Well I can't sit on my couch or in my bed reading a pdf. Even if it's printed out it loses the magic of a real manual. Let's put it this way a good manual is important enough I spent $15.00 on it because I thought this would be a good game.

yeah dude.. you have to just pay for the box.

It's $5 more and 10-20 for shipping.

Or $100 for a printer and stappler.

Raise your stappler mastery skill.

I think the point is the printer won't give you what you get in some boxes. Admittedly a lot of companies don't put as much time in the manuals anymore, but they are all still better than a crap print out. And yeah 5 and 10-20 for shipping on this game. I was asking just for the option to play like $50.00 and get the manual on all digital downloads. Its not a big deal, but a flaw I feel in the digital downloads.

Yeah, you know nevermind, obviously a nitche request. But I have noticed the pre-orders getting you in earlier, betas and items and if that goes over to all digital download you'll be stuck paying a lot for s&h. But, in the end nevermind.

I was just about to ask the same question as the OP. I hope that what you say is true.

As long as the company put a PDF with digtal download what is the big deal?? Most people dont read the manual anyway they got stright to single player and do the walk through. And if you want all the stats and artwork by the game guide. OMG

I did, but the s&h was killer.

I am not sure where you get your paper from in your country. But in most countries with timber as an export they plant more trees than they cut down so using paper is not destroying the planet. In fact using paper is probably helping the planet because if they didnt use paper the timber industry would stop planting trees.

And those aren't fun at all. The cost of producing a number of manuals they really don't know will sell would likely outweigh the expense of including the rest of the box.

Right there with you.  I love the printed manual....but I can't swallow $10-20 bucks on freakin' shipping.  Hell, *I* can ship stuff cheaper than that, and I'm Joe-Nobody-Citizen.  I admit, Amazon has spoiled us all with their free shipping - and if I wanted to wait until release (as well as not support Stardock directly) I'd order from them, but I don't.  I'd rather go direct, get in on the Betas and make sure every cent deserved goes to the dev company...I just really, really don't get why it costs Stardock so freakin much to ship.