TL;DR - Your pop up tutorials do not show in the tutorial log, and some features in the game have no tutorial, pop up or otherwise. This is can be confusing to new players. Are you planning on implementing them into the game on the final release?
I had a little mix up with understanding the whole tagging an item as wares, and it basically was the hanging thread that unraveled a whole sweater. Hence why I am starting with a TL;DR. After using the wares tag for the first time, I went to sell these items using the "Wares" tag in the barter screen. I didn't realize the barter tag carried over to my own inventory as well and freaked out thinking I lost all my stuff. It took me a while to realize that my sorting option carried over and it wasn't a bug that wiped my inventory... across multiple saves too (it remembers your inventory sorting state regardless of save file.)
I'm usually not so bad, and I'm used to poking around a game's UI system and trying to work things out. I'm sure that there's a lot with inventory that you guys have yet to implement and there's things you aren't sure if you can, will, or should do. I get that. But I also realized something else: not everyone has a poking brain logic like I do.
Before I get to my point, I should explain I've been so in love with this game I've been watching streamers play for the first time just to enjoy their reactions. Not all of them really should be playing it in the Early Access state, with even some of them only being exposed to console/controller enabled RPGs in the past. They didn't know that certain things were possible or that certain rules applied. I know it's on the tin: Early Access. They know it too. But I'm starting to realize just how little people explore and experiment with the controls these days. And I think since manuals that come with games have gone extinct, everyone is used to in-game tutorials. This isn't going to change any time soon.
So here's what the problem is: the tutorials, while short and simple which is good and the new tooltips that do help: it's still not enough. Only because there's a lot in the game that exists that is never covered. This is especially hard, in my opinion, for people used to controller and newer style RPGs. I only think you need to have more tutorials, or maybe more pages that can been referenced later for existing ones.
Here's a few examples that I watched people not realize exist:
-Line of sight. Not only important for ranged attacks, but even knowing that something exists *behind* an object. One streamer didn't see the dead body on the nautiloid that has the chest key. (They also didn't realize until afterwards about Alt highlighting objects... yes, I know this is a tutorial that pops up. I think they missed it.) Because they saw the suspended pods behind it and also saw their cursor didn't highlight anything either, they assumed nothing was there. They messed around with the pod they could touch, pushed the button, freaked out a bit and left. They had no idea nothing else was there or incentive to explore.
-Right clicking on objects and on items in inventory. There's a tutorial that says you can do this on enemies, but nothing explicitly states you can do this with an object in the environment or inside your inventory. People not used to gaming with a mouse were completely unaware they could do this. (silly, yes. We use right click a lot for operating systems.) Which brings me to my next point:
-The fact that a stash exists. I only learned of this after the crash because I right clicked on an inventory item. A streamer I watched land on the beach had no idea they could right click on inventory items still. They started moving inventory items around, debating on what to keep and what to leave behind. All while being unaware there was an unlimited amount of space in their bottomless camp stash. Until a player goes to camp, they won't see that the Traveller's Chest exists or that this is indeed where items will go when you "Send item to Camp". There is no tutorial in the log hinting towards the fact that you can send items to that chest from your inventory. It's just an empty box. I know many players are more intuitive when it comes to this because they're used to that particular Quality of Life feature. But I was floored seeing someone not realize it was an option.
-How to get to camp. Well, I should clarify, that they can physically get to camp without ending the day. The fact that we can travel to camp and not trigger nighttime was something I learned way later on. When I saw it in my fast travel options, I thought it would trigger the end of day as well and didn't want to do that. Which was a pain if I wanted to just get something from my stash. Finally 15 hours in, I bit the bullet and clicked on it (after saving of course...) Boy, was I surprised! This is also something no hint was given towards. I mean, yeah, not a big deal right? But then I looked through the tutorials again and saw there was nothing in the log that tells you about short or long rests, how to get to camp or anything. And I went, "wait, I'm sure I saw that too." Which brings me to a very important point:
-Some pop up tutorials do not show up in the tutorial database. At all. I knew something more was missing, like the newer fact that food counts as camp supplies and you need those for a long rest and not a partial one. I reloaded for once act 1 starts, picked up a fish and saw that a message does indeed pop up in the center of the screen... but nothing is there in the log. I know you're messing around with that idea and you're not sure if you're keeping it, but if someone saved right after, then came back the next day they might not remember.
Yes, I know. Woe is the deteriorating attention span and retention ability of humanity in the modern age. Believe me, I get it. But not having those pop ups somewhere that can be referenced later can be difficult. I'm hoping that there is planned to be a manual once everything is finalized. It doesn't have to be physical, but all this made me realize that complex CRPGs really do need them. I also personally witnessed how much people need tutorials today, as well as the ability to reference it and have it cover *everything*. I do feel like experimenting with a game and how it controls is important, and can even be fun. But I can't help but wonder how many people get annoyed with a game because something isn't explained in the format they're used to.
Look at Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. There's an achievement on Steam for when you first set out from Candlekeep. You automatically get this just for leaving the starting area. That's all you have to do. Walk out through the gate with Gorion. Do you know what percentage of people have that achievement right now? 48.7%.
More than half the people who own the game... barely started the game. That released in 2013. I have a feeling this is because of the lack of input from a game that originally came at a time when you were expected to read the manual while a game on 6 CDs slowly installed on your computer. Beamdog never updated their thinking of how to help people understand how the game is played. The preexisting tutorial is really lackluster and you might not even realize that it exists unless you talk to the right person in Candlekeep. (Let's not start on THAC0... shall we?)
I know this game is not trying to only appease the old school gamers and I know it's also trying not to oversimplify for casual players. But there is a whole lot that is never touched on on how someone can interact with the world, and the tutorials only scrape the surface. Some don't even stick around for reminders if someone clicks too fast! There needs to be something for people excited for a new RPG that doesn't have the patience or maybe even experience with using a keyboard and mouse for their RPGs. One good example was when Witcher 2 first came out on PC, the tutorial that the game came with wasn't intuitive enough for some players. When controller support came around it became even more difficult . An entire level was created just to have players understand how they were expected to play the game and what they could do. Even now it's still not the best implemented of tutorials, yet they did so much better by trying to have a tutorial that fits in more seamlessly when they made Witcher 3. (Although, they already anticipated having it release for console along with PC.)
This is going to be a tough battle for you guys to balance not holding player's hands and making the system intuitive and accessible enough for more people. I think people also feel differently about how much they want explained to them, which is why having a robust tutorial section (that someone can read on their own prompting) is important. If you have a manual and more for the tutorial section planned out once everything is finished, great. But I think putting those pop-up tutorials with the rest of them is something required since they never show up again (unless you start a new game or reload before it shows up.)
Well, I've said my piece.
If anyone actually read through all this agrees, disagrees, or has any ideas or comments, feel free to put in your thoughts.
