Tutorials

This week, let's talk about tutorials in video games. Tutorials are very tricky to pull off and there isn't a formula that you can apply to all games, even if they are in the same genre. The way a tutorial is presented often depends on the type of game it's in. Theoretically, the simpler the game, the less need you have for a tutorial. Below, I'll list four of the main types of tutorials used in nearly all form of games. I could be horribly wrong though so if I missed some types, feel free to correct me.

Billboards
This type of tutorial involves the game displaying information on screen independently from the player. The 'billboards' can be contextualized (such as an actual billboard in the world) or simply be as a piece of UI. Nevertheless, they just display information about controls or a mechanic for the player to try. Almost every game that uses this method will accompany the tutorial with a corresponding obstacle. There is also a slight variant of this where instead of automatically showing the information on screen, the player must interact with an object to display/hide the information.

I don't mind this type of tutorial because they don't stop players from playing the game and if they were to replay it one day, they can simply ignore them completely. If you are using this type of tutorial, I suggest not putting this in a special tutorial level (especially if the game has a high re-playability value) and instead put them in the first level of your game. One of the main reasons for this is to prevent the game from forcing the player to replay a useless level.

Dragonica (PC)

Mentor
This type of tutorial involves the game explaining the controls and mechanics to the hero whom the player is controlling. The mentor can be anything, though it's nearly always a character in the game. In rare cases, the game instead is explaining everything to another character while the hero is nearby. This is rare because when the game is teaching the controls and mechanics, they must break the fourth wall by mentioning the buttons on the controller. If this is said to a character that the player is not controlling, it can make the player feel like they're being ignored. Plus, the game's focus is primarily on the player's hero so you have to give your attention to them.

Anyway, this tutorial is often used because it's easy to contextualize it within the game's world. For example, in a first person shooter game, the player could be controlling a new recruit who is undergoing training on how to operate firearms and other weapons. When using this type of tutorial, try to not make it too long or contain too many text. If you have a lot to teach, spread them out in the beginning of the game so the player has a chance to breathe between each lesson. It's better to take a lot of small bites than to take one big bite in one go.

Tales of the Abyss (3DS)

LAYP - Learn As You Play
This is my favourite type of tutorial where players simply learn as they play the game. It allows players to experiement and discover things by themselves. Plus, it's a great feeling for players when they're faced with an obstacle and are able to overcome it by themselves without any help. It makes them feel smart and that is a wonderful feeling for gamers. Now you may argue that "learn as you play" isn't really a tutorial. However, I disagree. The tutorial lies in the design of the first level the player starts with. For example, a cliche one would be teaching the player to jump by putting a short blockade in front of them to jump over.

But, as I briefly mentioned, this method of teaching the player lies in the design of the first level. Therefore, if you are using this method, make sure you put effort into your first level.
  

Directed
This is a type of tutorial where it involves the game basically holding your hand and showing you (often using a pointing arrow to do so) to do one action at a time until the tutorial is over. The player has no freedom until they have completed the directed tutorial. Though this ensures that the player understands the game's basic mechanics, it can get quite annoying if the tutorial is too long. Plus, if you need to put a directed tutorial into your game, then perhaps you should re-evaluate your game's design.

Directed tutorials can be found on many freemium games on touch devices and Facebook.

Magic Land (Facebook)

Alright, I'll end this week's post here. I'll put a link below to a video which analyses the level design in Mega Man games as well as the introductory level of Mega Man X with the latter doing a great job teaching the player as they play the first level. Enjoy and see you all next week!

[Links]

Sequelitis