[Freeciv-Dev] Re: (PR#7245) Freeciv Tutorial

["Jason Short" <jdorje@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://rt.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=7245 >

Raimar Falke wrote:

> So this is a replacement for a manual? Or an addition?

An addition.

No game player reads the manual before playing the game.  Only after 
they are hooked do the peruse it to see what extra information they can 
get.  So an in-game help that provides pertinent information in a 
staggered manner would be good.

> http://www.freeciv.org/manual/client.html document the client in
> enough detail.
> 
> http://www.freeciv.org/manual/trident/game.html and some other
> documents explain the game concepts very
> nicely. http://www.freeciv.org/tutorials/12-step.html has a
> step-by-step introduction.

There is also the helpdata in the game.  This should be a replacement 
for the manual.

> So I think that there exists high quality docu for the client and the
> game concepts. So a tutorial will only help the people which doesn't
> read the manual AND doesn't grasp the client and game by simply
> playing.

I believe that includes most people.

> The largest problem for learning by doing is the startup of
> the client (new connectdlg will help here). And also some icons in the
> client could get an explanation/tooltip (global warming icon for
> example).

True.

> So I think that the cost/benefit ratio isn't very good. For scenario
> explanations it is different however. Since there are no alternatives
> now.

Yet we keep getting requests for such a feature.

The reason these things are never included in open-source software is 
that the developers (including non-programmers) are all knowledgeable 
about the game already.  This is probably a result of the staggered 
development process.  So we only get the pleas for a tutorial from 
people we've never heard of, and they tend to get ignored or forgotten.

jason