It has become fairly common for games to include some sort of tutorial. Many incorporate the tutorial into actual play, as Halo and Assassin's Creed do. But there's still room to improve, of course.
One improvement would be to design a tutorial system specifically for reintroduction. Gamers often abandon a game for days or even months. They forget the controls, goals, interface, etc. It would be nice if there was an option for these gamers other than looking at a control map in the pause menu or starting over.
In most cases, a practice area would serve this purpose. Provide the player with an area where all skills may be practiced without great penalty or challenge. Allow the player to practice here without a tutorial, in case the player is able to pick it up quickly or is impatient. But also provide the option of instruction in the form of NPCs, signs, HUD pop-ups, etc.
Jogging a player's memory is different than teaching him or her new skills. There should be a different system for it, when time allows.
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I like the idea.
ReplyDeleteRemembering progress and where I am in an RPG is something I hate tackling when playing something I haven't in months. What quest I'm on, where I need to go, and what I've recently completed would be nice to see highlighted. I always find the task of jumping back into something like Fallout 3 difficult.
Controls and interface are less important to me. I rarely pay much attention to control tutorials outside of the more advanced stuff. Plus, after a few minutes most of that stuff would come back naturally, like riding a bike.