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How does one learn to play?

By on May 5, 2009 9:38:58 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

A simple question, but not seeing any stickies regarding this, I figured I'd post a thread...

I purchased Demigod today and ran into somewhat of a problem right off the bat.

Am I being unusually blind or does the game not have a tutorial...?

 

Are players just expected to keep playing new games and finding everything out on their own? I'm not entirely against self-discovery and all, but such a method of starting new games has great potential for missing things...important things.

So aye, the question stands: is there a tutorial mode in the game that I've missed? Or is there some other way to learn gameplay mechanics in a comprehensive manner? All the info online seems to focus on separate concepts (the various units, structures, etc.) but not on the gameplay mechanics/goals as a whole, describing Demigod as a "revolutionary game" but never really pointing out exactly what the game is about in a precise detailed manner. Though to be honest, I haven't read that much online yet. I'm just curious as to why the game doesn't seem to have an introductory tutorial like pretty much every other RTS I've ever played.

Informative replies would be much appreciated.

+1 Karma | 32 Replies
May 5, 2009 9:42:08 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

No, there's no tutorial that you missed. You sort of just have to jump into it. I'd recommend your first game in SP skirmish with easy AIs, so you can familiarize yourself with the item shop, the skill tree, and some of the UI.

Most things in the game are fairly easy to pick up, there are only a handful of things that are a bit obfuscated (holding flags gives you war score, which then improves your war rank, which then lets you buy better citadel upgrades).

If you like seeing numbers for everything, you may also be a little disappointed because not everything is shown in the greatest detail on the tooltips.

Other than that, just feel free to post on the boards and you'll usually get an answer pretty quick!

May 5, 2009 9:59:03 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

there's a pdf manual at C:\Program Files\Stardock Games\Demigod\bin  to help with the basics.

May 5, 2009 11:22:14 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

What I did: jumped into SP tournament and hit - key 5 times. That almost puses the game, so I can scan the skill tree of my demigod, items in the shop and what not. Enough to get me going.

Also, be on the lookout for tabs in shops' inventories. There are specific items available for assasins and generals. Oddly enough, it took me a while to discover that

May 5, 2009 11:27:48 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Also, be on the lookout for tabs in shops' inventories. There are specific items available for assasins and generals. Oddly enough, it took me a while to discover that

And favor points....took me a while to find those too

May 5, 2009 11:45:25 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Annatar11,
No, there's no tutorial that you missed. You sort of just have to jump into it. I'd recommend your first game in SP skirmish with easy AIs, so you can familiarize yourself with the item shop, the skill tree, and some of the UI.

And that is why making the demo MP-only (or indeed, even coming up with that idea at all), is freaking retarded.

May 5, 2009 11:52:09 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting kisan-,
there's a pdf manual at C:\Program Files\Stardock Games\Demigod\bin  to help with the basics.

 

It's weird. I do not have a pdf mannual in my Demigod installation directory. Can anyone send me a copy?

May 5, 2009 12:21:03 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Trail and succes.

The mentality you will need.

May 5, 2009 12:32:25 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Go into options before the game starts (in the lobby) and set the Game Speed for "adjustable".  Then use the "-" to turn down the speed to -10 when you want to tool-tip over all the items/skills.  This will help also:   http://www.scarylogic.com/demigod/items.php   You can also put a normal, hard, or even expert AI on your team, just an easy AI on the other; you'll be much safer then.

And "why" they have no tutorial, I'll never know.  I figured the game out finally (but I've been playing them for a decade+), but I had to teach my 2 friends new to computer games via my Lan, hand-holding, and -10 speed half the time.  I'm totally sure if they had got DG as a gift, they would have thrown up their hands after about a half hour of "guessing" by themselves. 

May 5, 2009 12:46:23 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

The game is pretty easy and yes is a shame theres not tutorial but when it comes to this forum, ask and you shall recieve, maybe if you make a thread requesting a written or video tutorial and im pretty sure someone will help.

Maybe after the connections problems are resolved gpg can work in a tutorial.

May 5, 2009 4:48:48 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

A tutorial would be imo a total waste. There is nothing to learn from it that you can´t learn from the manual bcz its a very very simple game where all the things needed to be learnt are subtle and hence cant be learned from a tutoial.

Singleplayer skirmish + manual IS the tutorial. What you need to learn is how you win and why you lose and that you can never learn through a tutorial anyway. That is gained through experience.

I can give more examples.

-A manual shows you how to buy items as good as a tutorial, what you need to learn is WHAT to buy and here both the tutorial and the manual fails.

This game is not about "how to do" its about what you choose to do and why. A tutorial or manual can never teach you that.

May 5, 2009 5:00:00 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

What kind of mod support does Demigod have? I'd be willing to hack in a tutorial if it's possible.

May 5, 2009 9:08:19 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Frenzyone,
A tutorial would be imo a total waste. There is nothing to learn from it that you can´t learn from the manual bcz its a very very simple game where all the things needed to be learnt are subtle and hence cant be learned from a tutoial.

Singleplayer skirmish + manual IS the tutorial. What you need to learn is how you win and why you lose and that you can never learn through a tutorial anyway. That is gained through experience.

I can give more examples.

-A manual shows you how to buy items as good as a tutorial, what you need to learn is WHAT to buy and here both the tutorial and the manual fails.

This game is not about "how to do" its about what you choose to do and why. A tutorial or manual can never teach you that.

 

Things is not all people like to read, so a simple 5min video tutorial will goa long way.

May 5, 2009 9:20:16 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Phalnax811,

Also, be on the lookout for tabs in shops' inventories. There are specific items available for assasins and generals. Oddly enough, it took me a while to discover that
And favor points....took me a while to find those too

 

yo anit the only one to take a while to find it i only noticed when this dude said what favor item do u use

May 5, 2009 9:23:58 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Demigod is easily modded (most of the code is in LUA), but you can only have one mod installed at a time and you can't play regular demigod if the mod is installed.

I heard a while back that UI-only mods would be able to play against retail clients, but I have never tested this nor do I know the extent of it.

May 5, 2009 11:39:09 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Learning to play is quite easy.  You go around and tell everyone who whines about balance to l2p.  They will then recognize your awesomeness and be afraid to fight you in the game.  This leads to your control of the flags which leads to your warscore going through the roof which leads to giants which leads to their citadel dying a painful death to oversized goblins with tree sized clubs.

May 6, 2009 1:07:12 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Hm, well, after playing some more and getting the hang of the game, I must say a lack of a tutorial really isn't much of a problem. I got the hang of it in no time.

I was first under the impression the game would be boring since it seems so simple at first glance, but boy, was I wrong, heh. It's just the kind of game I've been looking for. Went through Starcraft, Warcraft III, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and Dawn of War, but this is the first one I've really felt like sticking with.

Just gives this great casual experience but has plenty of detail and such to enjoy while playing. And best of all, it doesn't come down to who builds an ugly base with overlapping buildings the fastest. >.<

 

I'll be crossing my fingers for patches with more maps and perhaps an expansion with new demigods, heh.

May 6, 2009 1:36:31 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

We will get new demigods soon, maybe a month or so, also with those demigos might com some maps, stardock is great with after-release support, so im sure we are going to get a lot of updates.

May 6, 2009 1:40:48 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Doggiedoodle,
Learning to play is quite easy.  You go around and tell everyone who whines about balance to l2p.  They will then recognize your awesomeness and be afraid to fight you in the game.  This leads to your control of the flags which leads to your warscore going through the roof which leads to giants which leads to their citadel dying a painful death to oversized goblins with tree sized clubs.

 

the oversized goblins with tree sized clubs made me laugh

May 6, 2009 2:48:46 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Frenzy and the other helpful people in this link (and I do think you are trying to be helpfule), does it not smack of ultimate paradox that you are explaining to everyone how to learn to play the game without a tutorial, that would have EXPLAINED how to play the game?  If what you said was true, you would not have explain ANYTHING about how you don't need any "explination" about how to play the game in this link.  I am still not sure what "war score" or "war level" is; it's not anywhere in the manual or tooltips.  It took me two weeks to realize I could have 2 helms or 3 gloves (stacking); what do most the citidel upgrades do?  Tooltip then take your best guess.  It's all fine for experienced gamers, but leaving casual or new gamers to just guess what to do, in real time (as there is no pause that lets you see the game/tooltips too) causes lost sales and excludes a lot of potential new player base. 

May 6, 2009 6:14:18 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

You could look at this thread here: https://forums.demigodthegame.com/349097

There's a (very long) gameplay video that has most of DG's concepts in it, which have been explored in commentary by me on page 3

May 6, 2009 12:43:19 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Lack of a turtorial is really a shame. Considering this "RTS" game concept is fairly new you aren't the only one who is lost in the sauce either. I had no idea what the hell I was doing either, same with a friend of mine. I just started up single player and after trail and error picked up on the basics and started reading the strategy forum. I still have a lot of question and only found out after I've been playing for a week that you can purchase multiple armor pieces from the same slots e.g. 4 breastplates

 

Lack of documentation and a turtorial is defineatly where Stardock/GPG needs to work on.

May 6, 2009 6:20:23 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

you dont need a tut  u need to have a pop up in game say this is your first match  we will guild you throw it and have a dude voice record  the parts  like this is a shop this is the artifact shop with a brief discription

 

like    citadel  this is where you buy team upgrades that enhance minions struchers and  deathpenalties

 

something like that   just enough to help them and when the match is at the end  have it say if you need any more help visit the forums

May 7, 2009 7:39:46 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

The AI is quite stupid and you learn things after each match but I do wished they had a pause button. I learned today about slowing down game speed.

The only thing I wonder now is how to know the war rank on the citadel without standing next to it.

May 7, 2009 9:29:30 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting fraggelsmurf,
The AI is quite stupid and you learn things after each match but I do wished they had a pause button. I learned today about slowing down game speed.

The only thing I wonder now is how to know the war rank on the citadel without standing next to it.

 

press tab, which is actually the best way to check it since the warscore/lvl from clicking the citidel seems to lag behind what it actually is.

May 7, 2009 9:47:16 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

the learning curve is ridiculous

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