One of the open questions I’m contemplating about the design of SRPG is the inclusion (and nature) of a tutorial. I want the game to be reasonably accessible to people unfamiliar with text adventure conventions, but I don’t want an obtrusive starting tutorial. I’m considering a three-part tutorial: implicit, explicit, and help.
Explicit Tutorial
In an explicit tutorial, the player knows they are being taught how to play. The tutorial gives instructions and advice, like:
Navigation in StupidRPG is performed using cardinal directions (like on a compass), along with context-specific movement like up and down. To proceed to the next area, typeNORTHorN, then press enter.
While helpful, this information is not well-integrated into the game, and is only of interest to complete novices. More experienced players will likely want to skip the tutorial.
If I include an explicit tutorial, it will likely be opt-in (i.e. the player will be prompted to start the tutorial if desired).
Implicit Tutorial
An implicit tutorial is more appealing to me, as it’s fully integrated into the game (and story). If done well, the player might not even notice that they’re being guided through the early portions of the game. The first level in Super Mario Bros provides a great example of an implicit tutorial.
While I can’t (probably) teach the player something as basic as how to enter a command via implicit means, I can definitely guide them into certain actions that give greater insight into the game mechanics. For example, in the first area of the game, an item on the ground is described to the player. Loot hoarders that they are, most players will attempt to acquire it (via TAKE OBJECT, PICK UP OBJECT, etc). The first area also has only one exit, forcing the player to learn a basic movement command to progress.
I haven’t discussed Command Tags much previously. Command tags take advantage of the game’s HTML output by creating clickable, highlighted links in the game’s text. This is mostly intended as a utility, allowing the player to simply click on objects, people, and scenery to interact with them rather than typing out a command. The default action for command tags is LOOK AT (OBJECT). When a command tag is clicked, the associated input (which is always a text command that they player could have typed themselves) is echoed back and executed. That is, the player sees the command that was executed. If they’re paying attention, they just learned how to use the LOOK command.
Help
Lastly, I plan on including a help menu (accessible via a link or by typing HELP). The menu will include a general overview of interacting with the game, as well as specific instructions for core commands (MOVE, LOOK, TAKE, INVENTORY, etc). A hint guide might be a nice future addition as well.
Putting it All Together
There are opportunities for combining these instructional elements. For example, if the very first command the player enters is not understood, they can be prompted to take the tutorial or view the help menu.
Right now I’m focused on the implicit tutorial (which I believe is the most valuable), followed by the help menu (which acts as a nice reference even for experienced players). The explicit tutorial is unlikely to get time devoted to it until later in playtesting.