Writing a Tutorial Mode in Inform 7

[StJohnLimbo]

@AmandaB

So should I be draconian in the tutorial?

I lean towards “yes”; and I think it’s the way many graphical games go about this.

If they have extensive UI elements (like strategy games), they’ll often highlight the exact button you have to press and won’t let you proceed otherwise or click on anything else. If they have less UI elements (like FPS), they’ll sometimes allow a small leeway (e.g., you may or may not be able to jump by pressing SPACE even before using WASD to move), but in general you’ll still have to demonstrate the knowledge in the right order.

@AmandaB

And there is a choice for whether or not to use the tutorial, and you can turn it off.

Relevant quotes:

Emily Short:

@emshort

I also think that if you ask people if they want to play on easy mode, or whether they want instructions, half the time they will say no even though they need those instructions. That’s why I’ve gone over to prefacing instructional content with “have you played interactive fiction before?”, a factual question I feel they’re less likely to lie about directly, and turn off the tutorial if they answer yes.

Sam Kabo Ashwell:

@maga

This was one of the hotel-room panels at one of the IF PAX East things; I don’t remember all of it, in part because of the haze of profound depression that settled over the room. But the one thing I did take away from it was that you should never ask players whether they want a tutorial or novice mode; they’ll say no and then blame you for it. You should start with the tutorial and then hide a tiny little button somewhere that might possibly allow them to skip it.