I recently added some hint messages that pop up during normal gameplay when certain trigger conditions are met. But this is reactive, so different from the kind of handholding you suggest. The biggest challenge with this proposal is that it would take a lot of time and effort to create a new tutorial, and there are other things ahead of it on the to-do list.
I saw them when i started a new game on the new version today and i really like them. Certainly a step in the right direction.
And it is true, my proposal sounds like a lot of work, and i imagine not the most fun one. I guess it is more fun to work on the Main Game and follow your vision but i think you should consider the long term benefits a better New-Player Experience could bring. For you as a dev and for the Game. Sorry, this will be another long one it seems hehe.
Lets say we have a gradual Tutorial, wouldn't that mean you have a easier Time balancing the Main game? My thoughtprocess goes something like this: New players are expected to go through the new Tutorial, after finishing it every player is on a comparable skill level when they start a New Game. This could be useful for you because it could make prediciting player behaviours and seeing potential balancing pitfalls more easy for you. You have kind of a "expected player skill" baseline to work from and can balance around that.
From reading this Thread for, maybe, the last 120 pages it seems a lot of your time goes into Micromanaging the Gamebalance - and maybe that helps ease the burden long term. Gives you a more consistent base from which you can balance the Game. Which lets you put more time in the exciting parts.
Another thing is: Lowering the Barrier of Entry allows the player base to grow and to keep New Players invested instead of them giving up. You put so much work and thought and passion into this game, it would be a shame to chase new players away before they even really started.
And my last Point: The game already has something similar in place. The Tutorial slaves come in easy, medium and hard difficulty and every one of them requires you to -
-First: Learn and apply the Basics. That is already enough to complete the easy Tutorial.
-Second: The Medium one requires you to apply the basics and deal with a bit more advanced concepts like spoilage and rebellious natures.
-Third: And the Hard one requires you to apply all of the previous learned lessons but introduces the most advanced mechanics. A Rebellious slave, with a very high temper and negative traits (Lesbian Trait in this case, i believe).
I mean this is already close to what i proposed in my first post. What is lacking is the Handholding to ease the player into it. Maybe a bit more structure in how the Tutorial plays out.
I already really appreciate the little Button you can click in the Tutorial which shows you the numerical Values of you slave, if you know what i mean? The little Debug-Button, i believe. This is one example of what i am talking about and more would really help.
And one thing i believe would help short-term is easing or stopping the Timepressure in the Tutorial. It lets the Player mess around and experiment and don't put them on the backfoot before they even really started.
I think games work best if they follow a rule like: Easy to learn and hard to Master. Right now it feels the game is Very hard to learn and after that kind of easy to Master.
I really would love to help you guys a bit more but i am not sure if i can do anything besides rambling my thoughts and help a bit with brainstorming or try to give a different perspective.
