Improving the Tutorial on Classic
 

While we have a few big holidays coming up one of our projects is going to be to improve our starting tutorial. Currently we don't believe that it introduces the game very well. What we would like to know is what you guys think would make for a good tutorial that would entice people to want to go through with it and give a good first impression of the game.

I'm sure that most of you started a few years ago now, but what kind of Graal concepts do you think need to be introduced at the start? Give us your ideas! :)

I've always been a fan of Zodiac's route when it comes to their tutorial. They guide the player down a path, introducing new game-play mechanics in bite-sized portions.

I got to many questions a day about where the towns are (mod, onnet, snow, etc)
The new players can go and visit the different towns and get a little reguard.
Another you can explain what AP means and what its his use.
How to use the map, i dont know why people disable the names on map...this could help to many new players, those days i got to many questions about "where Taylor Richard is?"

One of the cool things about Graal is seeing all the other players, so it doesn't really make sense for the tutorial to be in such an isolated location.

That being said, you kinda gotta question the need for a tutorial in a game like Graal where everything is really self-explanatory. Maybe make a brief quest that requires you to do stuff you would normally do in the tutorial (have a switch that you need to shoot with an arrow, etc.). Then you can give little hints (like "press the arrow button to shoot the switch") while requiring the player to actually do something. The way the tutorial is set up just feels like a laundry list of several pointless things you have to do.

Should have an NPC bully you and then report it to move on.

Bullied by Pluffy.

Throw xor in as an NPC and make him block your path
Make a pokemon center

Have a concept explaining basics of towering and sparring please!

Since the social aspect of graal is the primary focus of the game, I think the tutorial should explain how to add people, how to report people, how to message others, guilds, or other things you're able to do in a player profile. Maybe the tutorial would also be a good time to start a story or plot for graal since it doesn't really have one yet

Introduction to hats.

Teach how to make the best code shops.

How to swing there swords, how to use their bows/bombs.
Maybe a way for them to understand they need 24 hours to spar.

Well the most important lessons are:

stop spamming & dont become a graal baby

Make small quests where people just accept a quest and have to talk to another NPC in another place to complete it and add small rewards every time. You could make them go to towns but also to places such as the battle arena or master li's, pirate bay quest, taylor richaards and so on. When you complete your quest at one NPC it would give you a quest to the next. There could be a symbol with the NPC's location on the map.

There needs to be a good introduction to the guild system. Talk to an NPC that gives you a beginner's guild tag; tag sets automatically if you tell the NPC 'yes.' This default beginners' is still limited to 25players, so there would need to be multiple. You can guild chat with other new players to explore and discover together. You will be removed from the guild automatically when you log off. Only players with under 20 hours are able to get one of these beginners' guild tags.

For completing the tutorial, as a reward, give them a hat to show that ONLY the current new players completed it along with 1,000 gralats, maybe something just to give their attention to the game itself.

Woohoo~! Admins are doing something great this year! :)

As a suggestion, maybe the players should be able to have the tutorial itself explained in better detail then it's vagueness. Maybe have a instructions like example...have a NPC do a tutorial to teach the players how to add, message, or even customize themselves. But hey, this is just a little suggestion!

Arrows to lead those noobs to the right way.

Needs to tell you what all the buttons on the screen do, explain concepts such as towering, sparring and money making methods, and then like it's always been is to get the players to do stuff like the current tutorial. However, in this new version you should make it so they have to complete the tutorial and not skip it so they fully understand the game.

Teach them how to farm my house.

So you will start off in a house and see an NPC that walks around who has a brown wide brim hat who welcomes the player to Graal and explains what it is, he will the hand you a bow and says, here is a welcome gift, go practice, then you will have to shoot targets, he will say well done and will hand you a to do list. The first thing on the list could be to talk to a soldier NPC outside the house. (Balamb could maybe be a fenced off island that has those wooden pikes as fences) The NPC could say 'We are under attack by pyrats! Please kill some for us!' Then you go off and kill x amount of pyrats then report back to him and he will go 'We are thankful for your deed, please take 100 gralats as an award'

It will go like this, going around to differently dressed up NPC's like farmers (he could tell you to farm 20 gralats in the grass patch), he will then give an award e.c.t.

The objectives could appear at the top of the screen in the center saying the objective and maybe a % sign saying how much you have completed?

I will edit this post later an add more stuff...this was rushed.

Show them where to find codes and how to use them, I knew when I was kinda new years ago the "setsword" and "setshield" commands weren't so noticable until I saw other people have a different sword than default (sword1.png)

start with not making the requirements to spar at the Battle Arena so misleading - right now the claim is that you must practice enough before you can spar, just straight-up tell them that they need 24 hours of online time thanks to trashbag boosters

Housing functions could be expressed as a 'help' button or command in your house or menu. Come to think of it, all your FAQ needs could be easily remedied by an in-game FAQ button in the menu somewhere.

We should remind people to treat others with respect, since it's a big social game.

The beginning of the quest should show the player important places. For example, it could show them where to get a horse, how to do pyrat, where to buy hats/items, etc.

Key Information to Include

Map/Town Locations

Where they all are
How to get there if there is a special requirement

General Spar Information

How to begin "practice"
Location of Battle Arena
What sparring is
How ranking works

General Tower Information

Location of the Towers
How to "tower"
How ranking works

General Guilds Information

What a guild is
How to start a guild
How to recruit
How to join another person's guild
Function of guilds

Events

What events are
How to join
Prizes
(possible description of each event although that may be lengthy)



I feel like this covers a lot of the main points of Graal Activities at this point.

^I agree with all of that expect the map/town locations. Part of being a new player is having to explore by yourself to become familiar with the overworld. Show them how to use the map, of course.

Explain they can and will be punished for doing things that go against the rules; then give a broad description of the rules.

I disagree. While Graal is highly focused on the large population it has, it wouldn't feel right being plopped into the middle of that. I remember the first time I played, I saw a few people on the island and I thought that was neat- only to sail to a new land and run into a city booming with people. It really surprised me and felt really adventurous.

Really the whole island in my opinion is just a little too big. I can't think of any great ideas right now, but a new tutorial should definitely cover more about guilds, VIP, Houses, and AP.

i like the tulle vilage :)

well make it similar to that with learning the mechanism pushing blocks pulling,kiling baddies,using sword bows and bombs


add opening chests,adding,pming,talking
not to spam or ask for donations xD

Reward players as they go through the tutorial, not just when they complete it. Not just with gralats or hats either. When they start they don't need a sword, bombs or arrows. Teach them how to do things individually and then reward them with other options as they go along. Make the tutorial more linear. A player should understand how to navigate the UI before you start throwing gameplay at them. Make it more directed, not by using tacky arrows to point to the next objective like some games do, but by having the levels actually guide the player through the tutorial.

tulle vilage is the best

if you dont know what tulle vilage is its the original tutorial

It should have. Way to how new graalians how to farm/donate,they should also have a story to the game something to make it a little more interesting and more quest

an introduction to everything instead of just one area

a little quest on balambe would be helpful and as you go along the quest you will learn the mechanics of the game and get help from others newbies, you start with nothing but as you go through a little quest u gain a sword bombs and arrows and the ability to change look ect.