Tutorials and Introducing Mechanics

[Psykofreac]

How fast do you introduce mechanics do the player? How fast do you think it should be done? Do you start assuming that the player is completely new to RPGs, full of tutorials to guide them? With only limited abilities and effects for them to get used to before moving onto more?

I think some games like Dragon Age does it too fast and you can't blame players for not catching what all these effects are. Fire Emblem probably does it better, particularly 7 where Lynn's whole scenario was treated like the whole tutorial section. Also, how much of the game being tutorials would you consider too much?

 

[Milennin]

I think the method of introduction is more important than the pacing thereof. Like, I can absorb new information pretty quickly if it's introduced to me in a way that makes sense while I'm playing the game, like if I can immediately apply whatever I'm being taught. And also by using less text, rather than a lot.
What I dislike when playing RPGs that have a lot of mechanics is when they have to introduce everything right after each other, and use so much text to explain everything that I forgot what it was about by the time I get control back over my character. Then again, I've always liked simplicity over complexity, because I just want to play the game, not sit through tutorials trying to learn to play it. The more the game can teach me by just presenting gameplay scenarios with little text, the better.

And yes, Fire Emblem 7's tutorial was great, because it was fun to play. It mixed the tutorial stuff in with the story and it gave you quite a lot of freedom to do whatever you wanted to do.

Spoiler

For my latest game, I decided to completely do away with a tutorial section, because I think it's simple enough to play without needing any if you have at least a little bit of experience with playing RPGs.

 

[Blackyu]

Depends on the type of game, really. Sometimes you have the right to fiddle around with the controls to get used to them, sometimes the game will write you some text to teach you things and sometimes you have to read a couple of insanely long controls-explaining text before even being able to move.
Personally, I give freedom to the player when I know the player won't be bothered. Short example, walking. At the beginning of the game, I don't feel any need to pop up a dialogue box that says "Press the Arrow Keys to move ! Press Shift to run !", the only thing we get is the main character saying "I'd definitely eat some cake at YAHOO =D Hotel ! It's straight to the south !" (Yes, it's called YAHOO =D Hotel) and I let the player walk around until they arrive at said Hotel. I also don't interrupt the game like "Press Enter to talk to people ! Talking to people is cool !", I still trust the player on that matter (Plus, you can't really advance the game until you've learned some of the world's context by talking to particular NPCs in the Hotel).
However, when it's the player's first fight, the system might be difficult to understand for newcomers (especially the TP part). That's when I decide to insert a tutorial, but I try to insert it in a way that it doesn't break game immersion. My game being humorous, I decide to let the first enemy say everything about the battle system, but in a comedic way : "Hah ! I can easily crush a newbie like you ! You don't even know anything about the battle system ! Of course, if you knew everything, you would easily destroy me ! That's why I won't tell you that the orange bar is your HP and I will also hide the fact that when it reaches 0, you pass out !" And the enemy goes on to basically explain the battle system in the same way. Then, immediately, the player can test the battle system since, you know, the battle has started and it should end.

That's just one of many examples of how I've used comedic effects to give some mechanics to the player without breaking game immersion. Overall, my game doesn't have that many mechanics, so I don't have to introduce them often, and when I do, it's only when it's needed.

 

[Harosata]

Hm, for my current project, I did put an optional tutorial segment in the first dungeon. Because of how I play with status effects, I force action skills to show what happens:

1. Guarding can redirect and even alter some attacks.
2. States can stack and also change your attack/guard.
3. Some states will alter your healing power.

Yeah the third tutorial battle seems a bit weaker, but I felt this should be pointed out by default so players aren't caught off guard when they get that kind of status effects. Anyway, RPG Maker battle systems are usually alike, so I made the tutorial for the sake of showing some differences, getting players to think differently for their battles.

Also, the first dungeon is called Forest of Sages and it is littered with signs, so things I want to say but shouldn't be worth a fight would be there as well. Things like equipping weapons for good measures and doing ambushes.

 

[bgillisp]

All of mine I ask the player if they wish to view the tutorial. That way they can skip it if they wish. Also, in case they change their mind later, I put an item in their inventory they can use to view the tutorial again.

 

[Soul Tech]

As @bgillisp just said, I ask the player if he wants to do or see the tutorial, in case the player does not want to see or play it, I simply include an item in the form of a scroll or book so that the player can see the commands if he needs it . Perhaps forcing the player to perform the tutorial is not a good idea (unless the game requires it). The tutorial in my opinion should be an option.

 

[Kes]

I'm with the last 2 posters - ask the player and put something in the inventory for future reference. Particularly useful for things like X status does Y to you, which can be difficult to remember if you have a lot of custom states.

 

[Studio Blue]

What we like to do is integrate the tutorial into the action near the start of the game, or when a new mechanic is introduced. That way the player feels they are learning along with the game's flow instead of being forced to stop playing long enough to learn something. Also, we keep tutorials extremely short and simple, mimicking FF6's methodology. The player doesn't want to read an instruction booklet, they want to play a game.

In our current project, the initial dungeon of the game is where the player learns the basics, as well how strategy works, but then is given the entire initial dungeon to experiment with the mechanics and learn how to play. That way, if a particular mechanic is challenging, they can spend time practicing before moving to more challenging parts of the game.

 

[Pine Towers]

It is better to either have a skip tutorial or make the tutorial a whole other scene of the game.

Like starting the tutorial and it being the main villain stealing the gimmicky artifact of world ending, and having this little imp explaining it how the game works. This way you have exposition of the game and the tutorial.

 

[Dr. Delibird]

If you make the information entertaining and/or engaging in and of itself then the player is less likely to get frustrated by the existence of a tutorial if they are a veteran to RPGs.

You could go the comedic route and have some goofy robot tell you the very basics (eg, Claptrap from the borderlands series) or you could integrate the tutorial into the story somehow (the character has to relearn how to walk because they just awoke from a coma for example).

As long as it is not condescending (except for comedic purposes, ie dry humor) and as long as the player can either skip the tutorial or finish it super quickly without missing out on anything gameplay or story wise then I think you will be fine.

 

[Tai_MT]

I actually think the vast majority of tutorials is fairly unnecessary to begin with. Basic concepts like how combat works, how you move, how you access the menu, running, etcetera are things most players can figure out through simple trial and error. So, unless your mechanics are fairly unique and different from most other games, there's not a whole lot of reason to teach them. Like say, if hitting "Guard" deflects attacks or something instead of simply reducing damage taken from physical hits. A small note or minor tutorial might then be necessary. However, I prefer "show, don't tell" during this process since most people are more hardwired to learn by doing instead of being instructed.

But, one of the things I really don't like about current tutorials is the lack of "grace period" they actually give you. What I mean by that is giving you enough time and resources to experiment with what you've been taught in order to get a proper handle on things. For example: You teach me about your crafting system and have me craft a single item of each type and expect me to figure out all the nuances of your crafting system from that. That's not a good tutorial in my opinion. You could, however, start me with enough materials to tinker around with your system after you've taught me how it works. Don't just give me a bunch of the low-end materials either that won't affect my power at all (I know we like balance as game devs, but nothing kills your crafting systems FASTER than by showing players how worthless it is to craft items). Give me a few of the higher end materials that I can use for maybe a boost to my character or something, so I can see how that works or even the upper limits of what is possible. If I don't need to experiment in the grace period, I get to save the materials you gave me for something better later.

You do need that "grace period" between new concepts though. Enough time passage to let a player play around with what you just taught them, to let it sink in, before you teach them something new. What I personally like is that when I decide I'm ready to do something new (crafting, playing a mini-game, using an aspect of combat I've never used before, etcetera) the game immediately launches the tutorial (or politely asks me if I need it) for how to do it.

As for status effects... I usually just prefer that you have some kind of list somewhere that I can read at my leisure. If I encounter a new state, I prefer to just be able to look it up if I can. At least... if its actual effects aren't easily determined in the course of combat.

 

[Ellie Jane]

I've always found manuals much more useful than in-game tutorials. As my game has an in-game manual you can open up on the screen, I can have a little ? button every now and then that you can click to explain something.

Forced tutorials are definitely a NO and it puts me off playing Final Fantasy VIII again.

 

[NectherLouieSouribio]

This is a pretty broad topic. This borders more on level design than how you want to do your tutorials. If asked for my opinion on this, then the ideal tutorial would be that the player won't recognize that they're in a tutorial.

If you can achieve that kind of tutorial then your game will be played for 10 minutes at least or even more. Don't give them too much info that they get put off or too little that you just leave them there hanging. If you could give them that sense of achievement that they've done it by themselves then you're on the right track.

Personally, I dont like the game telling me im on a tutorial or asking if i want to do a tutorial or forced to do it. It destroys the flow of the game, it removes the player from the experience.

For example, if you give a player a game and a controller with arrow keys and one button on it, what do you think the player would do? They'll press it and see what happens onscreen and say "oh that button does that and that button does this". This creates that sense of achievement. You don't have to smack it on their face that x button is attack.

As for other mechanics such as battle systems, crafting, being able to push or pull or throw things. Design the level where they'll be forced to do just that with just a little help. Player's are experimental in nature so they will be doing things to the environment especially on an RPG.

I can go on about how to design a level to introduce mechanics but that would be another topic. There's alot of examples around on how to design a tutorial without the player noticing but the best one i've seen is the classic world 1-1 of Super Mario Brothers. But if you want an RPG type of game I suggest analysing FF7 or FF10 on how they did their tutorials. Look at lets plays.

Just to remind you these are my own opinions.

 

[Ellie Jane]

I think they work best when they're integrated into the story (and of course optional). So maybe you're walking along and you find your first spell, and your ally says "you should probably equip that". Cue a show choices, "OK I will", "How do I do that?".

It's not like the concept of Skills has just fallen from the sky so it doesn't break the fourth wall too much - you've come across something in the line of the story. It's not too much of a jump to have someone to show you what that new found thing does. And, that little bit of help could add to the story, building one character as being "that one that always helps out".