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[Adral]

Yeah, I know the game is pretty simple as it is, but maybe a short guided tutorial might help to get the game nearer to the masses :P

Obviously, at the end of the tutorial it should refer to the help in case you need the keybindings again.

What do you think?

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

Hmm, how do you imagine that?

[Adral]

Hmm, how do you imagine that?

A option in the main menu that opens a tutorial mode and launches you into a predefinded level.

Then, some text messages start instructing you on what you should do, maybe with army-like messages, i.e:
* Ok, marine, start moving! (Use the Numeric Keypad to move in all 8 directions)
* Explore the area and report back. Good luck, soldier!

Then when you approach certain zones, more messages would appear:
* Shoot that training dummies, soldier! (press f to shoot, NumPad to change firing direction)
* Pick up this shotgun (press g)
* Your weapon has emptied, marine! Reload! (press r)
* Close the door! (press c)

And so on. It might help to get people into something that, at first glance, appears impossible, don't you think? ;)

[Fingerzam]

I like this idea, it could teach new players the basics easily.

[Valkeera]

Well... I guess so. Though there's not really that much keybindings in DoomRL for new players to need a tutorial, IMO; when I started playing ADOM, for example, I had to learn many more keybindings without tutorial :-)

[Fingerzam]

Well, yes, but learning ADoM's keys was a hell at the beginning.

[Adral]

Well... I guess so. Though there's not really that much keybindings in DoomRL for new players to need a tutorial, IMO; when I started playing ADOM, for example, I had to learn many more keybindings without tutorial :-)

Of course, but if you had the option of learning them with a tutorial, I think you might have used it ;) (at least, that's what I'd probably done)

The first time I played ADOM or ToME I almost died from a heart attack when I looked at the help. I thought it was impossible to learn all that keys! So much I stopped playing and until 2 or so years later I didn't re-enter the RL world. I finally learned them, but after a lot of time playing. DoomRL has many more, but if it is going to be a game for "everyone", in my opinion everything that can be done to help them get into the game might be nice.

[Jim9137]

The problem with Adom and ToMe was that most of the time, the keys made no sense at all. Especially with ToME, you'd be pressing Ctrl+alt+# and then typing "dig" or something absurd like that, to simply dig at the wall. It demanded that you'd type your own macros if you wanted the ease and convenience what DoomRL has.

DoomRL, ladies and gentlemen, has simple and quickly learnable keys. You move, you fire by pressing f, you reload with r, and you get stuff by pressing g. Anything beyond that and inventory is truly extra. The tutorial could be nice, but it isn't completely required, most people can pick this baby up with rather ease, I assure you.

[Almafeta]

I like this idea a lot.  DoomRL is already the 'starter drug' for the Roguelike genre. this would just make it official...  =D

You could either make "Tutorial" a new main menu option, or a new "difficulty."

The tutorial could be nice, but it isn't completely required, most people can pick this baby up with rather ease, I assure you.

Not necessarially...  one of the people I've hooked DoomRL on recently is having a bit of trouble with the entire roguelike concept.  Having a proper 'basic training' before going into Hell would be handy.

[Blade]

Tutorial is needed. We, who learned roguelike a lot, now can say that it is easy. But one my friend, when i showed him DooMRL said: "It is cool game!.. If you want to dedicate all your life just to understand, what is happening."))

[bfg9001]

Tutorial would be nice. But then again, is it really needed? The keys are simple enough as is, lol.

[Jim9137]

DoomRL was the first roguelike I properly tried. :(

[RickVoid]

DoomRL is the first rougelike I've beaten.

Anyway, I really like this idea. Set up the map like a marine training course, complete with dummies, armor, weapons, obstacle courses (example below), and at the end, have a demon appear that you have to kill with the weapons you've found. (Kind of like "Congratulations, Marine, you've succesfully completed your- (demon teleports in) WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!!??" Then you kill it and the commander comes back on the radio. "Situation Green. All hostiles pacified. All knowledge of this event will be classified, Marine. I don't need to tell you what that means.")

Here's the map of the obstacle course:

Code: [Select]

##################################
#....##########..####............#
#....###...#.#.##................#
#..@..#.###.#.#######............#
#....#.##############............#
#....################............#
Yeah, it looks crappy, but I think you get the idea. Just something to get players used to using the Numpad to navigate (I'd never done it before I played a rougelike).

[Santiago Zapata]

And afterwards, the commander comes to kill you, nobody must know about this incident after all!

And if you kill the commander then ---

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

!!!

[RickVoid]

And afterwards, the commander comes to kill you, nobody must know about this incident after all!

And if you kill the commander then ---

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

!!!

Actually, I just thought it would be cool to foreshadow the incident by having a demon try to kill the marine during training.

How about this: Instead of the commander seeing the whole thing, all power goes out in the base. (Rooms go dark) The commander's voice goes to static, and a couple imps and a demon appear. After they die, their bodies disappear and power goes back to the base. The commander make some excuses for the power loss and the marine never mentions the attack. (Seeing as how the bodies just vanished, he has no proof and would likely be tossed in a padded room.)

In another idea for the tutorial (no foreshadowing this time) you go through all the stuff I described before, but the commander is also on the map (as a white @) and at the end he orders you to slaughter a helpless encampment of (i dunno, helpless people) at which point, you refuse. He immeadiately goes hostile and shoots one of them campers. Then you kill him. This explains why you were sent to mars but didn't go into phobos with the others.
Yeah. Like in the book. :(  I know...

[xwdishere]

I like the idea of making the tutorial a prequel after you complete it.

Make sure the tutorial explains some of the lesser known functions, like Unloading weapons and using the "Prepared" equipment slot.

[Derek]

Anyway, I really like this idea. Set up the map like a marine training course, complete with dummies, armor, weapons, obstacle courses (example below), and at the end, have a demon appear that you have to kill with the weapons you've found. (Kind of like "Congratulations, Marine, you've succesfully completed your- (demon teleports in) WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!!??" Then you kill it and the commander comes back on the radio. "Situation Green. All hostiles pacified. All knowledge of this event will be classified, Marine. I don't need to tell you what that means.")

Cool idea!  And one that no other RL has yet to implement, as far as I know.

[Santiago Zapata]

Cool idea!  And one that no other RL has yet to implement, as far as I know.

Hmmm... not really true xD

[Valkeera]

I think I know how it came to be that Our Hero did not go to Phobos base with others...

Sergeant: Marines, report readiness status!
Marine1: Ready, sir!
Marine2: Ready, sir!
Marine3: Ready, sir!
Our_Hero:Re-! Oh f***, I forgot to take my shoes!
Marine2: Heh, sucker! :-P
Sergeant: Too bad, soldier, you can't come in with us with an empty boots slot.
Our_Hero: Oh, crap... Okay, I'll wait here and listen to you on the comm...

Sorry for the off-topic, I just couldn't resist ;-)

[Igor Savin]

...Our_Hero: Oh, crap... Okay, I'll wait here and listen to you on the comm...

Yeah, that's how one becomes a hero...

[RickVoid]

I think I know how it came to be that Our Hero did not go to Phobos base with others...

Sergeant: Marines, report readiness status!
Marine1: Ready, sir!
Marine2: Ready, sir!
Marine3: Ready, sir!
Our_Hero:Re-! Oh f***, I forgot to take my shoes!
Marine2: Heh, sucker! :-P
Sergeant: Too bad, soldier, you can't come in with us with an empty boots slot.
Our_Hero: Oh, crap... Okay, I'll wait here and listen to you on the comm...

Sorry for the off-topic, I just couldn't resist ;-)

So, they would have let him go if he was wearing boots? As I recall, you don't start with armor either. Neither do any of the other marines (former humans). The bastards don't even leave you one heavy weapon, they expect you to be just fine in the transport with a fracking pistol.



I now have a new reason to kill former sergeants and captains with extreme prejudice.

[Fortunato]

Cool idea!  And one that no other RL has yet to implement, as far as I know.

Hmmm... not really true xD

Indeed, Tyrant, for instance, has a tutorial.

[Adral]

Cool idea!  And one that no other RL has yet to implement, as far as I know.

Hmmm... not really true xD

Indeed, Tyrant, for instance, has a tutorial.

Santiago is, of course, refering to his own RL, CastlevaniaRL :P (Which you can get at the link at his signature). I think the thing is he doesn't want to get overboard with self-promotion, but I'll help him a bit :P

EDIT: spelling

[Derek]

Cool idea!  And one that no other RL has yet to implement, as far as I know.

Hmmm... not really true xD

Indeed, Tyrant, for instance, has a tutorial.

Santiago is, of course, refering to his own RL, CastlevaniaRL :P (Which you can get at the link at his signature). I think the thing is he doesn't want to get overboard with self-promotion, but I'll help him a bit :P

Ah cool.  Well I figured at least one or two other RL's would have a tutorial... but not as a marine-style training mission with a drill sargeant (he should be called Sarge in homage to Quake, perhaps).

Santiago, I'm going to finally give CastlevaniaRL a play through sometime next week and I'll make a post about it on TIGSource, if you don't mind. :)

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

Oh yes, do it -- I've always envied Castlevania until Slash himself told me that the downloads of it were so low... it deserves a lot more attention :).

[Santiago Zapata]

Santiago, I'm going to finally give CastlevaniaRL a play through sometime next week and I'll make a post about it on TIGSource, if you don't mind. :)

That would be very nice... I'm planning to *polish* the character advancement system on next version so it is a bit more interesting, but for now I must finish DrashRL (And I am pretty happy with the way it is evolving ;) )

Oh yes, do it -- I've always envied Castlevania until Slash himself told me that the downloads of it were so low... it deserves a lot more attention :).

I keep wondering the reason of that :P but I hope next version will attract more people via its internal mechanics rather than graphics or theme (roguelike = theme + mechanics + interactions + presentation, cvrl is missing a byte on the mechanics part)