Skill: stanestane/game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit (version 1.0.0)

--- name: game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit description: Audit a game's FTUE (First Time User Experience) through the lens of the Hero's Journey / monomyth. Use when reviewing onboarding, tutorial flow, first-session retention, first 30 seconds, early-session emotional hooks, mentor/tutorial character usage, first meaningful action, or whether an FTUE makes the player feel like the hero of the experience rather than a passive victim of UX chores. --- # Game Design FTUE Hero's Journey Audit Audit the FTUE as if the player is the hero of a story. Use this skill to evaluate whether a game's onboarding creates emotional connection, delivers a compelling call to adventure, introduces guidance in a motivating way, and gives the player an early moment of meaningful control. This is not just a tutorial audit. It is an audit of the player's first heroic arc. ## Core principle The purpose of FTUE is not merely to explain controls. The deeper purpose is to create an emotional connection and make the player feel like the hero of their own story. ## Audit lens Focus on these stages: 1. **Part 0 / Framing** - Is the FTUE treated broadly as the first meaningful arc, not just a tutorial? 2. **Call to Adventure** - Does the game quickly establish why this world, fantasy, or challenge is worth entering? 3. **Meeting the Mentor** - Does the game provide emotional guidance, framing, and useful gifts without drowning the player? 4. **Crossing the Threshold** - Does the player get to take meaningful action with enough autonomy and competence to feel good? ## What to produce Generate: 1. **FTUE scope** - what span of the experience is being audited 2. **Hero's Journey stage review** - strengths and weaknesses by stage 3. **Psychological need check** - autonomy, competence, relatedness where relevant 4. **Drop-risk diagnosis** - where the FTUE is likely to lose players 5. **Recommendations** - what to cut, pace, reframe, or strengthen ## Process ### 1. Define the FTUE scope Clarify: - what counts as the FTUE in this game - whether the audit covers first 30 seconds, first session, or several early sessions - where the player is most likely to bounce ### 2. Audit the broad framing Ask: - is FTUE treated only as a control tutorial, or as the player's first arc with the game? - does the experience aim to build emotional investment? - does the flow respect the player's time and attention? - are early retention risks acknowledged in the design? ### 3. Audit the Call to Adventure Ask: - does the game establish an inviting fantasy, promise, or problem quickly? - does the player understand why they should care? - is there a strong emotional hook before explanation overload begins? - how much friction appears before meaningful interaction? - are there blockers such as large downloads, mandatory account creation, intrusive popups, or heavy exposition? Look for: - fast entry into meaningful interaction - minimal pre-play friction - emotional hooks over yellow-arrow obedience - intrigue, mood, and promise without infodump ### 4. Audit Meeting the Mentor Ask: - is there a mentor figure, guide, or equivalent framing device? - does it create emotional connection or just dump instructions? - does the guide explain only what matters now? - does the player receive meaningful starter gifts, tools, or framing? - is the mentor reused effectively for later mini-FTUE moments? Look for: - empathic or authoritative guidance - gift-giving that feels magical, useful, and motivating - character or framing that helps the world feel inhabited - concise explanation rather than lore drowning ### 5. Audit Crossing the Threshold Ask: - when does the player first gain meaningful control? - is the first self-directed action actually meaningful? - does it satisfy autonomy as well as competence? - is the task achievable by a novice while still feeling like real play? - is the FTUE overloaded with too many mechanics or abilities too fast? - are rules softened, randomness reduced, and feedback sped up during this phase? Look for: - early self-directed action - clear and satisfying feedback - low chance of early failure or humiliation - only the minimum needed to start having fun - gradual pacing of advanced systems ### 6. Check psychological needs Use these lenses where relevant: - **Autonomy** - how quickly the player gets meaningful agency - **Competence** - whether the player can understand and succeed at the first tasks - **Relatedness** - whether characters, framing, or social cues create emotional connection ### 7. Diagnose likely failure shapes Common FTUE failure patterns: - **Yellow-arrow servitude** - the player obeys prompts without caring - **Pre-play bureaucracy** - too much friction before play begins - **Lore drowning** - backstory arrives before emotional investment exists - **Mentor as textbox** - guide character explains but does not emotionally connect - **Threshold humiliation** - first real action is confusing or failure-prone - **Overloaded onboarding** - too many mechanics too quickly - **Competence trap** - player sleepwalks through tutorial and then crashes in real play ### 8. Convert findings into recommendations For each issue, specify: - what stage it damages - what player need it frustrates - what should be removed, delayed, simplified, reframed, or strengthened - what emotional effect the change should produce ## Response structure ### FTUE Scope - ... ### Part 0 / Framing - Strengths: ... - Weaknesses: ... ### Call to Adventure - Strengths: ... - Weaknesses: ... ### Meeting the Mentor - Strengths: ... - Weaknesses: ... ### Crossing the Threshold - Strengths: ... - Weaknesses: ... ### Psychological Need Check - Autonomy: ... - Competence: ... - Relatedness: ... ### Drop-Risk Diagnosis - ... ### Recommendations 1. ... 2. ... 3. ... ## Fast mode - What is the player's first emotional hook? - What friction appears before meaningful play? - Who or what acts as the mentor? - What is the first real self-directed action? - Where is the FTUE most likely to lose the player? ## References Read these when useful: - `references/hero-journey-ftue-notes.md` for the article-derived stage mapping - `references/failure-patterns.md` for common FTUE breakdowns through this lens ## Working principle Do not design the player like a confused clerk filling forms. Design them like the hero crossing into a world worth caring about.

path: references/failure-patterns.md
content: # Failure Patterns

Use these patterns when diagnosing why an FTUE feels weak through the Hero's Journey lens.

## Yellow-arrow servitude
The player is technically progressing but feels no ownership, curiosity, or emotional involvement.

## Pre-play bureaucracy
Downloads, logins, agreements, and popups eat the player's patience before meaningful play begins.

## Lore drowning
The game explains worldbuilding before the player has a reason to care.

## Mentor as textbox
A guide character exists, but functions only as instruction delivery without emotional resonance or useful framing.

## Threshold humiliation
The player's first real action is confusing, failure-prone, or too demanding for their early skill level.

## Overloaded onboarding
Too many mechanics, powers, currencies, or systems are taught too quickly.

## Competence trap
The tutorial is so rigid that the player sleepwalks through it, then collapses once real play begins.

## Gift without meaning
Starter rewards are handed out, but they do not feel magical, useful, or tied to a motivating fantasy.

## Emotional vacuum
The FTUE is functional but gives the player no feeling of adventure, purpose, or heroic role.

## Fix direction
For each pattern, ask:
- what stage is failing
- what need is being frustrated
- what can be removed, delayed, or reframed
- what first success or emotional hook should replace the weakness

path: references/hero-journey-ftue-notes.md
content: # FTUE as Hero's Journey - Notes

This reference distills the four source documents:
- Part 0
- Part I
- Part II
- Part III

## Part 0 - Purpose of FTUE

Key ideas:
- FTUE should be understood broadly, not just as a tutorial
- it can extend across the first session and sometimes several early sessions
- the biggest retention drop often happens during the first play session
- the true purpose of FTUE is to create emotional connection
- the player wants to be the hero of the game's story

Important implications:
- do not overfocus on explaining generic controls or UI conventions
- do not reduce FTUE to yellow-arrow obedience
- build engagement and emotional investment early

## Part I - Call to Adventure

Key ideas:
- the player can reject the call just as a hero can reject the adventure
- acquisition is expensive; early loss is painful
- the game itself must be inviting, not just the ad or store listing
- FTUE should support basic psychological needs, especially autonomy
- reduce the time before meaningful interaction

Things to minimize:
- large initial downloads
- slow loading
- mandatory logins
- intrusive popups
- excessive exposition

Narrative implication:
- provide just enough backstory to create intrigue
- use breadcrumbs, not infodumps
- emotional hooks matter more than factual explanation

## Part II - Meeting the Mentor

Key ideas:
- the mentor is a guide into the unknown
- the mentor explains only the basic nature of the quest and world
- the mentor often functions as a gift giver
- humanoid or emotionally legible characters help create empathy and connection
- gift-giving in FTUE often appears as starter items, tools, boosts, or starter systems
- the mentor pattern can repeat later in mini-FTUE moments when new features unlock

Important implication:
- a tutorial character should emotionally frame and support the player, not merely dump instructions

## Part III - Crossing the Threshold

Key ideas:
- this is the moment the player first takes meaningful control
- it must satisfy both autonomy and competence
- the first action should feel meaningful, achievable, and understandable
- overload and early failure create abandonment risk
- one-size-fits-all FTUE is difficult because players vary widely in experience

Mitigation principles:
- teach only the bare minimum needed for fun
- delay advanced systems
- reduce randomness during FTUE where possible
- provide immediate feedback
- pace learning over several moments rather than one giant dump

## Summary lens

A strong FTUE:
- gets to meaningful play quickly
- creates emotional investment early
- gives the player a reason to care
- offers guidance without smothering
- gives the player a first success that feels self-owned
- makes the player feel like a hero, not an intern clicking through forms

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