Tutorial - Don't treat players like they're stupid

Story & Setting
#1

The majority of modern games have absolutely butchered the idea of a tutorial. They spam you with walls of text detailing everything, give you hints about what keys move your character, and force you to complete a set of trivial tasks in order to get to the main game.

I’d rather see KCD take a bolder approach on teaching the player how the game works - one more akin to older Metroid games and such. Instead of a level, there would just be context-sensitive tooltips that show up every once in a while to show you that you can interact with something (and then cease to appear after you’ve encountered them a few times) as well as a focus on letting the player discover things on their own.

We all know that WASD moves us, space will probably jump, and there’s going to be a context-sensitive interact key. I’m sure combat will need some tricky design to instruct properly without pop-up menus and the such.

For an idea of what I’m talking about, here’s a youtube video.

The Hidden Tutorial…

3 Likes
#2

“Look around to look around”

3 Likes
#3

Skyrim has a decent tutorial, IMO. Gradually adding more content, in a lore-friendly way. First teaching you the basic movement through a short running and jumping section. Then giving you a weapon and armor, to let you fiddle with the inventory. And a bit further open up for the possibilities of stealth and magic usage.

My point is, that the tutorial doesn’t require you to do specific actions, but rather presents situations, where certain actions are possible, and then tells you about it.

Since this game does a couple of things differently, I would imagine some explaining needs to be done, though. Like the combat system, irreversible dialogue and the significance of appearance.

2 Likes
#4

I think it should just say look at the controls in options and go away lol

3 Likes
#5

Theres probably gonna be a few training fights.

#6

I agree.
Some tutorials are painful. I liked the way it was done with The Witcher 2. I think something similar here could work quite well. Just throw up tool tips as you come across things for the first time. Maybe even have an option to turn the tool tips off if you’d just like to dive strait in.

#7

No tutorial at all is good approach in my opinion. You learn by playing anyways.

#8

Unfortunately we have more casual gamers these days than us typical hardcore gamers who enjoy using our brains. For some reason that I will never understand people like for someone to hold their dick as they travel through the world. “HEY there’s a quest here’ follow the bouncing balls” seriously it’s pretty darn annoying how lazy people are. A game is a lot more enjoyable once you learn how to think. After that the rest comes pretty easy.

#9

I don’t care badly for detailed tutorials.

In fact I am quite happy if a tutorial shows up that there#s more than the usual wasd-space-interaction-key stuff to the game…
I personally using a keyboard - and I use it for a reason: You’ll have plenty of keys to provide actions to and with. So want could any developer possibly do? Aye, ease the controls up to such a degree that you’ll end up with wasd-space-e-key. Bump.
Well, no? I have plenty of keys to use! Plenty buttons to possibly press! (In know for consoleros that might be different, that’s why I pointed out that me personally prefers the keyboard. :smiley: )
I don’t want another AC3, which almost ended up deinstalled and almsot never finished, because of those f*cked up game pad controles for PC. I pretty much HATE context sensitive interactions ALL bound to ONE single key. “Hey, there’s a ladder behind you, but your camera is looking at it, while you try to fight off those guards, why you don’t press the action-button, huh?” mh… well pressing action-button in order to block or conter an attack “Hah - totally tricked you! Now you try to climb the ladder, while in-fight? well, be severely hit by your opponents sword! Bam!”

coughs… just as a litle illustration.

Your topic do state right - players aren’t that dumb… or at least they should not be that way. So as well, as they might know the standard keys for controlling their character, they also might be able to coordinate actions with several buttons more than just 1-2.
Of course I don’t mean to have a button for every muscle that is to be moved…

Well, I do hope, the thread’s author didn’t mean what I that he meant while first read…

@Madaras: Aye People were not born stupid and lazy. But it’s not only the game’s/developer’s fault, that most videogame palyers are lazy and /&%/$R… I do quite like games, that put me to use my brains, either with riddles or quest texts, or anything else.

For KCD some tutorial-ish situations might come in handy pretty much, especially for fighting purposes. But it definitely adds to the athmosphere, when they are … “intertwined” with the game itself. So, that you have possibly the option of speaking to that NPC to let him show you some tricks in fighting or leave him be. I guess such will be the tuts in KCD lateron. It would fit, I think.

But, whatever we folks here discuss, I’m quite certain WH has made some choices already towards that topic. The rememberance of Mafia II keeps me hoping… :wink:

#10

I enjoyed tutorial in Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (which was the only thing I played from that game, not rly interested in it)

Funny tutorials are cool but when you want to create immersive, atmospheric game with strong story its not rly appropriate

#11

but people are “stupid”. if we assume everyone is smart, we won’t even need tutorials. because smart people can systematize, notice patterns, memorize controls in option menu, etc, etc.

i think tutorial is one thing that is alright to dumb down. but give option to skip it.

#12

I agree that it’s not really necessary to show WASD moves and jump at the beginning but I also wouldn’t feel that annoyed if there will be a short interactive tutorial of basic controls. 2-4 minutes of tutorial won’t hurt anyone.

Imo the more complex parts of controls like the (already great looking) fighting mechanics should not be introduced at the very beginning but after some minutes of gameplay. A good way would be a “random” fight with a drunk man or something like that so it doesn’t feel too set up.

Tooltips are also also a very good way to introduce advanced mechanics / controls later in the game.

#13

A lame tutorial basically kills replay value for me. Hopefully KCD doesn’t go down that route.

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