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General: Editor's Week in Review - Tutorials
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
While the average MMO has a tutorial that will teach MMO savvy people how to play, many of the currently released games don't take new players into account, new players who have never played an MMO before and who might find our worlds confusing.
Well, it's Saturday, which means that I'm supposed to sit down and spout off about some of the things that have happened this week. The problem is, this week, with the Thanksgiving Holiday in the United States, has been a little bit slow. Fortunately for me, I've been able to put some of that time to good use and I installed my copy of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa.
There's a full review coming soon from Laura Genender, so I'm not even going to pretend that this is anything close to a review, as I've only played the game for a few hours. Still though, there are a couple of points that I'd like to make:
This first point isn't really Tabula Rasa specific and I often feel this way whenever I start a new MMO. WTF is up with tutorials these days? I mean, granted, they're perfectly adequate introductions to the games. In fact, in Tabula Rasa, I thought that the opening quests did a fantastic job of teaching you how to do all of the things in TR that are different from most MMOs. Heck, I was even entertained as I learned more about the post-apocalyptic universe that Sarah Morrison introduced us to in the opening cinematic (golden, by the way). The beef that I have with opening tutorials is that there's an assumed knowledge there of previous MMOs.
Read it all here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
I think that it's because companies want to focus on the actual game, not the tutorial. They don't want to take the effort to create a tutorial friendly to people new to the genre.
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Have played: RuneScape, EQ2 (free trial), Last Chaos, Silk Road, Dungeon Runners.
Currently playing: RuneScape, Dungeon Runners.
The notion that graphics, or anything else for that matter, are anywhere near as important as gameplay/fun is so utterly ridiculous that anyone who shares such a view should be placed in an asylum.
True or not, I still find an MMO game without tutorial can`t get trough the beta phase on my database.
To me it`s just as valuable as to have a game that`s bugfree. Because it definately bugs the "n00bs" if the limit of their skills is moving the character around, just because a tutorial is "all too much stuff to add" while the n00b had to spend all his/her allowance on that game.
But luckily most games do have a tutorial.
I`ve actually seen one or two games where there was actually a tutorial choice! "played this game before", "played MMO`s before", and ofcourse, "what`s MMO?" before you start the game.
Well, wether or not I hate the title, those companies/games still get a thumb up for giving good customer support. They actually keep in mind that there are new kids born every day, and they probably never played an MMO game before in their entire life. It`s not like MMO knowledge is transferred in the DNA. -.-
Some even make a nice twist to it that it `ll fit the scene as much as possible. (not too much tech-talk from a wizard of the dark ages, `n stuff like that) and still manage to get all the information well displayed.
And ofcourse the big question mark helps out new players too. Something 'strange' I found in Granado Espada, for instance, they even had a help help tutorial (go figure...). LOL well, anyway, it`s for the questions unanswered, they just show a small explaination on how to look things up in Help, even if that`s "obvious to me". which is nice... t
I guess it`s mostly the newer games and the arrogant companies that simply think it`s not neccessary.
Most companies also tend to think people are either born with excessive gameplay skills or not interested in playing games...
heck, as an engineer I used to think writing something in Word or Excell is not a big deal, untill I had to explain some computer n00b. -.- it`s very tiring. But even I learnt something; for instance throwing weird complex multicell formulae in an Excell spreadsheed is not an everyday obvious thing people do... they need to learn how to do that. I might have learnt stuff like that from experimenting and toying with the thing, but most people are actually scared a big red button on the computer case is "self destruct" instead of an "on/off" button. Nowadays most kids might be raised with a computer, but that still doesn`t mean they can do stuff without a good explaination or a (frustrating) trial and error.
So those companies that think it`s a waste of time to help out new gamers, they better be 100% completely free to play, or they deserve a fine portion of flaming. and if they are free, they still deserve a spark of flaming.
Actually, the complete newbie tutorial is missing from games on purpose. Remember all those people who told you to RTFM in college? Yeah, they're the ones making the games now, and they're making sure if you don't RTFM you'll be clueless.
Agent_X7 AKA J Star
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Notice: The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com or its management.
This article reminds me of a quote from Josh Drescher at Mythic:
"There’s a Scrabble game in 1/3 of all American homes and yet new copies of it still ship with instructions.
Anyone who simply assumes that players will just “get” the rules and mechanics of a game simply because a large number of people have already played similar games is setting themselves up for failure."
http://www.mmo-gamer.com/?p=295
Josh Drscher was talking about starting quests when he said this, but it applies to the OP's article. Certainly a pamphlet of instructions is cheaper than a decent online tutorial but this just shows that otther gaming genres have learned this little lesson. It's about time MMORPGs start to evolve and learn things they should have done years ago.
Remember the old Tutorial in Eve-Online? It took up to 7 hours..
Now the Tutorial is at about 2-3 hours last i checked. Oh, and people love to shout "rtfm" for a living.
Yes. Yes, I do remember the old EVE-Online tutorial. I remember having to go grab something to drink halfway through.
However, it DID teach you the basics of playing the game, even if you knew next to nothing about it.
I do believe the MMO industry could benefit from a few ideas. What I'd love to see is a newb tutorial that takes place in a private instance, you and the NPC instructors, and they tell you how to use the chat interface, and then give you tasks to do, and allow the player to type questions when they don't get something. Once they figure that stuff out (or skip it), they go into a newb zone, much like EQ2's trial island. There, they get more complex things to do (starting quests) and get to interact with others doing them as well. After that, they shuttle off to the main part of the game knowing how to play, even if not how to play well.
It has to be interactive. I dragged several friends into EVE, and those who sat through the whole tutorial kept playing... those who skipped it and figured they'd learn by doing,... well... they didn't do so well. The problem was, it was so long and detailed, and so much passive reading to try and absorb it all, most people did start skipping ahead.
A tutorial for people new to MMOs would be even more significant for a game like TR, since it is attempting to appeal to FPS and MMO players. If I were strictly a FPS player I would be completely confused and turned off by a game like TR just because I'd have no idea what to do.
Lol reading that reminded me of my first experience with a mmorpg.
I wasnt planning on buying eq but some friends were able to convince me raving about how awesome it was. After installing it all i wanted to do was get in game like i was used to with offline games.The additional steps of setting up an account and patching really annoyed me and tested my short supply of patience. In addition there was a problem with the credit card which forced me to call $oe technical support(always fun). I ended up having to select Zimbabwe or Afghanistan or such as my credit card country for some reason.
At this point its been about four hours since i started the install process and im pissed. I finally get patched and to the char creation part. I create a dark elf wizard because my friend made a dark elf chanter. I log into neriak and roam around for another hour or so trying to find my way out to just kill something. By now im literally screaming at my monitor about to inflict bodily harm on inanimate objects. Finally i figured out some form of communication(ooc i think) and someone takes pity on me and leads me outside.
I remember the original manual being pretty lacking but i dont remember if it detailed how to create hotkeys and such i just remember spending about 20 mins trying to figure out how to attack before logging off swearing never to play the game again. It took my friends about a week to convince me to log in again but it wasnt the end of my love/hate relationship with my first mmorgp.
The tutorials of mmo's that I have played have been adequate.
For most f2p mmo's out there I dont even pay much attention to much of the tutorials. They mostly play the same and is not hard tyo figure out by yourself
...Looking through the forums always helps too.
I think most tutorials are just fine. Gaming has become 'standardized' enough (WASD, left click to thwack somebody, etc) that most casual gamers should be able to jump right in and at least get a general feel for the game. But for new gamers, as in people who are new to games in general? RTFM. Tutorials aren't designed to teach you everything; if I want to know what key shows me the spell my target's target is casting, I'll look it up. And if I come across a tutorial that is that thorough, I better have the opprtunity to skip it if I want to. Nothing turns me off of a game faster than being forced to spend 20 minutes learning how to walk.
Evil will always win, because Good is dumb.
You didn't just miss the point, you past it, kept on driving and 2 days later ran out of gas in the middle of desert wondering why isn't the point there, rather than where it is.
LoL!
On topic, I think chat is a really good example. For some insane reason there is no standard chat interface as of yet. From the little things like "is my group called a 'group,' a 'team,' or a 'fellowship' " (which is at least understandable, it should vary from one setting to another) to annoying mechanical things like:
What do I do to start typing in chat? Do I have to hit "/"? Do I hit space? Is "Say" set to default or will I stay in a given channel once I've typed there once. How do I enter and leave channels? How do I decide which channels I want to see? How do I send replies? Once I'm typing in the chat how do I get back to the game so I can walk around again?
Half the time I start a new MMO I end up fighting with the damn chat interface, and I've been playing these games for years. At least I know what differences between "say" , "tell" , "party" , and "zone" communication to expect. It must be horrible for a new MMOer (and as I recall it was when I first started playing Everquest).
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
Yeah, I agree. A real "noob" friendly tutorial would be nice, but also even a normal more detailed tutorial is something I'd like to see myself in newer games; with one extra, it should be skipable. Some games tend to force your through a tutorial even if you played the game once. A best tutorial - I think - should be divided in parts, so that you can easily choose what you'd like to learn or review later on.
Even after a dozen+ mmogs Chat and Grouping commands are still 'trial / error / ask stoopit questions' for me. I don't know how brand new players ever figure out all the arcane knowledge.
I have two things to say.
1. I read the manuals. They are a good source of information when deciding on what race and class to play. They also provide a good back story usually that gets you immersed in the game. Helps you feel the conflict happening in the game. People who don't read the manuals and ask questions that are in the manuals deserve to be rediculed and picked on for asking a question that they can answer themselves. People should learn to help themselves first before learning how to ask others for help. How does the saying go? "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach him how to fish and he can eat for a life-time." Something like that.
2. I agree that there should be a NPC that teaches you about MMORPG's, which you are directed to upon first logging in. However, this should be able to be skipped, because tutorials are really annoying for experienced players.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
Every MMO needs a tutorial. I don't care who or what people say. Without the tutorial I find that playing a game that I never played before can be somewhat transitional in time that could of been spent telling it's player what is what and how things work. Tutorials are an advantage to the players as well. Veteran players who see new players who never did the tutorial tend to ask many questions in OOC or channels when the answers are all there in the tutorials. So tutorials help tremendously, it is up to the players who are new to these games to use them. The benefits of tutorials also shows the players how much the game company cares about its players.
My first MMo experenice was SWG ( back in 2004) an dI had dile-up at the time. After first installing the game I saw that there was a 48 HOUR wait to download all the patches, and to make matters worse I would lose the connection after only a few minutes.
Needless to say within a month I got cable internet and I have not looked back since ( That is till I can get Fiber optic internet hehe)
When I first played EVE in 2005 I went throu the tutorial in 4 hours and was bored out of my mind, but I quickly realized that if you didn't go throu the ENTIRE tutorial you would be compleatly lost. I still beleve that and it is one of the best out there, even thou it WILL bore you to tears.
SWGs Tutorial station after the NGE went live ( and after they fixed the " get on the ship this place is going to blow" bug) I think it is one of the best out there for the general gamer out there, while EVEs is more of a screener and a tutorial in one.
The worst tutorial i've ever played was 4 years ago when i first got EvE.
You started out in space with a trainer drone ship and a small asteroid from there you ahd to figre out how to mine and shoot the drone. The worst bit tho was the bit where it asked you to go to the station and it nether bothered to tell you HOW to find it.
Took me 15 minuites to work it out!!!!!
Got through it in the end. Tho i do hear the tutorial is much better now.
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Retired from: Neocron, Everquest, Everquest 2, Guild Wars, RF Online and Final Fantasy VII
Currently Playing : EvE Online.
I have to be one of those few people that actually browse through the manual while waiting for the patching to finish.
I dont say that everyone should read through the complete manual but what¨s the harm of doing some precheckup before going nuts.
Not to say that it doesnt hurt if the games do have a solid tutorial for those that dont know a from b.i just say that you wont get a heartattack by reading it
-Semper ubi sub ubi!
always wear underwear
I hate to say it, but RTFM. The in game tutorials are designed to be geared toward people with a basic knowledge of gaming. If you know nothing whatsoever about MMOs, you should look in the manual where you can find the really basic things like the genre standard screenshot of the UI with two paragraphs explaining what hit points are, or a synopsis on how to move diagonally.
An in game tutorial doing that sort of thing would alienate more gamers than it would help. There's nothing worse than being patronized by a video game.
My blog:
http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/Strayfe/
If the game UI is so bad you realy need to RTFM to understand how it works, it's the games fault and it deserves to fail.
And no, making it hard to understand is not sign of intelignece, but lack of it.
*laugh* I'd say RTFM while patching. That's one thing I learned early on in gaming - the early PC games of the 80s especially, was to read the manual before you tried playing the game.
Unfortunately, a lot of manuals these days leave something to be desired. I remember praising the manual that came with an MMORPG that I was reviewing once and got a bunch of "WTF ju talking about the MANUAL Dude!!????"
Many times also, these manuals aren't on the Dev's website for downloading either, at a time when most MMOGs have downloadable trials.
Notice: The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com or its management.
I personally do usually read manuals. However this is hardly a universal solution.
For one thing, many manuals are poorly written or out of date by the time the game ships. If the game has been out for a while it can be even worse. For some reason most MMO publishers don't bother to update their manuals to reflect the current state of the game. On top of that, the games with the clunkiest UIs can also often be relied upon to have the worst written / most incomplete manuals (funny how that works).
Finally, all of this is moot if you decide to jump in to a trial. And I personally only rarely buy an MMOs without running through a trial first. I always though the point of a trail was to make you want play a game more, rather than buy it so you can get the manual . . .
So yes, by all means RTFM. But, I think the few of us that do read them also know they aren't always all that much help. Here's a crazy idea, why not ship your game with a well written manual and some decent in game tutorials? So far I can think of about one MMO I've played that did that.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.