Hi Alex, I checked out Homeworld, and you're right it is really cool. The instruction mechanism occurs inside the game itself as certain scenarios. It must have been complex to build, such that you have free access to do a lot of things - for example it says "Use Ctrl-select to highlight and attack a ship." (ample use of voice commands in the step by step tutorial) however, most of the game is free - in that you can move around as you wish. In some tutorials, you need to right click and select an option as the "next step" and in those, the only right click option that works is the one they asked you to press - ie the controls adapt to the tutorial! Pretty slick.
Thanks for that example! Navid On Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 8:47 PM, Alex Hogan <[email protected]>wrote: > Navid, > > There's an older game that has an excellent example of something close to > what you're looking for. It's called Homeworld. > > Extremely complex applications have provided exactly this type of > instructional methodology. These expert systems will detect when a user is > either not following the prescribed process or seems stuck in a process or > workflow. They will then prompt the user asking if they want some > instruction to aid their progress. > > For what you're looking to do you might consider introducing a shell > application that resides over the existing application that you are wanting > to present show me simulations for. This application can be launched when > the "host" application is launched. You can use a concept matrix to create > as many varied scenarios that you wish to present to the user given any > condition. > > The reason I say to shell this instructional module is to provide the > modularity necessary for easy access to updates and modifications to the > instruction. The use of the concept matrix allows you to easily add > additional scenarios without having to recompile or disseminate the entire > application. > > Personalized and guided instruction like this is very effective in > providing just in time knowledge to a user. However it can be extremely > expensive to develop correctly, but once developed can be adapted to almost > any application that you develop. > > Thanks, > > alex*hogan* > ------------------------------ > > *Information Architect** > voice:* 972.977.6821* > email:* [email protected] <[email protected]>* > web:* www.lmsarchitect.com > *linkedin: > **http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhogan*<http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhogan> > ------------------------------ > > > > Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:02:44 -0500 > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Applications w/ built in "Show me"/Learning > Mode/Player Piano? > > > > > I'm wondering if anyone has any references to a applications with a > direct > > in-context, "Show Me" capability? (with live mouse motion?) > > Similarily, would love to learn about apps that have attempted a learning > > mode that plays through a > > scenario on a mock data set - I guess like a flight simulator that is > > "player piano'ing" a flight path on autopilot > > and has good in context training. Now that I think about it I'll check > out > > the latest from MS Flight Simulator... > > > > If people have attempted such a thing, but got stumped I'd be interested > to > > learn what architectural challenges you encountered. > > > > Thanks, > > Navid > > ________________________________________________________________ > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > > To post to this list ....... [email protected] > > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > > ------------------------------ > Express yourself with gadgets on Windows Live Spaces Try > it!<http://discoverspaces.live.com?source=hmtag1&loc=us> > ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
