Real time, Contact, and In-Game Tutorial

The next version of Operators introduces Real Time and Contact: you can move units around in real time and position them for a breach or ambush. There is a LOT going on that the player needs to understand, such as moving units around, how line of sight works, how to pause the game to plan, and how to execute contact.

In designing what to show the player, I have to consider game literacy. The average XCOM player understands concealment and cover. The average realtime strategy player understands moving units in real time. But what if you've played neither? Games are never designed assuming the player knows absolutely nothing about using a gamepad or computer before proceeding, one has to assume some level of knowledge.

The tutorial I've designed is a very rough first draft. It exists in a very beginner-friendly map with ideal high cover and ambush chokepoints, enemies that wander around in a kill box, and easy to approach doors. Some considerations:

• Does the player know how to select and move a unit?
• Does the player understand what the red squares are? (Not even taught here)
• Does the player understand cover, and that standing behind cover keeps their units concealed?
• Does the player understand to press the PLAN button? (Will the player ever press it?)
• Does the player know to press the BEGIN CONTACT button?

Here's the rub: the design of the game itself might need some tweaking, if learning bits of this gameplay loop is too difficult. Perhaps there shouldn't even a button to Begin Contact? Perhaps there needs more visual cues for who is in cover and who is not?

Anyway, I wanted to write this to highlight the need for player testing. The video above won't suffice. This is a complex, multi-step gameplay section that requires some hand-holding and I want to try and nail this.