[quote=“Arek_PL, post:14, topic:11279”]why do not remove tutorial and make tutorial scenario?
starting place should be field or something (maybe forest?)
in place of player spawn generate lablike structure (but premade and with little less dangeours things) and player is teleported downstairs
player like in oryginal tutorial gets messages about how things work
player goal is to use gained knowledge to escape tutorial[/quote]
Expanding on your idea, I think the tutorial should be a whole different “gamemode” where you follow the hints in a linear way until you die, by accident or by the tutorial ending. If you die before the tutorial is over it is considered game over and you get the regular post-death popups, and if you die in a linear way the popup “Tutorial complete!” appears and you are thrown back into the main menu. One of the deliberate ways to kill off a survivor would be to force an infected start and trigger death after the tutorial is “over”, or have the player start as an escaped prisoner/test subject with an explosive/electric necklace that is triggered after the tut is complete.
The scenario itself can be a cabin-in-the-woods kind of thing where the player is drawn towards an abandoned wood cabin (tutorial room) and is forced to survive for a certain period of time, helped by hints that pop up when the situation or status are changed (tired, hungry, thirsty, critter spotted etc).
Spawning can be done in various different ways. To name a few:
[ul][] Start at night, spawn character in front of the main building, have light come out of it so the player prioritizes getting inside instead of exploring right away.
[] A log notification/message (“The cabin up ahead seems like a safe place to rest.” / “The mysterious atmosphere surrounding the cabin makes you eager to go inside…” / “You hear a strange noise inside the cabin. Perhaps someone’s inside?”) draws the player to the main building.
[*] Just spawn the player inside to begin with. The least fun way.[/ul]
Or any other combination of the above.
To prevent the player from wandering off:
[ul][] Surround the area with threats like traps or mines.
[] Spawn a large tracking critter (like a bear) right outside of the reality bubble if the player goes too far into the woods.
[*] Let the player explore but trigger death-effect if they wander too far off. Perhaps show log warnings too (“You don’t feel very well. Perhaps there’s some medicine back at the cabin.” / “Your explosive necklace starts beeping. This can’t be good.”)[/ul]
A similar scenario could be a lab / farm in the middle of a massive, endless field. In both scenarios the “ultimate goal” can be repairing a vehicle and escaping. The whole process of repairing a vehicle can teach a player how to do things necessary for survival, such as familiarizing them with the controls, teaching them inventory management, cooking food and boiling water, crafting, combat (a zombie or two in the basement?), hunting, repair/use of vehicles and much much more.
Here’s a generic example:
[spoiler=Tutorial Flow]
Goal - Repair car adjacent to the cabin (missing wheel / missing frames / missing fuel / damaged battery / damaged controls).
Don’t require building new parts, just repairing existing ones or fetching new ones from the basement to keep things simple.
1a. Spawn player at chosen location. Teach basic movement and any necessary controls to enter the cabin (cabin can be locked to teach (s)mashing windows, ©losing and opening doors, peeking and looking around etc).
1b. If spawned at night, spawn player tired and make them sleep. Teach the uses of sleeping, its importance and any other needed tips.
1c. If spawned wounded, teach how to use (a)ctivatable items such as medkits and bandages, or a flashlight if the cabin is dark.
2a. Wake up the next day hungry and thirsty. Spawn uncooked food inside the house (fridge), teach igniting fire and basic cooking (this includes boiling water and its importance).
2b. Possibly wake up cold/hot, teach how to (W)ear / take off clothes and use the layering menu.
3. Require the player to go down into the basement to find spare tools / vehicle parts to repair the car. Spawn a zombie in the basement to teach combat.
4a. Teach how to craft with tools and materials found in basement.
4b. i[/i] Require the player to ®ead books to level skills up in order to continue with the tutorial.
5. i[/i] Spawn a ranged weapon in one of the closets/drawers and a small critter / big critter caught in a trap next to the cabin. Require the player to hunt their food for the next ‘hunger’ phase, teaching how to (f)ire ranged weaponry and (t)hrow throwables in the process.
6. Start the repair process. Teach about the vehicle interaction menu and the options inside it, and possibly things required to make a car work.
7. After the car is repaired, teach driving.[/spoiler]
After the last phase is completed, kill the player; either after the last tutorial note is read, or after the player drives a certain distance away from the cabin, or if they get out of the car. Or just don’t kill them at all, and let them survive on their own. I personally disagree that a tutorial should be a new game on its own and think that it has to be as linear and as restricting as possible, but it could go either way.
What do you think?
