Answer tutorial questionnaire - win a game!

[Kallocain]

We normally have awesome tutorials in our games,
but we also have someone doing their master thesis here to improve them.

With the nick Oath, he has made a questionnaire in order to get some input from you.

Here it is: LINK

If you answer you will be eligible to win one of the 50 games we will pass out as a thank you!

(I have posted this in the OT, but I think you who read here might have tried a Paradox tutorial more recently.)

 

[Enewald]

What do you get when you answer more than 45 hours with each of those asked games?
I never read the HoI and EU I manuals because I was too young to be able to read English, and in the case of EU 1 I could not even read!

Pdox games are more of a family tradition.

 

[gunter_viezenz]

Hearts of Iron 2 or 3.... difficult choice.

 

[Poh]

im wondering why the time spent on the games isnt higher .. 45hours doesnt go a long way in HoI3 or EU III. it should go up to like 250 hours ^^

 

[Depp]

Tutorials are not really needed as long as there is a good interface which hint's at what you can do.

Time better spend polishing a game instead, hint hint.

 

[DanSez]

45 hours is a bit small considering they maybe trying to weed out the people who have dedicated time to the game vs those who open the interface, get frustrated and then just walk away.


NOTE on their survey

A question says:
If you say "Sometimes" or "Always" - to answer a question

You left out the "Often" response...

 

[Riffraffselbow]

Tutorials are not really needed as long as there is a good interface which hint's at what you can do.

Time better spend polishing a game instead, hint hint.

Couldn't disagree more. A good tutorial is both fun and informative; look at, say, the start to Half-Life 2 (if you play First Person Shooters), or Napoleon:Total War, which has several mini-campaigns before the grand campaign. PI lags behind in the world of tutorials; text-boxes telling you what to do accompanied by hi-lighting the appropriate buttons were old news a decade ago.

 

[Raptor1]

I quite enjoyed the HoI3 tutorial, but I don't know how people completely new to the game would find it.

 

[unmerged(187441)]

Tutorials as mini-campaigns are pretty hard to pull off in this kind of game compared to, say, half-life, because it's hard to set up situations that make sure the concept to be taught was learned at the end of it: The mechanics are a whole lot more complicated, and they are so intertwined as to make it difficult to know that learning was achieved.

To add insult to injury, often enough game mistakes are not quickly solvable: How can one turn, say, a bad supply situation into a good one? Without spending months building infrastructure, or have 0 build times in the tutorial, it's something that is hard to teach, as the 'solution' was to have planned for the supply problem months in advance, which makes it not show up at all when the campaign continues.

 

[hito1]

im wondering why the time spent on the games isnt higher .. 45hours doesnt go a long way in HoI3 or EU III. it should go up to like 250 hours ^^

Indeed.

I noticed EU Rome wasn't listed.

I'm worried about they considering making the tutorials mandatory (not skip-able). PLEASE don't do that.

 

[The Starfox]

First time I actually sat down and did a tutorial was to see Hitler give one in HOI3 :rofl: This was after I had started a couple of campaigns though....

 

[Nikolai]

What do you get when you answer more than 45 hours with each of those asked games?

Yeah, wondered about that myself too.

I never read the HoI and EU I manuals because I was too young to be able to read English, and in the case of EU 1 I could not even read!

Pdox games are more of a family tradition.

Words don't suffice...:wacko::rofl:

 

[gunter_viezenz]

But in the HOI3 a failed painter with a funny mustache takes your through the tutorial... I donno about you guys but I found it funny. :rofl:

 

[Filou]

Playting the Demo should have been mentionned for the part on how did you first familiarize yourself with a game.
The HoI2 demo was a fairly good way of getting to know the main aspect of the game.

IIRC the HoI3 tutorial was a pure text affair, I stopped reading after a few pages. Please steer away from that, I'd rather read the manual in such a case.
Limited campaign/scenario are a much better approch IMO.

 

[Wildy]

Just finished answering. Fun questionnaire, keep'em coming!

I wonder what game we can win?

 

[Slan]

Just finished answering. Fun questionnaire, keep'em coming!

I wonder what game we can win?

The form said any one of them Paradox titles released before 2010. Whether it is only the titles made by them or all that they produce (Or distribute? What's the right word?), I don't know...

 

[jju_57]

The form said any one of them Paradox titles released before 2010. Whether it is only the titles made by them or all that they produce (Or distribute? What's the right word?), I don't know...

Most likely one of the titles in the survey that you said you didn't already own.

 

[CaptRobau]

Playting the Demo should have been mentionned for the part on how did you first familiarize yourself with a game.
The HoI2 demo was a fairly good way of getting to know the main aspect of the game.

IIRC the HoI3 tutorial was a pure text affair, I stopped reading after a few pages. Please steer away from that, I'd rather read the manual in such a case.
Limited campaign/scenario are a much better approch IMO.

Yes, demos are important too. Although usually tutorials are included in demos as well. When I first played HOI2, which was the demo, I think I first did the tutorials and then the battlescenario that was included. Both were pretty good and explanatory.

The HOI3 tutorial (and demo) were awful on the other hand. Walls of text, no interactivity. It would've been a lot better if it were for example a short scenario as Germany set in September 1939. In each tutorial section (diplomacy, politics, etc.) the various features would be first explained, after which the player must put in practice what he has learned before continuing on to the next feature.

The diplomacy tutorial would for example first explain the trade works after which the player has to fix the lack of oil Germany is getting. The player would have to strike a deal with the Soviet Union for oil. The tutorial would then run the game for a few days to show the effect. In the background the AI takes care of the rest (invasion of Poland, etc.). Then move on to other diplomatic features.

After the player has gone through all the tutorials he can do a Germany 1939 scenario with full control. After the player defeats Poland he gets an event pop-up that asks the player if he wants to continue the scenario or return to the main menu.

 

[Slan]

Or think of the battle tutorials in HoI2. They were pretty good. Interactivity is good.

By the way, if I were a game company, I would release the tutorial as a demo. Of course then I would have to make said tutorial pretty interesting and enjoyable, but that would have the benefit for the players that after playing through the demo, they can jump in the normal play right away. Also, it may spare me the tons of players who are too hasty to read the manual/play the tutorial befor starting the game, and asking questions that are answered. (Alright, I would need to keep the manual updated then )

 

[Inner Circle]

Interesting survey...