Designing Effective Game Tutorials and Onboarding
Did you know that over 50% of players abandon a game after a poorly designed tutorial?
A killer tutorial doesn’t just teach; it hooks players for hours. This article outlines best practices for creating game tutorials and onboarding that engage players and set them up for success.
A game development platform like Wayline, for example, understands the importance of well-crafted tutorials for its users and provides resources and tools to help them succeed.
Understanding the Goals of Onboarding and Tutorials
Onboarding sets the stage; tutorials teach the moves. Onboarding introduces the game’s world, story, and overall feel. Tutorials focus on teaching specific mechanics and systems. Onboarding sets the stage and introduces the world, while tutorials focus on specific skills players need.
Set clear learning objectives. What must players know to enjoy the game? Focus on those essentials.
Balance instruction with exploration. Don’t hold players’ hands too tightly. Give them room to experiment and discover.
Avoid overwhelming players with too much information at once. Minimize cognitive load by breaking down complex systems into smaller, manageable chunks.
Principles of Effective Tutorial Design
Effective tutorial design hinges on learning by doing. Hands-on experience is more effective than passive reading. Ditch the lectures, crank up the interaction.
Effective tutorial design also incorporates just-in-time learning. Introduce concepts when players need them. Teach players how to craft a healing potion right before a challenging combat encounter.
Progressive disclosure is another core tenet. Reveal complexity gradually, building upon what players have already learned. Start with basic movement before introducing advanced combat maneuvers.
Finally, use positive reinforcement. Offer visual cues and encouraging messages when players successfully complete a task. This keeps players motivated and validates their understanding.
Tutorial Modalities: Choosing the Right Approach
Embedded tutorials seamlessly integrate instruction into gameplay. The strength of this approach lies in maintaining player engagement, but it demands careful design to avoid feeling forced. Use embedded tutorials for core mechanics that players need to understand immediately.
Discrete tutorials use separate tutorial levels or areas. This gives designers precise control over the learning experience, but risks feeling detached from the main game. They are best suited for teaching complex systems that don’t fit naturally into the game world. Imagine creating a tutorial level set in a whimsical environment using a Low Poly Fantasy Village asset to familiarize players with crafting mechanics in a safe, engaging space.
Contextual tooltips and hints provide on-demand information. This offers flexibility and avoids overwhelming players. Use them for secondary mechanics or providing reminders, but don’t rely on them for essential skills.
Video tutorials convey complex or cinematic information. However, players often prefer interactive experiences. Use videos sparingly, and keep them short and to the point.
Designing Engaging Tutorial Challenges
Create meaningful tasks that demonstrate core mechanics. Avoid arbitrary or pointless challenges. Provide clear instructions and feedback. Players should always know what they’re supposed to do and why.
Avoid frustrating or repetitive challenges. Respect players’ time. Allow for experimentation and player creativity. Don’t force players to solve problems in only one way.
Leveraging UI/UX for Effective Onboarding
Design clear UI elements. Visual cues should guide player attention. Highlight interactable objects.
Tooltips should offer concise descriptions. Explain each element’s function. Focus on essential information.
Remove unnecessary HUD elements initially. Minimize UI clutter. Help players focus.
Optimizing the Difficulty Curve
Gradually increase challenge complexity. Provide difficulty options. Let players tailor their experience.
Monitor player performance. Adjust tutorial content accordingly. Simplify sections if players struggle.
Avoid early difficulty spikes. The beginning should be welcoming. Accessibility is key.
Testing and Iterating on Tutorials
Conduct playtests. Observe player interaction. Note confusion and delight.
Analyze tutorial behavior. Track completion rates. Identify failing areas.
Iterate on tutorial design. Refine based on feedback. Tutorials are never “done.”
Examples of Successful and Unsuccessful Tutorials
Celeste, a challenging platformer, excels with its tutorial. Early on, players must jump across a small gap. If they fail, a ghost image shows the ideal jump trajectory. This specific visual cue teaches players the importance of precise timing without explicitly telling them.
In contrast, Evolve, a 4v1 shooter, overwhelms players from the start. The tutorial forces players to cycle through each hunter ability before even encountering the monster. This information dump leads to confusion because players have no context for why they’re learning these abilities.
Many games have significantly improved tutorials post-launch. These improvements often involve simplifying instructions, adding visual cues, and providing more opportunities for hands-on practice. One example of an innovative approach includes dynamic tutorials, that adapt to player skill level, or contextual tutorials, that appear only when needed, such as a hint system that activates only after a player has struggled with a puzzle for a certain amount of time. To assist with game development, consider asset marketplaces like Strafekit which can also improve the onboarding experience by helping create a polished initial experience. While you’re at it, if you’re working in Unity, make sure you’re utilizing the Unity Profiler: Identifying and Fixing Performance Issues to ensure a smooth player experience from the start.
Investing in tutorial design pays dividends in player retention and long-term engagement. How can you create onboarding experiences that not only teach, but also captivate?