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I'm finishing my first browser game. I really don't know if I have to develop a "first login" tutorial or not. Do you think it's important? I hate the image-based tutorials, with just few screenshot and the buttons "next" and "prev". I wanted to guide the user in the first step, using the real website but with forced choices.

Is it a good idea?

Is there some piece of code (i.e. jquery plugin) to help me in this phase?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Forced choices sucks, it's pretty much just as boring as a wall of text, and you risk that people play through it without learning how to play the game since they never actually use any of the information you give them. In any case, show us your game, what works well is very different from game to game, and you haven't even given us the genre. \$\endgroup\$ – aaaaaaaaaaaa Apr 27 '12 at 21:00
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As usual with these types of things it's completely up to you. You may need a tutorial, it depends on the complexity of the game. I suggest some play testing, to see how easy it is for people to figure out how to play. However, if you do make a tutorial, I would suggest making it optional.

Simply give the user the choice to proceed through the tutorial, or just get into the game.

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    \$\begingroup\$ +1 Depends on the complexity. Do some user testing. Get your friend(s) over, don't give them any instructions, and see what they do. (p.s. I used to love watching people play Portal for the first time) \$\endgroup\$ – John McDonald Apr 27 '12 at 19:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ I was going to suggest watching them play, and I think that's a good idea, but if you can, do it without them knowing (creepy). There's often an anxiety associated with having someone look over your shoulder that may skew your results. \$\endgroup\$ – MichaelHouse♦ Apr 27 '12 at 19:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ Well, if they're a friend, there shouldn't be that much anxiety, one would hope. I also think watching them is key. It shows you where they are having trouble. It's also important not to help them when they do have troubles. \$\endgroup\$ – John McDonald Apr 27 '12 at 19:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ Here's some more information on user testing: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_testing. I also feel it's important to mention that the users in your little study should not be familiar with your game. \$\endgroup\$ – John McDonald Apr 27 '12 at 19:59
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    \$\begingroup\$ I don't use Facebook, so I don't know their approach. However, I think "in-game" tutorials are more valuable than "slideshow" presentations. Especially if you give the user the option to re-open any of the info bubbles that were present during the tutorial. \$\endgroup\$ – MichaelHouse♦ Apr 27 '12 at 20:14
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Since we already have a question that discusses the issues of whether you should have an in-game tutorial at all, that only leaves the question of it being "forced".

It depends: is it fun? If it's not fun, then it shouldn't be forced. Though I would also point out that if it's not fun, then fix that.

There are plenty of games that have a "tutorial" without ever really being a tutorial, without being obvious that you're being taught the controls and so forth. I would suggest aiming for something like that.

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