Stock and Real-estate only game for newbies to learn CapLab

[David]

Hi Inarius, from your saved game, I noticed that you concentrated on real-estate development and stock trading. Are you having enough fun by just doing stock trading and real-estate development and not getting involved in any production or retailing at all?

We have been thinking about ways to introduce Capitalism Lab to new players (which currently does not have any tutorials and is limited to appealing to users of Capitalism 2 only). One idea is to let new players just play the components of real-estate development and stock trading and disable the function to build any other types of buildings.

And we could create web pages with tutorials in text and videos teaching new players how to do stock investment/trading and real-estate development. Once the player has spent sufficient time to get familiar with the game, it will open up the other features to the player (those traditional Cap2 features: retail, manufacturing, farming, R&D and etc).

What are your thoughts on this?

Anybody who has any opinions on this, you're welcome to post your thoughts here as well.

[Inarius]

Well, it's not just me. All the AI players have massively constructed.

If I chose to do this, it's because :

- I wanted to test it, as it's quite new in its working
- I wanted to create a regular income (1,5 M / month) before investing in something heavier (car selling)
- I wanted this income to finance my R&D center which where investing in 10-years research on engines, wheels, car body, etc..in order to arrive on the market suddenly with an already high level product.


I think that you should make a tutorial, which would allows player to test everypart of the game, not only new part of Cap Lab.

Tuto 1 - using the map, the mini map, with savegames already advanced in the time
For example "now go on the Madrid city, and click on your car retailer." Or "use the minimap to select only your firm"

Tuto 2 - The different menus
Example "go on manufacturer menu. GOODDD ! Now click on "Apparel" products. Now look at products which already use leather

etc...etc..with retailing (using advertising), factory (using layout), R&D, stock market, loans, build, etc...

Cap Lab as well as Cap 2 is not a simple game, it deserves a real tuto, doesn't it ?

[David]

Firstly, CapLab is an on-going project and the plan is to make changes and improvements to the game constantly. With its unique nature, it is difficult to make a tutorial which must assume all features are fixed.

Secondly, some people were intimidated by Cap2's original tutorials as they are too long. We are trying to see if there is a way to change that.

Due to the above 2 reasons, thus it comes the suggestions on the first post of this topic. Let me know if you have any ideas for the new tutorial system, given the constrains mentioned above.

[Inarius]

I don't remember the tuto of Cap 2, so i can't give you my opinion on it.

But several small tutorials are better than a big one.

You could make a tutorial on a specific feature, and a total of 5-10 mini-tutorials.

Tuto should not begin with an empty map but on an already-begun game.

I understand that you don't want to make tutorials on things which are about to change. But on primary issue (mini map, layouts, where to find things, manufacturer guide, etc.) i think that you can begin it because it's not about to change.

[baz]

Secondly, some people were intimidated by Cap2's original tutorials as they are too long. We are trying to see if there is a way to change that.

.

David, Are you refering to the entrepeneurs campaign In CAP 2 as tutorials?

I couldn't fault them personally if you are. I can load them up again but I thought they were straight forward and clear.

Whats the definition of too long? Ie took to long to play or took to long to understand or !!!!?

To be honest I just read the manual and played the ent. campaign and learnt what I didn't know in the game. If you not refering to that, then i'd love to know where the tutorial is?

I'm very happy to help out with the tutorial in anyway that I can. I do think that if someone had no interest or knowledge of things within Capitalism ( business ) before they bought the game, would they be more likely to buy the game because it has informative tutorials? I mean everything helps but how would you cater for everyones learning abilities.

For sure if they bought the game and then became confussed, that isn't great, but everyone buys things that they have no clue on how they work. IE I've bought a car and know how to drive but is it the car company or myself that should know how it works? Most people don't even know where the bonnet handle is, or where there fuse box is or even where there spare tyre is.

[David]

Yes, Cap2 uses the Entrepreneur's Campaign as tutorials.

Firstly, CapLab is an on-going project and the plan is to make changes and improvements to the game constantly. With its unique nature, it is difficult to make a tutorial which must assume all features are fixed.

Additional notes to the above: the original tutorials in Cap2 uses saved game files for each scenario in the Entrepreneur's Campaign. But since CapLab will be constantly changing and saved game formats change as well. So it will be impractical to use the same method for creating tutorials in Cap Lab.

We try to come up with some innovative way to teach new players how to play Cap Lab and limiting the game initially to stock market and real estate is one idea. Any other ideas will be welcome.