0:00:00.089,0:00:02.610
I have a confession to make.

0:00:02.610,0:00:09.820
I’ve tried, many times, to play games like[br]Total War, Crusader Kings, and Endless Space.

0:00:09.820,0:00:14.820
I've bought them, downloaded them, made time[br]in my calendar for them.

0:00:14.820,0:00:17.250
And yet - the same thing always happens.

0:00:17.250,0:00:22.070
I get about 20 minutes into the tutorial,[br]and I start to zone out.

0:00:22.070,0:00:24.609
My eyes glaze over, and my mind drifts.

0:00:24.609,0:00:28.630
I start to think about all the things I could[br]be doing that are more fun than this.

0:00:28.630,0:00:31.810
Like filing my taxes or watching paint dry.

0:00:31.810,0:00:36.710
And this is a shame - because for the most[br]part, video game tutorials are actually pretty

0:00:36.710,0:00:37.790
good these days.

0:00:37.790,0:00:40.180
They’re interwoven into the world and narrative.

0:00:40.180,0:00:42.570
They’re well paced so as not to get boring.

0:00:42.570,0:00:46.050
And they’re cleverly designed to be subtle[br]and unobtrusive.

0:00:46.050,0:00:48.379
Even invisible at times.[br]*Impact*

0:00:48.379,0:00:53.899
But for certain genres like RTS, grand strategy,[br]and city builders - let’s just call them

0:00:53.899,0:00:55.920
“complex games” for this video.

0:00:55.920,0:01:01.469
For these complex games, the learning experience[br]can be pretty miserable - and at their worst,

0:01:01.469,0:01:06.630
these tutorials can stop people from ever[br]getting to the actual fun part of the game.

0:01:06.630,0:01:10.899
So I wanted to find out if there were ways[br]to improve this experience.

0:01:10.899,0:01:15.229
What techniques can we take from other genres[br]- in order to make complex games easier to

0:01:15.229,0:01:17.509
teach and easier to learn?

0:01:17.509,0:01:18.509
Well.

0:01:18.509,0:01:25.099
I'm Mark Brown, and this is Game Maker's Toolkit.

0:01:25.099,0:01:30.299
When we look at less complex games, I think[br]the biggest evolution has been a realisation

0:01:30.299,0:01:35.310
that the tutorial doesn’t have to be something[br]you do all in one go, before you get to play

0:01:35.310,0:01:36.430
the game properly.

0:01:36.430,0:01:42.240
Instead, it can be split up and sprinkled[br]throughout the entire experience.

0:01:42.240,0:01:45.369
And this approach has many advantages.

0:01:45.369,0:01:51.100
The big one is that, according to Plants vs[br]Zombies designer George Fan - a player's willingness

0:01:51.100,0:01:55.119
to learn grows along with their level of investment.

0:01:55.119,0:01:59.979
So when games dump a load of tutorials on[br]you at the start - that often exceeds your

0:01:59.979,0:02:01.439
willingness to learn.

0:02:01.439,0:02:05.810
By delaying these lessons, the game can wait[br]until you're more invested.

0:02:05.810,0:02:10.209
Another advantage is that you get to play[br]the “real game” almost immediately, instead

0:02:10.209,0:02:13.880
of having to sit through something that can[br]feel boring and academic.

0:02:13.880,0:02:18.400
And in fact, if each step of the tutorial[br]is small enough - you can sometimes teach

0:02:18.400,0:02:21.280
players without having a tutorial at all.

0:02:21.280,0:02:26.549
In Portal, for example, all of the early puzzle[br]chambers are actually inferring a small piece

0:02:26.549,0:02:29.540
of information about how the game works.

0:02:29.540,0:02:33.799
But as far as the player is concerned, they're[br]just playing the game.

0:02:33.799,0:02:38.510
And the third benefit is that by delaying[br]these tutorials, they can deliver messages

0:02:38.510,0:02:40.390
when it's actually relevant.

0:02:40.390,0:02:45.610
The game can pop up the crafting tutorial[br]when you first find a crafting table - instead

0:02:45.610,0:02:49.599
of telling you this at the start and hoping[br]you’ll have remembered by the time you finally

0:02:49.599,0:02:51.140
get to make something.

0:02:51.140,0:02:56.159
Now, complex games are typically still stuck[br]in the old format.

0:02:56.159,0:03:00.329
And that means players have to learn before[br]they're invested, they don't get to actually

0:03:00.329,0:03:04.590
play for hours, and they'll learn things that[br]might not be relevant for ages.

0:03:04.590,0:03:07.689
And, look - I can understand why this happens.

0:03:07.689,0:03:12.329
The reason it's possible to delay tutorials[br]in less complex games is that designers can

0:03:12.329,0:03:16.360
slowly introduce game mechanics throughout[br]the course of the adventure.

0:03:16.360,0:03:20.260
They can start you with a simple character[br]with very few abilities - and then slowly

0:03:20.260,0:03:25.680
increase complexity as you find new upgrades,[br]unlock new skills, recruit new party members,

0:03:25.680,0:03:26.870
and so on.

0:03:26.870,0:03:30.889
But complex games typically need to begin[br]with everything turned on.

0:03:30.889,0:03:35.749
As every system talks to each other - everything[br]needs to be online from the very beginning.

0:03:35.749,0:03:36.969
Right?

0:03:36.969,0:03:41.360
Bruce Shelley, who worked with Sid Meier on[br]the earliest Civilization games, coined the

0:03:41.360,0:03:44.780
phrase “inverted pyramid of decision making”.

0:03:44.780,0:03:49.170
The idea is that when you start Civilization,[br]you basically have one decision to make on

0:03:49.170,0:03:52.250
your first turn: where should you settle your[br]city?

0:03:52.250,0:03:55.700
And one decision on your next turn: what should[br]you build there?

0:03:55.700,0:03:58.090
But now you have two decisions to make.

0:03:58.090,0:04:01.489
What should you do with your new unit, and[br]what should your city build now?

0:04:01.489,0:04:05.810
Soon after, those decisions start to balloon[br]- and by the end of the game you're making

0:04:05.810,0:04:11.140
dozens of decisions per turn as you juggle[br]hundreds of units, cities, enemies, allies,

0:04:11.140,0:04:12.349
and resources.

0:04:12.349,0:04:16.989
The point being: over the course of a game[br]of Civilization, the complexity has organically

0:04:16.989,0:04:22.550
grown from a single settler in a foggy map[br]- to a massive empire of competing nations.

0:04:22.550,0:04:28.520
And so by virtue of its slow increase in complexity,[br]Civ is well placed to teach you its systems,

0:04:28.520,0:04:30.460
bit by bit, as you discover them.

0:04:30.460,0:04:35.030
An example of this in practice is the outstanding[br]city builder Frostpunk.

0:04:35.030,0:04:39.150
In this game you begin with one job: gathering[br]resources by hand.

0:04:39.150,0:04:42.169
And so the game gives you a quick tutorial[br]about that.

0:04:42.169,0:04:46.270
Then you turn on the generator… and the[br]game gives you a tutorial about that.

0:04:46.270,0:04:51.770
This carries on for the entire campaign, with[br]small tutorials for every major mechanic - but

0:04:51.770,0:04:55.830
all the way you're actually playing the game[br]for yourself.

0:04:55.830,0:04:58.740
Another avenue for this is the user interface.

0:04:58.740,0:05:04.030
From my own experience, at least, a complex[br]UI can be one of the most overwhelming things

0:05:04.030,0:05:05.030
to a new player.

0:05:05.030,0:05:11.139
But how many of these buttons, bars, windows,[br]and panels need to be there on the first turn?

0:05:11.139,0:05:12.830
So take a look at Mini Metro.

0:05:12.830,0:05:17.620
At the beginning, there's almost no interface[br]at all, meaning all you need to worry about

0:05:17.620,0:05:19.650
is connecting up train stations.

0:05:19.650,0:05:23.919
It's only when you start playing that more[br]information slowly appears - like the train

0:05:23.919,0:05:27.250
line menu, the clock, and the passenger counter.

0:05:27.250,0:05:30.599
Another example can be found in Animal Crossing:[br]New Horizons.

0:05:30.599,0:05:35.889
The tool wheel is a helpful, time-saving pinch[br]of UI design - but it could be difficult to

0:05:35.889,0:05:40.660
introduce players to two different types of[br]inventory, at the start of the game.

0:05:40.660,0:05:46.050
So, instead, you have to save up and buy the[br]tool wheel from the shop - meaning the player

0:05:46.050,0:05:50.190
gets to set the pace in terms of how complex[br]the game's UI is.

0:05:50.190,0:05:55.819
This does happen in some complex games - the[br]UI in Total War: Troy expands as you play,

0:05:55.819,0:06:01.389
for example - but I'd love to see designers[br]get even more aggressive with this technique.

0:06:01.389,0:06:06.500
So this is all about how a single campaign[br]can become more involved over time, allowing

0:06:06.500,0:06:10.350
the developers to withhold teaching until[br]it’s actually relevant.

0:06:10.350,0:06:13.520
But perhaps there's another way of thinking[br]about this.

0:06:13.520,0:06:18.639
If you want to get started with fighting games[br]- definitely a complex genre, but that's outside

0:06:18.639,0:06:19.700
the scope of this video.

0:06:19.700,0:06:23.669
Uh, if you want to try your hand at fighting[br]games, you don’t need to know about trip

0:06:23.669,0:06:29.380
guards, frame data, happy birthdays, turtling,[br]bivouacing, or pretzel motion in your first

0:06:29.380,0:06:30.380
fight.

0:06:30.380,0:06:31.759
And I only made up one of those.

0:06:31.759,0:06:35.789
All you need to know to get cracking is how[br]to do more than button mash.

0:06:35.789,0:06:40.800
So the designers of Mortal Kombat 11 considered[br]this when making the game's tutorial.

0:06:40.800,0:06:46.000
They broke the player base down into segments[br]- like couch players, dabblers, connoisseurs,

0:06:46.000,0:06:47.729
and online PvPers.

0:06:47.729,0:06:52.030
Then they figured out what people actually[br]need to know, depending on what level of player

0:06:52.030,0:06:58.439
they are - and put those lessons into three[br]tutorial brackets: basics, advanced, and strategy.

0:06:58.439,0:07:03.720
The important part is that these three brackets[br]aren't designed to be played all in one go.

0:07:03.720,0:07:08.740
Instead, the tutorial is specifically designed[br]to kick you out of the tutorial menu at the

0:07:08.740,0:07:12.850
end of each segment - with the intention that[br]you will now go and play the game, use what

0:07:12.850,0:07:15.120
you learned, and enjoy yourself.

0:07:15.120,0:07:19.190
You can always come back and learn more when[br]you feel ready to go to the next level - and

0:07:19.190,0:07:21.800
take your game from button mashing to bivouacing.

0:07:21.800,0:07:23.411
Oh wait that's the one I made up.

0:07:23.411,0:07:25.000
Anyway. [br]Here's my point.

0:07:25.000,0:07:30.538
Most complex games aren't meant to be played[br]though just once, like a story-driven adventure game.

0:07:30.538,0:07:34.860
They're designed to be played over and over[br]again - like a fighting game.

0:07:34.860,0:07:39.460
And so perhaps we can take this format, but[br]instead of thinking about peppering tutorials

0:07:39.460,0:07:45.110
across a single campaign - we can zoom out[br]and put tutorials in between entire playthroughs

0:07:45.110,0:07:46.110
of the campaign.

0:07:46.110,0:07:49.250
And I've got a story that could show how this[br]might work.

0:07:49.250,0:07:54.879
My first game in the Civilization series was[br]Civilization V - which was well received,

0:07:54.879,0:08:00.449
but some hardcore fans criticised it for simplifying[br]or outright removing features that had been

0:08:00.449,0:08:02.509
seen in earlier entries.

0:08:02.509,0:08:05.050
Stuff like espionage and religion.

0:08:05.050,0:08:10.219
But it was great for me because it was so[br]much easier to learn a game with fewer systems.

0:08:10.219,0:08:15.039
I was able to get into the fun relatively[br]quickly, and actually play through a few campaigns.

0:08:15.039,0:08:20.060
Later down the line, Firaxis would eventually[br]reintroduce those forgotten features - and

0:08:20.060,0:08:24.080
more - in expansion packs like Gods & Kings[br]and Brave New World.

0:08:24.080,0:08:28.419
And I found those pretty easy to learn as[br]well because I already knew the basics from

0:08:28.419,0:08:31.700
Civ V: I just needed to figure out the new[br]stuff.

0:08:31.700,0:08:36.470
And so these expansion packs essentially created[br]that gradual increase of complexity I've been

0:08:36.470,0:08:40.810
talking about - just with entire campaigns[br]in between the tutorials.

0:08:40.810,0:08:46.730
And so the same could be done for other games[br]- just, not necessarily through selling expansion packs.

0:08:46.730,0:08:51.530
What I mean is: instead of an easy mode just[br]being the same game but with dumb AI - it

0:08:51.530,0:08:55.400
could be a stripped back version of the game[br]with fewer systems to know about.

0:08:55.400,0:08:59.350
Then the player can play again, with more[br]systems turned on.

0:08:59.350,0:09:03.070
And keep going until they get to the full[br]fat version of the game.

0:09:03.070,0:09:07.220
I'm not saying it would be easy to do - and[br]the game would have to be designed this way

0:09:07.220,0:09:08.560
from the very beginning.

0:09:08.560,0:09:16.060
But, if done well, it could be very effective[br]at teaching players as their investment rises.

0:09:16.060,0:09:17.190
But okay.

0:09:17.190,0:09:21.790
Maybe it doesn't make sense for a certain[br]game to sprinkle the tutorial out across multiple

0:09:21.790,0:09:24.200
turns or multiple campaigns.

0:09:24.200,0:09:27.890
Perhaps the design just doesn't accommodate[br]that and it actually does need to frontload

0:09:27.890,0:09:30.500
the experience with a big load of learning.

0:09:30.500,0:09:31.710
Fair enough.

0:09:31.710,0:09:36.420
So - is there some way that we can make this[br]more interesting, more fun, and more effective

0:09:36.420,0:09:41.080
at teaching people the basics?

0:09:41.080,0:09:44.920
Something we see in almost every action game[br]tutorial is a bit where the game asks you

0:09:44.920,0:09:47.040
to perform the action you're being taught.

0:09:47.040,0:09:50.290
Like, you can't move on until you punch six[br]people.

0:09:50.290,0:09:55.320
It's a simple but effective way of teaching[br]because you're asking the player to get hands-on

0:09:55.320,0:09:56.890
and try for themselves.

0:09:56.890,0:10:01.200
We call this kinaesthetic learning - which[br]is where deep learning occurs via the process

0:10:01.200,0:10:03.400
of physically doing a task.

0:10:03.400,0:10:06.960
Now - complex games do try and do this.

0:10:06.960,0:10:10.730
You've probably played games where it walks[br]you through a sample campaign by pointing

0:10:10.730,0:10:17.290
arrows at bits of the UI and asking you to[br]click here, click there, select this, drag that.

0:10:17.290,0:10:19.860
And, well… you're involved! [br]You're doing stuff!

0:10:19.860,0:10:20.990
Aren't you clever?

0:10:20.990,0:10:23.560
But are they actually that effective?

0:10:23.560,0:10:24.690
I'm not so sure.

0:10:24.690,0:10:29.460
Asher Vollmer, who made the elegant mobile[br]puzzler Threes, says of these arrows - "As

0:10:29.460,0:10:32.370
far as the game is concerned; I have advanced.

0:10:32.370,0:10:35.930
But as far as my brain is concerned; I've[br]learned nothing".

0:10:35.930,0:10:40.090
Part of the problem is that blindly following[br]instructions just isn’t a very effective

0:10:40.090,0:10:41.190
way to learn.

0:10:41.190,0:10:46.930
So, in Asher’s game, he instead turns the[br]tutorial into a series of very small and simple

0:10:46.930,0:10:49.040
puzzles for the player to figure out.

0:10:49.040,0:10:53.490
Take, for example, this bit, which is about[br]telling you how to use the outside walls to

0:10:53.490,0:10:55.210
rearrange tiles.

0:10:55.210,0:10:58.040
He could ask players to “swipe to the left[br]twice”.

0:10:58.040,0:10:59.710
And now "swipe up twice".

0:10:59.710,0:11:06.090
But he doesn't: he says "Rearrange numbers[br]by pushing 'em into walls" and then "use the walls

0:11:06.090,0:11:08.120
to add 1 & 2 together".

0:11:08.120,0:11:13.000
It's a very simple task, but it's enough for[br]players to actually engage their brain and

0:11:13.000,0:11:16.720
start to do the sort of thinking that will[br]be used in the proper game.

0:11:16.720,0:11:20.720
Luckily, some complex games do a really good[br]job of this.

0:11:20.720,0:11:26.280
If we look at the first tutorial in Frontier's[br]Planet Zoo, the game starts by walking you

0:11:26.280,0:11:29.410
through the process of improving an animal’s[br]welfare.

0:11:29.410,0:11:31.210
NANCY: "Aww, poor dabs!

0:11:31.210,0:11:35.780
I'm sure it can't have escaped your attention[br]that the tigers look a bit miffed.

0:11:35.780,0:11:39.580
That's because they aren't too keen on the[br]type of terrain in their habitat".

0:11:39.580,0:11:43.070
It’s pretty hand hold-y and straightforward.

0:11:43.070,0:11:47.960
But then it asks you to improve the overall[br]welfare of all the animals in the park.

0:11:47.960,0:11:51.840
NANCY: "All of that should give you a pretty[br]good understanding of how to make animals

0:11:51.840,0:11:56.440
happy, so I'd like you to go check on all[br]the other animals in the zoo and fix up any

0:11:56.440,0:11:58.170
issues with their habitats."

0:11:58.170,0:12:00.280
And it just lets you get on with it.

0:12:00.280,0:12:05.000
At this point you're given hardly any guidance,[br]so you have to put into practice what you

0:12:05.000,0:12:09.460
just learned - and do some critical thinking[br]to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.

0:12:09.460,0:12:10.520
NANCY: "Right!

0:12:10.520,0:12:14.810
I'm off for a cuppa while you make sure all[br]the animals are well looked after!"

0:12:14.810,0:12:18.550
I found this really effective, and it happens[br]throughout the tutorial.

0:12:18.550,0:12:23.020
You're put into zoos with specific problems,[br]shown how to fix one of them, and then you're

0:12:23.020,0:12:25.630
asked to solve the rest on your own.

0:12:25.630,0:12:30.690
Offworld Trading Company is another good example[br]- in each step of the tutorial you are given

0:12:30.690,0:12:34.170
a list of objectives and have to solve them[br]for yourself.

0:12:34.170,0:12:38.460
Simply by removing the “click here” arrow[br]and making the player find the right option

0:12:38.460,0:12:41.610
themselves is enough to make them feel engaged.

0:12:41.610,0:12:45.470
And it feels like you're actually playing[br]a game, right from the word go.

0:12:45.470,0:12:49.350
But I won't pretend that this is a perfect[br]solution.

0:12:49.350,0:12:51.750
And that's because of feedback.

0:12:51.750,0:12:56.810
When we learn kinaesthetically, we use feedback[br]to see if we did it right or wrong.

0:12:56.810,0:13:00.610
Now, if you make a mistake in an action game[br]you’ll see that immediately.

0:13:00.610,0:13:05.580
But, in a strategy game, if you don’t balance[br]your economy correctly you might not realise

0:13:05.580,0:13:07.470
for many hours.

0:13:07.470,0:13:12.680
Complex games typically have a very slow feedback[br]cycle, which does make it hard to learn from

0:13:12.680,0:13:14.450
hands-on experience.

0:13:14.450,0:13:19.290
You may need to play an entire campaign to[br]understand how decisions and strategies will

0:13:19.290,0:13:21.240
unfold over the whole game.

0:13:21.240,0:13:25.880
Which is why the easiest games to learn are[br]those with short campaigns that you can repeat

0:13:25.880,0:13:29.110
often - compared to those that last hours[br]and hours.

0:13:29.110,0:13:31.580
But there are some potential solutions to[br]this.

0:13:31.580,0:13:36.170
Perhaps the quick game in Civilization, which[br]dramatically speeds up the campaign, could

0:13:36.170,0:13:38.710
be rebranded as a training tool?

0:13:38.710,0:13:43.220
Another answer is for these tutorials to use[br]advisor characters who can warn you if you're

0:13:43.220,0:13:46.802
doing something dumb that might have a negative[br]effect down the line.

0:13:46.802,0:13:51.307
In Offworld I got told off for selling[br]aluminium for less than $10 a pop,

0:13:51.307,0:13:54.700
and got a lesson in how the stock[br]market works.

0:13:54.700,0:13:59.450
The nice thing is: these two solutions also[br]help with another problem that strategy game

0:13:59.450,0:14:00.910
tutorials face.

0:14:00.910,0:14:05.360
Which is this: it's pretty teach to people[br]how to do things - but it's much harder to

0:14:05.360,0:14:08.290
explain why to do them.

0:14:08.290,0:14:12.320
I can tell you which buttons to press to build[br]something in Civilization, but there's no

0:14:12.320,0:14:16.770
simple way to explain what you should build,[br]or when you should build it, or where you

0:14:16.770,0:14:18.600
should place it after it's built.

0:14:18.600,0:14:23.470
So - like before, speeding up the feedback[br]cycle allows players to see the consequences

0:14:23.470,0:14:26.000
of those choices for themselves.

0:14:26.000,0:14:29.210
And advisor characters can offer recommendations[br]and warnings.

0:14:29.210,0:14:32.810
ECONOMIC ADVISOR: "I think we have enough[br]workers for the moment.

0:14:32.810,0:14:37.960
You may want to construct something else in your[br]city".

0:14:37.960,0:14:41.250
There's one more thing that games do, that[br]make them easier to learn.

0:14:41.250,0:14:45.230
And that's leveraging things that people are[br]already familiar with.

0:14:45.230,0:14:48.070
You know: spikes hurt, ice is slippery.

0:14:48.070,0:14:50.758
Coins let you buy things, keys open locks.

0:14:50.758,0:14:53.500
Skulls mean danger, and so on.

0:14:53.500,0:14:57.890
Plants vs Zombies doesn't need to tell you[br]that a zombie with a metal bucket on its head

0:14:57.890,0:15:00.520
is more resilient than one with a plastic[br]cone.

0:15:00.520,0:15:03.260
We know how these materials work in real life.

0:15:03.260,0:15:08.750
By leaning on stuff that players already know,[br]games can feel intuitive to play - and it

0:15:08.750,0:15:12.400
often means they don't require a tutorial[br]at all.

0:15:12.400,0:15:18.220
Now over in the world of complex games - one[br]way to do this is to use a theme that is grounded

0:15:18.220,0:15:19.500
or historical.

0:15:19.500,0:15:23.630
Civilisation is definitely a franchise that[br]uses this to its advantage.

0:15:23.630,0:15:28.413
People can bring their own knowledge of history[br]to make assumptions about how things will work.

0:15:28.413,0:15:30.280
Most of the time.

0:15:30.280,0:15:35.150
But perhaps the best place for complex games[br]to look for real world inspiration is in the

0:15:35.150,0:15:38.090
user interfaces we encounter every day.

0:15:38.090,0:15:44.230
Just like how Reigns copies the swipe left,[br]swipe right interaction from dating apps like Tinder.

0:15:44.230,0:15:48.680
And how Disco Elysium's dialogue boxes are[br]inspired by a Twitter feed.

0:15:48.680,0:15:53.030
So let's see all this in action and go back[br]to that bit in Planet Zoo where I was left

0:15:53.030,0:15:55.790
to improve the animals' welfare on my own.

0:15:55.790,0:15:57.220
How did I know what to do?

0:15:57.220,0:16:02.550
Well, I know that I can sort this list by[br]welfare by clicking up here... because thats

0:16:02.550,0:16:05.150
how a list works on most websites.

0:16:05.150,0:16:10.790
And I know I can click this to find the animal[br]because the same icon is used on Google Maps.

0:16:10.790,0:16:16.790
I can easily see where the problem lies, because[br]red indicates bad and green indicates good.

0:16:16.790,0:16:21.850
I know how to filter the items because the[br]funnel icon is used on apps like Google Sheets

0:16:21.850,0:16:27.340
- though I could probably make some assumptions[br]for what an animal wants just by my knowledge

0:16:27.340,0:16:29.880
of real-world critters.

0:16:29.880,0:16:33.690
On the flip side, here's an example of this[br]going very wrong.

0:16:33.690,0:16:39.880
In playtests for Total War: Troy, some players[br]really struggled to find the end turn button.

0:16:39.880,0:16:44.240
One player spent 40 minutes on the first turn,[br]unsure how to move on.

0:16:44.240,0:16:45.240
The culprit?

0:16:45.240,0:16:50.090
This button, which uses an hourglass to indicate[br]"end turn".

0:16:50.090,0:16:53.970
Now, people who have been playing strategy[br]games for years might associate an hourglass

0:16:53.970,0:16:58.260
with ending a turn - but I think most people[br]have a stronger association with something

0:16:58.260,0:17:02.370
loading, including the cursor in old versions[br]of Windows.

0:17:02.370,0:17:06.699
By the way, these loading animations are called[br]"Throbbers" and I'm really sorry to be the

0:17:06.699,0:17:08.360
one to have to tell you this.

0:17:08.360,0:17:11.539
Anyway - the devs swapped it for an arrow[br]before launch.

0:17:11.539,0:17:14.009
And I think we can take two lessons from this.

0:17:14.009,0:17:17.929
One: don't assume your audience has played[br]other games.

0:17:17.929,0:17:21.089
And two: play test your tutorials.

0:17:21.089,0:17:23.990
Like, a lot.

0:17:23.990,0:17:28.919
So there are a few more techniques I want[br]to touch on before I wrap up.

0:17:28.919,0:17:34.269
We all know the idiom "show, don't tell" - and[br]it applies to tutorial design too.

0:17:34.269,0:17:38.590
Massive walls of text can be hard to get through[br]- and an image or video can sometimes tell

0:17:38.590,0:17:41.420
you the same information in half the time.

0:17:41.420,0:17:45.240
Take these preview windows for weapons in[br]Into the Breach.

0:17:45.240,0:17:49.539
Designer Justin Ma said “You could type[br]out a hundred times, ‘Damages a tile and

0:17:49.539,0:17:54.309
pushes adjacent tiles,’ but showing that[br]little animation of them moving is a thousand

0:17:54.309,0:17:55.580
times more effective".

0:17:55.580,0:18:00.679
Now, sure - text is almost always necessary[br]in the tutorial for a complex game.

0:18:00.679,0:18:06.070
But designers should try to cut down words,[br]be consistent with language, avoid jargon,

0:18:06.070,0:18:10.260
and… maybe this is just a personal preference…[br]but I don’t really like this thing where

0:18:10.260,0:18:15.409
some pointless flavour text is spoken by a[br]voice actor but the actual important stuff

0:18:15.409,0:18:16.460
is left unsaid.

0:18:16.460,0:18:20.580
HOMER: "March north-west, towards the land[br]of Corinth.

0:18:20.580,0:18:25.120
For even now, the Corinthians plot your demise".

0:18:25.120,0:18:28.899
Another good technique is to provide ways[br]for players to find information when they

0:18:28.899,0:18:29.940
get stuck.

0:18:29.940,0:18:33.559
Things like tool tips - and tool tips within[br]tool tips.

0:18:33.559,0:18:39.610
An encyclopaedia of terms and the ability[br]to rewind or replay specific bits of the tutorial.

0:18:39.610,0:18:44.250
Ultimately, if someone gets stuck you don't[br]want their only solution to be Google.

0:18:44.250,0:18:49.410
Plus, this should give you more confidence[br]to let players figure stuff out on their own,

0:18:49.410,0:18:51.980
as the information will be there if they need[br]it.

0:18:51.980,0:18:55.910
And finally, it's good to remember that people[br]learn in different ways.

0:18:55.910,0:19:01.470
I won't deny that some of the ideas in this[br]video are biased by the fact that I am personally

0:19:01.470,0:19:03.990
a very kinaesthetic and visual learner.

0:19:03.990,0:19:06.909
And I have the attention span of a six year[br]old child.

0:19:06.909,0:19:09.750
So providing multiple avenues can be good.

0:19:09.750,0:19:14.429
Offworld, for example, has two ways to learn[br]- scripted tutorials that walk you through

0:19:14.429,0:19:18.269
each step, and practice challenges where you[br]can learn through trial-and-error.

0:19:18.269,0:19:24.480
Meanwhile, Total War is always good at providing[br]different tutorials for complete newbies and

0:19:24.480,0:19:29.299
returning players who just want to figure[br]out the new stuff.

0:19:29.299,0:19:35.259
Just like with the user interface in the last[br]episode of GMTK, the tutorial can be one of

0:19:35.259,0:19:39.450
those things that's undervalued, and left[br]until the last moment.

0:19:39.450,0:19:46.549
But, again: it shouldn't ignored because a[br]tutorial can be so important to a game's success.

0:19:46.549,0:19:51.809
For this video I spoke to developers at places[br]like Paradox and Creative Assembly and everyone

0:19:51.809,0:19:56.950
told me the same thing: teaching new people[br]how to play is the only way for a franchise

0:19:56.950,0:20:01.169
to grow its fanbase - and avoid withering[br]into irrelevance.

0:20:01.169,0:20:06.490
In this video, I've identified some techniques[br]that I think could make tutorials better:

0:20:06.490,0:20:13.240
Finding ways to break the tutorial up - either[br]across a campaign, or across multiple campaigns.

0:20:13.240,0:20:17.999
Finding ways to have the player get their[br]hands on the system and learn by doing, rather

0:20:17.999,0:20:19.240
than reading.

0:20:19.240,0:20:23.800
And finding ways to be intuitive, familiar,[br]and welcoming.

0:20:23.800,0:20:29.220
Thankfully, strides are being made in this[br]area, with more thoughtful tutorials and more

0:20:29.220,0:20:30.940
intuitive interfaces.

0:20:30.940,0:20:33.580
But there's still a lot of work to be done.

0:20:33.580,0:20:38.320
Until I can get through the Crusader Kings[br]tutorial without falling asleep, we're not

0:20:38.320,0:20:39.320
quite there.

0:20:39.320,0:20:40.590
Thanks for watching.

0:20:40.590,0:20:44.220
If you like what you just saw and want to[br]show your appreciation, please check out this

0:20:44.220,0:20:46.029
quick YouTube ad break.

0:20:46.029,0:20:47.769
Stick around afterwards for an indie game[br]recommendation.

0:20:51.480,0:20:58.320
My recommendation this time is Narita Boy[br]- a trippy, retro-tinged brawler with a killer

0:20:58.320,0:21:00.340
pixel art aesthetic.

0:21:00.340,0:21:06.470
It's a minor Metroidvania with a bigger focus[br]on fight scenes: which reminds me of Guacamelee.

0:21:06.470,0:21:11.759
And the strange, esoteric plot makes me think[br]of Sword & Sworcery.

0:21:11.759,0:21:16.029
The game's not without its problems - including[br]a floaty jump and simplistic level design

0:21:16.029,0:21:20.870
- but I just found the whole thing enchanting[br]and utterly engrossing.

0:21:20.870,0:21:25.840
Nartia Boy's on everything - including Xbox[br]Game Pass.