Tutorials: Show, not tell.

[mcwaffles2003]

From what I've noticed looking through dev diaries and the KSP:Episodes is that the tutorials  just show analogies. I like this. I think it makes the problems relatable but preserves the thinking and figuring out the answer for the player so the player has a guide for how to approach solving the problem but doesn't really solve it for the player. Beyond this though, I noticed that there's not even voice or text or numbers, which I think I also prefer. Now there's no need to translate and players wont get bogged down in wordy explanations or intimidated by calculations.

Anyways, I just noticed these things and haven't seen them discussed. Do you guys like this style of tutorial? Will it be helpful to new players? If you would do it different, how so and why?

[FlywheelsGroove]

I think it needs a calming british voice to explain the concepts as we see them. I get hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy vibes from the art.

[Dientus]

Opinions:

Do you like this style...

Yes

 

Will it be helpful to new players...

No

 

What I would do different...

A voice explanation would help those who don't learn visually, with closed captioning available. Then a note at the beginning that suggests that the volume could be turned off and/or captions toggled. The goal would be to help as many people as possible off of one piece of media and cut time from making multiple tutorials and possibly bogging down forums with repeated questions that are similar.

 

Just my view... And yes... Calming British voice would be nice addition.

 

[pandaman]

13 minutes ago, Dientus said:

What I would do different...

A voice explanation would help those who don't learn visually, with closed captioning available. Then a note at the beginning that suggests that the volume could be turned off and/or captions toggled. The goal would be to help as many people as possible off of one piece of media and cut time from making multiple tutorials and possibly bogging down forums with repeated questions that are similar.

I don't  disagree, but the problem with any voice-over, or written text, is it needs translation.  That is not in itself a major obstacle, obviously, but it does need doing well and properly.  And 'technical' stuff can be difficult to translate clearly, simply due to how different languages work.

If it can be done graphically, with maybe just labels etc translated for clarity that could be a way.  Then you can mostly avoid technical translation errors.

[shdwlrd]

I guess you forgot that the creative director is using his young children as guinea pigs to see if the tutorials are effective at explaining the concept they want to convey. If a young child can figure out what concept is being conveyed, an adult should be able to.

Kind of reminds me of how the US military used cartoons to explain complex ideas during WW2.

Edited June 22, 2021 by shdwlrd
After thought

[Dientus]

23 minutes ago, shdwlrd said:

, an adult should be able to.

 

I myself like them and fully acknowledge @pandaman statement, however, I have learned in this modern world to never take common sense for granted. Hence labels on coffe that say "caution hot!"

 

 

[pandaman]

12 minutes ago, Dientus said:

...never take common sense for granted. Hence labels on coffe that say "caution hot!"

Unfortunately, I fear this warning is more to prevent legal action than actually 'inform us of the risks'.

But yes, I agree, 'common' sense can be a surprisingly rare commodity at times.

[shdwlrd]

1 hour ago, Dientus said:

Hence labels on coffe that say "caution hot!"

 

1 hour ago, pandaman said:

Unfortunately, I fear this warning is more to prevent legal action than actually 'inform us of the risks'.

Pandaman is correct. Warnings on common sense things is to provide a shield from litigation. Not for showing hidden life altering dangers like you can find on/in heavy machinery and hazardous areas.

[PlutoISaPlanet]

I think it will help, but the only way to profress to interplanetary travel is trial and error. It took me almost a year to reach Duna and Ike. It takes time, and watching tutorials does not help with that (not that they are trying to).

They look good to me, but I am not new to the game, so I guess it does not apply to me.

[NovAlpha]

Well, whatever the tutorials may bring to the table is going to be a lot better than opting for the "Darwinian approach" that so many other difficult games seem to have adopted these days.

10 hours ago, FlywheelsGroove said:

I think it needs a calming british voice to explain the concepts as we see them

Also I third this, preferably someone akin to Steven Fry in terms of a calm and understandable tone. 

[Cavscout74]

2 hours ago, NovAlpha said:

Well, whatever the tutorials may bring to the table is going to be a lot better than opting for the "Darwinian approach" that so many other difficult games seem to have adopted these days

Ha!  Reminds me of a game I purchased (pre-Steam) that was supposed to have realistic combat - broken bones, bleeding, etc - with permanent consequences (crippling injuries, amputations, etc).  And no tutorial or anything else to "hold your hand."  Interesting idea, but in practice you start off in a village with minimal stuff, minimal money, and no idea what to do.  Let's try talking to people = nobody but merchants want to talk, and their goods all cost 10x what money I have.  Lets try breaking into a building & stealing more stuff = random person notices me, calls the guards, a dozen of them charge in and beat me to a bloody pulp.  Once unconscious, bleeding, with multiple broken bones the guards wander off while I rapidly bleed to death.  New game..  Lets try going out of the village this time.  Barren desert as far as the eye can see, no trees, nothing to interact with.  Hmm, what's this - a nest with a small animal wandering around.  It's small, nothing bigger is in sight, I can probably kill it for food and maybe sell its skin or something.  <Punch>  what the.... where did the fifteen adult animals come from!?!?!?!?!   Unconscious, bleeding & multiple broken bones again.  From herbivores.  New game....  A few more rounds of that, and I decided it wasn't worth the space on my computer. 

Interestingly, it's on Steam now, with overwhelmingly positive reviews so either it's gotten better, or there are a bunch of masochists out there. 

But yes, hopefully KSP2 won't take that approach

Edited June 23, 2021 by Cavscout74

[Bombaatu]

7 hours ago, Cavscout74 said:

Interestingly, it's on Steam now, with overwhelmingly positive reviews so either it's gotten better, or there are a bunch of masochists out there. 

Is this "Kenshi" you are talking about? 

[pandaman]

To me, ALL games (all software for that matter) should come with instructions...

Including decent descriptions of the UI elements and controls, and what they do, is essential IMO, and it feels just shoddy and lazy to not include that.

Then the 'gameplay' itself needs descriptions and guidelines in some form too.  Not 'hand holding', but a basic guide as to how to go about things, such as tutorial 'scenarios' and/or documentation.

So far, KSP2 looks like it will cover all that quite well. 

 

[Cavscout74]

2 hours ago, Bombaatu said:

Is this "Kenshi" you are talking about? 

It was

[Beerasaurus]

For my money, the more ways they explain things the better. These are some complex concepts with a lot of internal rules you have to follow, so I want cartoon tutorials with soft British voice overs and links to wikis that will also connect you to actual astronauts up on the ISS who can use the co-op feature to hop into your game and interact with the British nanny to tell me how stupid I am in six different ways, none of which actually make me feel bad for being so dumb.