Are MMORPG Tutorials Good Enough?

January 30, 2008 · Filed Under General, MMORPG News, Online, Gaming 

For those of us who speak “MMO” like ‘aggro’, ‘ganking’, ‘Pvp’, ‘PvE’, etc. We probably will skip the tutorial of a new MMORPG game.

But what about the millions of people out there who have never played an MMORPG before? Are the current tutorials in existing games good enough for them? Some would be content with skipping the lengthy and boring medleys and just experience the game head on. But of course, some would want to be spoon-fed info. So, what do game developers and designers need to do?

Sure tutorials are important. But my main beef with them is a) they’re long and b) they’re boring. What if we come up with alternatives to make tutorials more fun and interactive? That would be a swell thought…

If I were to design a new game, I’d like to try out these new ideas on tutorials.

  • Make more use of videos - putting video tutorials inside the game should be easy. Also, there should be noob videos at the game’s site and/or forums. Watching is better than reading.
  • Tests - see if the noob got it by giving him a test. Get a correct answer and you get newbie items like pots or starter gear
  • Manuals - instruction manuals should have 2 parts, a “Haven’t played an MMORPG before?” part and an “Expert” part. Sort of how Magic The Gathering did its thing before. This way, those who like to skip on reading (like me) can just get to the Expert part and know what to avoid.
  • A Newbie area - There must be an area in the game world where noobs can ask questions with players, mods or volunteers. We do this with RF Online and call it the Novus Tour. Ragnarok has the novice land but It’s been ages since I visited. Now’s a good chance to do so, eh?
  • Noob Central - One of the first major additions I made to the Ragnarok site was to create a Newbie section. There, basic how-tos and guides were placed.

And there you have it, interesting ideas to make MMORPG tutorials even better.

What about you? Got other ideas to add?

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Comments

6 Responses to “Are MMORPG Tutorials Good Enough?”

  1. Blackwolf on January 30th, 2008 8:26 pm

    One of the best tutorials I’ve ever played is in Guild Wars: Prophecies. The world you play in has it’s own distinct map from the rest of the experienced players. The quests are designed to give you an idea of what class is suitable for you and because you’re separated from the rest of the world, you don’t look like a newb since all of you are newbs together. Once you leave newbieland (called Pre-Searing), you can never return to heckle the other newbies, thus letting them keep their dignity while allowing them to learn more about the game.

  2. Tango on January 30th, 2008 10:13 pm

    While tutorials are really useful, I prefer the human type that can at least impart some useful “diskarte” to both be able to maximize the enjoyment of the game and the ins and outs of economics.

    I still do read them no matter how boring they usually are… saves a lot of questions.

  3. fatman on January 30th, 2008 11:07 pm

    Sometimes it is better to read the manual. Some veterans have attitude problems towards newbies. And some newbies have n00b attitudes. An etiquette section in the manual or tutorial is definitely needed.

  4. GM T on January 31st, 2008 12:43 am

    Agree. But gamers tend to NOT READ THINGS, ya?

  5. sylv3rblade on January 31st, 2008 5:18 am

    n00bs tend to not read things GM T
    lalo na ung makukulit na gusto uber agad sila.

  6. fatman on January 31st, 2008 1:12 pm

    Most people tend not to read the manual. That’s why technicians have the term ODNRM syndrome for certain problems. That’s Owner Did Not Read Manual. @_@

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