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#Post#: 70--------------------------------------------------
Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 5, 2021, 7:17 am
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Scarpia, 2003
Source:
HTML http://junk.dk/puzzle/
HTML http://junk.dk/puzzle/
Good puzzles alone do not make a great adventure game.
Essentially, it is all about plot consistency, puzzle
integration, well-developed character personalities, and plenty
of humour. But forget all that for a second, and Let's Talk
PUZZLES!
Why this article?
I'm still fairly new to the independent game developer
community, but adventure game puzzles have been a strong passion
of mine ever since my 'first encounters' with them in Beneath A
Steel Sky way back in '94. Anyways, after having lurked around
in the community for a while, it has surprised me how little
this topic is actually being discussed.
I went on to frantically Googling the web for "adventure
game puzzles", "puzzle design", "puzzle theory" and the like,
but -- to my astonishment -- the material available on the topic
is limited to Esseb's old topic
HTML http://www.sylpher.com/OldForum/Theory.htm
from the DOSUser
boards, an article by Blake Speers
HTML http://web.archive.org/web/20130121122814/http://adventuredevelopers.com/featuredetail.php?action=view&featureid=30&showpage=1<br
/>from the AGDZine and one, ONE!, actual structured article
HTML http://web.archive.org/web/20090212134529/https://scottkim.com/thinkinggames/GDC00/bates.html<br
/>from 1997 on the topic of puzzle design, by Bob Bates of
Legend
Entertainment.
Well - that's not entirely true. I did also find a short
article by Johnathan Partington
HTML http://web.archive.org/web/20111002044052/http://www1.maths.leeds.ac.uk/~pmt6jrp/personal/connote8.html<br
/>somewhere, and another one
HTML https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131326/designing_and_integrating_puzzles_.php<br
/>on GamaSutra, and a few more; but these are hardly worthwhile
from a game designer's point of view.
Now, although there are literally dozens of amateur
adventure games currently in the works, using engines like AGS,
AGAST, WME or SLUDGE, the one thing amateur designers still
aren't discussing, is how to make good puzzles.... which, in the
eyes of someone like me, is a pity beyond belief.
Theory vs. Practice
I'm not here to re-invent the wheel, though. Go read Bob
Bates' article on Puzzle Theory
HTML http://web.archive.org/web/20090212134529/https://scottkim.com/thinkinggames/GDC00/bates.html<br
/>if you haven't already done so. C'mon, go there. Go! Now!
Good. Every adventure game developer should know the basics
of puzzle theory. However, my intent is another. I want to dig
in a little deeper, into the practice and application of puzzle
theory. To me, at least, this calls for a different angle. When
designing puzzles, I need to distinguish between different kinds
(or 'implementations') of "sequence puzzles", for example,
whereas it does not make sense to consider "ordinary use of an
object in the way it was obviously designed" a puzzle, at least
not by itself.
In a practical approach, we must categorize puzzles not by
similar goals, but by the types of actions that a player must
perform in order to solve them. To clarify: I wanted my
classification of puzzle types to reflect that two subsequent
puzzles of the same type will make the player feel like he's
doing the same all over again, only in a different context. With
two subsequent puzzles of different types, the player will get a
more rewarding and diverse experience.
Applied Puzzle Types
Quid Pro Quo / Exchange Puzzles
Inventory / Combination Puzzles
Timing Puzzles
Distract-n-Grab Puzzles
Maze Puzzles
Escape Puzzles
Disguise Puzzles
Cryptogram Puzzles
Memory-based Sequence Puzzles
Logic Sequence / Device Puzzles
Repeated-Action Puzzles
Dialogue Puzzles
Forced Dialogue Puzzles
Riddles and Logic Puzzles
GUI / Board Puzzles
Dead Ends, Red Herrings and Faux Puzzles
#Post#: 71--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 5, 2021, 7:37 am
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Quid Pro Quo / Exchange Puzzles
The most basic of all puzzles, from an implementer's point
of view. The objective is for the player to get a certain item,
and in order to get it, he will have to give up something else,
be it from his inventory, or something he must first acquire.
(Often, the item you need belongs to an NPC who will give
you a clue as to what he is willing to trade it for. All there
is to the switch itself, is then trading one object for another
by finding the item he wants and giving it to him, and in
return, he will give you the item you need.)
The other typical kind of QPQ puzzle is the Indiana Jones
switch, in which you must use an object with the item you need,
in effect switching the two, to get the item you need. Strictly
speaking, the objects do not always 'switch', but after getting
item B, you will no longer have item A in your inventory.
Be aware that badly-designed QPQ puzzles become boring in
no time, and that many (if not most) amateur adventure games
suffer from an excessive use of them. If half (or more, eek) of
your puzzles are QPQ puzzles, your game play is likely to bore
the players. To make a QPQ puzzle more interesting, a game
designer can use a number of techniques:
(1) Make the clues from the NPC as vague as possible without
spoiling the puzzle altogether. "Oh no, my dress is all torn
up.." is vague, and opens up to a variety of solutions. In
short, the obstacle is merely presented to the player. "My dress
needs mending. Could you find me a pair of tailor's scissors?"
not only reveals the complete obstacle, it also tells the player
exactly how to complete the puzzle. The 'how' should always be
left to the player, and this is accomplished by being vague. On
the other hand, do not make your 'how'-clues too ambiguous, or
you may lead the player completely and helplessly off track.
Always leave good hints.
(2) When it comes to the items themselves, don't be too obvious
either. If the NPC (vaguely) asks for an orange, don't just
leave an orange lying around in the next room. You could instead
(and I'm just brainstorming here) have a sarcastic bartender
NPC, who, earlier in the game, had been refusing to serve
anything but orange juice to a wimpy looking character in the
corner of the inn, and make it possible (through subtle hints)
for the player to recall this incident, go back to the inn, get
the glass of orange juice, and complete the exchange.
(3) Use QPQ puzzles in combination with other puzzle types to
make more unique puzzle structures. Don't make it too easy for
the player to get the item for the exchange - use an additional
puzzle here, or two, or five, or whatever - as long as you
always remember to switch between different puzzle types.
#Post#: 72--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 5, 2021, 10:46 am
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Inventory / Combination Puzzles
Rarely a puzzle in itself, but it deserves mentioning
nevertheless. It isn't easy for a game designer to pull off a
good inventory puzzle, since the combination of items must be
somehow logical without being too obvious (of the gun-bullet or
flashlight-batteries type) or too arbitrary, which will throw
the player into use-everything-with-everything hell. The balance
is best achieved, I think, through good beta testing. Whenever a
beta tester attempts a combination of objects, that should
signify some kind of logic connection between those objects,
even if the game designer didn't think of it.
If you know beforehand that the player is likely to try a
certain combination which isn't the right one, the least you can
do is reward him with some kind of witty comment when he does.
After all, cracking that use-violin-with-bible combo takes a
pretty awesome imagination.. Okay, so it may be completely and
utterly wrong, but at least let him know you're *way* ahead of
him..
The best way to balance your inventory puzzles is using the
object descriptions to leave hints about their possible future
use. Always do this.
Always reward the player
Solving a puzzle, especially a hard one, should always be
rewarded!! But what can you give him?
How about this:
- A funny or surprising dialogue (very small reward)
- A unique character animation (small reward)
- Access to a new location (small/medium reward)
- Access to a new area of locations (medium/big reward)
- A cutscene (medium/big reward)
- Access to a new player character (big reward)
These are exciting for the player to watch, and every time
you reward him with one of these for solving a puzzle, he'll
want to solve the next one more.
Dave Gilbert pointed out that a funny or surprising dialogue
can also be used as a reward, and I agree completely. But unless
the dialogue is wrapped in a cutscene, it is a very small reward
compared to the others, even if it's really funny. When I break
out a new amateur adventure game, I expect humour but hope for
animations. Nuff said.
#Post#: 73--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 5, 2021, 1:29 pm
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Timing Puzzles
Very possibly the most underestimated puzzle type of all.
It is almost never seen in amateur adventure games, mostly
because it takes some less-than-trivial scripting. To me, timing
puzzles are often what makes an adventure game come to life.
My definition of a timing puzzle differs from that of "an
action that will not yield an instant effect, but instead will
cause something to happen at a particular point in the future",
as formulated by Bob Bates. If you ask me, that definition would
fit half the puzzles in Beneath a Steel Sky or Day of The
Tentacle. If a puzzle is well integrated in the game plot, it
will invariably trigger some kind of effect later on in the
game, no matter what kind of puzzle it is. Instead, I define a
timing puzzle as a puzzle that has an actual timer, like an
invisible stopwatch, and in which the player must take specific
action between time A and time B for his action to succeed.
Example:[spoiler]Monkey Island 1 & 2 had wonderful timing
puzzles: Grabbing the cartographer's monocle at the right time;
walking into the kitchen of the Scumm Bar when the cook was out
of sight; the spitting contest puzzle (my favourite adventure
game puzzle of all time) had no less than two great timing
puzzles, etc.[/spoiler]
I could go on like this, but what's special about timing
puzzles is that they can be amazingly simple and logical, all
the while being surprisingly rewarding to solve. Ditch half a
dozen QPQ puzzles for one or two timing puzzles, and watch that
game come to life before your eyes.
#Post#: 74--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 5, 2021, 4:57 pm
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Distract-n-Grab Puzzles
Another real classic, but this one is much more rewarding
than the plain old QPQ puzzle. Sometimes the distraction part
includes a timing element of some sort (kicking it up a notch),
but lots of DnG puzzles keeps the NPC busy until the player has
grabbed what he needs.
Too many DnG puzzles in one game might feel awkward, but so
would an amateur adventure game without them ;)
Examples: [spoiler] The infamous "three-headed-monkey"
trick; Getting rid of the 'Woodchuck' in Monkey Island II, the
General and his secretary in Broken Sword II, or the mechanic in
the beginning of Beneath a Steel Sky. [/spoiler]
#Post#: 75--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 5, 2021, 8:35 pm
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Maze Puzzles
Mazes are so cliché. Fortunately, it is not terribly easy
to create a maze puzzle, or I'm sure there'd be one in every
amateur adventure game out there, one more heinous than the
other. Poorly designed mazes are absolute game killers, whereas
really good mazes are just slightly annoying. Okay, I'm sure
there are lots of people who actually enjoy working through
mazes, but unless your maze design is really good, even they
will get frustrated long before they get it right.
Most mazes in commercial adventure games will provide good
in-game hints, such as clues, maps, parrots, dancing lesson
charts, ways of leaving a trail behind, etc. Why? Because
walking into a maze blind is bound to get you stuck. That's the
original idea of any maze, of course: to get you stuck so you
won't find the secret on the other side! "But my maze isn't
*that* hard", I hear you saying. But if it's really that easy,
why is it there in the first place? Did the villains of your
story think that only really dumb people would enter their
labyrinth? Or are you basically just wasting the player's time?
Is a maze really necessary? Does it make sense to even have a
maze in the context of your game's plot? Think about it for a
while, before you decide to script that maze.
To summarize: If you want to include a maze, fine. Just
remember this: In-game hints. In-game hints! IN-GAME HINTS!
Aim to integrate puzzles and plot
Whenever the player acts in your world, the world should
react to the change. Avoid having too many puzzles that don't
affect anything other than the immediate state of an object /
location. Instead, have the player's solutions affect other
characters, the scenery, or (my favourite) the primary plot.
This helps make the game seem much more non-linear.
Imagine that the solution to one puzzle later turns out to
present an obstacle for the player, that is, another puzzle?
E.g. the player needs to pass a huge boulder, so he pushes it
over the cliff's edge. Later, at the bottom of the cliff, he
finally arrives at the cave holding the big treasure, only to
find the boulder from earlier landed exactly there, blocking the
entrance.. You'll get the picture. Great example: Beneath a
Steel Sky does this a lot.
#Post#: 76--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 6, 2021, 7:08 am
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Escape Puzzles
Oh no - our hero is locked up in chains on the floor of a
tiny prison cell, and the prison is engulfed in flames. All he
has left is a dry bone, a hungry rat and five thousand rubber
bands. Now what?
Escape puzzles are fun because we know the answer lies
right in front of us, but we just can't see it. There is no risk
of frustration due to walking between locations, talking to the
same characters over again, etc., since the solution is
obviously there in that one location. This basically allows for
more difficult puzzles, e.g. in the form of intricate logic
sequence or device puzzles. But don't overdo it - spending too
long in the same room, stuck with an escape puzzle in the same
room, trying different approaches in the same room, listening to
the same music over and over again, in the same room!!!! - will
eventually get tedious, or worse.
Again, it's all about being unconventional when supplying
the player with inventory items. And remember - even prison
cells have more exits than one. Make the player wonder whether
he's supposed to dig his way out, bend the bars in the window,
or reach the keys on the table beside the sleeping guard. Guards
in movies and adventure games sure seem to sleep a lot on the
job, don't they? ;)
#Post#: 77--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 6, 2021, 11:11 am
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Disguise Puzzles
Sometimes, you need to look different in order to get
inside a certain place, and you will need a disguise. Some games
take the easy way out and supply a costume shop, complete with
wacky shopkeeper and everything, while others require you to
make your own nose, wig or peg leg from the items you can find.
Both approaches can be hilarious.
These are rarely seen in amateur adventure games, probably
in part because they require additional character art, sometimes
even extra animation. But animations are not merely superfluous,
time-consuming eye candy, although I'm sure many amateur game
designers wish they were. I believe lots of animations are
necessary for an adventure game to be good. The graphics don't
have to be great, but if there are no extra animations, the game
will always have that 'static' feel to it that many amateur
adventure games have.
#Post#: 78--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 6, 2021, 12:26 pm
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Cryptogram Puzzles
I hate these. In real life, I enjoy a challenging
cryptogram as much as the next man, but in adventure games,
cryptograms have always been pathetically, painfully,
monumentally crappy. Probably because any half-decent cryptogram
would throw off 60% of the core players then and there, and few
game designers are willing to take that risk. I know I'm not.
With that rant out of my system, I can go on with the
description. Cryptogram puzzles are basically just encoded text
messages written with either letters or symbols / numbers that
represent letters. Now, in order to decipher the cryptogram
(thus making it readable), one needs some sort of 'key'. Most
adventure games use trivial ciphers such as ROT13 (which
'rotates' the individual letters alphabetically by 13 places) in
order to keep the difficulty level down, and, on top of that,
they add in-game clues to make sure even the last 15% will get
it right without too much frustration. I suggest you do the same
if you choose to include a cryptogram puzzle in your game.
Epic plot structure
Game plots should follow the same basic rules of story-telling
that movies or books do. These epic principles have been refined
for centuries, and only fools do not abide by them:
(1) Use the first few puzzles mainly to introduce and establish
characters, locations and the basic plot outline.
(2) Spend a lot of effort developing the core characters, and
make sure the player sympathizes with and cares about the
protagonist.
(3) Build up tension throughout the game, reaching a climax at
the final endgame puzzle.
(4) If you are making a large game, try to divide the plot into
a couple of logical "chapters", each following these epic
principles.
#Post#: 79--------------------------------------------------
Re: Application of Puzzle Theory
DIR By: Pam
Date: June 6, 2021, 1:45 pm
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Memory-based Sequence Puzzles
Most puzzles consist of a sequence of events leading up to
the solution in one way or another. What distinguishes this
category of puzzles, is that the puzzle basically relies on the
player to remember and recreate a sequence of steps or actions.
[spoiler]Like the safe combination in Monkey Island I: At one
point, you watch the shop manager open the safe with a
combination of push/pull actions, and when he leaves, you must
perform the same sequence to open the safe. [/spoiler]
Memory-based sequence puzzles are quite satisfying, because they
are naturally split in four separate, consistent parts:
1. Observing the sequence (often this part is a small puzzle in
itself)
2. Figuring out you'll need this information, possibly checking
the sequence again
3. Memorizing the sequence (or writing it down)
4. Recreating the sequence from memory
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