Tried to make a tutorial!

[jamesmcneill5672]

Hi there, I tried to make a tutorial for this game and am hoping to get some feedback, thanks!
https://boardgamearena.com/tutorial?gam ... orial=2256

[Bender3002]

This is the first time I see a tutorial on dark mode. It's hard to read black letters on dark background. I don't know, if you can influence that (or if I can), but it's unpleasant this way.

[alecoeur]

Hello,

Thanks for this tutorial, it's really nice and does a great job of explaining the rules!

I do have a few pieces of feedback:

-As another comment pointed out, it's quite hard to read black text on a dark background. Maybe consider switching to white text if possible.

-The section explaining the clock's rules at the beginning of the tutorial is quite clear, but I would emphasize that each of the game's 40 clocks is different, and that the rule you're explaining (the sum on each segment must be equal to or higher than the previous one) applies to all clocks in the game. I would also mention the infinity symbol in the center of the clock, which allows players to have a sum greater than 24 on any segment, whereas this isn't possible with many of the clocks in the game.

-When explaining the discussion phase, I would also emphasize that players are encouraged to discuss and establish a strategy or shared conventions together.

For the rest, I think it explains the game really well!

[Thomas]

The tutorial system does not allow tutorial creators to define colors, backgrounds or other elements. The tutorial uses default colors and inherits the colors of the game. The tutorial does not use a dark mode, but as the game Take Time uses a dark style, this style is used by the tutorial, too. But the dark style of the game is buggy. Only the developer of the game can fix this.

The same problem occurs with other parts of the page, for example the chat window and the tooltips. I already reported this as a bug, see https://boardgamearena.com/bug?id=247972 - feel free to vote for this bug report.

As a workaround, you can switch BGA to dark mode, before you start the tutorial. That forces all games to use a dark style, but with white texts, so that overrides the colors of the game and makes this tutorial easier to read. For more details how to activate dark mode for the whole BGA site, see viewtopic.php?p=259290
But that only helps you, but does not fix the issue in general.

[Thomas]

Now, my opinion on your tutorial. First thanks for taking time to create a tutorial. I know that it is a lot of work to create a tutorial and overall your tutorial is really good. But I want to point out some small parts, that I think, you can improve:

At the beginning, I would describe the clock and the general rules in more detail:
1. The clock has 6 segments.
2. At least 1 card must be placed on each segment.
3. You may also place 2 or more cards on a single segment; in that case, the values of all the numbers on that segment are added together.
4. The sums of the individual segments must be equal or ascending in a clockwise direction, starting to the right of the hand.
5. A lower value counts as an error, and the clock is considered a failure.
6. Depending on the chapter and the clock, individual segments may have additional requirements; there may also be other rules that apply to all segments or specify how the game must be played.

You've summarized all of this in three short sentences—in my humble opinion, it's too condensed and only makes sense if you're already familiar with the game itself and just need a short refresh.

Then you should explain the specific rules of the clock featured in the tutorial. Sure, the reference to the “Rules” button and the tooltips is important, because the tutorial can’t—and shouldn’t—explain every single clock. But for the specific clock featured in the tutorial, I think it would make sense for you to briefly mention its specific rules, since we’re actually playing with that clock and its rules in the tutorial.

Use transitions. For example, from the explanation of the clock and the three phases to the first phase: “We’ll start with the discussion phase. Now we can discuss a strategy together, but we can’t look at our cards or play them yet.”

You list exactly how many cards each player receives, depending on the number of players. That's good, but it could be shorter (“With 2/3/4 players, each player receives 6/4/3 cards”). What you don't mention is that each number from 1 to 12 appears exactly twice—once as a light card and once as a dark card. In my opinion, that's important information.

When the tutorial reader is asked to do something on their own for the first time, you should give them specific instructions on what to do: “Click on card 7 in your hand. Then click on the segment next to the card that’s already on the table. Finally, click the ‘Play Face Down’ button.” It’s best to highlight the elements the tutorial player should click on with colored borders or numbered arrows (1., 2., 3.).

On the tutorial player's second turn, you said, “Play this face-up,” but it's not clear which of the two cards in hand you meant by “this.” Be specific about the card's value and suit, and highlight it with a colored border or a hand icon.

Please don't take this as criticism, but rather as food for thought on how you can make your tutorial even more useful. Only use my suggestions if you think they make sense. And thank you again for taking the initiative to create a tutorial for Take Time.

If you'd like more feedback or simply want more ratings, feel free to share your tutorial in the Tutorial Maker group at https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=10196677