Play Scaffolds

 

This week I have been thinking about Garden Mania's play scaffolds. I think the best way to scaffold learning information will be to begin with a tutorial to help players understand the features of the game. This tutorial will provide on-screen guidance to walk the player through the game actions: choosing a garden location, planting plants, accessing inventory, etc. For example, the on-screen guidance might say, "Choose some plants that prefer shade in this area." This will remind the player that they not only need to look for something that looks good, but something that will thrive in that area. The tutorial level will consist of only a one or two garden locations and a limited inventory. This will help keep the player from becoming too overwhelmed with an abundance of features. The tutorial will be particularly helpful for understanding how to move the screen, locating places to lay objects, navigating and searching the inventory, identifying icons, and more.

As the player explores the tutorial, there will be pop up hints that point the player in the correct direction to meet the game's goals and objectives. For example, "The homeowner would prefer some fruit trees in her backyard. Consider planting a lemon tree in a sunny location." There will also be shortcuts to access a "how to" guide in case the player wants to look up a particular game function. As the player progresses through the tutorial, the pop up hints will become less frequent so the player builds some independency. The tutorial will also explain the goals of the game and how to succeed or lose the game. After the play becomes more independent and completes the simple objectives in the tutorial, the game will prompt the player to begin an easy level of the game. These tutorial levels will always be available, both from the main menu and by selecting the help features from the game's pause menu.