EPTOn July 05 2021 15:24 Uldridge wrote:
How do you think out a puzzle section? I think to make these not straightforward but also intuitive must not be very easy, no?
How do you think out a puzzle section? I think to make these not straightforward but also intuitive must not be very easy, no?
You're right that it's really hard to find that balance, especially because different people solve problems differently and some are better at solving puzzles than others. If it's too hard, then it'll be frustrating for too many people; if it's too easy, then there's no feeling of accomplishment.
As a math teacher, I have a good amount of experience with posing problems for my students to approach and critically think about, and being receptive to feedback that I observe (or that they offer me). Having other people playtest my game, especially the battles and puzzles, is the best way to learn what works and what doesn't. Obviously, as Mango Mischief's creator, I already know the answers to all the puzzles, and what my intentions are, and my personal approaches to RPGs and problem solving, but it's far more useful to me when someone else experiences these things for the first time and I get to watch/hear how they productively struggle through a problem - what did they try, what made them frustrated, what helped them out, what was the difficulty level, etc.
A few other strategies that I'm learning along the way include:
-Start with easier puzzles at the beginning of the game, so that the player can get a feel for how puzzles ought to be approached, and then scaffold the player into a willingness to try more advanced, complex ones.
-In the Pause Menu, the player has a Journal / Quest Log where some basic information is documented, so that the player isn't completely aimless/lost when trying to figure out an objective (but I quickly reduce the amount of hand-holding in the game, especially because I feel that too many new games completely spell out every action and decision that the player needs to make). I want the player to explore and discover things, and realize that they're encountering useful information.
-I'm not overdoing it with the puzzles; I'm trying to spread them out and not force them too much, in the same way that the encounter rate for battles shouldn't be every few steps. Puzzles should be intentional and make sense within the story/location.
-I don't want too many puzzles to explicitly prevent progress in the game. I would rather have a solved puzzle provide an additional reward (or an unsolved puzzle provide a small punishment) than a puzzle literally decide whether or not you can move on to the next area. Lower-risk puzzles that are still challenging can still provide a sense of accomplishment when analyzed/solved, and rewards like gold, gear, or an easier boss fight (e.g., maybe the solved puzzle somehow dealt damage to the boss ahead of time, like in LoZ: BotW with Calamity Ganon being hit by the restored Divine Beasts).
I'm learning more and more every day though; addressing these kinds of challenges is part of the process, and part of the puzzle that I need to solve, as a game designer!
