Short, easy tutorials

[Kajin Style]

It seems almost traditional that mods these days do not have tutorials. I go to their forum page on minecraftforum.net or whatever site they are have their main thread at and there is zero tutorial. Instead I am hit with repeated links to videos that are 30-40mins long of some random mod spotlight or tutorial.

If a mod takes 30mins to explain in a tutorial something is either wrong with the mod or the youtuber. 9 times out of 10 it's the youtuber. Yet it is these amateur commentators that are being used as their sole advertisment, their sole face for their mods.

It has repeatedly made me lost interest in any new mods added any of the FTB packs. So much time and effort developing something great and it's ruined by the smuck who can't edit videos to cut 40mins down into 5 mins of real information that I can take home with.

Further more, having to see so many videos over and over eats up my time when they are so long which prevents me from playing and enjoying Minecraft which mind you... is the whole point of these mods. This I feel is a serious problem. I can't be the only one completely turned off by the lack of information some mods whether it's the forum page or even their own wiki. It's even worse when they don't have a "how to get started" section and your left fumbling about trying to figure out which machines to make first. So you spend a good 30mins to an hour on a website or listening to boring commentator just so you can figure out what to do...

I thank the gods, heavens, satan or whatever divine entity was responsible for putting the common sense inside people who designed Tinker's Construct or Thaumcraft because hey they at least were wise enough to add a tutorial. In thaumcraft's case... progress! So I know what the hell I'm doing and how to do it properly.

So ranting aside, does anyone else feel this is a problem? Is there a saint out there tackling the problem for us all? Or am I left to weigh my precious time between playing minecraft as if it was vanilla minecraft and watching boring youtube videos?

 

[Adonis0]

If I'm trying to learn a new mod, I tend to play minecraft and run a tutorial video in the background so I can listen to the commentary and tab across when it sounds like they're actually doing something worth seeing.

 

[Antice]

I'd make that kind of short to the point tutorial if there really was a demand for them, (hint: I only make videos on requests) The main problem is. making a 5 minute condensed tutorial takes a couple hours of work... The only ones that seem to want to do this is people who are new at making videos, and direwolf20. and most of them aren't good at condensing out the fluff.

 

[Wagon153]

Direwolf20 is your best bet. Some of his videos may get a tad boring, but he tries to keep it interesting. For example, instead of doing just mod tutorials, he works the mods into his lets play series. And his mod spotlights are amazing.

 

[epidemia78]

I agree, most videos are way too long. Sometimes I wish they would spend less time on crafting recipes and cut to the chase already. But then again, it can be fun watching other people play, or at least I think so. Sometimes I just sit on the couch and watch minecraft videos for hours. And every so often, I learn something new. But Im not watching tutorial videos unless its a brand new mod. i watch lets plays and always skip around through the series and sometimes have to trace back the origin of a particularly good idea.

 

[Hambeau]

It seems almost traditional that mods these days do not have tutorials. I go to their forum page on minecraftforum.net or whatever site they are have their main thread at and there is zero tutorial. Instead I am hit with repeated links to videos that are 30-40mins long of some random mod spotlight or tutorial.

If a mod takes 30mins to explain in a tutorial something is either wrong with the mod or the youtuber. 9 times out of 10 it's the youtuber. Yet it is these amateur commentators that are being used as their sole advertisment, their sole face for their mods.

It has repeatedly made me lost interest in any new mods added any of the FTB packs. So much time and effort developing something great and it's ruined by the smuck who can't edit videos to cut 40mins down into 5 mins of real information that I can take home with.

Further more, having to see so many videos over and over eats up my time when they are so long which prevents me from playing and enjoying Minecraft which mind you... is the whole point of these mods. This I feel is a serious problem. I can't be the only one completely turned off by the lack of information some mods whether it's the forum page or even their own wiki. It's even worse when they don't have a "how to get started" section and your left fumbling about trying to figure out which machines to make first. So you spend a good 30mins to an hour on a website or listening to boring commentator just so you can figure out what to do...

I thank the gods, heavens, satan or whatever divine entity was responsible for putting the common sense inside people who designed Tinker's Construct or Thaumcraft because hey they at least were wise enough to add a tutorial. In thaumcraft's case... progress! So I know what the hell I'm doing and how to do it properly.

So ranting aside, does anyone else feel this is a problem? Is there a saint out there tackling the problem for us all? Or am I left to weigh my precious time between playing minecraft as if it was vanilla minecraft and watching boring youtube videos?

Nope... I don' feel this way about some videos at all. While I have seen tutorials done by people who shouldn't bother, there are a few good ones.

Personally, I like Direwolf20's efforts in this area. His "Let's Play" single player series shows the mods actually put to use in "real life" situations. His "Server Play" series has the extra benefit that a lot of the developers of the mods in his pack play on the same sever, so some info comes straight from them and even peeks at work in progress. Even his appearances on Soaryn's twitch stream can be informative.

As far as "long winded", let's see your attempt at describing the "Witchery" mod in 5 minutes, in the same detail that DW covered in 3 ~30 minute videos.

 

[SatanicSanta]

Is there a saint out there tackling the problem for us all?

http://wiki.feed-the-beast.com/

Hi

Well, I don't usually write guides (I've only written one, How To Use MineTweaker), but I write a bunch of articles for various biomes, items, blocks, machines, structures, etc. I also have a project going where I have a list of guides that need made, and I wait for other users to write them, and I add formatting, templates, etc. You can see that project in my sig, as well as a link to a place where you can tell me what's missing from the wiki

 

[Kajin Style]

http://wiki.feed-the-beast.com/

Hi

Well, I don't usually write guides (I've only written one, How To Use MineTweaker), but I write a bunch of articles for various biomes, items, blocks, machines, structures, etc. I also have a project going where I have a list of guides that need made, and I wait for other users to write them, and I add formatting, templates, etc. You can see that project in my sig, as well as a link to a place where you can tell me what's missing from the wiki

Now that looks promising! It doesn't appear to be complete but I'm glad something like this is being developed.

Direwolf20 is your best bet. Some of his videos may get a tad boring, but he tries to keep it interesting. For example, instead of doing just mod tutorials, he works the mods into his lets play series. And his mod spotlights are amazing.

I do like Direwolf's let's plays but if I'm watching him, I'm watching to enjoy what he does. Not learn a new mod. I can learn the mod much faster on my own if there was a short tutorial in the first place.

I'd make that kind of short to the point tutorial if there really was a demand for them, (hint: I only make videos on requests) The main problem is. making a 5 minute condensed tutorial takes a couple hours of work... The only ones that seem to want to do this is people who are new at making videos, and direwolf20. and most of them aren't good at condensing out the fluff.

I can understand that it takes time to condense them but they are making a tutorial. It's not a let's play. Quality verses quanity should be the goal.



Anyway, thank you all for listening to my rant. I doubt it matters but I got some help and ideas of what to do to get through new mods I want to learn.

 

[SatanicSanta]

Now that looks promising! It doesn't appear to be complete but I'm glad something like this is being developed.

Which one? My guide on MineTweaker, or the guide project? The guide is done, apart from Mod Support, which I feel should be in a different article.

 

[Kajin Style]

Which one? My guide on MineTweaker, or the guide project? The guide is done, apart from Mod Support, which I feel should be in a different article.

I was refering to the wiki.

 

[Padfoote]

Since Santa brought it up, I'll jump in here as well. The official wiki isn't currently fully updated, but it's getting there. As he said, in both his sig (and mine) there are links to different things that'll help us cover everything. And don't forget, other people can also contribute to the wiki if they want, which further helps get it updated, and at a faster pace.

As for specific guides rather than just articles, I've written one on Blood Magic already and will be moving it over to the wiki here in the near future. If there's a specific one that anyone wants, let me know and I'll see if I can squeeze it in between article creation.

 

[SatanicSanta]

I was refering to the wiki.

Like Padfoote said, it's not completely updated. But, as you can find in other threads, I'm way too hard at work (200-1000 edits/month) trying to get all the information there. I'm even loading up 1.4.7 instance just to finish the older mods, like XyCraft, which is now finished.