Still finding it very difficult to master this game

[thistlebarrow]

Hi Igor

I completely agree with the point you make, which seems to be overlooked by experienced players of this game. With a board game you do what you want, how you want. Even if you play the game wrong, you are still able to continue. With a computer game if you do not follow the correct sequence you are unable to continue with the game. It is not possible to ask the game why it has stopped, or what you should do to continue. This is why is it so important to have what I call the basic mechanics of the game explained.

I am therefore very pleased that Marshall has agreed to provide a tutorial which would allow newcomers to the game to master the computer interface.

Some experienced players seem to be confusing the difficulty of mastering the mechanics, and the need for a tutorial to cover these subjects, with the much more complicated problem of understanding the military and political stragegy of the Napoleonic period. I agree that the tutorial should not attempt to cover this aspect of the game, and indeed I also agree that it would not really be possible to do so. Whether the AI is sufficient to provide a historically accurate outcome is a different matter,and one which should not be addressed in this strand.

Thistlebarrow

[pzgndr]

I didn't pay too much attention to the tutorial guide when it came out but I looked at it last night. It already does a pretty good job of explaining the game mechanics in a step-by-step manner. A tutorial scenario wouldn't hurt but the guide already covers most everything. It sure would have helped me and others on Day 1.

Since the tutorial guide is now available, a fair question for thistlebarrow and others is what more does it need to cover? Are there game functions that are not explained adequately or at all, and are more screenshots and other examples needed? Ralegh could make some updates and a new version of the tutorial guide could be provided with v1.03. This could be done in parallel with a tutorial scenario/demo. Regardless of what the tutorial or learning scenario may cover, players must still understand the learning curve for this game is steep and there is no good substitute for reading the rules and getting into the game interface, repeatedly.

Another thing that seriously needs to be considered is an update of the manual. The addendum items should be added. The original EiA rules section 15.0 Player Notes should be added. Additional clarifications and examples would be helpful. An updated pdf manual could also be provided with v1.03. That would be helpful.

[Marshall Ellis]

The DEV team would certainly want to know this!
 

[thistlebarrow]

Hi Erik

In Post 14 on 3 June you posted:

"Based on this post, I'm going to add to our work list to do a few video interface tutorials for all the basic tasks. These will take some time to do, but we'll make it happen. I agree with you that we should have had more in the way of tutorials as part of the initial release. "

I return to the forum every couple of weeks to see if there is any progress, and I note that there is another thread covering the same problem.

Any progress with the promised tutorial?

Regards

Thistlebarrow

[thistlebarrow]

What is happening to the promised tutorial?

In June 2008 Erik wrote:

"Based on this post, I'm going to add to our work list to do a few video interface tutorials for all the basic tasks. These will take some time to do, but we'll make it happen. I agree with you that we should have had more in the way of tutorials as part of the initial release."

It is clear from many posts since then, that a considerable number of people who have bought this game are having problems similar to my own.

Is work progressing on the tutorial, or has it been forgotten?