Maybe this would help dummies like me

[ttomm46]

Hi
I bought the game months ago...I finally had to just start playing because i found the tutorial for the core game way drawn out and frustrating...I think a shorter, more focused tutorial would nudge people into purchasing the game,

also i could finally finish it,,

[tigersfan]

The problem with a "shorter, more focused tutorial" is that it would give a false impression of the game. The game is NOT short, and playing it well requires focus on several things at once. A good tutorial should give both good direction AND a good feel for the full game.

[keith.lamothe]

Yea, the intermediate tutorial is pretty long.  I actually really enjoyed that when I first found the game in July '09, it let me play a fairly interesting (for a new player) scenario in trial mode.

The actual game is considerably more interesting, but it certainly isn't any shorter.  To some extent the intermediate tutorial's length is just honesty-in-advertising: if you don't like long games this might not be something you want to buy (though Defender mode in the LotS expansion does allow for games shorter than an hour, it's just not the same type of scenario).

And the tutorial's already pretty focused, in that it's a step-by-step without too much else going on.  The real game has much, much more going on

[Vinraith]

Yeah, I don't know how you could make it any shorter, or any more focused, and still have it bear any resemblance to the actual game.

[Echo35]

Yea, the intermediate tutorial is pretty long.  I actually really enjoyed that when I first found the game in July '09, it let me play a fairly interesting (for a new player) scenario in trial mode.

The actual game is considerably more interesting, but it certainly isn't any shorter.  To some extent the intermediate tutorial's length is just honesty-in-advertising: if you don't like long games this might not be something you want to buy (though Defender mode in the LotS expansion does allow for games shorter than an hour, it's just not the same type of scenario).

And the tutorial's already pretty focused, in that it's a step-by-step without too much else going on.  The real game has much, much more going on

I actually never did the Intermediate Tutorial. I did the basic ones to learn the game, started the Intermediate one, decided it was too cut back and boring, and dove into the full game.

[zoutzakje]

I actually enjoyed doing all the tutorials. I had already bought the base game and the expansions, so I just dove into it and see what it was like. And from the tutorials alone I found out that this was gonna be a huge game, and lots of stuff to learn. So that was fun.
I didn't feel ready to start a real campaign yet after the tutorials though, I still didn't know much about the game. I read almost the entire wiki first before I started playing for real.

[Shrugging Khan]

I never even played a tutorial...fuuu, I wouldn't even know where to find them!

[Echo35]

I never even played a tutorial...fuuu, I wouldn't even know where to find them!

There's a Tutorials button on the main menu if I'm remembering correctly. I believe the game also presents you with them when you first start it up.

[Shrugging Khan]

Indeed, there is a button! I see it now.

EXCELLENT menu music, by the way. This is better than...a lot of otherwise good things.