As a designer one challenge I face is figuring out how to teach the player how to play my game in the most unobtrusive way possible. I am talking about the tutorial level.
One of the last games I bought was Gears of War 3. The instruction manual was about two pages long. When I bought Gears of War 1 back in 2007 I read the instruction manual on my walk home. That manual had everything. It told me about the story of the game, the weapons, the enemies I would be facing, how to play, tips and it might of even had a section for notes. The manual for Gears 3 has controls for the game and... that is about it.
Truth is, games no longer need instruction manuals. Not when the game can teach the player exactly how to play though the game itself.The first level in a game is usually the tutorial. When I first started working on my third person action game the first level I was working on was a tutorial level.
When I was attending Art Institute one of my professors saw me working on the first level of my game. He said that I should do something different, I should be innovative! Make the level begin with a shootout! Immediately the player is being shot at! Enemies are rushing the player! Make it really intense!
That might sound like a great idea but in reality that is one of the worst scenarios imaginable. Think about it, if the first thing you did was get attacked by an enemy and you didn't know how to fight back wouldn't you get frustrated? I mean you don't even know how to play and everything in the game is attacking you. Even Call of Duty's first level doesn't start off like that. In both Modern Warfare 1 and 2 the player is eased into the game. In MW 1 the first thing they do is teach you how to aim and fire your weapon. You know why? So when you are in the middle of a shootout you know how to shoot back.
One of the last games I bought was Gears of War 3. The instruction manual was about two pages long. When I bought Gears of War 1 back in 2007 I read the instruction manual on my walk home. That manual had everything. It told me about the story of the game, the weapons, the enemies I would be facing, how to play, tips and it might of even had a section for notes. The manual for Gears 3 has controls for the game and... that is about it.
Truth is, games no longer need instruction manuals. Not when the game can teach the player exactly how to play though the game itself.The first level in a game is usually the tutorial. When I first started working on my third person action game the first level I was working on was a tutorial level.
When I was attending Art Institute one of my professors saw me working on the first level of my game. He said that I should do something different, I should be innovative! Make the level begin with a shootout! Immediately the player is being shot at! Enemies are rushing the player! Make it really intense!
That might sound like a great idea but in reality that is one of the worst scenarios imaginable. Think about it, if the first thing you did was get attacked by an enemy and you didn't know how to fight back wouldn't you get frustrated? I mean you don't even know how to play and everything in the game is attacking you. Even Call of Duty's first level doesn't start off like that. In both Modern Warfare 1 and 2 the player is eased into the game. In MW 1 the first thing they do is teach you how to aim and fire your weapon. You know why? So when you are in the middle of a shootout you know how to shoot back.
Pacing is important. Once the player knows how to play we can ramp up the difficulty. We need to make sure the player knows how to play the game before we send them in. One thing I always say is that a game is all about the "Players Experience". If the player gets frustrated with your game they have little reason to come back and play it. If the first experience a player has with your game/level is a quick confusing death they will find another game to play.
One of the best examples of a tutorial level I can think of in recent times is the tutorial level in Red Dead Redemption. The part I am talking about is when you are on Bonnie's ranch. From that point on the player is introduced to just about every gameplay mechanic they will need. On the ranch the player is taught how to lock on, fire a weapon, change weapons, ride a horse etc. This is also interlaced with dialogue and cut scenes that inform the player on whats going on in the game and what the games story is. The first half hour of the game does this very well.
Pacing is important. If you want to have a narrative you need to have those slow paced moments to tell the player about the story. How is the player supposed to care about their long lost brother when they have grenades being thrown at them and are on the verge of losing the level for the third time?
One of the best examples of a tutorial level I can think of in recent times is the tutorial level in Red Dead Redemption. The part I am talking about is when you are on Bonnie's ranch. From that point on the player is introduced to just about every gameplay mechanic they will need. On the ranch the player is taught how to lock on, fire a weapon, change weapons, ride a horse etc. This is also interlaced with dialogue and cut scenes that inform the player on whats going on in the game and what the games story is. The first half hour of the game does this very well.
Pacing is important. If you want to have a narrative you need to have those slow paced moments to tell the player about the story. How is the player supposed to care about their long lost brother when they have grenades being thrown at them and are on the verge of losing the level for the third time?
After you get the boomerang the rest of the dungeon teaches you how to use it.
Something that always stuck out to me in Legend of Zelda 64 was how the dungeons were set up. Every dungeon gave players an item that helped them in their journey. But how does the player learn to use this newly acquired item? Simple, the dungeon becomes a tutorial.
Let me break it down. In Zelda 64 when you are in Lord Jabu Jabu's belly you get the boomerang. In this dungeon there are enemies that would normally hurt you if you used your sword on them but now with the boomerang you can defeat them and take no damage.
Let me break it down. In Zelda 64 when you are in Lord Jabu Jabu's belly you get the boomerang. In this dungeon there are enemies that would normally hurt you if you used your sword on them but now with the boomerang you can defeat them and take no damage.
This in turn trains the player for the boss battle. The dungeon introduces a new gameplay mechanic and then teaches the player how to use it. It prepares the player for the boss fight and once the player has defeated the boss they are effectively taught how to use the boomerang.
This dungeon spends the next 15-20 mins teaching the player how to use the spinner before the boss fight. Guess how you defeat the boss.
Let me give you an example from the Freeze-E Frosty's tutorial level.
Freeze, freeze, jump, freeze and jump.
The first thing the player does in Freeze-E Frosty's is learn to walk. As soon as they enter the first hallway they find a wooden crate in their way. The player is then told that they need to "Freeze" it in order to get by. The player uses their "Freeze Gloves" by clicking on the left mouse. They break the first box with ease. They are then asked to freeze a second crate. The player now understand that wooden crates break when they are frozen.
The next of the tutorial teaches the player how to jump. The player is told to jump on a moving platform. The platform takes the player up but not high enough for the player to get to this new area. The only way to get there is to jump a second time to reach the new area.
Once the player reaches the new area (The area marked with the #3) they are once again their path is blocked by a metal crate being held by a claw. If the player freezes it the claw drops the crate. The crate however is made of steel and does not break apart like the wooden ones. This teaches the player the difference between the two. Once the path is clear the player can jump over the steel crate and move forward.
The fourth area is a quick review. Once again the path is blocked. The player is given the option to either freeze what is in their way or simply jump over it. There is no wrong decision here. Nowhere in this tutorial can the player fail. There is no way for the player to be punished. A good tutorial will not punish the player in anyway.
At the end of this short section the player effectively knows how to freeze and jump. Two skills they will need to complete the game.
The next of the tutorial teaches the player how to jump. The player is told to jump on a moving platform. The platform takes the player up but not high enough for the player to get to this new area. The only way to get there is to jump a second time to reach the new area.
Once the player reaches the new area (The area marked with the #3) they are once again their path is blocked by a metal crate being held by a claw. If the player freezes it the claw drops the crate. The crate however is made of steel and does not break apart like the wooden ones. This teaches the player the difference between the two. Once the path is clear the player can jump over the steel crate and move forward.
The fourth area is a quick review. Once again the path is blocked. The player is given the option to either freeze what is in their way or simply jump over it. There is no wrong decision here. Nowhere in this tutorial can the player fail. There is no way for the player to be punished. A good tutorial will not punish the player in anyway.
At the end of this short section the player effectively knows how to freeze and jump. Two skills they will need to complete the game.
In short a good tutorial level should be unobtrusive and effective in teaching the player skills they will need to play the game as well as introduce the player to the main plot points and characters of the game. The days of instruction manuals are gone. It is up to us as the future game designers to find exciting new ways to make games even more enthralling.
- Danny Q
@Dannylv100
- Danny Q
@Dannylv100
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