Puzzles And how to do them

[Candle]

How or where do you find the puzzles you use in your game ?
I have not played all that many adventure games so I'm not  all that hip on puzzles and how they are done . Do you just make them as you go ? from recall of other games you have played ?

[Moox]

When I do puzzles I base them on the rooms and the plot of the game.

[LGM]

You kinda just write the story, and then incorporate puzzles that fit with the story and help it progress.

I don't think many people actually copy an exact puzzle from another game.. It's more of there are different categories of Adventure Game puzzles that are used in a collection of games.

There's not really a set rule or repository or list of exact puzzles you can use.. This is where your imagination comes in handy.. You get to think up a puzzle that works best for you.

[Candle]

Ok thank you for the help . this will not be easy ..

[DGMacphee]

The purpose behind puzzles is to add a barrier between the player and the end of the game.

In other words, a puzzle is a problem that needs to be solved in order to progress the game's narrative.

For example, finding a key to unlock a door.

Blake Speers has compiled a huge list of puzzle theory here: http://www.mattgoble.com/interaction/ags/features/f03.htm

Also, see this article: http://junk.dk/puzzle/

Also, some of the bext puzzles are created when you think laterally.

Edit: One more thing: Make sure your puzzles fit the persona of the player character.

For example, the methods Bernad from Day of the Tentacle would use to solve puzzles are different from the methods that Ben from Full Throttle would use.

[Candle]

Thank you , this is what I was looking for to look at to give me some  idea of what to do .

[..]

The first thing I do when I'm making a game Is Brainstorm. I brainstorm everything I can possibly think of to do with that setting. My latest project is set in Atlantis and amongst the other words I scribbled down:

Steps
Stones
Temples
Statues
Castles
Fountain
Trees
Fortress
Boulders
Huts
Angry Locals
Gaurds

I knew I needed to have the player go from the starting village to the Mythical Archway Court Fountain. I decided to add a barrier, A Fortress in the middle (All this is from my brainstorm).

I wrote in Big Letters in my Notebook VILLAGE - FORT - FOUNTAIN and then added barriers between each, from my brainstorm.

What could seperate the character from getting from the village to the fort? Angry Locals? Gaurds? I added some village Gaurds who refused to let you exit. What can stop you getting from the court to the fountain? I decided there should be an ancient stone wall with a large door that couldn't be opened.

I added some stroy alements imbetween so i ended up with a plan that looked like this.

VILLAGE
- Visit Museum
- Visit King
VILLAGE GAURDS
- Arrive at Fort
- Visit Hut
- Rebuild Steps
FORTRESS
- Widen Gap
- Locked Door
FOUNTAIN

Then I found out ways the character could solve these puzzles and learn about the story at the same time (which I won't say here).

And there I had it .. One Puzzle Plan for ACT 1

Hope this is helpfull to some people.

NOTE: This is for Linear Puzzles, Most of my game is non linear so has a much more messed up plan that this part of the story, so I decided to post this section.

[DanClarke]

Scuthbert, your method is very similar to mine, except that i take a third step, and write down the items needed. Then it's just a case of placing the items or finding ways to aqquire them.

Try to vary your methods of collecting items, i.e. dont make it so that everything can be picked up.

[..]

Oh yeh and also:

Make sure they aren't all inventory puzzles, make some puzzles that invlove  distraction, persuasion or maybe even jus interaction.

Keep all your notes detailed and in one place. It helps to plan the game fully before you start making it so you can iron out all the plot holes and for example if in one puzzle the player has to use a piece of rope on a drainpipe, don't have the rope lying near or anywhere near the drainpipe, make it so the player picked it up a few puzzles ago (U'll have to make sure the player was forced to pick it up, eg there was something attached to it you needed then) and then throw in some red herrings, the player will use the nearby items first before thinking of using old items.

You could also make it so you use an inventory item more than once, again the player usually doesn't think about doing that, an example of this would be in Broken Sword II With the Myan Dagger. I think you used it to Escape from the museum, open the box later, and then stab somebody.

And try to find a way to get rid of inventroy items that won't be needed anymore, it could get annoying having to sroll through millions of items.

If you read Adventure Architect thats a good example of a well thought out game that was planned ahead.

Oh yeh and always remember:
NEVER USE A PICKUP KEY USE KEY WITH DOOR PUZZLE!!!!!

[Candle]

With all this put in a game how long does it take you make a game and do you feel it is worth it to do all this ? or have you finsh a game yet ?
After seeing what goes into a game I can see why they charge for a game what they do . infact I don't see how they could make money charging what they do .
I was hoping to release my game this summer but maybe that is not going to happen . lol
MAybe a small game will be better to do .

Candle

[..]

I haven't made a game yet, that's for my first game. (they say start small but I just can't)

It's definately worth it. A game with good puzzles that make sense is a good game that is more enjoyable.

It doesn't take that long for pre production, that puzzle took me bout 10 mins to figure out.

Everyones ways are different. thats just mine. Try developing unique ideas and thats all there is to puzzle design.

[Candle]

All kinds of things going thru this brain on what I could do but the skills of coding are not there to do it . lol
I manage to do three so far with out doing the "pickup key put in door"  But I'm  think my stuff will be to easy and most won't find the game fun .
I play the games that are here and I can't do most of them with out a walk-thru . ( I have a short term memory loss ) .
Oh well i will just keep add it .

[..]

Don't not do a good idea because you can't script it. Post it in the Begginers Tech or Techincal forum.

Someones bound too think of a solution.

[Candle]

Well don't know if I won't do a good job ? But I would do the best I can do .
I just did a story board of the game so i can look at it and see where I'm at in the game , what has to be done and what maybe else  I can do .
I have to be honest with myself , I'm not all that good with drawing  so sprites are what I can do , animation will  not be all that great do to the lack of drawing skills .
And I look at the other games and think "mine will never be that nice " will anyone even play it .
Sorry didn't mean to go on ..

Candle

[BerserkerTails]

Fin time to think it through. That's how I do it. It takes me a half an hour to walk to school everyday, and another half an hour to walk back. Conisdering I make the walk there aat 6:30 in the morning (Jazz practises every morning at 7:00), it gives me alot of time to think. Those are where my best ideas come from.

Just drone out distractions, and think.

[Phemar]

Consider this: There is a man, called Bob. He needs a toilet-break after driving along way.
Place a toilet in your head. Now what can stop him from getting into the toilet? Perhaps he needs a coin. Where can he get a coin? Perhaps there is a round stone somewhere. Use the stone on something hard (maybe his car?) to carve it coin shaped. Now slip in the slot and he can get in  toilet. When he gets in he discovers it is broken. He needs a pipe.  he goes to his car and open the hood. he rips out something pipeish and uses it on the toilet. There, you finished the puzzle!

Ok this was a very bad example, very far-fetched and unlikely,. But you see what I am getting at here...
I usually rhink about my game evry chance I get...during science....the walk to the train station...in the car...trying to fall alseep.
Dedicate yourself. When you feel your mind wandering, think about your game...
Just dedicate yourself.

[MillsJROSS]

I'd say it was far fetched...if I was stuck in a situation where I had to pay to go to the restroom, I would go the restroom on the coin slot.

For making puzzles I usually work backwards. If I want to eventually kill the bad guy, for instance, I need a gun. Well how do I get a gun? I need money. I don't have money. How do I get that? And you just go as far back as you want.

-MillsJROSS

[Candle]

seems everyone has their own way to do it . lol and thats ok .