The Tutorials and Help Modes

[Miss Doronjo]

Throughout pokemon, we've been taught how to basically play the game during the start of each game (usually after we get our starter pokemon). The characters in the game usually teach us how to battle pokemon, and capture pokemon, with the rest of the battle mechanics are taught in say, battle schools.

Now, along side pokemon newcomers, since there is a great chance that a number of people who will play Pokemon X&Y will be 'pokemon veterans' who know how to play pokemon already, I just want to ask, how do you think the 'tutorial' or help modes will play out these games? Should there be an option to skip over the tutorial immediately for veterans? Or do you think of the whole, 'don't fix what isn't broken'? Maybe there can be a tutorial demo, or some sort of help mode that is separate from the actual gameplay of Pokemon X&Y?

For example, look at Pokemon LeafGreen/FireRed. The main help mode is available from the start of the game. It's useful if you get stuck and don't know what to do. To access the Help Screen press the L or R shoulder button on your Game Boy Advance. A blue Help Screen will come up with three menu options. When selected each menu option either a long list of questions you may have or terms you'll need to comprehend to be a successful Pokemon trainer. The questions change depending on where you are in Kanto:



There's also a Key Item called Teachy T.V in LG/FR.



These tutorials are made for novice trainers or trainers that just want to take a break from battling. An example of a tutorial is that PokeDude will show you how to battle a Pokemon. One instance is when he will battle a Pidgey and explain what's he's doing during the battle.

But again, the main focus of this thread is, how do you think, or want, the 'tutorial' or 'help modes' will play out in these games?

[Suicune™]

I was playing Black 2 earlier and I was thinking to myself, you would have thought they would come up with the option to go through with the tutorial or not.

I'm hoping they apply this to X & Y, you only need a tutorial once so to have the option would be much more preferable for those who know what they're doing and those who don't.

[shubham2207]

U see, 6th gen is based on 3d graphics, so ppl who never played pkmn might try this 3d mechanics, so they would surely need some basic tutorials of how to play the game.. So the trend of basic playing should be cntinued imo...

[Sydian]

Give us the Teachy TV in place of an obnoxiously long mandatory tutorial. Besides, what's in the tutorial is also in the manual. And I know, who reads the manual? I'm trying to think of this in a kid's perspective. They're likely not reading the tutorial anyway, and if they do, more power to them. Put the Teachy TV in the game again for the kids that actually will read the tutorials and if you're one of those kids that doesn't read things, then...idk I really don't think Pokemon is that hard to figure out. :/ And when I can't figure things out, I go to the, surprise, manual.

Unless there's a drastic change, then I don't really think we need a big spectacle of a tutorial. We were fine as kids playing Red and Blue. Why do we need this crazy tutorials now? Things were way more cryptic back then anyway and we figured it out.

As you can obviously tell, I'm not a fan of tutorials lol. Especially long ones, like BW's. :(

[Twilight Sky]

Same as syd here, not too big on tutorials. If anything, bring something similar to the Teachy TV back, but otherwise, no. .__. I find the alternative other methods of tutorials kind of unnecessary and easy to skip through.

[Yuoaman]

Back in my day there was no documentation other than that in the manual, which you only read years later to get the "story". You had to learn what each move did on your own, how the mechanics worked, and that Flash was an unacceptable move to teach your starter. It was a simpler time.

[darkpokeball]

...I hate the long mandatory tutorials! However, I will take a short REQUIRED one. Like, perhaps the professor or rival will say:
"Oh, PLAYER, do you know how to catch a pokemon? I'll show you, follow me!"
One battle later, the pokemon is caught, and the tutorial is finished. I do not want the professor prolonging the tutorial:
"Pokemon appear in tall grass. Come on, here is the tall grass. Now, I walk around. Oh, look! A pokemon! Don't worry, PLAYER, I'll show you how to catch it!" ....and then he/she proceeds to narrate every single thing in the battle;
"First, send out your pokemon! Weaken your opponent, but don't make it faint! Weaken it some more! Status effects also help! Now, select BAG. Now, select BALLS. Now, select POKEBALL. From there, press USE." etc. ...I mean, we can see what's happening. But I want the short tutorial because it's kind of nice to go through the same thing in different lifetimes(by that, I mean different games) and kind of have a connection to your past self...and nostalgia. Also, I want to see the process in 3D lol

[Zupplu]

Bring back Teachy TV! I mean turtorials are nice and all, but they kinda loose their novelty after 30 seconds. I think we're all sick of having to wait through them. It's a nice idea for the kids and all, but only the ones who are really interested in the game (like I was) read it, and I already knew how to play. The others just skip it. So really, something like Teachy TV will be more beneficial.

[Sydian]

The Teachy TV was actually pretty funny to watch. XD I'm not a fan of tutorials, as I already said, but hey if they brought this thing back, I'd watch just for giggles. I always found it to be funny. :P

I just think it's strange that in BW, when we have the internet and plenty of player's guides in game stores, that they'd give us a huge tutorial. And in 1998, all you got was "this is how to catch a Pokemon" lol. I'm sure that was because of hardware limitations, but even still, we all figured out how to play then. Kids today should be able to figure it out now. And like I said, most aren't ready that tutorial anyway.

[Aerilyn]

The Teachy TV, for everyone who already knew how everything worked, was just pure entertainment and a great way to kill time if you didn't want to do anything else. I wouldn't mind having that back, especially if it extinguished the need for all of those long and tedious tutorials they always seem to force feed us.

I'm a firm believer that if so many little kids today know how to work a computer and use things like iPads and whatnot, then why should Pokémon, a game so relatively simple, stuff down so many tutorials for the basics?

At the very least, having the option on whether or not we'd like to see the tutorial would be a nice gesture.

[Magmaruby and Aquasapphire]

I agree, bring back the Teachy TV and skip all the filler. Or at least put all that into the PC's help menu...which I didn't realize B2W2 had until recently (not like I needed it, I was just surprised they had one).

[PokémonShinySilver]

I think it would be good having a tutorial for the new Pokémon games, but I surely would like it if they had the option to be able to skip the tutorials. Like for instance, in Pokémon Diamond/Pearl, you were able to skip the tutorial for the controls.

So anyone who is new to the franchise or someone who is an old player of the franchise would be able to choose if they wish to skip it entirely or read through it.

It would actually be good to have a Key Item to serve as something so that players of new would be able to look at that Key Item to view the tutorials if they are completely unsure of what they have to do in the game.

[Miss Doronjo]

To be perfectly honest, I'd much rather have the tutorial to be optional. There are instances on Nintendo games on if you're stuck on something, then there is a 'demo' that can help you out. I'd like to see that!

[Elendil]

Bringing back Teachy TV in theory would work in-game as well, in some form as an evolution to the help menu of the PC. Put it on whatever the watch thing is is, and you got a winner. However I am not against the tutorials. I would like something like it again.

[Rivvon]

As long as the tutorial is short and well-integrated I do not mind if it returns or not. Not everyone is able to grasp the game mechanics as easily as others, and having the tutorial be a part of the storyline can give more opportunities to understand certain characters' personalities (think Dexter, Ash's original PokéDex; what if our new regional professor is grumpy? A tutorial ran by him/her would be very interesting to go through).

[Aerilyn]

Originally Posted by Rivvon

As long as the tutorial is short and well-integrated I do not mind if it returns or not. Not everyone is able to grasp the game mechanics as easily as others, and having the tutorial be a part of the storyline can give more opportunities to understand certain characters' personalities (think Dexter, Ash's original PokéDex; what if our new regional professor is grumpy? A tutorial ran by him/her would be very interesting to go through).

Giving the tutorial some humor with personality isn't such as a bad idea. It's better than the vapid tutorials we've already had in the past. That said, unless it's an entirely new mechanic altogether, I would still prefer it be kept as an option. Personalized or not, I don't think those who have been playing the Pokémon games for 15+ years now need to sit through all of that.