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Tutorials a problem in MMOs?
whilan
Member UncommonPosts: 3,472
I have always wondered why most tutorials seem boring or too complex in some games and had thought of why that is. Then I saw a video from this person who seems to explain it best.
I'll let that person explain by pointing you to the video itself: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2921-Tutorials-101
I think most MMO designers don't relieze how to set up a proper tutorial which is why we get people who ask, how do i do something. Mostly because it's boring and therefore they skip it in leiu of asking questions instead.
What do you all think based on the video, does he have it right or do you think you have a better solution?
FYI this is strickly for MMOs, as i don't have a problem with tutorials in normal games.
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Comments
The video is filled with some very good advice, most specifically to distribute the tutorial through out the game, rather than front loading it and to make it skippable.
Much of what the video suggests reminds me of how we set up online classes (I teach some online some face to face), we call it "dropping bread crumbs". What we try to do is design the course in such a way that the students are constantly getting nudged in the next direction of what they should be doing. I can see how a similar concept can be applied to games.
I really played and tried many MMORPG's and never really never had any problems with the tutorials, but that's just me.
I alway's wonder why people keep asking question that are explained, regardless in what kind of way, it's explained never the less.
I think the main problem is the lack of attention of certain players, impatience of certain players, or the "I already know it all but ends up having no idea really" type of player. People seem to need a portion of handholding it seems.
So are tutorials a problem?, sure for some people they might.......
WoW didnt really have a big tutorial. But back in Vanilla the lower lvl areas were populated, and dungeons were lush. So Players had to quickly learn their role in the group or risk being shun.
I was very popular on my server as a healer because of my early adaptions to playing a healer (Paladin) in early DM.
back then most people that rolled Paladin like I did, assumed it would be a fighter of somekind based on the website, but that was quickly proven to be false.
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
hehe makes me wonder......in the good old days there where no tutorials, you had to ask other players.
thnx for the laugh tough...hehe
The main problem I've had with tutorials in many MMOs is that you just get bombarded with so many textboxes that disable all controls until you've clicked "Ok" that it complete destroys any kind of game flow on the first few levels.
There's very few MMOs that I'm waiting to play on. The MMOs that I'm hyped up about i'll forgive having bad tutorials because I really want to play the game.
In other MMOs ( 90% of the MMOs I play ) if the tutorial is bad I quit the game. If the developers are incapable of creating a decent tutorial without bombarding me with text then I deem them incapable to create a fully functional smooth MMO as well. I've removed many games an hour after installing them like this. Mostly F2P ones but it does include EQ2, STO and Fallen Earth.
If I want to read about your game I'll go to the forums. When I start it up it means I want to play it, not read even more about it.
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In WoW, the tutorial is levels 1-84.
The game doesn't start until 85.
For me WoW was the opposite the game was 1-84 and after 85 it was just time to leave since I did not want to get back on the treadmill. After lichking I just had enough of the dungeon and raid grind.
I hate tutorials... I often quit games that have them.
Remember Old School Ultima Online
Vanilla WoW had a tutorial?
I really have no recollection of any tutorial in WoW. I just remember creating a character, enter world, cinematic, dumped in starting area, go.
The starting area is the tutorial. You get your first quest, are told how to use your skill bar, kill your first wolves and are given your first new skill and first new gear. At Lvl4 you leave the starting area and the hints disappear for the most part. SOme of the bread crumb quests then teach you about using the flightmaster and you get special quests to teach you important class specific mechanics like pets for hunters.
Ah...I thought the OP was referring to canned tutorials. You know...where the tutorial is a long-ass boring canned quest series you can't escape, rather than a learn-as-you-go experience.
People are stupid and have the attention span of a dying fruit fly. That's the real problem here.
Though the mixing the tutorial with game play is a really nice approach I like, as long as down the line you can skip it, kind of how Age of Conan did it.