Hi, Did you see the New Games software in a small BOX? No more detailed manual in any games ? I think so, all in PDF. All games was in small box in my local store included old games also.I think all up coming games will be in the same style, less cost, less space, better for shipping better for them.ThanksChris Willis[link:fsw.simflight.com/FSWMenuFsSim.html]Clouds And Addons For MsFshttp://fsw.simflight.com/fsw.jpg

Yeah it has been introduced a year ago, and it's called the DVD-style box. It's disgusting not to get any printed manual anymore, cause we still pay the same price ! Even Fs2002 could have been distributed in such a box since there is no printed manual (except the couple of pages thing).....sad, sad !

Yep. Officially it's marketted not as costeffective but as 'environmentally friendly' of course, the claim being that less trees have to be cut down for the boxes and less trucks have to drive to deliver it all.The end of printed manuals is upon us, and I fully expect the end of standalone software to be not far behind. In a few years, most if not all software will install only a stub on the computer and run the rest over the internet after paying by creditcard or some other mechanism for the time you want to use it (much like a prepaid mobile phone).Prevents piracy, makes distribution of updates a lot easier and cheaper. Also makes using it for people in far-away places without cable or DSL extremely cumbersome, and use for people without plastic almost impossible.

Its called saving money for the software maker. Why should the spend all that money for printing, just because someone wants a printed manual? Its cheaper and faster to create a pdf document. Besides the end user can print out the pages they need, or load the reader and have the document handy, instead of having a book laying out on a table.For me its welcome format, thats been a long time coming.

what i'd like to know is.....who pays for the ink to print out a 200+ page manual.....i'll tell you who..ME thats who.the whole thing stinks of money grabbing by the software companies.do you really think they care about trees and the enviroment.the only green they care about is this

Actually the reason the move to the smaller boxes was done was primarily for shelf space -- especially in Europe. The smaller boxes allow shop keepers to stock more titles without taking up so much room. And obviously there is the added cost savings from the smaller box (and usually) smaller manuals or no printed manuals at all. I heard that distributers demanded that software be shipped in the smaller boxes or they wouldn't distribute them. So the software publishers had to comply in order to get their stuff to show up on the shelves. Gone are the days of the funny-shaped game boxes. ;)

Nah, much easier to hide it from the wife!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's the real reason. These marketing guys are on the ball.

Even FS2k2 as well as other MS titles have been in the DVD box at the local CompUSA here for about a month (Rochester NY).At least the box now matches the contents! :(Caffluy!!!

So you totally agree to pay the same price for less ??? And I am not talking yet about how much it costs you to print out the pages that interest you ! Sorry, but for me, it's either for the SAME price WITH a manual, or CHEAPER WITHOUT a manual. Whereas now it's the SAME price WITHOUT a manual...even worse is actually the FS2002 box, which here in Europe is still the old-style box. You might argue that with a DVD-box at least you know that there is no fully-printed manual, so it's up to you to buy it or not, but here it was obvious that there was going to be a manual in that big box, just like all previous MSFS versions ! But there was none ! Very disappointed, I am (Yoda) :-)

Hmmm...Small Box. Sounds like some new kind of infectious disease!!Chris Ehttp://website.lineone.net/~flightsimukAvoid AGP texturing = Better Performance ;)

or Ferdyitis...Anywhoo- if you've ever seen my computer manual shelf at my house, you'd know how glad I am about PDF manuals. It's such a waste of paper and ink, however, I agree the prices should be adjusted accordingly.

"So you totally agree to pay the same price for less ???"I think you have left one calculation out of the equation - inflation. Yes, production costs and wages do go relentlessly up and the consumer has to pay for these. If next year's release of product X costs the same as this year's release, but I have the manuals in PDF format, I won't complain.David