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CSE1GDT Puzzle Time. Paul Taylor 2010. http://www.freakingnews.com/images/app_images/banana-1.jpg. What do you call a zipper on a banana?. http://expat21.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/fly.gif. A Fruit Fly. What are puzzles?.
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CSE1GDTPuzzle Time Paul Taylor 2010
http://www.freakingnews.com/images/app_images/banana-1.jpg What do you call a zipper on a banana?
http://expat21.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/fly.gif A Fruit Fly
What are puzzles? A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver -wikipedia- Stolen by: http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Puzzle
Are Puzzles Games? Every game is a problem solving activity -> approached playfully! But games can contain puzzles too! We end up with two (almost) distinct types of puzzle: • A puzzle that is a game • A puzzle that is not a game
http://kylemca.uliffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/oblivion-lockpicking.jpghttp://kylemca.uliffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/oblivion-lockpicking.jpg Incorporating Puzzles Puzzles can either be the game, or be used inside the game A Rubik's Cube, is a puzzle Picking locks in Oblivion – is a puzzle inside a game http://www.math.cornell.edu/~mec/Winter2009/Lipa/Puzzles/pics/rubiks-cube.jpg
Trying to define a Puzzle... • Scott Kim – Puzzlemaster “A puzzle is fun, and has a right answer.” Once you know the answer to a puzzle it ceases to be fun. *Games don’t usually suffer this fate*
The Dominant Strategy Approach • Once you figure out a puzzle, the fun stops • The same is true for a bad game! • Puzzles are a game with a dominant strategy • Whilst games are designed with balanced play in mind, puzzles are designed with the discovery of a dominant strategy as the answer
The Death of Puzzles • Compare the adventure games of the 1980’s and 90’s to now. Where have all of the puzzles gone?
http://www.optimist123.com/photos/uncategorized/nd_whackamole.gifhttp://www.optimist123.com/photos/uncategorized/nd_whackamole.gif http://www.flatrock.org.nz/wolf/images/Sam_and_Max.JPG Balance: Head vs. Hands The rise of Consoles and the ability of computers to react in real time has allowed a shift from games of thinking, towards physical reaction games too. Have we gone too far?
Many of the puzzles are hiding.... Improved Integration If you look a little deeper into games, you’ll see the puzzles, lurking in the darkness...
http://www.marcofolio.net/images/stories/fun/games/fps/tremulous_screen3.pnghttp://www.marcofolio.net/images/stories/fun/games/fps/tremulous_screen3.png http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/5462/2h/images.gamezone.com/screens/28/6/52/s28652_pc_17.jpg
http://www.shinegame.com/games/puzzle-quest/b1.jpg http://www.flatrock.org.nz/wolf/images/Sam_and_Max.JPG
http://files.xboxic.com/xbox-360/viva-pinata/viva-pinata-e3-2006-pic14.jpghttp://files.xboxic.com/xbox-360/viva-pinata/viva-pinata-e3-2006-pic14.jpg
Implicit vs. Explicit Puzzles • The elegance of your game is reliant on the puzzles being implicit. • As game design has matured, we have gotten better at integrating the puzzles.
Why do lions eat raw meat? http://www.abolitionist.com/reprogramming/lion.jpg
Because they can’t cook! http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/Room103/imageGallery/lion%20cooking.gif
Principals of Good Puzzle Design Why do we need good puzzle design? Lets explore it!
Make the goal easy to understand • The first thing people need to know is what to do! http://www.mrpuzzle.com.au/images/cube12.jpg
This is an easy puzzle to start http://faireandfowl.com/PuzzleCubes.jpg
What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years? http://static.rbytes.net/full_screenshots/m/e/mechanical-clock-3d-screensave.jpg
The letter M What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years? http://screensaversky.com/screens/shiny_clock/palms-clock.jpg
We know what to do here: • Why?
We know what to do here: • Why? • It looks like a key • Keys go in and out • This is extrinsic knowledge • I think we can safely assume all players of a game know what a key looks like http://common.csnstores.com/common/products/WSC/WSC1457_l.jpg
Make it easy to start • Knowing where to begin is the next important piece of the puzzle puzzle! http://www.mgcpuzzles.com/mgcpuzzles/images/-2004-images/2116_jigsaw_puzzle_pieces_A.jpg http://dizz.com/shop/images/Font_PuzzlePieces.jpg
You don’t know the answer immediately, but can start solving it straight away! http://bluebuddies.com/gallery/Smurf_Slide_Puzzles/jpg/Smurfs_Slide_Puzzle_Game_Happy_Smurf_Keychain.jpg
More Scott Kim “To design a good puzzle, first build a good toy.” This relates directly to Lens #15 Making it obvious and interesting to manipulate
Worlds most difficult puzzle? http://www.grayshott.com/news/2006/2006news.html
Give feedback on progress • More over, give positive feedback! • The player wants to know that they are getting the puzzle solved. • Spending too much time with nothing happening is frustrating
Zen Bound • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxhgRz70Bd4&feature=player_embedded#at=67 http://www.switchingtomac.com/images/zenbound/zen_bound_1.jpg
Riddles vs. Puzzles • What is the difference?
Riddles vs. Puzzles • What is the difference? • Puzzles require manipulation, and give the player feedback • Riddles have two types of feedback: • Wrong! • Correct! • Until a riddle is solved, there is no way to progress and no feedback indicating progress • This effect is sometimes known as a stone wall
Let players Believe they can solve it • Staring off into the abyss of hopelessness is not very enjoyable... • A Rubik’s Cube gives the player so much positive feedback, but is it real? • If the player is not progressing, then what happens when the player realises?
Increase Difficulty Gradually • Much like a game, you can balance the challenge within a puzzle so that players can improve their skills as they progress through the puzzle • Jigsaws are a perfect example • Some puzzles attempt to destroy the natural flow of puzzles
Don’t force players to complete your puzzle immediately • Parallelism • What happens if the player can’t solve your puzzle? • This leaves use with three options: • Let them skip it • Give the player a hint • Have other puzzles which the player can work on • The solutions can interrelate too! • Crosswords • Sudoku
Puzzle Hierarchies • Give your players a sense of knowing • Having smaller puzzles that are clues to the longer term puzzles • Batman gains skills • You must keep this tree in a pyramid • Or players will loose sight of the overall goal!!!
http://lagwar.com/home/wp-content/uploads/Hint1.jpg To hint or not to hint? What does that sentence remind you of? Perhaps it could be a subtle hint? http://lovelypackage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/hint1.jpg
To hint or not to hint? Shakespeare – Hamlet • Hints will allow players through the game • They can cheapen the game • So how and when..... http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B5GIG078YFU/TGxXg15Z65I/AAAAAAAAA3Y/2QLuuoeNjt0/s1600/hamlet48.jpg
When do you want a hint? • As you begin the puzzle? • Half way through? • When you get stuck? • Just before you give up? • Generally if the player is completely stuck they need help ASAP! • Do not give hints too early! • Uncharted! • Press ‘c’ to crouch
Beware the Perceptual Shift! • These puzzles create a divide. • You either Get It or you Don’t Get It Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the tallest mountain in the world?
Two police offers were investigating a mysterious death. When they arrived at the scene of the crime they found a room with no windows and the dead man who seemed to have hung himself by a rope from the ceiling.There was no chair or table that the man may have jumped off.The only clue was a puddle of water on the floor. How did the man manage to hang himself? http://quazen.com/games/puzzles/10-tricky-riddles/
Deliver your hints elegantly! • If possible! • Uncharted uses Sully to give the player hints, not removing the player from the world. • More obvious hints are stored in the characters diary, still keeping the player in the game. • More importantly, if you have a choice between a crude hint or no hint....
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk224/gamezebo/DinerTown%20Detective%20Agency/DD_demo.jpghttp://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk224/gamezebo/DinerTown%20Detective%20Agency/DD_demo.jpg http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk224/gamezebo/DinerTown%20Detective%20Agency/DD_demo.jpg Go with the Crude hint Why cheapen the game? • If the puzzle is required to progress in the game, would you rather preserve your elegance, and have the player give up? • The better the puzzles you build, the less you will need to cheapen the game like this!
Give the players the answer! Whilst some players will be able to figure everything out on their own, the majority will need that one moment of clarity when they can ‘see’ the answer. You can’t do this with all puzzles If you think hard enough you can with most
Walkthroughs • In the end the internet is full of walkthroughs and many players will read them. • This is why puzzles that are fun to manipulate are so important! • Even with all the answers you want players to have fun! • Some tomb raider puzzles
Stone Walls and Perceptual Shifts • Arrange Six Matches so that they form 4 equilateral (perfect) triangles
Stone Walls and Perceptual Shifts • Arrange Six Matches so that they form 4 equilateral (perfect) triangles • Tetrahedron http://www.coolmath.com/reference/images/polyhedra-tetrahedron.gif
Good Puzzles and Bad Puzzles • What makes a puzzle fun? • What makes a puzzle frustrating? • What makes a puzzle boring? • What makes a puzzle interesting? • How do you integrate a puzzle into your game?
What makes a good game designer? • Feeding your mind • Take the next two slides of history, and see if you can create a chilling game. • This is a little bit of research I did last week...
