Introduction
This thread describes the main issues faced by the game’s current tutorials and proposes solutions. The points below focus on Tutorial Island and Burthorpe but apply broadly to the whole tutorial system.
1) Efficiency
The tutorials overlap mechanically, making each other redundant. Burthorpe covers nearly all core gameplay taught on Tutorial Island. As a result, the combination of both is less efficient than either alone would be. Of the two, Burthorpe is better able to contextualise information due to its mainland location. Contrastingly, Tutorial Island is a one-off stepping stone separated from the rest of the game, forcing players to relearn on the mainland what was just taught to them.
2) Agency
While Burthorpe is more effective, much of its instruction is not essential. Burthorpe emphasizes combat beyond the point of necessity. The troll bosses are interchangeable, as are the mobs slain in preparation. It is unnecessary to force each new arrival to learn three combat styles and complete the same number of very similar sequences, when one combat style of the player’s choice would suffice. Allowing players to choose their own path as either a warrior, ranger, or mage - and create gear suiting personal preference - would dramatically improve the impactfulness of the experience.
3) Cognitive Load
A weakness of Burthorpe is the amount of information it presents in a short time. While eliminating redundancy would help to lessen the curve, there is still a great deal to learn. Burthorpe is rather specialised for combat instruction, an area in which it can excel. Likewise, other settlements with different strengths can and should play a decisive teaching role in other aspects of gameplay. Spreading tutorial content across a larger area would lighten the burden on any one location while giving each place the opportunity to shine. The result would be a broader, fuller, and more cohesive picture of what the game has to offer. Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience
This thread describes the main issues faced by the game’s current tutorials and proposes solutions. The points below focus on Tutorial Island and Burthorpe but apply broadly to the whole tutorial system.
1) Efficiency
The tutorials overlap mechanically, making each other redundant. Burthorpe covers nearly all core gameplay taught on Tutorial Island. As a result, the combination of both is less efficient than either alone would be. Of the two, Burthorpe is better able to contextualise information due to its mainland location. Contrastingly, Tutorial Island is a one-off stepping stone separated from the rest of the game, forcing players to relearn on the mainland what was just taught to them.
2) Agency
While Burthorpe is more effective, much of its instruction is not essential. Burthorpe emphasizes combat beyond the point of necessity. The troll bosses are interchangeable, as are the mobs slain in preparation. It is unnecessary to force each new arrival to learn three combat styles and complete the same number of very similar sequences, when one combat style of the player’s choice would suffice. Allowing players to choose their own path as either a warrior, ranger, or mage - and create gear suiting personal preference - would dramatically improve the impactfulness of the experience.
3) Cognitive Load
A weakness of Burthorpe is the amount of information it presents in a short time. While eliminating redundancy would help to lessen the curve, there is still a great deal to learn. Burthorpe is rather specialised for combat instruction, an area in which it can excel. Likewise, other settlements with different strengths can and should play a decisive teaching role in other aspects of gameplay. Spreading tutorial content across a larger area would lighten the burden on any one location while giving each place the opportunity to shine. The result would be a broader, fuller, and more cohesive picture of what the game has to offer. Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience
17-Nov-2023 22:08:08 - Last edited on 16-Dec-2023 22:13:07 by Seasons Past