't have a stand-alone manual of some description (printed or electronic).

Can anyone confirm if the retail version had no manual included (printed or electronic)?

the printed manual, for what it's worth, just basically describes the process of setting up a game...

it gives nil insight into how to actually PLAY it once you've created one...

I keep it in the bathroom in case I have an emergency need... it's all it's good for

I don't get it?

If a noob to FM games buys this game (or gets it as a present), then there is no manual like in previous FM games (ie a booklet or PDF booklet)?

Having said that, I bought 2010 on Steam and that one came with a PDF manual which is now dead - I just noticed that the 2010 .PDF manual is actually remote accessing the manual and now it no longer works as the 2010 manual is no longer hosted by SI/Sega. So, although there was a PDF manual for 2010, it no longer works.

This is just pure laziness and bad customer support in my opinion - purely because I cannot understand the logic of not having a manual that you can keep (printed or electronic). Yeh, most people know FM like the back of their hand, but I'd assume most people would want to browse the manual of a new version to look at any changes.

I certainly hope that the rest of the gaming industry does not follow the lead of Football Manager and make manuals a thing of the past. I can understand the shift from printed manuals to electronic ones, but I cannot see the justification to not having an electronic manual at all. Surely this is bizarre? I don't understand the logic behind it.

There is an online manual though, even if it is non-pdf.

I know about the online one, I just fail to grasp why it cannot be dowloaded to someone's computer as a stand-alone manual.

Can anyone explain the logic behind the lack of a stand-alone manual (printed or electronic).

The FM 2010 PDF manual no longer works as the PDF is basically trying to load pages that are no longer hosted; however, if it were a complete (normal) PDF manual then someone could read it.

I just find it odd that we do not have manuals to keep. Surely it is not too much to ask - to supply a manual with a game?

I've just emailed Sega to tell them to hand it over - I can't imagine it is difficult for them to allow people to download a PDF manual - I can't be the only person who would like an offline manual.

there is always the (and whisper it) 'advisor' in-game.

Even if there's an online manual, I think it should be bundled into the DVD or Steam download somehow. It's a tiny little thing compared with the file size of the game, even if you have to create a manual for several languages.

The online manual is just a copy of the ingame manual. Why would you need to bother printing a manual when there's one built in?

Just press F1 in the game....