New Training "Flight Basics" is buggy?

[Black-Talon]

KSP Version: v1.0.0.830 Windows 32-bit

What Happens: All craft within physics range respond to control inputs.

Mods / Add-Ons: All Stock - fresh 1.0 Steam Download

Steps to Replicate:

1. Launch KSP
   
2. Click "Start Game"
   
3. Click "Training"
   
4. Select "Flight Basics"
   
5. Gene Kerman "Welcome" - Click Next
   
6. Gene Kerman "Basic Flight Controls" - Click Next
   
7. Gene Kerman "Basic Flight Controls: Pitch" - Click Next
   
8. Gene Kerman "Basic Flight Controls: Yaw" - Click Next
   
9. Gene Kerman "Basic Flight Controls: Roll" - (hard to understand from a rocket context - it rolls/spins your rocket) - Click Next
   
10. Gene Kerman "Pitch, Yaw and Ross" - Click Next
    
11. Gene Kerman "Throttle" - Click Next
    
12. Gene Kerman "Basic Flight Controls" - Click Next
    
13. Gene Kerman "Flight Controls: S.A.S." - (might be too early to understand this) - Click Next
    
14. Gene Kerman "Flight Controls: RCS" - Click Next
    
15. Gene Kerman "Staging" - Click Next
    
16. Gene Kerman "The NavBall" - Click Next
    
17. Gene Kerman "Flight Instruments" - Click Next
    
18. Gene Kerman "Crew" - Click Next
    
19. Gene Kerman "Ready to Launch"
    
20. Press [z] (sets throttle to 100%)
    
21. Press [sPACEBAR] (ignites engines)
    
22. Press [sPACEBAR] (releases launch clamps)
    
23. Gene Kerman "Liftoff!" (says click next but I was busy and it went away later)
    
24. (wait for 1st Asparagus Stage to run out of fuel)
    
25. Press [sPACEBAR]
    
26. (wait for 2nd Asparagus Stage to run out of fuel)
    
27. Press [sPACEBAR]
    
28. (wait for 3rd Asparagus Stage to run out of fuel)
    
29. Press [sPACEBAR]
    
30. Gene Kerman ...things I missed...
    
31. Gene Kerman "Almost there"
    
32. Move attitude indicator to horizon on NavBall using [WSADQR]
    
33. Gene Kerman (at 50,000 meters): "Close your orbit - You're in space ... Press [M] to see trajectory" - Press [M]
    
34. Previous/Occasional Result: UI Changes but view of planet doesn't move - no trajectory - effectively map mode does not load
    
35. Click Trajectory at "Ap" syssmbol - select "Warp here"
    
36. Attempt to Face Prograde
    
    1. 
       
    2. Note 1 - Prograde symbol isn't visible on NavBall without searching for it
       
    3. Note 2 - Without throttle the ship is very reluctant to rotate - using throttle for the gimbal
       
       
    4. ...run out of fuel...
       
    5. ...realize you've run out of fuel...
       
    6. Read, "If you run out of fuel in the middle get out of Map View, activate next stage, get back to Map View"
       
    7. ...realize exiting Map View can be done by pressing [M]
       
    8. ...realize Stage (pressing [sPACE]) will separate
       
    9. ...realize next engine isn't firing until Stage (pressing [sPACE]) is done again
       
    10. Return to Map View - Press [M]
        
    11. ...and then?
        
    12. ...I've got what appears to be an orbit
        
    13. Does the tutorial proceed beyond "Close your orbit" ?
        
    14. Previously it failed at going to Map View at all so who knows.
        
    15. Oh I see, I'm back in the atmosphere at this point because burning prograde so long after Ap left my Pe too low.
        
    16. Ship burns up - hit [Esc] - select "Revert Flight" - graphics aren't right...
        
    17. hit [Esc] - select "End Scenario" - select "End Scenario" again - frozen game (reproducible)
        
    18. LOGS: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7tb0cd8rux9gvk2/2015_04_27_output_log.zip?dl=0
        
        
        Result:
        Attempted scenario 5 times - first two failed due to map view not working in step 34 - attempted restarts froze game
        Attempts 3 & 4 had other failures or became stuck - attempted restarts froze game
        Fifth attempt completed successfully - but this was a day later having gotten sick of trying Training missions
        I'm disappointed because the tutorials got an overhaul for 1.0 yet in my experience thus far they barely work. I don't want to try to finish them. And I REALLY don't want to recommend them to others. I was excited to introduce the game to new people but not only are the tutorials buggy but they're not very good for new players. I will have to direct them elsewhere or attempt to teach them in a way they're comfortable with (typically not easy with significant others and spouses - they don't want my help :-p).
        I'm well aware that in game training is really really hard to do well. But as a lover of the game and appreciator of the more hardcore aspects...the game falls short of getting people up to speed on the basics...which leaves people running away in fear of it's difficulty and complexity.
        I fear that the solution will be to make the game less difficult instead of improving the introduction to new players. Please improve the "training" so you don't have to dumb down the mechanics. Some things to consider:
        - In many cases it will take many many tries to get the hang of a concept - the training should all you to try and try again easily until you understand it - it should allow you to practice using the NavBall as it explains it to you for instance and when you fail you can start over easily - crashing when attempting to start over was unfortunate in my experience
        - The NavBall is really complex and hard to understand at first - a visual guide to it's function and how to fly just using it alone feels required to me
        - Concepts around how to build a stable rocket could use an intro - I've watched too many people make very poor assumptions about what flies and what doesn't - when they're wrong it can often lead to a belief that the game is broken and stupid - not everyone realizes their assumptions about aerodynamics and flight were incorrect
        - Long ago inDev the tutorial was strongly recommended when new games were started. I think KSP should return to this. Consider a nearly mandatory Tutorial that kicks off career mode as the only way to start playing on a new install unless an option is unchecked in the difficulty selector!
        - A LOT of the content in KSP Tips (by TriggerAu) is excellent. And much higher quality than the game's Training... add content like that? It's basically an entire manual for the game which otherwise doesn't exist without a lot of searching/browsing/stumbling.
        - Perhaps this comes in later build Training but things like "Liquid Fuel" engines need fuel tanks, but "Solid Fuel" boosters don't and can't use fuel tanks, could use an introduction for the first time player
        - How to understand and properly setup staging isn't intuitive to the first time player
        - How electricity is effecting the ability of the craft to do certain things often catches even veteran players much less new ones!
        - What is an accent profile? What is sub-orbital vs orbital? How do I get "orbital?" - Perhaps these are covered but again I lost patience with the buggy tutorial before I got to them.
        Note that I'm also curious to understand if this is even the right way to submit bugs? The support information isn't updated for release. The existing stickied posts remind me "this isn't a released game yet," etc, etc. I love the game, and the work you've done is amazing, but a few things need to keep improving to be release ready in my humble opinion.
        UPDATE: Having gone through the other Training I had far fewer problems - they seemed to be a much higher quality than "Flight Basics" - when I introduce this to others I will probably just avoid the Flight Basics Training or attempt to hand-hold them through it.
        Thanks for reading,
        Talon

Edited April 29, 2015 by Black-Talon
Update sentiment after other training missions