DESIGN FEEDBACK (PUZZLE DESIGN)

BY ALEXANDER RYBAK ON 11/15/16

FOR TEAM “COCONUT CREW” AND THEIR GAME, ZHUDINGI IDOL.

OVERVIEW

• Zhudingi Idol is a 3rd person shooter/puzzle game in the vein of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. It will rely on multiple puzzle systems throughout the game to help drive the story and action forward. There are several useful techniques for creating “good” puzzles that can easily be implemented. On the next slide we will glance at the content of this PowerPoint.

OVERVIEW (CONTINUED)

• Elements of Every Puzzle

• Puzzle Difficulty

• The “Weakest Link” chokepoint

• Working Backwards

• Story-driven Puzzles

• Achieving Insight

• Puzzle Evaluation

ELEMENTS OF EVERY PUZZLE

• Puzzles are problems that need to be solved by the player to progress. They typically are non-competitive and rely more on critical thinking than in-game skill or technique

• The most important aspect of a puzzle is that it allows the player to achieve insight in order to progress. It is a chokepoint for players where they must demonstrate an understanding of your world to move forward.

• This allows for an experience where the player has a sense of accomplishment at being “clever” and figuring out the puzzle, thus increasing overall enjoyment and connection to the game world. The puzzle has to be fair to the player, above all else.

PUZZLE DIFFICULTY

• Different levels of difficulty in puzzles can be a very useful tactic to provide solutions for a variety of player types.

• Puzzle solutions of varying degrees of difficulty allow for multiple paths forward and encourage replay-ability, spurning players to determine other, more advanced solutions.

• Ideally, you should consider multiple/alternative solutions for every puzzle. Boxing in the player with only one possible way out ruins the illusion of the game and limits the creativity of play.

THE “WEAKEST LINK” CHOKEPOINT

• The puzzle is only as strong as its ability to guide ALL players to the solution. It is not a valid methodology to dismiss players that don’t understand or are unable to solve your puzzle. As a game developer, it is your job to design the puzzle so ANYONE has the potential to solve it.

• A “chokepoint” forces an attacker or opponent (in this case the player) to use a narrow channel that you can monitor and control.

• Consider implementing a “Weakest Link Chokepoint” that allows you to monitor the players ability to progress.

WORKING BACKWARDS

• Working backwards is a tactic applied to both math and science problems and can also be used when creating a puzzle. Working backwards can help you, as the game developer, to determine cause and effect in your puzzle.

• It also helps you build to the climax/reveal you want the player to experience.

STORY-DRIVEN PUZZLES

• The story and puzzle should be two sides of the same coin.

• Allow for the story to provide natural, organic puzzles that provide a purpose to the overall narrative.

• The solution will help bring the player to a specific situation, according to the game developers design.

• Characters and props only previously exposed to the player should be used. New information or props will confuse the player and seem arbitrary.

ACHIEVING INSIGHT

• Achieving insight is the primary goal of a puzzle in video games.

• There are three different methods for leading the player to insight. They are:• Selective Encoding

• Selective Comparison

• Selective Combination

SELECTIVE ENCODING

• Selective encoding occurs when you make apparently irrelevant information suddenly relevant. The object or piece of information may have no use outside the puzzle, thus only becoming relevant when the player achieves insight.

• In Uncharted, Drake’s ring served this purpose. Early on you can investigate the ring and find unique features. Later on, when searching for treasure the ring would play a vital role in operating the compass that leads to the treasure.

SELECTIVE COMPARISON

• Using analogies & metaphors, to draw a non-obvious relationship between two pieces of information.

• In Uncharted 2, when searching for Shangri-La, you stumble upon a monastery and see various hieroglyphics and symbols. Several levels later, this information becomes useful for solving puzzles that eventually lead to Shangri-La. Tying these two objects together is an example of selective comparison.

SELECTIVE COMBINATION

• Selective combination is when joining pieces of information come together in order to form/solve a larger, overarching puzzle.

• In Uncharted 4, when trying to find a hidden island, you can explore several locations around the world. While exploring you would find various coins and trinkets with messages on them. At the end of the game, all these random items and puzzles that have been collected must be put together to solve the final puzzle.

PUZZLE EVALUATION

• The following are some questions that indicate whether the puzzle needs to be refined or changed.• Is the puzzle obvious/apparent to the player?

• Is all the knowledge needed to solve the puzzle provided to the player in-game?

• Does the puzzle include characters, objects, themes from the story?

• Does the solution to the puzzle provide insight and constitute an “event” in the overall story?

EXAMPLE OF PUZZLE INTEGRATION

Many games utilize puzzles outside of a traditional puzzle. A common one used in games such as the Uncharted franchise involve navigational puzzles. That is, the puzzle the player grapples with is how to proceed forward. Since Zhudingi Idol utilized similar movement mechanics, you can consider creating areas that players must figure out how to navigate through climbing or jumping.

EXAMPLE OF PUZZLE INTEGRATION

Additionally you can create puzzles where the player has to navigate through an area without detection. Since there are already roving sentry bots integrated into Zhudingi Idol, you can consider using them as a puzzle element. Creating an open area with a good vantage point can allow the player to determine the best course to navigate without getting caught by the enemy.

REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

• Falstein, N. (2013). The Arcane Art of Puzzle Dependency Diagrams. Gdcvault.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016, from http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1017978/The-Arcane-Art-of-Puzzle

• Fernandez-Vara, C. (2016). Puzzle Writing: Best Practices. Gdcvault.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016, from http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1013851/Puzzle-Writing-Best

• Menzel, J. (2016). Level Design Workshop: Solving Puzzle Design. Gdcvault.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016, from http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023139/Level-Design-Workshop-Solving-Puzzle