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The Shortcut (and tutorial track issues)
I haven't been able to be on much in a few days, but I have been thinking about this since the Steam Update. I have seen dozens of people ask for help in the chat, and before they can even say which track I ask "on The Shortcut?", and they say "Yup". It's a simple matter of people trying to play the track without mastering the switch jump. After explaining how to do the jump most have made it easily over the first few obstacles. If more of these people knew about the forums (most don't) I would do up a tutorial on how to run the track. Now, I am no expert, and I am not implying that I am by any means, but I can make it through the track personally. And I have been able to help others make it as well.
Perhaps in the next update this track can have an example ride added to it the same way the tutorial tracks do? Even if it's just a simple matter of showing the switch jump used over the first two obstacles. I think something is needed here. I know the replays are there for this, but for some reason they don't utilize them as a learning aid. Or possibly they don't know about them 
Anyone else noticed the constant questions about this track?
Oh, and speaking of example ride, can we have the option of turning the info text screens off at the beginning of the tutorial tracks? No real biggie, but I play these tracks usually every time I fire up the game for a warm up. The message that has to be cleared before you start is a very slight nuisance. Read, slight. Just a thought.
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Well the replays of previous riders serves as 10,000 example riders, so I don't think one is really needed..
The real problem here in my opinion is two things.
1. Players are not taught the switch-jump reverse (the one where you have to press left after doing a switch jump). The tutorial just says right-left-right, but that final left is important in this situation.
2. Players are taught the switch-jump too early. Most people find the last tutorial very very difficult the first time. To the extent that they just keep trying and trying until they fluke it. The problem is they don't know how they did it, it just happened to work. And then they never use the switch jump to its full extent again until the hard levels.
A better option is to introduce the tutorials gradually. So that you don't learn spring jump until you get to the level where you absolutely need it, and you don't learn switch jump until much later when you need that.
The advantage of this is that the player has the technique fresh in their mind for when they need it, and (more importantly) that they aren't learning the advanced techniques until after they have gotten used to the basic controls and handelling.
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Trials Developer
Best way would be to have tutorials 1-5 unlocked at the start, along with Easy 1-3. When you unlock all the easy levels (and medium difficulty) you also unlock the spring jump tutorial, and when you unlock all medium levels (and hard difficulty) you also unlock the switch jump tutorial. This way the beginners would not frustrate themselves with the hardest techniques right from the start, and they would remember the tutorial lessons much better when it's time to really use these techniques.
The tutorial names should also be changed like this:
Basic Lesson: Introduction
Basic Lesson: Slopes
Basic Lesson: Landing
Basic Lesson: Climbing
Basic Lesson: Tricks
Advanced Lesson: Spring Jump
Advanced Lesson: Switch Jump
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I thought the tutorial progression was already setup that way. Ok, I agree. The last two tutes should not be unlocked until they are needed.
As far as the replays, I see people who don't even know they are able to view them. Maybe you guys could come up with an intro when you fire the game up the first time to highlight the game's features? I know I played for a week or two before I realized you could click on the icons in the records menu for replays and ghosts. These features are mentioned in the documentation for the game, but I guess along with myself, nobody reads that information. A video walk through the first time the game is fired up would be helpful I think.
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Senior Member
Good post, most hard tracks generate constant questions. King of Beer is a big puzzler for many too, particularly the kind of valley near the middle where leaning on the back wheel after a switch jump is the best technique. There could be a tutorial that involves leaning back after both spring and switch jumps.
There is also a technique that sometimes comes in handy which I call the Pitch Jump; you take a jump while already fully leaned forward then push right at the precise moment the front wheel leaves the ramp. The most obvious obstacle that I use this technique on is the big leap in Rock Bottom, the one near the end where you land under the higher route. It could be used more in new tracks and have a tutorial for it too.
And very true also that lots of players don't know about replays and ghosts...
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Trials Developer
We added the pop-up tooltips for the replays and ghosts in a earlier Trials 2 SE version. So if you move your mouse over the icon a text stating "watch replay" pops up. But it seems that even this is not enough for most players to notice these features 
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Sorry, this is about to get a tad off topic, but relevant I think...
This was a double post btw.
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Notice how each column in the records list has a title... NAME, FAULTS, and TIME. If you added a similar title above the replay, ghost, and profile columns maybe they would stand out better? Put the NEAR YOU section on a link so if you want to see that info you can, but not on the same page.
I mentioned in another thread that the records list needed to have a way to jump through the list easier since the Steam update anyway. People want help in chat and if you want to see their replay at position 7000 and your record is 100 or so it takes a week to get to the page with their record. So the NEAR YOU column is pretty much wasted space anyway IMO. If this were a clickable link and not on the main records page you would have more room to highlight the replay, ghost, and profile buttons.
Just a thought 
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I was frustrated by a few levels, but if you just take a minute to figure out what technique will be best to use, its pretty simple.
But for some maybe a redesigned tutorial system could lower the amount of frustration, but why would you want to do that 
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Another thing for the tutorial would be a simple "less is often more in this game" tip, perhaps visualized by an example ride playing like me yesterday (leaning forward and backward all the time leading to the bike pretty much spinning out of control) and a contrasting example.
Today, somehow, I stopped leaning around like crazy, and suddenly became a whole lot better.... this simple tip would have helped me a lot.
[edit]
sorry for the thread resurrection, but it just fits in here so nicely.
