"Tutorials Aren't Docs: Our Failed Demo's UX Lesson"

Tutorials Aren’t Docs: Our Failed Demo’s UX Lesson

Our indie team learned a painful lesson about game UX. We conflated tutorials with documentation, and our demo suffered for it. Players bounced, confused and frustrated. I’m going to walk you through our mistake and how we fixed it, so you can avoid the same pitfall.

The Demo Disaster

We poured months into “Project Nova,” a sci-fi exploration game with unique crafting and combat systems. We were so focused on making the game work that we neglected teaching players how to play it.

Our first demo was a disaster. Players stumbled through the initial area, unsure how to mine resources, let alone build anything meaningful. The tutorial was a series of text prompts that popped up only once. If you missed one, tough luck. It was also intertwined with the “story,” making it hard to revisit.

It became clear that our “tutorial” was actually just poorly organized documentation.

Players complained that they couldn’t remember specific crafting recipes or combat maneuvers. They wanted a reference guide, not a hand-holding experience that disappeared after the first five minutes. They wanted documentation.

The Core Problem: Confusing Teaching with Reference

The mistake we made was simple, but devastating: we treated the tutorial as both a learning experience and a readily available reference.

A good tutorial teaches core mechanics within the game’s context.

Good documentation provides accessible information on demand.

Our tutorial tried to do both, and failed miserably. Imagine trying to learn multiplication while simultaneously needing to look up the definition of “integer.” It’s overwhelming and ineffective.

We crammed everything into a linear tutorial segment, with no way to easily review information later. This left players feeling lost and helpless as soon as they were “free” to explore.

Separating Tutorials and Documentation: Our Solution

We had to completely rethink our approach. We decided to separate the tutorial and documentation into distinct systems.

First, we revamped the tutorial. We focused on teaching the absolute basics: movement, resource gathering, and basic crafting.

We replaced the walls of text with interactive elements. Instead of simply telling players to mine a rock, we highlighted the rock and prompted them with a button to press.

We allowed players to repeat tutorial segments if they wanted. This wasn’t about hand-holding, it was about ensuring players grasped the fundamentals.

Secondly, we implemented an in-game “Encyclopedia.” Accessible from the main menu and at any point during gameplay, the Encyclopedia contained detailed information on every item, crafting recipe, enemy, and game mechanic.

This Encyclopedia was searchable and clearly organized. No more hunting through old tutorial prompts.

This made all the difference. Players could learn the basics in the tutorial, and then consult the Encyclopedia whenever they needed a refresher or more detailed information.

Concrete Steps for Your Game

Here’s how you can avoid our mistakes:

1. Identify Core Mechanics: What are the essential actions players need to understand to enjoy your game? Focus the tutorial on these.
2. Interactive Tutorials: Avoid walls of text. Use visual cues, highlighting, and interactive prompts. Guide the player, don’t just tell them.
3. Repetition is Key: Allow players to repeat tutorial segments. Provide options to replay or review.
4. In-Game Documentation: Implement an easily accessible reference guide. This can be an encyclopedia, a bestiary, or a crafting log.
5. Search Functionality: Ensure players can quickly find the information they need. A search bar is essential.
6. Organization is Crucial: Categorize and organize your documentation logically. Use clear headings and subheadings.
7. Contextual Help: Consider adding tooltips or contextual help that appears when players hover over specific items or UI elements.

Examples of Good and Bad Implementation

Let’s look at some examples.

Bad: Many early MMOs had terrible tutorials. Walls of text that were easy to skip or miss, with no in-game reference for the information. You were often left to figure things out on your own, leading to frustration and a steep learning curve.

Good: Minecraft strikes a good balance. While the initial “tutorial” is minimal (mostly just letting players explore), the crafting system is documented within the crafting table itself. You can see the recipes, even if you haven’t discovered the ingredients yet.

Good: Terraria has an NPC guide that offers hints and tips based on your current progress and inventory. This provides a dynamic and contextual form of documentation.

Bad: Games with “hidden” mechanics and no in-game documentation, forcing players to rely solely on external wikis. This breaks immersion and can feel unfair.

The Results

After implementing these changes, the feedback on our demo improved dramatically. Players still found the game challenging, but they no longer felt lost or confused. They could learn the basics in the tutorial and then use the Encyclopedia to master the more complex aspects of the game.

Our demo became playable, and enjoyable.

Key Takeaways

Don’t confuse tutorials with documentation.

Tutorials teach core mechanics in context.

Documentation provides accessible information on demand.

Separate these two systems. Your players will thank you for it. We learned this the hard way. Hopefully, you can learn from our mistakes.