Modular Game Tutorials with Scriptable Objects in Unity

July 17, 2025

The single most frustrating moment for any game developer comes not from wrestling with physics engines or optimizing complex AI, but from watching players fumble through painstakingly crafted tutorials. Why? Because traditional tutorial systems are often rigid, brittle, and a nightmare to maintain. They’re a single, monolithic block of code, destined to break with the slightest game update. There is a better way.

This article argues that the key to effective tutorials lies in embracing modularity, scriptable objects, and a data-driven approach. We’ll dive into building a tutorial system in Unity that’s not only easy to use but also resilient and adaptable, empowering you to create engaging onboarding experiences that actually help players learn.

The Problem with Traditional Tutorials

Think about every tutorial you’ve ever built or encountered. Chances are, it involved a series of hardcoded checks, triggers, and UI elements. Player performs action A, then boolean variable X is set to true, triggering UI panel Y. This approach is inherently flawed.

It’s fragile because any change to the underlying game mechanics necessitates a complete overhaul of the tutorial logic. It’s inflexible because it’s difficult to adapt the tutorial based on player skill or progress. And it’s unmaintainable because the code becomes a tangled mess of conditional statements and tightly coupled components.

A concrete example: You create a tutorial that requires the player to pick up a specific item. Later, the item’s name, ID, or spawn location changes. Now the tutorial is broken, potentially blocking player progression. Time wasted!

The Scriptable Object Solution: Data-Driven Tutorials

Scriptable Objects are the unsung heroes of game development. They’re data containers that exist independently of scene instances, allowing you to store and manage game data in a clean and organized way. Using them for our tutorial system is a game changer.

Instead of hardcoding tutorial steps, we’ll define them as Scriptable Objects. Each Scriptable Object represents a single tutorial step, containing information such as:

Objective: A clear description of what the player needs to do.
Conditions: The criteria that must be met to complete the step (e.g., “Player collected 5 coins,” “Player equipped a sword”).
UI Hints: References to UI elements that should be highlighted or displayed.
Actions: Events that should be triggered when the step is completed (e.g., “Unlock new ability,” “Play dialogue”).

This approach immediately addresses the problems of traditional tutorials. Changes to game mechanics no longer require rewriting code. Simply update the data within the Scriptable Object.

Building a Modular Tutorial System: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s get practical. Here’s how to build a basic modular tutorial system using Scriptable Objects:

Step 1: Define the TutorialStep Scriptable Object

Create a new C# script named TutorialStep.cs and define the following class:

using UnityEngine;
using System;

[CreateAssetMenu(fileName = "New Tutorial Step", menuName = "Tutorial/Tutorial Step")]
public class TutorialStep : ScriptableObject
{
    [TextArea(3, 10)]
    public string objective;
    public Condition[] completionConditions;
    public GameObject[] uiElementsToHighlight;
    public Action[] actionsOnCompletion;
}

[Serializable]
public abstract class Condition
{
    public abstract bool IsConditionMet();
}

[Serializable]
public abstract class Action
{
    public abstract void Execute();
}

This script defines the structure of a tutorial step. The objective is a text description, completionConditions is an array of conditions that need to be met, uiElementsToHighlight lists the UI elements to highlight, and actionsOnCompletion defines the actions to execute upon completion.

Step 2: Create Example Conditions

Let’s make a simple condition that checks if the player has collected a certain number of coins.

using UnityEngine;

[Serializable]
public class CoinCollectionCondition : Condition
{
    public int coinsRequired;

    public override bool IsConditionMet()
    {
        // Replace with your actual coin collection logic
        return PlayerStats.Instance.coins >= coinsRequired;
    }
}

And another to check if the player has equipped a specific item.

using UnityEngine;

[Serializable]
public class ItemEquippedCondition : Condition
{
    public string itemName;

    public override bool IsConditionMet()
    {
        // Replace with your actual item equipping logic
        return PlayerInventory.Instance.IsItemEquipped(itemName);
    }
}

Step 3: Create Example Actions

Let’s define actions to unlock abilities upon completion.

using UnityEngine;

[Serializable]
public class UnlockAbilityAction : Action
{
    public string abilityName;

    public override void Execute()
    {
        // Replace with your actual ability unlocking logic
        PlayerAbilities.Instance.UnlockAbility(abilityName);
    }
}

Step 4: Create a Tutorial Manager

Create a new C# script named TutorialManager.cs and define the following class:

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class TutorialManager : MonoBehaviour
{
    public TutorialStep[] tutorialSteps;
    private int currentStepIndex = 0;

    void Start()
    {
        StartCoroutine(RunTutorial());
    }

    IEnumerator RunTutorial()
    {
        while (currentStepIndex < tutorialSteps.Length)
        {
            TutorialStep currentStep = tutorialSteps[currentStepIndex];
            Debug.Log("Objective: " + currentStep.objective);

            // Highlight UI elements (implementation omitted for brevity)

            yield return new WaitUntil(() => AreConditionsMet(currentStep.completionConditions));

            ExecuteActions(currentStep.actionsOnCompletion);

            currentStepIndex++;
        }

        Debug.Log("Tutorial Complete!");
    }

    bool AreConditionsMet(Condition[] conditions)
    {
        foreach (var condition in conditions)
        {
            if (!condition.IsConditionMet())
            {
                return false;
            }
        }
        return true;
    }

    void ExecuteActions(Action[] actions)
    {
        foreach (var action in actions)
        {
            action.Execute();
        }
    }
}

Step 5: Create Tutorial Step Assets

In your project, create Scriptable Object assets by right-clicking in the Project window, selecting "Create > Tutorial > Tutorial Step". Define the objective, conditions, UI hints, and actions for each step. For example:

Step 1: “Collect 5 coins.” (Condition: CoinCollectionCondition, CoinsRequired = 5)
Step 2: “Equip the sword.” (Condition: ItemEquippedCondition, ItemName = “Sword”)

Step 6: Hook It All Up

Create an empty GameObject in your scene and attach the TutorialManager script to it. Drag your Tutorial Step assets into the tutorialSteps array.

Challenges and Pitfalls: Avoiding the Tutorial Trap

The biggest challenge is over-engineering. It’s easy to get caught up in creating a massively complex system with endless features, but that’s usually overkill. Start small, focus on the core functionality, and add complexity only as needed.

Another pitfall is neglecting proper testing. Thoroughly test your tutorials with different player skill levels and playstyles to ensure they’re effective and don’t inadvertently block progress. Use player feedback!

Common mistake: failing to decouple your tutorial system from the rest of your game. Keep the tutorial code separate and modular to avoid conflicts and ensure maintainability.

Real-World Applications: Beyond the Basics

This modular system isn’t just for basic tutorials. It can be extended to handle:

Dynamic Tutorials: Adjust tutorial steps based on player actions and progress.
Context-Sensitive Help: Provide relevant tips and guidance based on the player’s current situation.
Optional Tutorials: Allow players to skip or replay tutorials as needed.
A/B Testing: Experiment with different tutorial designs to optimize player engagement and retention.

Actionable Insights: Level Up Your Onboarding

This isn’t just theory. Here’s what you can do right now:

Start Small: Build a simple tutorial for a core game mechanic using Scriptable Objects.
Focus on Clarity: Ensure that the objective of each step is crystal clear to the player.
Provide Feedback: Give players immediate feedback when they complete a step.
Iterate and Improve: Continuously refine your tutorials based on player feedback and data.

Stop building rigid, brittle tutorials. Embrace modularity, scriptable objects, and a data-driven approach. Your players (and your future self) will thank you for it. This approach lets you deliver a smoother, more engaging onboarding experience that sets the stage for a successful and enjoyable game.

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