长篇实例探讨：如何制作好玩的沉浸式游戏引导教程

原文作者：Zein Okko  译者：Megan Shieh

导语

多年来，电子游戏在图像、影视摄影技术、叙事、技术等方面不断发展。市面上有许多的书籍、博客和视频，细节化地教授人们电子游戏的制作过程。其中许多是关于技术方面的知识——如何使用引擎、如何建模、如何装扮一个角色；也有另外一些教材会告诉你优秀的关卡设计应该是什么样子的。

然而，游戏开发过程中的一个非常重要的部分经常被开发者和玩家们忽略：入门教程。要想尽情享受游戏体验，玩家首先得学会游戏的玩法。什么是好的教程？你要怎么在不让玩家感到厌烦的情况下，教授他们游戏玩法？有哪些出色的实践案例？在本文中，我会分析几个不同的游戏教程，并开发一个针对‘优秀入门教程制作’的工具集。但首先，我们得退一步问：

什么是入门教程？

根据维基百科的介绍：

‘教程’是一种传递知识的方法，可以作为学习过程中的一部分。与书籍或讲座相比，教程的互动性较强，更有针对性。通常通过实际案例来教授知识，提供特定的信息来完成某项任务。

简而言之就是以互动的方式传递知识。对我们而言，“知识”就是“如何玩游戏”，最终这些知识又反被利用到游戏当中。媒介教授用户如何使用媒介——游戏教导用户如何玩游戏。

PC Mag百科全书将‘教程’定义为：

一本教学书籍或一个教学程序，带领用户透过一系列规定好顺序的步骤来熟悉一款产品。

PC Mag的说法似乎出奇地具体，因为市面上有许多不同种类的游戏和教程，难道它们全都得使用一步一脚印的方式来教授知识？我们有没有可能在不采用‘步步引导’的情况下，教会玩家怎么玩游戏？

上述定义似乎仅仅侧重于教程中的学习和被动部分，却忽视了知识应用的方面。玩家必须要了解哪些知识才能开始玩游戏？为了能够在游戏的世界中自由奔走，他们需要了解游戏的控制、规则和机制。但这还不够。

入门教程不仅应该刷新玩家对(游戏)世界的理解，同时还得确保玩家能够合理地应用他们学习到的知识。只有学过或看到过类似的情况，他们才能在游戏中解决类似的难题。‘教程’还可以更好地定义为：一种交互式场景，帮助玩家取得理解游戏世界所需要的知识和心态，并教导他们如何将这些知识应用到游戏中的不同情况。

2. 一个好的教程

什么是好的教程？有哪些注意事项？

市面上根本就没有关于这个议题的书籍，更不用说科学方法了。与游戏开发中的许多元素一样，获得这些知识的唯一方法就是参考经验丰富的开发者和设计师的做法。

游戏设计学院（School of Game Design）的第一个建议是：尽量少用文本。国际游戏开发者协会（IGDA）的创始人Ernest Adams表示：“要求玩家阅读大量文本的教程不是好教程”。《植物大战僵尸》的开发者George Fan建议“任何时候，屏幕上最多都应该只有8个单词”。独立开发者Darran Jamieson将这个想法简化为：“不要用文本将玩家淹没。”

玩家一次只能处理一定数量的信息。如果有太多需要记住的东西，例如：Diablo III的控制手柄上有15个不同的按钮，功能也各有不同。一旦游戏开始，玩家就会忘记大部分按钮的功能。教学指南应该根据关联程度，被合理地分配成几个部分；而不是试图一次性将所有的信息灌输进玩家的脑子里。

就像游戏设计学院所说的那样，不要 “在前期就把所有的内容都展示出来”。通常情况下，事先或者没头没尾地展现出来的信息，玩家基本上是不可能会记得住的。如果游戏告诉玩家“按下Y键可以让你的角色屏住呼吸”，那么这是一个关于Y键的事实，但并没有告诉玩家前因后果，又或是“屏住呼吸”的意义。屏住呼吸是干什么的？对我有什么帮助？在潜水或使用狙击步枪时，我是否需要这样做？(瞄准和射击时屏住呼吸，可以提高准确性)

众所周知，视觉化和趣味性在学习方面成效显著。正如Dave Gray在《Gamestorming》一书中所说：

“我们的世界变化很快。随着信息革命的发展，视觉素养将会成为在商业和生活上取得成功的必要条件——读写视觉信息的能力；通过视觉来学习知识的能力；思考和解决视觉领域问题的能力。”

读写视觉信息以及处理视觉领域问题的能力，恰好就是游戏教程能够教授给玩家的知识。许多教程都只关注“读”的部分，往往忽略了“写”的重要性。同样的问题在其他教育领域也可以找到。在《What Video Games Have to Teach Us》一书中，James Paul Gee以那些学习了“牛顿运动定律”的学生为例解释了这一问题。这些学生理解牛顿定律，但却不知道如何应用它。

而这恰恰就体现出了“沉浸式教程”的重要性。为了确保玩家对游戏世界有一个完整的理解，开发者需要将操作指南嵌入到游戏中，保持相关性，并且告诉玩家他们所作的每个动作都是为了什么。就像电影《盗梦空间》里的一个情节：

作者：试着不要去想大象。

(Saito 点头)

作者：你在想什么呢？

Saito: 大象

作者：好吧。但这不是你自己的想法，因为这个想法是我给你的。

玩家应该感觉这些玩法是他们自己学会的，而不是游戏教会他们的。下面让我们来看看一些优秀的例子。

3.例子

有些开发者巧妙地将新手教程与游戏的流程和故事交织到了一起，因此有时人们不会把它看作是操作指南。众所周知，玩家们通常都会想要跳过教程部分，因为大部分游戏的教程都没有融入有趣的元素。那么，有哪些游戏成功地创建了既有趣又有效的沉浸式教程？

3.1 《传送门 2》

《传送门 2》的入门教程极具娱乐性，并被许多人认为是史上最有趣的游戏教程之一。在摧毁了邪恶的人工智能计算机 GLaDOS并通过传送门逃脱之后，主人公在一次爆炸中失去了意识，醒来以后，发现自己又再次被光圈科技俘虏了。（游戏邦注：光圈科技Aperture Science是游戏中的一个科学研究组织）。玩家一开始被囚禁在一个由机器人管理的研究机构中，在教程结束之前他们不能离开监狱。尽管其他的游戏也会透过将玩家抓进“陷阱”的方式来迫使他们学习基本玩法，但在《传送门2》中，这个“陷阱”与整个故事是紧密相连的。
游戏开始的时候，一个系统广播的声音唤醒了主角Chell，并解释道：

“早上好。您已休眠50天。根据州和联邦法规，在光圈科技扩展休闲中心的所有测试候选人必须定期唤醒，进行强制的身体和精神健康运动。”

开发者将入门教程伪装成一个“强制性的身体和精神健康运动”，然后把它变成了一个有趣的恶搞。一般的叙事游戏教程中，总是会有一位教授玩法的教练或者导师(有时候玩家的角色就是导师)。在《传送门2》中，首先是系统广播，TA要求玩家先向上看，然后向下看，以完成测试中的体操部分。

通过移动鼠标来环顾四周，这种操作方式极为普遍，就像跳跃一样，几乎不需要任何指导。每款游戏中都有非常多的东西需要解释，但在许多情况下，移动的方式是大同小异的，因此对它的解释也没有像对其他机制一样透彻。

一般情况下，大家都知道基本动作的操作方式。而《传送门2》恰巧就利用了这一点，通过指示玩家做一些没有用的东西，把基本动作的学习变成了一个恶搞(Chell的体操训练对玩家而言没有任何价值)。下一步是艺术欣赏，玩家必须走到一幅画前并盯着它看，从而学会使用ASDW键来实现移动——许多其他的游戏也同样是用ASDW来实现移动的。

做完这些锻炼之后，主角Chell就去睡觉了。然后她又被第二位导师机器人Wheatley吵醒，它声称该设施即将爆炸，并试图将你疏散出去。机器人紧接着解释道，Chell可能有严重的脑损伤，并问她是否理解它说的话。然后游戏告诉你“按下空格键回答问题”，但它其实是用来跳跃的按键。因此，Chell没有回答“是”，而是跳了起来，机器人对此做出了反应：

“额…你在那里跳什么。我问了你一个问题，然后你竟然跳了起来。算了…说‘苹果’，‘苹~~~~~~果’。”

不用说也知道，下一个“答案”也是跳跃。很明显，所谓的跳跃机制是因为Chell在这个机构里呆了太久，出现了认知恶化的情况。

另外一件经常发生在剧情式教程中的事情是介绍故事的第一个情节点。在故事写作中，有两个主要的情节点。第一个情节点介绍了主人公的目标，有时是反派或敌对势力，第二个情节点则是显示主角是否达到了目标。主要人物所习惯的日常生活(在这个例子中是在蹲监狱的Chell)通常会被第一个情节点所打断，然后第一个情节点就会变成主角的“生活常态”（游戏邦注：各种厮杀，躲避外星人之类的。）。

《传送门2》里的第一个情节点是：机器人试图将你疏散出去，但不幸失败了。各种各样的障碍物都撞了过来，几乎摧毁了Chell的整个房间。机器人告知了玩家的下一个目标，然后它自己就撞墙上了：

“记住：你在找一支能打孔的枪，不是弹孔！是…好吧，你会想明白的。”

考虑到某些玩家很可能已经玩过原作，因此他们应该知道机器人指的是著名的传送枪。即便他们不知道机器人在说什么，在第一人称射击游戏中，获取枪支也是一种非常普遍的机制——又一个许多游戏都有的共同机制。

然后玩家必须想办法解开一些非常基本的谜题，这些谜题是从原作借鉴过来的。玩过原作的玩家可以立即破解谜题，而新玩家也可以通过简单的尝试来破解这些谜题。在让玩家拿到传送枪之前，开发者先是通过这些谜题介绍了游戏的主要机制和工具，包括传送门、红色的按钮和箱子。虽然尝试失败可能会令人有些沮丧，但是因为能做的事情很少，所以玩法的学习显得很简单，而且玩家也会从中获得一些自我成就感。

接下来，玩家会拿到摆放在某处的传送枪。通常情况下，传送枪可以用来创建蓝色和橙色的传送门，这两个传送门是相通的的。但在教程模式中，游戏已经提前将橙色的传送门建好了，因此无论玩家把蓝色的传送门开在哪里，最终都能回到他们需要去到的位置（橙色传送门的位置）。这样的话玩家就知道传送枪是如何运作的，也不用担心两个颜色弄混了怎么办。就像之前提到的：不要一下子给玩家太多技能。

开发者设法确保当玩家捡起枪的时候，一定会清楚地看到橙色的传送门。使用传送枪的时候，玩家可以创建蓝色的传送门，而且还能看穿它。走进蓝色传送门的时候，他们会发现自己回到了橙色传送门的位置，从而了解到橙色和蓝色传送门之间的物理和逻辑关系：
“两个传送门是相通，我能利用它们的物理关系去到我一般去不到的地方。”

接下来的教程会一直限制玩家只能创建蓝色的传送门，直到他们完全理解如何在游戏世界中“读写”为止。他们首先了解到，蓝色的入口一旦创建，就会连接到橙色。现在他们知道蓝色的传送门不可能无处不在（游戏邦注：玩家无法在电梯里放置传送门）。之后，玩家被迫将知识应用到箱子上。他们已经学会了如何放置和通过传送门，现在必须将它应用到实践上——将一个离得很远的箱子移动到红色按钮上。这时他们了解到，传送枪不只对人起作用，对其他的物体也会产生作用，而且你还可以配合物体移动的速度来开枪。在解决了一系列的谜题之后，开发者可以安全地假设玩家已经理解了传送门的机制，并最终给予玩家创建两种传送门（橙色和蓝色）的权力。

我们从《传送门2》的新手教程中学到了什么？

（1）创造一个存在教学意义的故事情景。

（2）放置一位导师来教导玩家怎么玩游戏。

（3）将故事中的第一个情节点纳入新手教程里。

（4）减少玩家能做的动作，不要一下子给他们太多选项，然后再逐一添加机制。

（5）教程中的某些部分可以设置“跳过”或“快进”的选项，为有经验的玩家提供一些便利。

3.2 《辐射3》

《辐射3》设置在一个从原子战争中幸存下来的世界。幸存者们把自己锁在地下的一个避难所里，他们将其称为“Vaults”。他们在那里过着正常的生活，小朋友们去学校上学、怀孕的准妈妈生孩子、上班族朝九晚五地工作，等等。玩家创建了一个角色，TA离开了安全的避难所，前去寻找失踪的父亲。

本作的新手教程巧妙地将人物创建、故事叙述与第一个情节点交织在了一起。游戏开始的时候，玩家扮演的就是刚刚出生的主角。父亲走了进来，反问你是男孩还是女孩，然后由玩家选择主角的性别。之后，父亲告诉母亲（凯瑟琳）主角的性别，从而介绍了母亲的存在。接着父亲要给孩子起名字，然后玩家就在游戏界面中输入自己想要的名字。

之后，主角的父亲使用了所谓的“基因推测仪”，意图看看他的孩子将来会是什么样子。该装置的外形设计与《辐射》世界中的复古未来主义风格相匹配，同时嵌入了角色创建的机制。玩家可以在这台设备上打造主角的外貌，最终显示在屏幕上的外貌就是孩子未来的样子。这一步骤完全可以令人信服，而且也非常符合游戏中的故事，同时也不会打破玩家的沉浸感。

然后母亲死了，婴儿被抬出了房间。快进到一年后，主角现在是一个蹒跚学步的孩子，他看着父亲，父亲说“到爸爸这里来”。这也是一个基本动作的教程，玩家们可以像一个蹒跚学步的孩子一样，学会如何走动。然后玩家会看到一本叫做《你很特别》的书，这是一本儿童读物，也是分发角色属性点的一本书。这些属性的界面和描述都是儿童读物的风格。例如，“强度”属性被描述为：

“S代表着强壮，这意味着我的力量！我能背更多的玩具还能挥舞东西一整天。”

开发者假设玩家已经从原作或其他类似的游戏中获取了一些与RPG相关的知识，并决定将这些人设定为新手教程的目标受众。这些玩家会立即知道，他们应该适当地提高自己的某些价值观（属性点）；同时仍然确保界面和内容符合游戏的世界的设定（儿童读物风格）。分发完属性点以后，父亲再次出现，要求你跟着他去找你的好朋友Amata玩，从而简要地介绍了另一个角色Amata。

场景切换到主角的十岁生日。某位NPC将Pit-Boy 3000作为礼物送给了主角，这个礼物在后期将会起到很重要的作用，因为它是玩家的用户界面，包含库存、统计等机制。这一场景还引入了社交互动元素。不同的NPC与主角交谈，玩家可以选择自己的反应，同时也充当了背景信息和角色介绍的基奠。玩家了解到了谁是避难所所长，谁是爱欺负人的恶霸，还有主角最好的朋友Amata。和往常一样，在生日派对上，客人们会把生日礼物递给孩子，这就教会玩家如何接收物品并在Pit-Boy的存货中查找。与一位老太太交谈时，玩家会得到一个甜筒。
不久之后，恶霸Butch就要求你把甜筒给他。取决于玩家的回答，玩家要么把甜筒给他，要么恶霸就会找你打架。通过这种方式，玩家了解到拥有物品会在游戏中引起麻烦，而且玩家给出的答案也会影响到场景的结果，这一切都是在一个合适的故事场景中进行的。在那次事件之后，主角的父亲带你下楼并给了你一支BB枪，然后在那里教会玩家如何瞄准和射击目标（其中包括一直超级大的飞蟑螂。）

接下来的场景是主人公十六岁的时候，TA必须参加所谓的G.O.A.T.测试。这个测试将会决定玩家在避难所里的职责，这些选择题决定了玩家一开始的技能。不过，玩家也可以在最后调整自己的选择。这个部分结束以后，故事的第一个情节点就出现了。Amata叫醒了玩家，并告诉TA，TA的父亲已经离开了金库，避难所所长正准备要过来杀了玩家。玩家现在必须利用自己的技能来逃离避难所。一旦他们逃离了避难所，游戏就真正地开始了，玩家必须设法找到TA的父亲（但是如果你不愿意找父亲的话，也没关系，你可以根据自己的喜好在游戏的世界里晃悠）。

我们从《辐射3》的新手教程中学到了什么？

（1）创造一个具有教学意义的故事场景，尝试将你所看到或听到的东西融入到游戏世界的逻辑中。

（2）让一位或多位导师教授游戏玩法。

（3）将第一个情节点纳入新手教程，并且用它来说明游戏的背景故事。

（4）减少玩家能做的动作，不要一下子给他们太多选项，然后再逐一添加机制。

（5）让玩家在安全的环境中犯错误。

3.3 《文明6》

部分游戏类型相对较为复杂，比如战略游戏就是这样。开发者有超级多的信息需要传达给玩家，以至于有时候可能会把他们搞得晕头转向。《文明6》和它的土地拓展机制就是一个很好的例子，该作是一款4X回合制战略游戏，游戏中包含了许多元素，需要投入很多的时间来学习。

玩家首先选择一个文明，然后以一个开拓者和勇士的身份开始游戏。他们可以选择一个位置来建立一个城市，然后从那里开始，逐渐开拓一个帝国。他们必须管理这座城市，决定建造什么建筑、研究什么项目、训练哪些单位、开采什么样的石材，等等。最终，他们会遇到邻国的领袖，这时就需要利用外交手段来获取利益或盟友。

玩家需要在游戏世界中与其他国家争夺各种胜利排名，统治胜利——需要夺取彼此文明的首都，文化胜利——需要对其他所有文明都有一定的旅游影响，科技胜利——需要发射火箭到月球，宗教胜利——需要对你的宗教信仰产生一定的影响。

每个文明都有自己特有的优势——独特的建筑或单位。阿拉伯的领袖Saladin有更便宜的教堂，并提供额外的信仰值、科技值和文化值。另一方面，法国的Catherine De Medici则提供更多的外交知名度，并且可以多招募一个间谍。该作的新手教程没有试图以某种故事来隐藏或掩盖自己‘入门教程’的身份，但它也不必这样做。屏幕上有很多界面、数字和图标，它们都需要明确的操作指示才能理解。

游戏中有两种学习玩法的方式：要么通过单独的教程场景，要么直接开始一个游戏。新手教程中的回合会手把手地为玩家介绍游戏中的各个机制。玩家将由一个顾问的角色引导，她会大声地跟玩家说话，从而减少了玩家必须阅读的文本数量。顾问会明确地告诉你下一步该做什么，比如“点击这个按钮创建城市”或“点击这里训练勇士”。这些明确的指示在这类复杂的游戏中可以说是必要的。

但是因为这些信息是从顾问的口中说出来的，所以你会感觉她就在你的身边，帮助你管理你的人民。在创建了第一个城市，训练了第一个单位以后，顾问会说：

“我们中的一些聪明人很善于解开世界的奥秘。我们只需要引导他们。”

从游戏机制的角度来看，这句话基本上就是叫你“选个项目来研究”，但是它的表达方式却和游戏的世界观相符。玩家只有通过所有必要的步骤才能完成新手教程。重要的是，玩家不一定非得通过新手教程才可以开始游戏。它是自愿的，专为那些从未玩过《文明》系列游戏或其他4X游戏的玩家准备的。

另一种学习游戏的方法就是直接开始游戏。对于这种情况，开发者也早就做好了准备。在第一回合刚开始的时候，游戏会问玩家：你是《文明6》的新手，还是从没玩过《文明》系列游戏？根据玩家的回答，会弹出一些提示信息，上述教程中的同一位顾问会简短地描述一个玩法。

大部分信息里都会有一个“了解详情”的按钮，给与玩家了解更多信息的机会。点击这个按钮，他们就会来到所谓的“文明百科全书”，这是一本游戏中的百科全书，它不仅包含游戏机制的信息，而且还包含了历史和文化知识。

这种学习玩法的方式，大概是玩家最常见的选择，让他们以自己的速度学习游戏。我们必须给予玩家了解更多信息的选项，并且明确地让他们知道在哪里可以“了解详情”。

我们从《文明6》的入门教程中学到了什么？

（1）创造一个具有教学意义的故事场景，尝试将你所看到或听到的东西融入到游戏世界的逻辑中。

（2）让一位或多位导师来教授游戏玩法。

（3）如果是有剧情的游戏，将第一个情节点纳入新手教程，并且将它作为游戏的背景故事说明。

（4）减少玩家能做的动作，不要一下子给它们太多选项，然后再逐一添加机制。

（5）让玩家先在安全的环境中犯错，然后再按照他们自己的节奏学习。

（6）尽量少使用文本，尽可能多地使用配音。

（7）决定哪些部分需要解释，哪些部分玩家可以自己弄清楚。

（8）针对有游戏经验和没有游戏经验的玩家，提供不同的教学方法， 将指示和教程设置为可以跳过的。

（9）只有在相关的时候才给出提示

4. 教程指南

综合上述内容，我们现在可以创建一个关于“如何制作沉浸式新手教程”的工具集。游戏开发者在制作新手教程的时候，可以考虑将上述列表中的点加入到自己的游戏中。当然，这些点并不适用于所有类型的游戏，但能用上的点越多，新手教程的体验就会越好。下面让我们来回顾一下上文列出的各个观点，并阐明它们的含义，列出开发者可以问自己的一些问题。

（1）创造一个具有教学意义的故事场景，尝试将你所看到或听到的东西融入到游戏世界的逻辑中。

当一个游戏正在开发中时，我们可以假设开发者知道游戏世界中的所有事情，那里的日常生活是怎样的，游戏中会出现哪些角色，等等。开发教程场景的时候，你必须完全地理解游戏角色所居住的世界，还有角色在什么情况下学习才不会显得别扭。也许主角是一位想要重返工作岗位的退役特工，因此需要更新TA的技能，就像在《细胞分裂》里一样。也许TA的脑海中偶尔会出现以前训练的场景。也许TA正在做一些完全不相关的事情，为后期的剧情做铺垫，比如洗澡或者穿衣服，就像《暴雨》的片头那样。

谁在学习，TA为什么要学习？主角是这个领域的新手吗？TA在哪里？通过什么媒介来学习？一个人、一本书、全息影像，还是电脑？

（2）让一位或多位导师来教授游戏玩法。

与许多电影和书籍一样，导师在电子游戏中扮演着重要的角色。TA可以是一个人，也可以是一个情况，但TA必须是值得玩家信任的。导师的作用是在游戏的开头传达积极的纽带，说服主角跟随TA的命运，并帮助TA为未来的旅程做好准备。导师不一定非得是个角色，TA可以是一个计算机程序、一个梦、或者一盘录像带，只要能够符合游戏中的世界就可以。决定用谁或什么东西来做导师是一个很重要的决定。在玩家开始控制主角之前，主角也可以是自己的导师，教导别人，就像《战神》的宣传视频中所显示的那样。你必须要理解：玩家必须学习，但这并不代表主角也非得学习。

你的游戏中一共有几个导师？是谁在教授知识？为什么是TA？导师在游戏世界和故事中的角色是什么？玩家完成学习后，导师会何去何从？导师对故事很重要吗？

（3）如果是带剧情的游戏，将第一个情节点纳入新手教程，并且用它来说明主角的背景故事。

游戏的开头是最重要的部分，因为它决定了玩家的去留。因此游戏的开头/介绍必须是有趣的，令人兴奋的，而且还得是新手玩家能够接受的难度。入门教程不一定非得是枯燥无味的，我们可以把故事的开头融入其中，让它令人难忘。入门教程不仅可以用来介绍游戏的主要机制，还可以用来介绍角色和剧情线。弄清楚哪些人是主要角色，故事的终极目标是什么。第一个情节点对故事很重要，而且在大多数情况下是贯穿主角生活的关键事件。

你的故事里的第一个情节点是什么，能放在教程里吗？第一个情节点中，有没有一些紧要关头是需要玩家应用所学技能的？你能在入门教程中介绍故事里的几个主要角色吗？

（4）减少玩家能做的动作，不要一下子给他们太多选项，然后再逐一添加/介绍机制。

并不是所有的机制都非得在游戏的开头就倾巢而出，或者对它们全部进行详细的介绍。如果可以的话，减少玩家的技能，然后再慢慢地叠加上去，让玩家有时间学习和练习每个技能。创造出一个玩家不能/不需要在一开始的时候就用上全部技能的场景。比如在《死亡空间2》中，主角Isaac Clarke必须逃脱邪恶外星人的追杀，虽然这个场景可能没有那么恐怖，但是它允许玩家在学习其他技能之前，只专注于四处走动。

游戏开场的时候，有哪些技能和机制是必须出现的？哪些技能和机制可以在后期再慢慢添加进来？为什么主角的技能在一开始会受到限制，有什么背景故事？

（5）先让玩家在安全的环境中犯错，然后再按照他们自己的节奏/速度学习。

有些游戏会让玩家在一个特定的教程回合中学习机制，这显然是一个安全的环境，玩家知道他们可以不受惩罚地犯错误。要想创造这样的环境有很多种方法，可以是对战其他角色的训练任务，也可以是一个梦境，等等。比如在《摩多暗影》中，主角先是和儿子在自家的船上进行比划，说是锻炼儿子的剑法，实际上是在教授玩家怎么用剑。有些游戏不是直接地教导玩家潜行和暗杀的技能。“主角蹑手蹑脚地向妻子走来，想给她一个惊喜。”虽然动作和按钮是一模一样的，但结果却不存在任何风险，并帮助玩家为以后的实际偷袭和暗杀部分做准备。

玩家如何能在不受惩罚的情况下学习玩法？游戏中有没有额外的时间和地点可以让玩家无忧无虑地学习各种机制？玩家们知不知道在后期的游玩中，这些行为是会产生后果的？

（6）尽量少使用文本，尽可能多地使用配音。

文本是一种大多数玩家都不喜欢的东西。阅读量太大可能会把玩家吓跑或让他们感到厌烦，因此文本的使用应该缩减到最低限度。然而有时候文本的使用是不可避免的。如果可以的话，尽量把文本简化成一小段一小段的，并且加上配音。如果有人在大声朗读这段文字的话，玩家阅读起来也更容易些。当然，如果是一个文本量很大的游戏，比如《黑客网络》，那么规则就会有点不同。

我一定得用文本吗？如果是的话，有办法缩减文本量吗？我能不能把这些文本分为多个部分，然后再逐一地展示给玩家？我能给多少本文配音？玩家可以跳过文本，或重看之前出现的文本吗？

（7）决定哪些部分需要解释，哪些部分玩家可以自己弄清楚。

趣味性是电子游戏的一个重要组成部分。玩家们喜欢鼓捣游戏给他们的东西，但他们也喜欢自己去探索发掘。无需解释游戏中的每一个部分，玩家可以自己发现很多东西，尤其是当他们学过类似机制的时候——如果他们已经学过如何用手枪射击，那么他们也会知道如何使用猎枪。再比如说，如果游戏的目标受众是跳跑类的忠实玩家，那么开发者通常不需要向玩家解释如何跳跃，你只需要告诉他们按哪个键就可以了。

游戏中的哪些玩法是众所周知的？哪些玩法较为独特？哪些部分需要解释？玩家可以自行理解哪些部分？

（8）针对有经验和没有经验的玩家，提供不同的教学方法，将指示和教程设置为可以跳过的。

每位玩家的理解方式、游玩方式、游戏知识和技能组合都是独一无二的。一款游戏可能会有高级玩家和休闲玩家，或者都是中核玩家。玩家的类型越广泛，入门教程就得越灵活。开发者必须明确地知道自己的玩家是谁，不只是为了广告和销量，也是为了入门教程和学习曲线。
入门教程是否具有交互性和响应性？取决于玩家的类型，入门教程是否有不同的版本？如果玩家已经知道该怎么做的话，他们可以很容易地跳过指示或者快速地完成一个教程回合吗？如果玩家已经知道这个游戏怎么玩了，他们可以跳过整个教程吗？

（9）只有在相关的时候才给出指示

游戏还没正式开始，开发者就扔出一大堆信息给玩家，这种做法显然是会影响到游戏趣味的，尤其是当80%的信息都和当下的情形无关的时候。正如之前提到的，没有必要在一开始就详细地解释每个技能或每个按键的作用。如果暂时用不到的话，就先别解释。开发者不需要将游戏中的所有机制都压缩到入门教程里，你可以根据游戏的需要对教程的内容进行调节。如果某个技能是在玩了30个小时以后才会用到，那么就等到那个时候再教玩家怎么用这个技能。

一开始的时候，我需要给出多少指示？有多少指示可以延期给出？游戏指南可以分开吗？指南中显示的知识可以立马应用到游戏中吗？

5.总结

没有哪个教程是适合所有游戏的。在教学方面，每个游戏类型和每款游戏都会面临不同的难题。本文的内容更像是一个清单，看看它们是否能够应用到你的游戏当中。在考虑的时候，开发者需要问自己：游戏是什么类型的？采用的玩法是否众所周知？有多少类似的热门游戏？游戏机制有多复杂？与跑跳类或步行模拟类游戏相比，4X战略游戏需要教授玩家更多的东西。有的时候，文本是完全没有必要的，就像《地狱边境Limbo》；而其他时候，它们则是无法避免的，就像《Eve Online》。开发人员必须根据游戏的自身情况决定哪些点是可以用得到的。

新手教程不应该被视为一个独立的个体或是游戏的前言。玩家和开发者们通常一想到入门教程就头疼，但是其实玩家们是可以享受入门教程的，而且它可以为开发者们提供很多机会：将入门教程与角色创建以及故事叙述相结合，丰富游戏的开篇内容；在教授基本玩法的同时，创建一个壮观的介绍场景；在一开始的时候就给玩家提供取得成就的满足感。从根本上说，玩家永远都不会停止学习。每一次跳跃都是在锻炼，每一次战斗都是在提升战术，每一次失败都是在学会调整。

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

1. Introduction

Video Games keep evolving in terms of graphics, cinematography, storytelling, technology and more. There are many books, blogs or video channels that teach you the art of making games in detailed step-by-step tutorials. Many of them are on the technical side, how to use an engine, how to model and rig a character, and there are also some that teach you how a good level design looks like (e.g. The Game Maker’s Toolkit).

But there is a very important part of game development that often gets neglected, by both the players and the developers: the tutorial. In order to enjoy a game, the player has to be taught how to play it. But what is considered a good tutorial? How do you teach mechanics without boring the player? What are best practices? In the course of this paper, we will analyze different game tutorials and develop a toolset for how a good tutorial can be created. But first, we have to go a step back and ask:

What is a tutorial?

According to Wikipedia it is

(…) a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete a certain task.

In short: transferring knowledge in an interactive way. The “knowledge” in our case would be “how to play the game”, which is supposed to be transferred to the game itself. The medium teaches the user how to use the medium.

The PC Mag Encyclopedia defines a tutorial as

(…) an instructional book or program that takes the user through a prescribed
sequence of steps in order to learn a product.

According to PC Mag, a tutorial is supposed to take a user through a sequence of steps to learn the product (in this case: game). This seems oddly specific since there are so many types of games and tutorials. Do they all require a step-by-step tutorial to be played? Are there maybe other ways to teach how to play a game, without using a step-by-step instruction?

The definitions seem to only focus on the learning and passive part of tutorials and neglect the aspect of applying knowledge. What does a player need to know in order to play a game? They need to know the controls, rules, and mechanics to move around in the game world. But that is not enough.

To know how to move around and use the Portal Gun in the game Portal does not help you solve the puzzles. The players also have to understand how velocity, gravity, and location in the game world is different from the real world since you can create portals. The last thing a tutorial should make sure is that the players are not only able to rethink their understanding of the (game) world but also how to apply their knowledge. Otherwise, they will not be able to solve similar situations in the game, but only those they have learned and seen before. A better definition of game tutorials could be:

A tutorial is an interactive scenario that equips the player with the knowledge and mindset to understand the game world and how to apply those to different situations in the game.

2. A Good Tutorial

What constitutes a good tutorial? Are there do’s and don’ts? There are no books about the topic, let alone scientifically approaches. As many elements in game development, this topic is approached by looking at experienced developers and designers.

The School of Game Design starts off with suggesting using less text. Ernest Adams, founder of the International Game Developers Association, also states that making the player read a lot is a bad tutorial. The creator of Plants vs. Zombies, George Fan, goes even further and suggests that “there should be a maximum of eight words on the screen at any given moment.” Indie Developer Darran Jamieson reduces it to a simple statement:

“Don’t overwhelm the player.”

Players can only process a certain amount information at a time. If there is too much to remember, like for example the function fifteen different buttons on a controller, as seen in the gamepad instructions for Diablo III. They will forget most of it once the game starts. Instructions should be spread out in reasonable chunks and at times they are relevant.

This also means not to “front-load your tutorial”, as the School of Game Design says. Showing information beforehand and out of context will not stick in most cases. If the key mapping screen tells the player that the Y-button makes your player character hold their breath, it gives you the facts of the button, but not the context or meaning. What does holding the breath do? How does it help me? Is it something I need when diving or for using a sniper rifle (holding the breath while aiming and shooting increases accuracy)?

Visualisation and fun are known to be effective for learning and video games have taught other fields many things about learning, buzzword: gamification.

As Dave Gray writes:

Our world is changing fast [...]. Visual literacy – the ability to both read and write visual information; the ability to learn visually; to think and solve problems in the visual domain – will, as the information revolution evolves, become a requirement for success in business and in life.

The ability to read and write visual information and solve problems in the visual domains are exactly what in-game tutorials have to teach the player. Many tutorials focus only on the “read” part, neglecting the “write”. This problem can also be found in other educational domains. James Paul Gee uses the example of students who have learned Newton’s laws of motion, they understand it but cannot apply it (James Paul Gee. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. St. Martin’S Press, 2008, p. 22):

So these students have entered the semiotic domain of physics as passive content but not as something in terms of which they can actually see and operate on their world in new ways. These students cannot produce meanings in physics or understand them in producerlike ways. They have not learned to experience the world in a new way.

This is why immersive tutorials are important. In order to ensure a complete understanding of the game world, the instructions need to be embedded in the game, have relevancy and make the players understand why they are doing something. Or as it is said in the movie Inception:

ARTHUR: Okay, here’s planting an idea: I say to you, “Don’t think about
elephants.”

(Saito nods)

What are you thinking about?

SAITO: Elephants.

ARTHUR: Right. But it’s not your idea because you know I gave it to you.

The players should have the feeling they have understood a game mechanic themselves and not that the game told them how to use it. Let us take a look at games that are known for having an excellent tutorial.

3. Examples

There are games that manage to intertwine the tutorial with the flow and narrative of the game, sometimes barely recognizable as instructions. Tutorials are infamous for something the player wants to skip because a lot of them do not incorporate the factor of fun into it, like the rest of the game. Let us look at examples, who managed to create an immersive, fun and efficient tutorial.

3.1 Portal 2

Valve’s sequel to the successful Portal manages to introduce the players to the game in a highly entertaining way and is considered by many as one of the most enjoyable game tutorials. After destroying the evil A.I. GlaDOS and escaping in Portal, the main character loses consciousness from an explosion and finds herself recaptured by Aperture Science. In Portal 2, the player starts off imprisoned in a research facility, administrated by robots. They can’t leave their prison room until the introduction has ended. It is common in many games to “trap” the players in a tutorial level to make them learn basic mechanics, in Portal 2 they align it with the story.

The game starts with an announcement, waking up the main character, Chell, and explains:

Good morning. you have been in suspension for -FIFTY- days. In compliance
with state and federal regulations, all testing candidates in the Aperture Science
Extended Relaxation Center must be revived periodically for a mandatory
physical and mental wellness exercise.

The tutorial to this game is disguised as a physical and mental wellness exercise in the humorous style of the game. A narrative tutorial always has an instructor, or mentor who teaches the players the mechanics (sometimes the player character is the mentor). In Portal 2 it is the announcer at first, who asks the player to look first up, then down, in order to fulfill the gymnastics part of the test.

Looking around with the mouse is so commonly used in many game genres that it hardly requires any instruction, same as jumping. There are many specific things in semiotic domains in games that need explaining but moving around is in many cases shared across the domains, which is why they have not to be explained as thoroughly as other mechanics.

The game makes use of the fact that basic movement is commonly known and makes fun of it by changing the instructions to learn them to something completely irrelevant to the player (Chell’s gymnastic workout has no value for them). The next step is admiring art. In order to do so, the player has to walk over to a painting and stare at it. It teaches them to use the ASDW-keys to move around. Again, a common mechanic across semiotic domains in games.

After this, the player has to go to bed. They are woken up again by a robot who claims the facility is going to explode and is trying to evacuate you. The robot follows up by explaining that Chell might have serious brain damage and asks her if she understands. The game then claims using the space-key will answer the question, although it is the button for jumping. So instead of answering with “yes”, Chell jumps and the robot reacts to that:

“Okay. What you’re doing there is jumping. You just… you just jumped. But nevermind. Say ‘Apple’, ‘Aaaapple’.”

Goes without saying that the next “answer” is a jump as well. As before, the commonly known jump mechanic is introduced as a result of Chell gone mad over the years in this facility.

Another thing frequently happening in a narrative tutorial is introducing the first plot point of the story. In story writing, there are two major plot points. The first one introduces the goal of the main character and sometimes the villain or antagonistic force and the second plot point reveals if the main character reaches their goal or not. Before plot point one is considered the “daily life”, the regular life that the main character is used to (in this case Chell in prison). This daily life is usually interrupted by the plot point one.

In Portal 2 the plot point is that the robot tries to evacuate you and fails miserably. the cell crashes against all sorts of obstacles, almost destroying the entire container Chell is in. Shortly before crashing into a wall, the robot tells the player the next goal they have to achieve:

(…) Remember: you’re looking for a gun that makes holes. Not bullet holes,
but— well, you’ll figure it out. (…)

Considering the player has most likely played the original Portal, they should know the robot is talking about the famous Portal gun. And even if they do not know what the robot is talking about, acquiring a gun is a very common mechanic in a first-person shooter game. So the game is again, borrowing from another semiotic domain.

The players then have to go through some very basic puzzles, that are partially known from the first Portal game. Experienced players can solve them instantly, while new players can figure out the mechanics by simple trial and error. The puzzles introduce the main mechanics and tools of the game before giving the player the portal gun, including portals, buttons, and cubes. While trial and error can be frustrating sometimes, due to the limited numbers of possibilities, learning is easy and feels self-accomplished. Next, the player will stumble over the portal gun. Usually, the gun can be used to create two portals, a blue one and an orange one, that are linked. In this case, the orange portal is already created. This way, no matter where they are placing the blue portal, they will be able to walk through it and come out where they need to be to continue. This way the players can figure out how the gun behaves, without having to worry about the possibilities of placing two portals. As we have learned before: don’t overwhelm the player.

The orange portal is placed in a way that is clearly visible when picking up the gun. When the player uses the gun (for example because they know how to use a gun from ego-shooter games), they create the blue portal and can see through it. When they cross the portal they will find themselves at the spot they saw when picking up the gun and learn the physics and logic of the two portals:

the two portals connect and I can walk through it, to reach places I normally can’t

The following number of puzzles keep restricting the player to only place the blue portal until they fully understand how to read and write in the game world. They have learned that the blue portal connects to the orange, as soon as it is placed. Now they learn that the blue portal cannot be placed everywhere. After that, the player is forced to apply the knowledge to a cube. They have learned how to place and walk through portals and now have to transfer it, so they can move a cube from a distant platform and onto a button. They learn that the portals work for other objects two and also that velocity can be used, too. After solving a series of puzzles, it can be safely assumed the player has understood the mechanics of the portals and is eventually given the possibility to place both portals.

What do we learn from the Portal tutorial?

Create a narrative scenario in which teaching makes sense in the game world

Have a mentor character teaching the game

Incorporate the first plot point into the tutorial

Reduce the possibilities of action to not overwhelm the player, and add mechanics one at a time

Make it possible to skip or rush through parts of the tutorials, if player is experienced

4.2 Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is the first 3-dimensional installment of the popular dystopian RPG series. Fallout takes place in a world that has survived an atomic war. Societies have locked themselves up underground in so-called “Vaults”. They lived their normal lives down there, having schools, giving birth to children, going to work and everything else considered part of society. The player creates a character who leaves the safety of the vault to go look for their missing father.

In the game, the tutorial is skillfully intertwined with the character creation, exposition, and the first plot point. The player starts at the very birth of the main character. The father enters, rhetorically asking if you are a boy or a girl. The player then chooses the gender of the main character, followed by the father telling the player’s mother, Catherine, and introducing her. The father then names the child, while the player is the person who actually gives the main character their name.

The father then uses a so-called gene projector, to see how his child will look like in the future. This device fits well into the retro-futuristic world of Fallout and embeds the character creation into the game world. The players can choose the appearance of the main character, resulting in the gene projector showing the future look of the child. It’s believable and fits the narrative very well, without breaking immersion.

The mother then dies and the baby is carried out of the room, fast forwarding to a year later. The main character is a little toddler now, looking at the father, who is asking the child to “come to Daddy”. It is a familiar scenario, that also serves as a basic movement tutorial. The players can figure out how to move around, just as a toddler would do. The player is then asked to look at the SPECIAL book, a little children’s book that also serves as distributing the character’s attribute points. The interface and description of the attributes are all in the style of the children’s book. The attribute “Strength” for example is described as:

S is for strength, and that means I am strong! I can carry more toys and swing
stuff all day long!

The game assumes the player has knowledge about RPGs from the previous Fallout games or other, similar games and decides to target that audience with the tutorial. Those players will instantly know that they are supposed to improve the values as they see fit, while still making sure the interface and content fit to the game world. After finishing distributing the points, the father reappears and asks you to follow him to see if your friend Amata wants to play, briefly introducing another character.

Another fast forward to the main character’s tenth birthday. An NPC is giving the main character the PitBoy device as a gift, which later is important because it is the user interface and contains mechanics like inventory, stats and more. This scene also introduces social interactions. Different NPCs talk to the main character and the player can choose their response, also serving as a pool for background information and character introduction. The player learns about the Overseer, who is in charge of the Vault, the bullies, or the protagonist’s best friend Amata. As usual for a birthday party, the guests hand the birthday kid presents, which teaches the player how to receive items and look them up in the inventory. When talking to an old lady, the player receives a sweet-roll.

Shortly after the Butch, the bully demands that item from you. Depending on the player’s answer, they either lose the sweet-roll or end up in a fistfight. This way the player learns that the possession of items can cause events in the game and also that the answers can influence the outcome of a scene, all within a fitting, narrative scenario. Following that incident, the protagonist’s father leads you downstairs to give them a BB-gun and teaches the player how to aim and shoot targets and a giant cockroach. Another flash-forward follows to the time the protagonist is sixteen years old and has to take the so-called G.O.A.T. test. In the world, this test determines which duty the inhabitant of the vault will be assigned to, for the player, these multiple-choice questions determine the skills the player starts with. However, they can adjust the selection at the end if they want to. After this last tutorial part, the first plot point follows. Amata wakes up the player and tells them their father has left the vault and that the Overseer is trying to kill the player. They now have to put their skills to use and escape the vault. Once they’re out the actual game starts and the players have to find their father (or not, if they chose to and just roam around the world).

What do we learn from the Fallout 3 tutorial?

Create a narrative scenario in which teaching makes sense in the game world, try to incorporate anything you see or hear into the logic of the game world

Have one or more mentors teaching the game

Incorporate the first plot point into the tutorial and use it as an exposition

Reduce the possibilities of action to not overwhelm the player, and add mechanics one at a time

Let the player make mistakes in a safe environment first

3.3 Civilization VI

Some game genres are on average more complex like others, like strategy games for example. There is so much information to convey that it can overwhelm the player. Civilization VI and its expansions are one of those games, a 4X turn-based strategy game with many elements that takes many hours to learn.

The player picks a civilization of their choice and starts the game with a settler and a warrior unit. They can pick a spot to found a city and from there, erect their empire. They have to manage the city, decide what to build, research, which units to train, which tiles to harvest and more. Eventually, they will stumble over neighbor civilizations, which requires the use of diplomacy to get profit or allies.

There are different victories to strive for, the domination victory, which requires to capture the capital city of each other civilization, the culture victory, which requires to have a certain tourism impact on all other civilizations, the science victory, which requires to send a rocket to the moon and the religious victory, which requires to have a certain influence on your religion.

Each civilization has its own bonus, a unique building, and unit. Saladin, the leader of Arabia, has cheaper worship buildings and provides additional faith, science, and culture. Catherine de Medici of France, on the other hand, gains one additional level of diplomatic visibility and can recruit an extra spy. The tutorial in this game does not try to hide or cover itself in some sort of narrative but it also does not have to. There is a lot of interface on-screen, many numbers and icons, which requires clear instructions to understand. There are two ways of learning how to play Civilization VI: either go through the separate tutorial scenario or start a game. The tutorial level is a step-to-step guide through the basic mechanics of the game. The player is guided by an advisor character, whose words are spoken aloud, reducing the amount of text the player has to read. In between those advisor messages, there are clear instructions what to do next, like “click this button to found a city” or “click here to train warriors”. These clear instructions may be needed in a complex game like this. However, the messages of the advisor are written “in-character”, so it gives the feeling that it is actually a person at your side, the leader’s side, to help you govern your people. After founding the first city and training the first unit, the advisor would say:

There are those among us with minds adept at unlocking the world’s secrets. We need only guide them.

This sentence basically just says “pick something to research” in terms of game mechanics, but it is written fitting to the world. This tutorial, which can also be described as a tunnel-tutorial, can only be finished by going through all the necessary steps. Important to note is, that this tutorial is not required to do in order to play the game. It is voluntary, for people who have never played any Civilization game, or even any 4X game at all.

The other way to learn the game is to just dive in. For that case, the game is prepared as well. At the very start of the first game, it asks the player if they are new to just Civilization VI or the entire franchise. Depending on their answer, a number of hint messages pop up, spoken by the same advisor as the above-mentioned tutorial, briefly describing a mechanic. There is a “tell me more”-button on most messages, giving the player the opportunity to read up on something, they want to know more about. Clicking the button will bring them to the so-called Civilopedia, an in-game encyclopedia that contains not only information about game mechanics but also historical and cultural knowledge.

This way of learning the game, which is assumably the most common choice of players, lets them learn the game at their own pace. It is important to show the players where to get more information if they need to learn more.

What do we learn from the Civilization VI tutorial?

Create a narrative scenario in which teaching makes sense in the game world, try to incorporate anything you see or hear into the logic of the game world

Have one or more mentors teaching the game

If the game tells a story, incorporate the first plot point into the tutorial and use it as an exposition

Reduce the possibilities of action to not overwhelm the player, and add mechanics one at a time

Let the player make mistakes in a safe environment first and learn at their own pace

Use as little text as possible and dub as much of it as possible

Determine which parts have to be explained and which the player can figure out by themselves

Have different ways of teaching the game, depending on who is playing it, make instructions and tutorials skippable

Give instructions only when they are relevant

4. The Tutorial Guide

Concluding from what we have learned before, we can now create a toolset for how to create immersive tutorials. This list serves as points that a game developer should consider to incorporate into their game. Not all the points have to or can be applied to a game project, depending on the genre or type of the game, but the more of them are applied to a game tutorial, the better the experience will be. Let us go through the developed points and clarify what they mean and which questions can be asked to determine how to improve the tutorial.

1. Create a narrative scenario in which teaching makes sense in the game world, try to incorporate anything you see or hear into the logic of the game world

When a game is in development, one can assume the developers know what the game world is all about, which characters inhabit them, how daily life looks in there and so on. When coming up with a tutorial scenario it is important to fully understand the world the characters are living in and where it would make sense that someone is learning.

Maybe the main character is a retired agent, who comes back to action and needs to refresh his/her skills, like in Splinter Cell. Maybe they have a flashback, remembering their training.

Maybe they are trying to do something completely irrelevant, like showering or dressing, which prepares the player for later scenes, like in Heavy Rain. Who is learning and why do they have to learn? Is the main character new to what he or she is doing? Where are they? What medium do they use to learn, is it a person, books, holograms, a computer, etc.?

2. Have one or more mentors teaching the game

As in many movies and books, the mentor takes an important role in video games. It is a person or an instance, that can be trusted, which conveys a positive bond at the beginning of a story. The mentor convinces the hero to follow their destiny and prepare them for their journey. Gandalf teaches Frodo, Morpheus teaches Neo and Doc Brown teaches Marty McFly.

In games the mentor does not have to be a character, it can be a computer program, a dream or a videotape, whichever fits the game world. It is only important to decide what or who is teaching the player the game. The main character can be a mentor themselves, teaching someone else, before the player takes control of the main character, as seen in the teaser video for the upcoming God of War game. It is important to understand that only because the player has to learn, does not mean the main character has to be the one learning as well. Is there one or more mentors? Who is teaching and why? What is the mentor’s role in the world and story? What happens to the mentor when the player has finished learning? Is the mentor important to the story?

3. If the game tells a story, incorporate the first plot point into the tutorial and use it as an exposition

The beginning of the game is the most important part, it decides if the players keep playing or quit it and never play again. The introduction has to be interesting, thrilling and also simple enough to be accessible to new players. A tutorial does not have to be dry, incorporate the beginning of the story into it, make it memorable. The tutorial can be used to not only introduce the main mechanics of the game but also characters and plot lines. Make clear who the important characters are and what the goal of the story will be. The first plot point is important to the story and most of the time a crucial event that cuts into the life of the hero. This is very interesting, let this happen during the tutorial.

What is the first plot point of your story and can it be placed into the tutorial? Can there be some sort of tutorial showdown in which the players have to put their skills to use? Can the important characters be introduced in the tutorial?

4. Reduce the possibilities of action to not overwhelm the player, and add mechanics one at a time

Not every single mechanic of the game has to be available at the beginning, nor explained at that time. If possible strip down the abilities of the player character and add them slowly, to give the players time to learn and practice with them. Try to come up with a scenario of why the player character does not or can not use all their abilities at the beginning. In Dead Space 2 for example, the protagonist, Isaac Clarke, has to run away from evil aliens in a straitjacket, which is not highly effective to set up a horror scenario but also lets the player focus only on moving around before learning other behaviors. Which abilities and mechanics are needed at the beginning of the game? Which abilities and mechanics can be added later? Why could the main character’s skills be limited at the beginning, what narrative reason can be there?

5. Let the player make mistakes in a safe environment first and learn at their own pace

Some games let the player learn during a specific tutorial level, something that is clearly a safe environment, in which the player knows they can make mistakes without being punished. There are many ways of creating such environment. It could be a training mission with dummies or a dream, like the Sylvari beginning in Guild Wars 2. The safe environment can also be achieved by teaching mechanics in a similar scenario, like in Shadow of Mordor. The game teaches the player the mechanics of sneaking and assassinating, but without doing it. Instead, the main character sneaks up to his wife to surprise her. While the movements and buttons are the same, the outcome is without risk and prepares the players for the later, actual sneak and assassination parts. How can the player learn the mechanics without being punished? Is there a time and space in the game where the tutorial could take place, free of too many consequences? Is it clear for the player that these actions will have consequences later?

6. Use as little text as possible and dub as much of it as possible

Text is something, most players don’t like. Use too much and they are scared off or bored. The use of text should be reduced to a minimum. The famous phrase “show, don’t tell” should be a mantra for game development. Sometimes, text is unavoidable. It should be used in small bites then and dubbed, if possible. It is much easier to follow a text if someone is reading it aloud. If the game is a text-heavy game, to begin with, like Hacknet, then the rules differ a bit, obviously. Do I need text and if yes, can I reduce it? Can I divide the text into smaller chunks and show them one at a time? How much of the text can I dub? Can the text be skippable and revisited later?

7. Determine which parts have to be explained and which the player can figure out by themselves

An important part of video games is the playfulness. Players like to play around with what they are given and to find out things by themselves. Not each and every part of a game has to be explained, there are many things that the players can find out by themselves, especially if they have learned something that is similar before. If they have learned how to shoot and reload a pistol, they will know how to do so with a shotgun, too. Also, if a developer targets core Jump’n Run players with your game, then they usually do not have to explain to them how to jump, they just have to show them which button they have to use (or maybe not even that). Which mechanics of the game are commonly known and which ones are unique? Which parts are crucial to continuing and needs understanding? Which parts can be understood by themselves or are optional?

8. Have different ways of teaching the game, depending on who is playing it, make instructions and tutorials skippable

Every player is unique in the way they understand and play a game and the knowledge and skill set they bring. A game may be played by hardcore and casual players alike or maybe only mid-core players. The broader the audience is the more flexible the tutorial has to be. Not only for sales and advertising purposes it is important to exactly know who your game is playing, but also for the tutorial and learning curve. Can the tutorial be interactive and responsive? Can the tutorial have different versions, depending on the players choice? Can the player easily skip instructions or finish a tutorial level quickly, if they already know what to do? Can the entire tutorial be skipped if the player already knows the game?

9. Give instructions only when they are relevant

Nothing is less inviting to a game than a huge amount of information before the actual game starts, especially if 80% of the information is not even relevant in the beginning of the game. There is no need to explain every mechanic at the beginning or show the mapping of every key if they do not have to be used immediately to reinforce the knowledge. The tutorial of a game has not to be compressed to one moment of the game, it can be as stretched as needed. If the player learns the last mechanic after thirty hours of gameplay, let the tutorial be at that time. How many instructions do I need at the beginning? How many instructions can I postpone? Can instructions be separated? Can the knowledge obtained from the instructions be put to use immediately after?

5. Conclusion

There is no ultimate guide for tutorials that apply to each and every game. Every genre and every game has different challenges to overcome while teaching the players. The points mentioned in this thesis are more of a checklist to see if they can be applied to the game in question. There always have to be individual questions asked. What genre is the game? Are the mechanics commonly known? How many similar and well-known games are there? How complex are the mechanics? A 4X strategy game or an MMORPG has a lot more to teach than games like a Jump and Run game or a walking simulator. Sometimes text is completely unnecessary, as in Limbo, and other times they are unavoidable, as in Eve Online. Developers have to determine which of the points can be applied. A tutorial should not be considered a foreign body or a preamble. It’s not a necessary evil, cursed by players and developers. It is an opportunity to create an enriching beginning of a game, combine it with character creation or exposition. It is an opportunity to create a spectacular intro scene while still teaching basic mechanics, to give a satisfactory sense of accomplishment right at the start of a journey. Ideally learning in a game never stops, with every jump the player gets better, with every battle they improve their tactics and with every failure they learn to adjust.  (Source:gamasutra.com  ）