I have always used the “training” levels that games used to provide, such as the ones in Half-life and Command & Conquer GeneraIs. I found that while they gave specific instructions, the developers made them worthwhile, and it meant that you never had to deal with instructions while playing the real thing. I think unless the game’s setting really permits it, “on-the-job training” is difficult to justify, why would a grizzled soldier or seasoned commander need basic training?

How this “on-the-job training” becomes acceptable is good level design. If there is a good learning curve and the speed of the game is well paced, you don’t need someone yelling at you to blow up that building. For an excellent description of how this contextual learning works, Egoraptor’s Sequelitis is a great watch, it covers how Capcom perfected the “one level learning curve”.

When a game gives you a vague instruction, such as “find a way into the building”, and there is a certain entry point that might take a few minutes of searching. Do you think it’s too hard? Probably not. But if you are told that there is a basement door on the west side of the building that is marked on your map and has a waypoint marker on it, is it too easy? The most comparative thing I can think of is canned laughter on a TV show, do you need to be told that someone made a joke? Sometimes, subtlety can make all the difference.

Games these days seem to cater to the new player, as if they have never played a game before. I know there are completely new players, but that doesn’t mean you need to tell them how to shoot or move. Sometimes all you need to do is provide a controlled environment that requires the player to use each of their skills, instead of telling them “press X to reload”. If you design the start of the game properly, you don’t need to have a single tooltip. Sure it might help the player, but often it’s just going to be insulting. I was playing The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap recently, and at one point in the second to last dungeon, I was told “ That panel has hinges, I wonder what would happen if you jumped on it?” Seriously? It was the only point of interest on the screen, nowhere else to go, and yet I am still told what to do?

Developers are acting scared, because they know there is a market that doesn’t like a challenge. Most likely from publisher pressure, they believe that if a player gets stuck, their frustration will turn into poor reviews etc. The fact of the matter is that if you don’t have those dry spots in a game, your achievements will seem less substantial. There is a significant difference between a challenging part with a clear goal, and broken gameplay. Now, use your scroll wheel to move down this web page, left click on the comment box below and type a reply using the keyboard.