Tutorialization and FTUE Design
During my time as a designer I’ve manager to work on 4 tutorials and a set of card game instructions in 5 separate projects and I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. Tutorialization and FTUE is such a crucial part of any game because there are so many things the player has to understand in order for them to have the best possible experience and there’s often so little time to explain all of it to them.
It’s interesting how when you design a tutorial you are not only explaining important information to the player but also conditioning them to think about problems the game presents them with in a particular way. If you’re able to make the player think a certain way about solving problems in your game you can make sure that they will have the best possible experience.
So far tutorialization and FTUE is my favourite part of UX design.
Below you can take a look at how I designed tutorials for video games.
Going Dark’s Hidden Tutorials
For Going Dark I designed a tutorial in the form of hidden messages, only visible when the lights are turned off. That way I quickly teach the player to turn off all sources of light. The player not only learns to play the game but also reinforces a pattern of thinking that will serve them well when playing the game.
Yarg!!!’s Step By Step Instructions
For Yarg!!! I designed a tutorial where the player is tasked with preparing the ship for the hunt. For every step the player is told few things and I had to make sure that the thing they need to know to progress the tutorial is learned last. I did it by exploiting the fact that people read from top to bottom. The Information that will let the player progress the tutorial is always at the bottom.
Cursor Chaos’s Animated Tips
For Cursor Chaos I designed animated tutorial tips with descriptive graphics and very few words. They’re meant to grab attention and explain everything to the player without taking away the fun of experimentation from them.
Honk! Honk!’s Drivable Tutorial Menu
For Honk! Honk! I designed a main menu in which you start a level, exit the game, and select difficulty by parking on a designated parking spot with your bus. This way the main menu teaches the player how to play the game before they even start the level.