GameMaker Controls Tutorial

[TonyZh]

I want to introduce the controls to the player so he/she knows how the controls work.

What is the best way to do that?

Having a text pop up for one time only?

Make an extra room with sprites where you can see the controls explained and after that walk into a portal to begin the game?

Or something else?

 

[CloseRange]

This is a question that honestly you should answer yourself, it's a design question overall.
You have to ask yourself 3 questions:
1) What will work best for the flow of the game
2) How much resurch will you have to do to be able to program it
3) How much time are you willing to invest for it
The quickest and easiest way is to have 1 time text pop up at the start HOWEVER remember people aren't playing your game to read a how-to manual so this could be boring
You could have short signs/messages pop up at the end of each level that add in a bit of new information. Less reading/boring, more work, still could do better
As long as this isn't a visual novel game you could just have the controls appear in the sky/background. Use images that say stuff like ( F - attack )
-Note with all tutorials it's best to keep it short, simple, and to the point. If you write "Press F to attack" you are making the player read more than they need. Reading is only good for a story based game or visual novel game.
-Note 2. If you want it to be good don't use the game maker default pop up messages.

-CloseRange

 

[BaBiA Game Studio]

Another way to introduce the player to the controls is to have the new control information displayed as part of the level background and placed right before the player needs to use the control. So as an example (in a platformer game) right before a gap that you have to jump over you can have drawn on the background wall the jump key and the word "Jump" next to the gap.

If you introduce this right at the start then the players will know what to expect as they play - so right where they start on the first room have the controls for moving shown on the background, that sort of thing.