On the subject of Tutorials.

So I've seen more than a few people mention the thought of this game needs a tutorial..now while I don't feel that is true (it just needs good info on the website). I do understand people wanting one, with that said I feel there is an easy way to handle this.


First, add a check-box to character creation, default is off if this isn't the first character on the account (otherwise yes default is on..or maybe unable to be changed).

Next, the actual tutorial, it starts on the ship that you are heading to the area on. Seriously..you find yourself washed up on a beach...some guy talking to you like he knows you. And if I remember right it mentions a boat.

So the boat is set upon by sea monsters (maybe nightmares) you, having apparently proved yourself a competent fighter (or just capable of great skill), are called upon to aid the boat in not sinking. This is where the tutorial comes in, gives you basic how to move..how to talk..how to accept quests. You are given a basic weapon, (doesn't even need to be class specific), the starting health flask (told how it works), and fight your way to a 'ships hold' with an npc escort (npc isn't in danger..and can kill all enemies if player is having trouble). At this point he introduces you to gems...you find a gem in some sort of storage and the quest giver tells you how to use it, he also gives you mana flasks and instructs you in their use. Then onto the next stop..a few more fights, to get used to the gem and how it works, then you get to the next part where a support gem is found...the weapon you were given had links on it..so you are told how to use support gems (maybe have a few enemies you couldn't kill but he could..and explain that they need a special sort of damage to kill..which the support provides?). Once that is up..onto a minor boss fight (maybe against one of those stupid cold spray spewing mervial's daughters?). Finish that and..you manage to get yourself and the quest giver to safety...which is to jump off the boat.


At this point is picks up where the beta does..your friend is the initial quest-giver that gets eaten by a zombie. All your equipment you had is now gone..lost in the escape attempt..and you have the wand sitting right there.


Now one thing I didn't note..the xp system. Obviously this prob needs explaining too. So your character starts off at level 0. As you fight through you slowly gain exp..with the boss enemy specifically programmed to give you enough exp to hit level 1 exactly. So before you and your friend jump to safety you get a tutorial on how to use the passive skill tree..putting a single point into a passive...that defines your character class (so if your char is a witch..you literally put a point into the 'witch' passive).


The main idea is that once you end the tutorial..you won't have any advantage over someone who skipped it..beyond knowledge of course.


This, I feel, would nicely fit the narrative of the game.

I really, really, really like your narration. I think it is an awesome plot! IF GGG plans to make a tut, something along those lines would be great, as it gives a nice story arc to where the real game begins.

However,

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Stafir wrote:

So I've seen more than a few people mention the thought of this game needs a tutorial..now while I don't feel that is true (it just needs good info on the website). I do understand people wanting one, with that said I feel there is an easy way to handle this.

I for one do not really think that this game needs a tutorial. I would say that 90%+ of players have a good idea how a game like PoE works and have no problems finding out the rest.

Creating a tutorial - and especially the artwork connected with it (level design, cut scenes) probably costs a lot of time and thus money. Not sure if that is really worth it, if most players dont really need it.

However, in many games that had a tutorial I just played the tutorial to see what it was like - and a nice story arc like you suggested might make the rest of the game more attractive. So I guess it depends on the cost of development.

All of a sudden I was reminded of that Monty Python movie where after 2 minutes into the film they apologized for running out of money to produce a decent movie. I will now probably spend considerable time on Youtube to find that clip. Damn you! :D

Lets hope they don't get "RALPH" The Wonder Llama in on the GGG dev team :P.

On a serious not I really really like the idea of a tutorial for a game like this. My partner is the kind of person who only plays a few select games and so doesn't have the "gamers knack" of picking up games really quickly. I'm sure she's not the only person in the world like this and even if something like this is done post release, it might help to draw in some fresh mea... I mean players! /cough

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Starcraft42 wrote:

I really, really, really like your narration. I think it is an awesome plot! IF GGG plans to make a tut, something along those lines would be great, as it gives a nice story arc to where the real game begins.

However,

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Stafir wrote:

So I've seen more than a few people mention the thought of this game needs a tutorial..now while I don't feel that is true (it just needs good info on the website). I do understand people wanting one, with that said I feel there is an easy way to handle this.

I for one do not really think that this game needs a tutorial. I would say that 90%+ of players have a good idea how a game like PoE works and have no problems finding out the rest.

Creating a tutorial - and especially the artwork connected with it (level design, cut scenes) probably costs a lot of time and thus money. Not sure if that is really worth it, if most players dont really need it.

Yeah as I said in the quoted bit, I feel that a tutorial isn't really needed. Just some space on the website that counts as the games manual (oh how I miss the old paper manuals...that actually had backstory..how to play...erm..anyway), honestly most of the systems present in game are very simple to understand, with very few things actually needing to be explained. But people have clamored for it, and GGG has expressed they wish to make one.

I just figure this is as good a way to make it as anything else. And as you said..it fits with the flow of the story.

Heck if you want re-useable artwork...take much of it from the ship graveyard, or have the story take place before the boat (so you can use different land based artwork), and the final escape is to the boat. Though I feel that's harder to be generic enough like the scenario i gave :).

I like the OPs tutorial a lot. If the game is going to have a tutorial then it needs to be really obvious. Not subtle. Some people don't actually read the dialog in the game. so if it isn't made obvious and needed to go further in the game people will never notice it is there.

I have seen many games with bad tutorials , or just a help system at the beginning of the game. People would still be confused , really confused in some cases.

I think a person should be forced to go through the tutorial one time per account. It may annoy some, but it will help those that don't think they need a tutorial because they already know it all.

The Twilight Strand (and pretty much all of Act 1 Normal) is intended as a tutorial. By the end of Act 1 new players as well as veterans from other arpgs should have a reasonable grasp of PoE's mechanics.

Crafting a tutorial like you suggest would require a substantial amount of time effort that could otherwise be put toward other acts and content. If GGG made tutorials they would probably take the form of short instructional videos that can be accessed from the main start screen. In any case don't expect these anytime soon.

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tpapp157 wrote:

The Twilight Strand (and pretty much all of Act 1 Normal) is intended as a tutorial. By the end of Act 1 new players as well as veterans from other arpgs should have a reasonable grasp of PoE's mechanics.

Crafting a tutorial like you suggest would require a substantial amount of time effort that could otherwise be put toward other acts and content. If GGG made tutorials they would probably take the form of short instructional videos that can be accessed from the main start screen. In any case don't expect these anytime soon.

That makes a lot of sense. I dont play many games, and only really joined the general gaming community in the last year or so, plus have never played Diablo, yet found i got the gist of POE fairly quicly through the first act. There of course will still be some things I don't know, and nifty little tricks 'veteran' gamers will figure out, but from the interaction i have had with the forum community, I know it will be very easy for any players who are stuggling to find friendly help either in game or on the forums.

On a personal note, i find tutorials really frustrating, as i like to do my own thing in a game, not have AI tell me what and how to do things =)