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Usability Suggestions For Tutorials

 
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Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/24/2012 11:56:24 AM   
bryanhbell

 

Posts: 55
Joined: 8/24/2012
From: Issaquah, WA USA
Status: offline 		I just purchased Distant Worlds with the expansions today. I'm new to the game, new to Matrix Games, and new to these forums. Please forgive me if I commit some newbie error with this post.

So the first thing I did was run the tutorials. They were quite helpful, but had three significant usability problems:

1. I couldn't gauge my progress through the tutorials. As I progressed through the tutorials, I couldn't tell if I had another 10 pages of tutorial dialogs to read or another 100. My suggestion for an easy way to fix this would be to add text such as "3 of 25" to each tutorial dialog page.

2. I couldn't return to a desired part of the tutorials. Whenever I returned to the tutorials after leaving, I had to rapidly click through all the dialog pages until I got to where I'd left off. My suggestion for an easy way to fix this would be to add a "table of contents" page at the beginning of the tutorial with links that take you directly to the selected page. In fact, a table of contents page might also solve problem 1 above.

3. You can't go back to the previous dialog pages. Adding a "back" button at the bottom of each dialog page would solve that.

< Message edited by bryanhbell -- 8/24/2012 1:33:30 PM >

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Bryan H. Bell
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RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/24/2012 1:17:31 PM   
bryanhbell

 

Posts: 55
Joined: 8/24/2012
From: Issaquah, WA USA
Status: offline 		I just discovered that the text of the tutorials exists in simple text files in \Matrix Games\Distant Worlds\Tutorial. So it's easy for anyone to modify these files to include a progress indicator such as "3 of 35". In fact, that's what I did for the Basic Tutorial. It's attached.

By the way, I'm using Distant Worlds Legends v1.7.0.16.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by bryanhbell -- 8/24/2012 2:14:18 PM >

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Bryan H. Bell

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RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/24/2012 1:29:59 PM   
bryanhbell

 

Posts: 55
Joined: 8/24/2012
From: Issaquah, WA USA
Status: offline 		...and here's the paginated file for the Advanced Tutorial.

Attachment (1)

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Bryan H. Bell

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Post #: 3
RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/24/2012 2:34:35 PM   
WoodMan


Posts: 1345
Joined: 6/2/2010
From: Ol' Blighty
Status: offline 		Nice idea! Lets hope Erik sees this

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Post #: 4
RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/25/2012 5:15:52 AM   
jpinard

 

Posts: 500
Joined: 4/19/2004
Status: offline 		Bryan - How are you doing in this learning-wise? I wish the Tutorial went on to explain (and handhold) more like, "what you should do to get your Empire going", "selecting and creating various shiptypes", "where to build space stations, mining", "economy 101" - etc. Instead of just stepping through the interface.

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Post #: 5
RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/25/2012 6:29:50 AM   
bryanhbell

 

Posts: 55
Joined: 8/24/2012
From: Issaquah, WA USA
Status: offline 		I haven't yet had a lot of time to play the game. So far, I've completed the Basic Tutorial and I'm almost finished with the Advanced Tutorial. I'm taking it slowly. I actually appreciate that the tutorials are helping me learn the interface. It's making for a better experience than I've had trying to learn GalCiv2 . I've also begun reading the DW manual when I can't be at my PC.

I'm a newbie when it comes to 4x space strategy games, though I've been playing the Civilization series for years. GalCiv2, which I started playing last week before getting DW, was my first foray into this genre.

If it helps, I'll try to post in these forums again about my experiences as I continue to learn about DW. Hell, I may be posting in these forums again because I need help.

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RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/25/2012 7:43:33 AM   
Modest

 

Posts: 172
Joined: 11/26/2011
From: Warsaw, Poland
Status: offline
quote:

Hell, I may be posting in these forums again because I need help.

Exaclly - don't be affraid to ask for help. I am sure that in any case You will not be left with nothing and You may count on our helping hand in learning ;)
Good luck! :)

(in reply to bryanhbell)
Post #: 7
RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/25/2012 7:44:30 AM   
Algoritm


Posts: 27
Joined: 7/18/2012
From: France
Status: offline 		Same for me, this is my first 4x space game but I played (and loved) Civ 3. I do regret not being able to play DW in multiplayer *remembers the long but outstanding multiplayer sessions of Civ3 - sigh*

I finished the advanced tutorial and I have to agree with jpinard. I still don't really know how to play the game and feel a lot like a spectator. Maybe the tutorial should involve the player a bit more by forcing you to make (simple) choices and see the consequences.

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Post #: 8
RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/25/2012 8:04:31 AM   
Modest

 

Posts: 172
Joined: 11/26/2011
From: Warsaw, Poland
Status: offline 		Algoritm - As for tutorial I must agree that it is more like "I am going to read that book so I will know how to use my tools in order to repair engine in my car" (which is also an important thing to know) insted of "Come no! Let's repair this engine together so in future You will know how to do it!".

My advice fot this is to set up a game where You will be the only player. Only You, pirates and space monsters. This is how I learned this game.

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Post #: 9
RE: Usability Suggestions For Tutorials - 8/25/2012 6:46:01 PM   
bryanhbell

 

Posts: 55
Joined: 8/24/2012
From: Issaquah, WA USA
Status: offline
quote:

Exaclly - don't be affraid to ask for help. I am sure that in any case You will not be left with nothing and You may count on our helping hand in learning ;)
Good luck! :)


Thanks for being so welcoming! :)

< Message edited by bryanhbell -- 8/25/2012 6:48:08 PM >

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