Better teaching in fighting game tutorials Pt.2: What’s in a tutorial?

Part of my essay will be focusing on fighting game tutorials. So one thing I should consider is what is a tutorial? What is it’s purpose? What components are used and how does a developer go about creating one?

The tutorial by definition

The interactive tutorial was a way of replacing the physical game manual that usually came with the copy of a game. Doing things this way allowed players to learn how to play the game while playing the game (Burgun, 2017). This can be presented to the player as a simple level that utilises tips and instructions (Perry, 2009) showing the player the controls and how to play the game. Salmond (2016: 208) notes that while the tutorial is teaching the player, it also “is revealing the entirety of the game mechanic. Level 1 establishes game tone, story arc, play mechanic, and the environment.”

In that sense the tutorial is not just a section of the game to teach the player how to play but also a method introduce the player to other elements of the game. These other elements could be features of the game (Wagner, 2012), the narrative or the environment (Salmond, 2016).

For this project I will define a tutorial as a playable section of the game that aims to teach and instruct the player on how to play the game which may attempt to present components such as controls, mechanics and tips. These may be taught to the player with various methods including text instructions, video demonstrations or even vague suggestions like the level design in Level 1-1 in Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985).

A subset of the tutorial, as described by Salmond (2020, p. 211 ), is the Onboarding process that also takes place wherein the player is introduced to the narrative, the tone and environment that the game employs. The player is also given positive reinforcement in succeeding the tutorial. As such the player should understand how to play the game and what the game is about, more importantly they are encouraged to engage with the rest of the game and to learn more. This applies heavily to fighting games.

What’s a fighting game?

In issue #15 of NEXT generation magazine, there was a written lexicon for game terminology. Their written of a Fighting Game is: “A game which consists of one-on-one duels between two characters. One controlled by the player. The other controlled by either another player or the computer. The fighting may be executed hand-to hand but characters may also use weapons or have supernatural powers such as the ability to throw fireballs.” (1996: 34).

While there are fighting games that accommodate more than two characters in a fight like the Super Smash bros series(Nintendo, 1999), this definition is still useful and correlates with Ernest Adams description of a fighting game. “These games simulate hand-to-hand combat, usually using highly exaggerated moves…” (Adams, 2009: 397). He also describes a fighting game to have mechanically intense features that require a high level of physical skill to accomplish such as the combo: “the player would execute an especially effective or spectacular attack if she could rapidly issue a particular sequence of buttons and joystick maneuvers.” (Adams, 2009: 398) There are other mechanics that are just as complex and physically demanding which extend on the basic controls of a fighting game.(Daniels, 2013). Another feature of fighting games is that they feature a large cast of characters all of which have distinct attacks and abilities that players need to learn too.

As such, a well designed tutorial would be necessary to teach the player these mechanics, as well as other systems in a fighting game.

What’s in a fighting game tutorial?

While there are many games within the fighting game genre, the conventional controls are very similar. The thumbstick/direction-pad are responsible for character movement and the other buttons are used for performing different attacks or abilities. A number of fighting games assume the player already knows this and other such controls, overall it is difficult for players without prior experience to play such fighting games (Bevill, 2012; Edwards, 2018; Miller, 2020).

Some fighting games teach these simple controls in the tutorial. In Street Fighter V(Capcom, 2016), players assume control of a character. They are then given text instructions to perform actions.

There is also a separate training mode where the player may also start a level and choose characters to play as against an NPC. This mode allows the player to automate the NPC to perform specific actions like attacking or blocking. The player can then experiment and learn different attacks or strategies to counter the NPC. This mode is heavily self-directed and does require prior knowledge to utilise effectively. This mode also offers telemetry on controller inputs, frame data and attack data.

However other games elect not to include a distinct tutorial mode or section. In Tekken 7 (Bandai Namco Studios, 2015) there is no tutorial. Instead the tutorial’s responsibilities, these being teaching the player the controls and onboarding them, are transferred to the story mode (Bailey, 2021).

As such the story mode imparts narrative and teaches the player how to play the game at the same time. I would argue that Tekken 7’s story mode is a tutorial due tot he fact that it serves to teach the player the controls of the game. Both Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 have similar approaches to their tutorials, that is by introducing context, story and teaching the player the controls of the game.

In Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-(Arc System Works, 2016), it can be argued that the three modes “Tutorial”, “Combo” and “Mission” compose the tutorial. This is because they serve to teach the player how to play the game (Hou, 2021). This also makes use of playable sections where the player is promtped with text instructions as well as voiced instructions. Upon receiving instructions the player must attempt to perform the actions described.

With these examples I can say that fighting game tutorials implement the use of text instructions and symbols to communicate controls for the game. These are used within playable sections of the game which may involve narrative elements and have the goal of teaching the player how to play the game. This may be supplemented by video demonstrations and UI prompts that reflect the player controller inputs. Some games have more depth in their tutorials than others, Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- implements different modes dedicated to different levels of complexity. These modes range from teaching the most basic controls to advanced mechanics like combos (successive chains of attack inputs) and character specific strategies and combos. While others offer less depth like Street Fighter V, the tutorial is one playable section that is supplemented with a training mode where players can test themselves against an NPC.

References

• Adams, E., 2009. Fundamentals of game design. [Book] 2nd ed. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
• Arc System Works, 2016. Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-. [Video game] Arcade, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows. Aksys games, Arc System Works, Sega, Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe.
• Bailey, D., 2021. Tekken has dropped tutorials because players don’t use them. [online] PCGamesN. Available at: <https://www.pcgamesn.com/tekken-7/tekken-7-tutorial> [Accessed 12 May 2021].
• Bandai Namco Studios (2015). Tekken 7. [Video game] Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Arcade. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
• Bevill, R., 2012. Standard fighting game controls alienate potential players. [Blog] Gamasutra, Available at: <https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RobertBevill/20120616/172502/Standard_fighting_game_controls_alienate_potential_players.php> [Accessed 12 May 2021].
• Capcom et al., 2016. Street Fighter V. [Video Game] Playstation 4, Microsoft Windows, Arcade. Capcom.
• Daniels, D., 2013. Fighting Game Mechanics. [Blog] Derek Daniels, Available at: <http://derekdaniels.com/blog/2013/6/13/fighting-game-mechanics> [Accessed 11 May 2021].
• Edwards, M., 2018. The Esoteric Design of Fighting Games. [Blog] Gamasutra, Available at: <https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MauriceEdwards/20180521/318408/The_Esoteric_Design_of_Fighting_Games.php> [Accessed 12 May 2021].
• Hou, P., 2021. Fighting Game Tutorials That Teach the Fundamentals. [online] CBR. Available at: <https://www.cbr.com/fighting-game-tutorials-teach-fundamentals/> [Accessed 13 May 2021].
• Miller, P., 2020. Why fighting games are hard. [Blog] Pat the Flip, Available at: <https://pattheflip.medium.com/why-fighting-games-are-hard-7d6d423028ff> [Accessed 12 May 2021].
• Nintendo EAD (1985). Super Mario Bros. [ROM cartridge] Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Vs. System. Nintendo.
• Nintendo(1999). Super Smash Bros.
• Next Generation, 1996. Lexicon A to Z. [online] (15), p.33. Available at: <https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-015/page/n33/mode/2up> [Accessed 11 May 2021].
• Salmond, M. (2016). Video Game Design: Principles and Practices from the Ground Up. London: Fairchild Books. From http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781474222426 [Accessed: 5 May 2021]