Good direction can make or break an experience and clear direction is especially paramount in the new world of VR (Virtual Reality) gaming. Players have their headset on their head, controllers in their hand, and game booted up, now what? Since VR is still a relatively new medium and the controls, though more intuitive than a classic controller or keyboard, can be confusing without proper direction from the developer. There are three main avenues that a developer can choose for the tutorial section in their game: direct communication, text prompts, or no tutorial at all.
The first method the developer can use is to communicate directly to the player via one of the characters in the game. An example of this is with Half-Life Alyx. The voice-over from actor Rhys Darby explains in-game how to operate the gameplay mechanics of the gravity gloves. Darby speaks to both Alyx, the character, and the player, controlling her to immersively relay information. A real human voice and presence guides and engages a user’s journey along with visual cues that match up to the voice prompts. The combination of audible and visual cues make directions and information easily and quickly digestible. Another good example of this method is in the game Job Simulator, where the robots order a player to complete an interpretation of a normal human job. A guide character is always present to tell the next step if players are idle for too long, either because they are no longer engaged or because they don’t know what to do next. These guide cues tend to increase engagement and confidence for users.
The next method is most commonly used and easiest for the developer but can be more difficult for the player. Most VR games don’t have the budget for fully animated, celebrity voice-acted guides, so they choose to go with simple text prompts. It is a method that sacrifices immersion for simplicity, though there are some things that can help advance its communication. One of these is to use dynamic steps, meaning when a user completes the first step, the second step appears. While looking around and moving the controllers are self-evident, movement is still a mechanic that requires an explanation. The game Gorn uses this stepped tutorial to good effect in explaining its movement. Once a player completes their first step and moves a little, the text for the second step appears and starts the momentum for the following steps.
The bravest method of communicating controls to the player is using none at all. In this method, the player figures everything out on thier own through exploration and trial and error. This is a much more difficult method to undertake, but there are two well-exectuted examples. Manifest 99 does not have a start screen, or a menu, or a single character of text in the entire game. Players are dropped in blind from moment one which makes for an uncomfortable first few moments. Players may be aimless at first until discovering that looking into the eyes of the animal in view moves you to the next screen. This self-discovery gives a sense of accomplishment and tends to hook players. Another example of this method is the game Moss where players direct a small mouse character around a woodland world while a narrator describes what is happening. The narrator never addresses the player or explains the controls of the game, but the controls are simple enough for the player to discover for themselves with minimal effort. The game utilizes a very recognizable pattern on objects in the world and the hand controllers make interacting with them intuitive and easy.
Virtual reality can be intimidating for those who have never tried it, and having an effective method of communicating with the player and how they can interact with the new world they have entered can make the difference between their experience being a success or a failure.
