It is not unusual for us to receive an email from a helpful user informing us that we’ve neglected to include an instruction manual with our games.
The comment is often something along the lines of “yo dude, are you aware that your game is missing any kind of clue on how to move or ‘do’ anything”?
We definitely like to hear from the users of our games. And, we certainly appreciate the attitude of wanting to help. But, I’m here today to tell you that it has not escaped our attention that our games have no game play instruction manual.This is not an oversight, it is deliberate.
Learning how to learn is as important as learning. And figuring out how to navigate a game is just as important as navigating the game. Part of a game, a large part, is learning how to get around and get along in the game world — basically how to “do” anything.
In the Prosperity Path there are many total valid ways to discover these little bits of knowledge:
- Trial and Error
- Coaching
- Forums
- Asking Friends
- Even asking us for a clue.
“Trial and Error” relies upon a feedback system — thus teaching you a little about the dynamics of working with a feedback system. In this case the feedback is ultra simple. Either the character moves or it doesn’t. Gamers will try the mouse buttons first — left and/or right. This is because of their prior experience with other games. In this case, they will stumble upon the movement button within 1 or 2 tries. Non-gamers may well begin by pressing all the keys on the keyboard before trying the mouse. This is partially because the mouse is becoming less used as laptops and mobile devices take over the world with their alternative pointer controls. In fact, very soon (if not already) the mouse will be the “alternative control device.”
“Coaching” is definitely a huge source of un-documented goodies in the game. How do you save a chat log? That’s not even covered in the F1 help screen. Admittedly, friends and/or a forum will work for discovering this little bit of arcana. But, the coaches are specially trained to introduce these topics in a timely fashion.
“Forums” and/or “Asking Friends” is totally encouraged. You will notice that the above list does not include “google it”. This is because we deliberately encourage the development of intra-species communication — in addition to inter-species communication. In fact, we encourage every sort of communication — including with yourself.
“Even asking us for a clue” is place last on this list because we feel it is important to give others the chance to gather the benefits of service — you know…earn a little baraka. Spreading good is always better than keeping it to yourself.