Poll

How do you want TRO's formatted?

Landscape (like they are now)
46 (47.4%)
Portrait (like the rule books)
51 (52.6%)

Total Members Voted: 97

Author Topic: How do you want TRO's formatted?  (Read 9386 times)

DarkSpade

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How do you want TRO's formatted?
« on: 19 June 2019, 19:56:53 »
Personally, I'd rather they were portrait like the rule books.

- Fits better on a book shelf with all the other books.

- Easier to read.  I prefer to sit back rather than lean over a table.

- Potential to include record sheets.  No guarantee they would, but at least it would be an option.

- Potential for Print on Demand books.  Based on a comment Cubby made in the The Aurigan Coalition book thread, the landscape orientation presents an obstacle to making PoD TROs.
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Scotty

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #1 on: 19 June 2019, 20:05:40 »
Portrait, and it's not close.  The mini-TROs in the back of sourcebooks look great, the record sheets are already portrait, and being able to get them POD would be a great way to show off some of the less core-line TROs that won't always be available in print from a distributor or FLGS.
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nckestrel

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #2 on: 19 June 2019, 20:10:19 »
Portrait. I don’t like the mess the landscape ones make of my bookshelf.
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Two Guns Blazing

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #3 on: 19 June 2019, 20:21:05 »
I'd also prefer a portrait orientation for the TRO's, similar to that of the rulebooks.

BirdofPrey

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #4 on: 19 June 2019, 20:25:29 »
I have somewhat mixed feelings.  I prefer PDF versions of most of my books because it's so much more convenient for me, and landscape fits nicely on a computer screen or a tablet, but really, it doesn't much matter, monitor is big enough for 2 page spreads, which are nice, so tips it a bit toward portrait so I can see both pages of a unit at once, and on tablet I can rotate it.  At the same time the transition from landscape for the TRO and portrait for the RS in the XTROs is kind of a pain, so those, at least, would benefit from being portrait only.

Joewrightgm

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #5 on: 19 June 2019, 20:33:00 »
I’m with the portrait crowd; if only from the POD aspect

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #6 on: 19 June 2019, 20:53:15 »
I'm set in my ways enough that I would prefer landscape, but if portrait made it easier to get product out, I'm down.
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klarg1

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #7 on: 19 June 2019, 21:01:13 »
I prefer the binding last a few years without dropping pages.

After that? Dealer's choice.

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #8 on: 19 June 2019, 21:12:44 »
I'm set in my ways enough that I would prefer landscape, but if portrait made it easier to get product out, I'm down.

This is kind of where I’m at too. I have a shelf just for TROs and a new format would mess up the aesthetic. But that’s just me being weird and doesn’t have any bearing outside of my office.

Beyond that whatever works best. We’ve seen portrait can be done effectively so I don’t have any worry about it diminishing the quality of the product

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #9 on: 19 June 2019, 21:30:13 »
I will like them any way... as long as I can get my hands on one.  I 'm old school and landscape was how they were done in the past.  but it is more important that they are in print.

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #10 on: 19 June 2019, 22:00:45 »
I'm fine with the current landscape, but I wouldn't complain about portrait.  I think if it had always been portrait we wouldn't be asking for them in landscape.
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Mohammed As`Zaman Bey

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #11 on: 19 June 2019, 22:31:32 »
  Portrait but like military aircraft data books: Pertinent data, minimal to no fluff, no art save diagrams from 2-3 angles, one page. Some people like fluff, I don't need superfluous ink.

Valkerie

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #12 on: 19 June 2019, 22:38:51 »
While I have always liked the landscape format, I'm fine with portrait.  Especially since it seems that is the easier of the two to get printed.
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Reldn

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #13 on: 19 June 2019, 22:45:59 »
Even though I like the Landscape format, I would certainly not complain about Portrait at all. It would definitely be easier to just kick back and read.

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #14 on: 20 June 2019, 02:02:42 »
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Hayden.

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #15 on: 20 June 2019, 02:23:08 »
My preference is landscape, if only to maintain uniformity with the existing TROs.
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Jellico

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #16 on: 20 June 2019, 03:20:52 »
.pdf

I need to be able to search mine.

marauder648

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #17 on: 20 June 2019, 03:40:27 »
Landscape like the current TRO's, it gives a lot more room for the art.
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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #18 on: 20 June 2019, 09:23:43 »
Landscape like the current TRO's, it gives a lot more room for the art.

I can't think of a way to say this without it sounding really sarcastic (it's not supposed to be) but the amount of space on a page doesn't change between portrait and landscape.
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William J. Pennington

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #19 on: 20 June 2019, 10:04:26 »
Portrait.  1-2 pages of fluff, pilots, quirk, technical details about primary model, then details on variants. Record sheets for the main units and variants. 1 page or more for  art for the units/variants. Alpha strike stats/ card sheet in back, RPG stats for battle armor.  Focus on mechs/vehicles/ battlearmor only. Aerospace/dropships/warships keep in separate, maybe PDF only products.

Sizable product; but it wouldn't require as many different new mechs/vehicles in terms of models. Less unit spam while still creating enough content to sell.

Portrait sets and stocks on shelves easoer, and can be set to be be viewed frontward without taking as much shelf space. Stores might like/prefer that.

cypher226

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #20 on: 20 June 2019, 10:10:41 »
  Portrait but like military aircraft data books: Pertinent data, minimal to no fluff, no art save diagrams from 2-3 angles, one page. Some people like fluff, I don't need superfluous ink.

Given how much setting data has been imparted through TRO's as an in-universe product, I can't see this and really hope they don't become this boring.

In answer to the question, heart says landscape, head says portrait, if it'll get more out sooner!

NeonKnight

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #21 on: 20 June 2019, 10:31:58 »
Put me as a Potrait all the way.

Even if I get as a PDF document, I can't really print out them out in the current format without either huge blank Header/Footers per page, or print them landscape and flip my binder/doutang every page  :-\
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sadlerbw

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #22 on: 20 June 2019, 10:37:25 »
Portrait...although I don't have a strong preference. 90% of the time I look at TRO's these days, they are PDF's, so I just turn my iPad on its side if I need to.

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #23 on: 20 June 2019, 10:38:49 »
Put me as a Potrait all the way.

Even if I get as a PDF document, I can't really print out them out in the current format without either huge blank Header/Footers per page, or print them landscape and flip my binder/doutang every page  :-\

Just buy landscape binders... and gripe to the binder companies that don't make them :)
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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #24 on: 20 June 2019, 10:43:55 »
I'd have said "portrait" without hesitation, except that all of the previous TROs are in Landscape, which would result in an unsightly half-and-half situation on my bookshelf.  Basically, since they've all or mostly been Landscape, I'd marginally prefer sticking with that, but wouldn't complain about a change to Portrait format if it's easier/cheaper.  No vote placed, because I'm fine with it either way.

dgorsman

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #25 on: 20 June 2019, 10:55:41 »
I can't think of a way to say this without it sounding really sarcastic (it's not supposed to be) but the amount of space on a page doesn't change between portrait and landscape.

Technically true, but not correct.  Portrait gives more vertical space, allowing for larger Mech images.  Landscape gives more horizontal space, allowing more contextual "scene" artwork.
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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #26 on: 20 June 2019, 11:04:54 »
I'm set in my ways enough that I would prefer landscape, but if portrait made it easier to get product out, I'm down.
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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #27 on: 20 June 2019, 11:13:23 »
Technically true, but not correct.  Portrait gives more vertical space, allowing for larger Mech images.  Landscape gives more horizontal space, allowing more contextual "scene" artwork.

If I understand what you're getting at -- portrait layout allows for larger portrait-orientation images, and landscape layout allows for larger landscape-orientation images.

To the OP question -- I'm not attached to either one.  There's a certain "feel" to the landscape paging-through experience that I like, but it's not an overwhelming difference.  If portrait layout opens up the possibility of more books/availability (eg through POD), that's compelling.
« Last Edit: 20 June 2019, 17:28:25 by slh »

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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #28 on: 20 June 2019, 11:26:59 »
I haven't owned a physical copy of a TRO in a long time so I can't really have a option other than to reflect on those of my fellow fans. The Landscape format does make the books stand out on the store book shelves but as BT becomes more and more dependent on digital transactions, it may no longer be a selling point
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Re: How do you want TRO's formatted?
« Reply #29 on: 20 June 2019, 11:32:59 »
Perhaps there's something to consider: reprinting the existing/OOP TROs in portrait format. If the page sizes are approximately the same, then the word count for the fluff should still fit, while the image could be manipulated (read: magnified) for the new orientation. Alternately: There is no absolute need for any existing images to change at all. They could remain 'sideways' in a portrait format book and thus require no manipulation. That might be a more viable option for existing art than for new TRO art going forward.

 

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