In-game manuals, tutorials?

[CWells]

So for anyone who has nearly finished or have any finished games:

Did you think it necessary to insert little tutorials in your game at some point? Did you create an item in game that functions as a how to play manual?

 

[Shaz]

If you are making a commercial game, you should definitely consider a tutorial. This might depend on where you plan to market it. Portals who already have a good RPG-loving customer base will probably not need one (unless you have any unusual mechanics that are different from the norm). But portals whose customer base is more casual players (think BFG, GameHouse) will more than likely request one.


If you're not making a commercial game and you're not planning on distributing outside of places RPG fans hang out, there's probably less of a need.

 

[Jef299]

Simone just suggested a guide to my game so I will be putting one in to avoid confusion.

 

[Espon]

They're useful for showing the player how to do things, especially when you're not using the old run-of-the-mill RPG mechanics.

Just don't throw 20 tutorials at the player within the first hour of gameplay, it's a quick way to make them lose interest in your game.  Better to spread them out and only use them when it's necessary.

 

[Sel Feena]

I think it's usually a bad idea to assume players will know anything. Make them skippable and it's not an issue; just  make sure the player can go back to them if/when they feel like it. 

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I prefer having this guides in in-game items that stay in your inventory, or accessible via the menu... It's nice to have specially when the game has so many different mechanics...

 

[Lorenze]

They're useful for showing the player how to do things, especially when you're not using the old run-of-the-mill RPG mechanics.

Just don't throw 20 tutorials at the player within the first hour of gameplay, it's a quick way to make them lose interest in your game.  Better to spread them out and only use them when it's necessary.

Pretty much this. Also, the less text you have to use, the better. You learn by doing, after all.

I'd recommend watching the Extra Credits episode on tutorials. It's a good watch.

 

[Kes]

I have tutorial books scattered in strategic places.  Because they are books the player can return to them to check anything they want.  This overcomes the problem I've seen with some games where you miss an important piece of information in the animated tutorial and because you can't repeat it, you've lost it forever.  I never assume the player knows anything, but the books give the option not to read for those who do know what they're doing.

EDIT

The books are animated, so float up and down to draw the player's attention.  Otherwise new players (the very people who need to read it) might not realise that this is something to check out.

 

[cabfe]

My game include some infiltration puzzles, so I made a simple repeatable hide-and-seek game to learn the mechanics while the hero is still a kid (in the intro).