Maze Puzzle: Would this frustrate you?

[poc301]

I did what I hope to be a great trade-off.  The player can walk their happy selves all the way back to the Gaelic Shop now if they get stuck.  She (the owner) will have a dialog tree where they can get hints on how to solve the maze puzzle itself, as well as tips on beating the flag-color puzzle.  The walk back is punishment for not being able to solve it.  It is only 6-7 screens, but it's the point of having to drag yourself all the way back and ask for help that I think is good.  Gives someone a way to beat it, and isn't too tedious of a walk.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Bill

[Khris]

You could put a map on a GUI that shows only already explored areas of the maze.
I love auto-maps and it should lower the frustration level considerably.

[poc301]

hmm.. THAT is an interesting idea...  I might look into that. 

Thanks!

Bill

[Radiant]

Anyway, my point being, if you were playing the game, and you had to solve a puzzle, but if you got it wrong it teleports you to some random room in a cave and you had to roam around to find your way back, would it frustrate you?

...probably.

After the first time, I would just save in front of the puzzle, and restore when I get it wrong.

I don't mind mazes as long as there's something clever like a puzzle to the maze itself. I do mind mazes if they're just there.

[Ali]

The walk back is punishment for not being able to solve it.

Even if you believe a game should punish players for their mistakes, punishing them with tedium rather than a tougher challenge sounds like a big mistake to me.

However, I do enjoy the occasional maze.

[Ryan Timothy B]

I think allowing them to walk back to the shop Plus all the backgrounds in between it is a big mistake.  Unless there is a purpose to go back to the shop or the other backgrounds, other than the hints from the shop keeper, it could confuse players.

You've already said that the shop and other areas aren't accessible once you complete the maze, so having them go back for only a hint could be misleading.

I think you should have hints within the maze itself.  Like perhaps the colors of the flag painted on the walls.  Even having a large rock leaning against the wall that you can push over to see the painted flag behind it.  But the puzzle itself isn't very hard, so the fact that no one else could solve it sounds pretty weak.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

You could also make them work for a hint by having failure at the first puzzle teleport them to a normally inaccessible section of the maze with a different puzzle (or sets of puzzles) that, when solved, shed(s) some light on the 'big one' and allows them to teleport back.  This way you're not handing a solution to them so much as providing it through more gameplay.

[Badger]

Sounds good fun!! Though for those really not getting it, perhaps script a spoken hint from the main character after being punished too many times...