add player tutorials

[vaendryl]

it should be possible to script an entire battle without calling a ui.interact anywhere, just to show how things can work together. design and implementation would probably be a major pain in the ass though. the later in development the batter as anything can still change meaning tutorials would have to be redone. thinking about them is still a good idea though.

maybe a glossary function is also a nice idea, as well as a hint system. probably accessible from the captain's quarters like skirmish is.

then again, a hyperlink to the wiki might suffice too :3

[BlueOrange]

I think that the current system of teaching the battles is really close to where it should be at the end. I like the way that it feels like you're working it out for yourself, and that you feel like you're discovering the battle system as you go on.

Some comments from Ava about flak would probably be wise, and you'd be aware of my posts in the forums about giving people some narrative clues about how the hate mechanics work.

Essentially, my view is that fully-scripted tutorial videos are not a lot of fun to watch, and they're a ton of work to produce. Seems like a lose-lose to me.

[vaendryl]

I intend for them to be optional and accessible at will somehow instead of having them forced down anyone's throat at some random point in the story. they should also discuss advanced tactics more than basic ones.

I'm thinking of showing off how you can combine flakoff with quantum torpedoes and a damage buff to take out major threats on turn 1, or how useful dual kinetics are - especially combined with short range warp. warp in, shoot, warp again, vanguard. things like that.

[BlueOrange]

Optional makes a lot of sense.

Really not sure about tutorials for advanced tactics, though. That's the kind of thing that people tend to be proud of themselves for figuring out. "Quantum torpedoes + damage buff = major win" is a fun thing to work out for yourself. It's also (for people who like to socialize about games) a cool thing to be able to talk about. Having it built in seems likely to reduce the enjoyment of the game, for me.

I've been playing SpaceChem today, and the way that it reports statistics on player performance is really quite interesting. It's a really interesting way of feeding people clues as to whether they're solving the puzzles efficiently or not. And because it shows you your performance in terms of multiple variables, you can soothe your ego with the knowledge "OK, so I took longer, but I used less components."

This is something that Portal did really well - they didn't tell you the solutions, but they did change the lighting in order to make you more likely to look at the things that would solve the puzzle. (Developer commentary on Poral has the details.)

I think it's really important to be conscious of what problem you are trying to solve. I remain firmly of the view that a 'try again at lower difficulty' button on the game over screen is the best solution for difficulty rage. People are complaining about the difficulty because they get partway through the story, get stuck, and then give up. It's OK to be difficult, provided that players don't feel like they've wasted god-knows-how-many hours getting to a dead end.

[vaendryl]

hmm yeah, you have a point. well, it's something that needs a lot more thought in general.

[BlueOrange]

:)

Is this intended as a fix for difficulty rage, or is there something else that you're aiming for?

[vaendryl]

pretty much the difficulty rage, but it feels like something Sunrider should have :p The wiki is nice, but it probably shouldn't be necessary for people to consult it.