Design the in-game tutorial for the mmorpg

One of the most important aspects to get new players into a game is the tutorial. I'm sure we've all played games with bad tutorials that either didn't give us enough information to work with, or assumed we were neanderthals that had never seen a keyboard before. A good tutorial can be the difference between someone sticking with a game and quitting in the first 10 minutes.

With that in mind, what would you include in an in-game tutorial for Ashes of Creation? And how would you go about delivering that tutorial? Bare in mind that your tutorial segment should be suitable for both players new to mmorpgs and seasoned veterans.

I look forward to seeing what people come up with, it's always fascinating.

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Comments

Damokles

Okay this may sound dumb, but i would like to have two tutorials.
One, where you learn the basics even before creating a character, which you can skip. You would just have a basic nondescript grey humanoid to controll and theys would teach you things like looting monsters, basic controlls, rebinding hotkeys, configuring your interface etc. It would be an optional button to press during character selection.
The second one would be in the character creation (also optional), where you can play your class at lvl 30 to see how it plays with all the base abilities etc.
I know tons of people who roled a certain class and then decided to make a new character, because the class wasnt what they wanted in the end. This would provide people to experience the class for themselves before taking their first steps in the "real" world so to speak.

Amist

I think having a tutorial for basic controls and mechanics within the game makes sense. it is however important to take into consideration the fact that Intrepid (I think) wants there to be a tutoring system that you as a player can sign up to and be rewarded when helping others.

There are elements where I feel like the player should take it upon themselves to try and learn intricate elements of the game as to reward those that take the time to learn to use the systems to their utmost efficiency, but having a basic tutorial is key Imo.

Ravudha

For the basics (movement, attacking, inventory, using mounts), I'd go with the way previous MMOs do them: with popup dialogs and arrows pointing to their corresponding UI elements.

For more complex systems like enchanting and farming, maybe the good ol expert trainer NPCs who explain the systems and wait for the player to make something basic before explaining the next thing. The explanations would be using diagrams and show exactly what order to press what button in. I'm thinking enchanting, smithing, alchemy, etc. will have both familiar and different elements to other MMOs, so the initial hand-holding would be a big help.

T Elf

I think having more than one tutorial would help. Have a Basic (that is skip-able) for those new to MMOs similiar to what @Damokles suggested; and then a tutorial for those that are more focused on what is unique to Ashes; and also as @Ravudha suggested in game tutorials for very specific skills.

Noaani

What I'd like to see is a basic tutorial that is set before we go through the portal to Verra that explains the very basics of movement, combat, crafting and equipment, quest systems and augments.

What I hate seeing is a world that is supposed to be harsh and unforgiving, only to have every third person help you out with basic things that your character should know - even if you don't.

If the tutorial can take place before we are in that harsh and unforgiving world, it means that world retains that sensh of being harsh and unforgiving, but in a way where the game can still provide players with a tutorial.

Having a tutorial happen before character creation also accomplishs this, I just personally prefer it to happen after.

I'm also a fan of any tutorial being able to be skipped if it has already been completed once on the account.

ataulfos

would be amazing for the advanced tutorials to be full inmersive like go to this zone full of artisan and experts in this material and ask a player about x thing in that area of knowledge so when they ask the mentor player would get an invite to the quest and can accept that way bouth would get rewards in terms of profienci in the area for example and the newbie would get the knowledge about how the mechanics works from an actual player and giving a chance for feedback that way the mentor player would know if he explained well the information about the game, would be nice if apply this kind of mechanics to all areas of the game.

or maybe have some kind of turn on buttom for windows that pop up with info about new things u discover with links to some class of book explaining every tecnical aspect of in game mechanics, so if u like to read that is the way to go for u

Plateau

For Veterans: There's no need for two different tutorials as long as it's made correctly. Veterans only despise basic tutorials if they are annoying af. If it's got pop-up dialogs that take control from the character and force you to click through them, then yeah, it's a pain in the ass and no veteran would want to go through that.

I think it's better just to have a tutorial that doesn't railroad you. Rather it just prompts you with basic tasks (go pick this up, talk to this guy, punch this target dummy) that you can go through really quick if you already know how. And if you need more specific instructions or don't know the controls, they should just pop-up on the side when they're relevant. Plus a guide NPC can follow you and spout all kinds of directions and tips and flavor text, but if you're a veteran you don't have to pay attention to it.

And make the whole thing skip-able, of course. If people want to learn by bumbling around, they're welcome to. In any case, there should also be a search-able player's manual (with text/picture descriptions) available outside the tutorial, so people can find basic explanations about specific things at their leisure.

For Newbies: The most important stuff really just boils down to proper labeling: What is this thing? How do I interact with it? Put the interaction button next to the item it interacts with. What are my goals? Put those goals/objectives in a consistent location. Make sure the first thing you teach newbies is where to look for more instructions/hints. Of all the things and people in the tutorial, which are important right now, and which are just there for immersion? What UI elements are important right now, and what can I ignore (should be greyed-out/inoperable)? Put the crucial information in relevant places. MAKE GOOD TOOLTIPS.

Play testing is very important in tutorials too. Intrepid needs to sit down with 20 people of various skill levels, and one-on-one walk them through the tutorial. Have the mentors provide help when needed. Then have the mentors (and players) take notes of all the common mistakes and what hints were most helpful to players, and add those to the final tutorial.

For All Players: At least attempt to make the tutorial quests/NPCs interesting. Maybe give a choice at the start for who you want to be your guide. A sassy crafter? A gruff warrior? An excitable scholar? Don't just stick everyone with the same naggy, generic Tutorial Person who's only purpose in life is to give 4th-wall-breaking instructions. Give the tutorial some color, some character, some banter; anything to give meaning to (or distract from) the mundane tutorial tasks.

To be clear, I fully expect the tutorial to be boring. I think everyone should accept that. I've seen tutorials that the devs tried too hard to make interesting, with an over-wrought, semi-canon, epic story behind it and too much action. But that tends to just make them confusing and tacky. I'd rather have something boring, functional, and immersive, with stream-lined objectives that you can get over with quickly, and decent dialogue to make all the reading more tolerable.

mcstackerson

I think i would try to spread it out and give it to people as they approach new content so they aren't overwhelmed in the beginning.

~1-6: You start the game and it needs to introduce you to questing, your base class/levels, and gear basics.

~8: A little further down the line i'd probably make them choose a profession and give them simple quest to drive them through it.

~9-10: Right after professions, i'd probably explain mounts and caravans as well as the corruption system.

~10: When they hit a node, I'd explain node basics, probably make them become a citizen of that node or lead them to the closest available node. As the node levels up, new quests to explain new mechanics will start to show.

~15+: At some point, i'd start to introduce them to different gear types and stats. Throughout the level process, I'd give them more options to try different equipment. I'd try to make this a little more interesting then it usually is, maybe have certain quests force them to use a special weapon of one type to complete a quest. Like you need to take this silver sword and use it to kill a werewolf. Just try to do something a little more then here are some weapons you can choose.

~20: explain some group pve content

~20-30: When they unlock their secondary, i'd explain augments and where you can get them. Possibly introduce them to religion around this time or wait a little longer.

~35: If i didn't explain religion yet, i'd do so it a little later.

I'd also try to have a well-structured appendix so people can look up the systems at any time. Try to make it so that if someone wants to do something, it's easy for them to figure out how to do it or the options they have.

I'd probably communicate the death penalty through an optional text overlay that is on by default. It would trigger when they get low on health and warn them of the death penalty. When they die, i'd probably clearly display what they lost on the screen. I would also do this with durability, As gear gets low, give them a warning text.

T Elf

I think if they have the newbie tutorial (that's skip-able) happen in Sanctus before we venture into Verra would be a good place to teach the basics.

Wandering Mist

I'm loving all the replies and thoughts going on here guys, and I'm seeing quite a few people suggesting separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. The main problem with this is that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between those 2 groups and players, and since the players won't know what is contained in each tutorial they won't know if there is something in the tutorial that they would benefit from.

Also, it's 2020, I'm sure we can do better than separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. I'm very much in favour of adaptive tutorials, as in tutorials that only activate if you clearly don't know what to do. For example, let's say you have just picked up a new weapon that went into your inventory. If you didn't access your inventory and look at the weapon within a certain amount of time, a pop-up would appear telling you how to open your inventory and equip items. This way, players would only get the information they needed which would be a lot less frustrating than forcing tutorials on everyone.

I would also advocate for a data bank of all the available tutorials that can accessed at any time from the in-game menu, and if a player hasn't logged in for a number of days or weeks, the next time they log in a pop up would appear asking the player if they want to review any of the tutorials.

Amist

Wandering Mist wrote: »

I'm loving all the replies and thoughts going on here guys, and I'm seeing quite a few people suggesting separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. The main problem with this is that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between those 2 groups and players, and since the players won't know what is contained in each tutorial they won't know if there is something in the tutorial that they would benefit from.

Also, it's 2020, I'm sure we can do better than separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. I'm very much in favour of adaptive tutorials, as in tutorials that only activate if you clearly don't know what to do. For example, let's say you have just picked up a new weapon that went into your inventory. If you didn't access your inventory and look at the weapon within a certain amount of time, a pop-up would appear telling you how to open your inventory and equip items. This way, players would only get the information they needed which would be a lot less frustrating than forcing tutorials on everyone.

I would also advocate for a data bank of all the available tutorials that can accessed at any time from the in-game menu, and if a player hasn't logged in for a number of days or weeks, the next time they log in a pop up would appear asking the player if they want to review any of the tutorials.

Whilst I feel like that is a decent idea to an extent, I do think that players should feel an incentive to learn things themselves. Too many tutorials can be too "hand-holding" Imo and whilst I think players should be helped at the start, having a tutorial begin whenever you pick something new up also takes away from players needing to interact with one another for help.

Wandering Mist

BraneGames wrote: »

Wandering Mist wrote: »

I'm loving all the replies and thoughts going on here guys, and I'm seeing quite a few people suggesting separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. The main problem with this is that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between those 2 groups and players, and since the players won't know what is contained in each tutorial they won't know if there is something in the tutorial that they would benefit from.

Also, it's 2020, I'm sure we can do better than separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. I'm very much in favour of adaptive tutorials, as in tutorials that only activate if you clearly don't know what to do. For example, let's say you have just picked up a new weapon that went into your inventory. If you didn't access your inventory and look at the weapon within a certain amount of time, a pop-up would appear telling you how to open your inventory and equip items. This way, players would only get the information they needed which would be a lot less frustrating than forcing tutorials on everyone.

I would also advocate for a data bank of all the available tutorials that can accessed at any time from the in-game menu, and if a player hasn't logged in for a number of days or weeks, the next time they log in a pop up would appear asking the player if they want to review any of the tutorials.

Whilst I feel like that is a decent idea to an extent, I do think that players should feel an incentive to learn things themselves. Too many tutorials can be too "hand-holding" Imo and whilst I think players should be helped at the start, having a tutorial begin whenever you pick something new up also takes away from players needing to interact with one another for help.

Ok, here's my stance on "hand-holding". There is a big difference between hand-holding and telling a player that a function exists. Hand-holding is where you tell a player exactly how and when to use a certain function. For example, telling a player that they can press the Shift key to do a dodge-roll isn't hand-holding, because you aren't telling the player how and when to use that feature. All you are doing is informing the player that the feature exists and then letting them figure out for themselves how and when to use it.

T Elf

Wandering Mist wrote: »

I would also advocate for a data bank of all the available tutorials that can accessed at any time from the in-game menu, and if a player hasn't logged in for a number of days or weeks, the next time they log in a pop up would appear asking the player if they want to review any of the tutorials.

I definitely agree that there should be an easily, in-game accessible, menu that people can access for tutorials. I also agree with @Wandering Mist about hand-holding. If you are new to MMOs it's a huge learning curve, where as, for people who played the genre before don't need as much. I remember at the PAXs when Ashes was introduced MANY people had never played an MMO before and the Devs were having to teach them how to play.

Amist

Wandering Mist wrote: »

BraneGames wrote: »

Wandering Mist wrote: »

I'm loving all the replies and thoughts going on here guys, and I'm seeing quite a few people suggesting separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. The main problem with this is that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between those 2 groups and players, and since the players won't know what is contained in each tutorial they won't know if there is something in the tutorial that they would benefit from.

Also, it's 2020, I'm sure we can do better than separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. I'm very much in favour of adaptive tutorials, as in tutorials that only activate if you clearly don't know what to do. For example, let's say you have just picked up a new weapon that went into your inventory. If you didn't access your inventory and look at the weapon within a certain amount of time, a pop-up would appear telling you how to open your inventory and equip items. This way, players would only get the information they needed which would be a lot less frustrating than forcing tutorials on everyone.

I would also advocate for a data bank of all the available tutorials that can accessed at any time from the in-game menu, and if a player hasn't logged in for a number of days or weeks, the next time they log in a pop up would appear asking the player if they want to review any of the tutorials.

Whilst I feel like that is a decent idea to an extent, I do think that players should feel an incentive to learn things themselves. Too many tutorials can be too "hand-holding" Imo and whilst I think players should be helped at the start, having a tutorial begin whenever you pick something new up also takes away from players needing to interact with one another for help.

Ok, here's my stance on "hand-holding". There is a big difference between hand-holding and telling a player that a function exists. Hand-holding is where you tell a player exactly how and when to use a certain function. For example, telling a player that they can press the Shift key to do a dodge-roll isn't hand-holding, because you aren't telling the player how and when to use that feature. All you are doing is informing the player that the feature exists and then letting them figure out for themselves how and when to use it.

Ah I get that. I thought you were refering to whenver you pick up an item, you get a guide showing you how to use it, regardless of your level.

unknown

This content has been removed.

Wandering Mist

BraneGames wrote: »

Wandering Mist wrote: »

BraneGames wrote: »

Wandering Mist wrote: »

I'm loving all the replies and thoughts going on here guys, and I'm seeing quite a few people suggesting separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. The main problem with this is that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between those 2 groups and players, and since the players won't know what is contained in each tutorial they won't know if there is something in the tutorial that they would benefit from.

Also, it's 2020, I'm sure we can do better than separate tutorials for newbies and veterans. I'm very much in favour of adaptive tutorials, as in tutorials that only activate if you clearly don't know what to do. For example, let's say you have just picked up a new weapon that went into your inventory. If you didn't access your inventory and look at the weapon within a certain amount of time, a pop-up would appear telling you how to open your inventory and equip items. This way, players would only get the information they needed which would be a lot less frustrating than forcing tutorials on everyone.

I would also advocate for a data bank of all the available tutorials that can accessed at any time from the in-game menu, and if a player hasn't logged in for a number of days or weeks, the next time they log in a pop up would appear asking the player if they want to review any of the tutorials.

Whilst I feel like that is a decent idea to an extent, I do think that players should feel an incentive to learn things themselves. Too many tutorials can be too "hand-holding" Imo and whilst I think players should be helped at the start, having a tutorial begin whenever you pick something new up also takes away from players needing to interact with one another for help.

Ok, here's my stance on "hand-holding". There is a big difference between hand-holding and telling a player that a function exists. Hand-holding is where you tell a player exactly how and when to use a certain function. For example, telling a player that they can press the Shift key to do a dodge-roll isn't hand-holding, because you aren't telling the player how and when to use that feature. All you are doing is informing the player that the feature exists and then letting them figure out for themselves how and when to use it.

Ah I get that. I thought you were refering to whenver you pick up an item, you get a guide showing you how to use it, regardless of your level.

Ah I see. No, I agree that would be very hand-holding. The example I gave before about the inventory would only appear the first time you picked up a new piece of equipment, and all the tutorial would do is tell you how to open the inventory and equip an item. Nothing more, nothing less.

Damokles

Something thatbthey could also do, would be tutorial videos on their website.
Want to know how to fight? Then watch the fighting video.
Want to know how to change your interface and hotkeys? Got a video for that.
Want to know how to start a caravan? You guessed it: got a video for that.

It would take them a ridiculously small amount of time to do them, and if they dont, then i will probably do them myself xD

Wandering Mist

Damokles wrote: »

Something thatbthey could also do, would be tutorial videos on their website.
Want to know how to fight? Then watch the fighting video.
Want to know how to change your interface and hotkeys? Got a video for that.
Want to know how to start a caravan? You guessed it: got a video for that.

It would take them a ridiculously small amount of time to do them, and if they dont, then i will probably do them myself xD

Yes they could, but I believe you shouldn't have to go searching online for such tutorials, they should be included in the game itself.

mcstackerson

Yea, videos could be nice but in the ideal world, you should be able to learn the game by playing it. It shouldn't take any extra work from the user, especially having the user go out of the game to learn. With as many systems as ashes has, I think the ideal method is to introduce systems to players as they become relevant. Barraging the user with text and over simplified quests early on is only going to annoy them.

Damokles

@Wandering Mist @mcstackerson
I dont really think that it would be THAT much of an effort for people tbh xD
I mean, they would have to go to the website either way to download it, and most people look around on websites to see if there is any information about the gameplay.

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