Out of 10 main puzzle types, which do you perfer?

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AuthorTopic: Out of 10 main puzzle types, which do you perfer?
Shock Trooper
Member # 3276
Profile #0
I need to know for my scenerio.
This is not the same as the poll in BoA Boards. You see, this has ten main groups AND a rating on some of my puzzles in my scenerio so I don't publish something nobody will like.
EDIT: WTF! I have no idea why this is set not to allow you to view the results until you vote! I never even GOT that option! Well, I will have to give updates every couple votes. Sorry guys, must be a bug in the Fourms :(
* = Umm...
** = If somone can give me a mac native graphic application that will ALLOW me to paste big pictures in res edit.. otherwise this will not be seen.
*** = Please don't make me do a laser puzzle.

And those are only 3 of a bunch of other puzzles I have in the scen already. I would really appreciate feedback.

[ Thursday, July 29, 2004 18:37: Message edited by: GIFTSare2high on drugs ]
This poll has been moved to another forum.
Posts: 249 | Registered: Saturday, July 26 2003 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 335
Profile Homepage #1
In my humble estimation, any puzzle that exists for no reason other than to be a puzzle is starting from a position of "Blech!" It has the potential to advance to "Eh" or even "Whee!" by being really innovative, interesting, and fun, but it starts at the bottom.

The better the reason for the puzzles existence and the less it screams "PUZZLE!" the better.

—Alorael, who prefers his puzzles hidden. He also prefers his brain-busting puzzles that have no clues hidden anywhere to be bypassable, although of course there has to be a cost for that. Sacrificing a party member sounds about right.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Guardian
Member # 2238
Profile Homepage #2
You need puzzles that don't really seem like 'puzzles' when you are playing them. It's bad (in my opinion) if the RPGer walks up and says to himself, "Alright, now to figure out this puzzle!" It's important to remember that this is an RPG, and people roleplay. You want them to relate to what's going on, and to care how it turns out.

I personally, like puzzles that can end multiple ways. It's always nice to have different results if you, say, go right or left.

And (just incase...) it's also important to realize that the term "puzzle" doesn't have to describe a room with boxes to move into place to progress. I'm going to assume you knew that.

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DEMON PLAY,
DEMON OUT!
Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 3276
Profile #3
quote:
Originally written by A vaccination in the obfuscation:

In my humble estimation, any puzzle that exists for no reason other than to be a puzzle is starting from a position of "Blech!" It has the potential to advance to "Eh" or even "Whee!" by being really innovative, interesting, and fun, but it starts at the bottom.

The better the reason for the puzzles existence and the less it screams "PUZZLE!" the better.

—Alorael, who prefers his puzzles hidden. He also prefers his brain-busting puzzles that have no clues hidden anywhere to be bypassable, although of course there has to be a cost for that. Sacrificing a party member sounds about right.

Don't worry. It has a story to it. And the puzzles fit in. And the last one with the numbers, I should elaborate a bit more. You dont type in the number. You use the heads of ruby skeletons to make it, and that is all I am saying.

You need puzzles that don't really seem like 'puzzles' when you are playing them. It's bad (in my opinion) if the RPGer walks up and says to himself, "Alright, now to figure out this puzzle!"
Then you will be unhappy. A temple protecting an artifact that passed through dimensions is most likily going to be obvoiusly, 'puzzleish'
POLL UPDATE!
Poll Results: Out of 10 main puzzle types, which do you perfer?  (4 votes.)
Out of 10 main puzzle types, which do you perfer?
Choose 10
Global Puzzles
75% (3)
Puzzles with everything you need infront of you
0% (0)
Puzzles using NPC's
50% (2)
Dialouge Puzzles
25% (1)
Number Puzzles
25% (1)
Sound Puzzles*
50% (2)
Color and/or symbol puzzles**
25% (1)
Laser Puzzles***
25% (1)
A combo of everything in one puzzle
0% (0)
Puzzles using pieces
25% (1)
If you sacrifice, you move on. If you know the right way to, you get ur guy back
Choose 1
Great Idea!
0% (0)
Good Idea!
25% (1)
Errrr....so so
0% (0)
*
Whatever
0% (0)
Belch!
25% (1)
No Comment
50% (2)
You have to use metal working to fix a broken symbol?
Choose 1
Great Idea!
0% (0)
Good Idea!
25% (1)
Errrr.....so so
50% (2)
Whatever
0% (0)
Belch!
0% (0)
No Comment
25% (1)
U hav to create a # using clues and the whole solution is not in one hidden spot
Choose 1
Great Idea!
0% (0)
Spiffy(good idea)
25% (1)
so so
0% (0)
Whatever
50% (2)
Belch!
0% (0)
No Comment
25% (1)

[ Thursday, July 29, 2004 19:01: Message edited by: GIFTSare2high on drugs ]
Posts: 249 | Registered: Saturday, July 26 2003 07:00
Agent
Member # 27
Profile #4
A puzzle needs to be challenging but fun.

Please note:

An easy or obvious puzzle feels like a waste of time thrown into a dungeon to slow someone down, and usually pisses off the player.

Its very easy to make a hard puzzle seem more like work than fun. Take for example in Exile 2, in the Tomb of Delrin-Bok. There was a switch in each corner of the very large tomb, and they needed to be in set specific order. The tomb was filled with many respawning monsters, including Black Shades and Guardians. By the end of the dungeon I was ready to frag' my computer with a baseball bat.
Posts: 1233 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 4592
Profile #5
Please don't do a barrel/crate puzzle unless it has a point.
Carrying barrels and crates from one point to another is pointless.
Puzzles that come right out of traditional puzzle books, with slight changes, like they profilerate in way too many of what passes for Adventure games nowadays is also annoying.

However, there are some puzzle books that are good.
If you want to check one out, and this is just my opinion I could very likely be wrong here, check something like this one:
"The Lady or the Tiger? And other puzzles" by Raymond Smullyan.
Or maybe do a puzzle that involves decisions like those found in "Game Theory."
Something along those lines. Maybe.

Cheers!

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quote:

"I suffer from spiritual malaise," said Cugel meaningfully. "which manifest itself in outburst of vicious rage. I implore you to depart, lest, in an uncontrollable spasm, I cut you in three pieces with my sword, or worse, I invoke magic."
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Posts: 604 | Registered: Sunday, June 20 2004 07:00
Shake Before Using
Member # 75
Profile #6
There's no topic like this in BoA Editor...

Meh, rather than accuse you of daftness, I'll just put this one there.
Posts: 3234 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00
Warrior
Member # 4665
Profile #7
I'll just say one thing.

I HATE Laser Puzzles. If you put one in your scenario, I WILL find you. And I WILL hit you over the head with a giant squeaky mallet.

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Soy sauce makes everything better. Except for Giant Intelligent Friendly Talking Spiders. Soy sauce makes Giant Intelligent Friendly Talking Spiders all sticky. And it makes them smell funny. But soy sauce makes everything else better. Just not Giant Intelligent Friendly Talking Spiders.
Posts: 129 | Registered: Sunday, July 4 2004 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 1660
Profile Homepage #8
i agree with the comment about puzzles involving moving crates around. those are such a pain in the hiender! (sp?)

i love puzzles, which is why i love Spiderweb games. having puzzle elements too far-flung in time and space is exasperating to me, until i wind up forgetting about the puzzle altogether.

i'm also not crazy about arbitrary "puzzles". either you hit on the right answer by accident, or you found a walkthrough.

i like having the pieces available and having to figure out how to use them to get what i want. like, "if i put this in that, and use it on the other thing, then maybe that will give me access to *that*, which will solve my problem!"

i kind of like riddles, too, but usually they're too easy.

hope this helps! good luck with your scenario!
Posts: 16 | Registered: Saturday, August 3 2002 07:00
...b10010b...
Member # 869
Profile Homepage #9
I'm an advocate of Stareye's "nuclear power plant puzzle" school of thought; the best puzzles are those where the party comes across some apparatus and has to figure out how to use it for their own purposes (which are often not the purposes for which the apparatus was designed). An interesting side note is that in this sort of puzzle, the difficult part is often working out just what the pieces of the puzzle are; once they're all found or recognised, figuring out what to do with them is generally straightforward.
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 4239
Profile #10
Yeah, I like those. For instance, figuring out what each part of golem factory was in A3 was interesting, whereas getting through the troglo/giant barrier access room (yay! Let's cart another mirror in and put it right here!) was not.
I'm not necessarily against laser puzzles, but some of them are just "place a mirror where you want to cross" and those suck.

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There are two kinds of game players...those who are newbies, and those who were.
Posts: 322 | Registered: Monday, April 12 2004 07:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 4682
Profile #11
I like riddles, but they have to be challenging. I especially liked how the riddles were put in in Nethergate, though they could have been harder. I know I'll be rated evil priest and killed in many horrible ways for this, but I really like laser puzzles. They're fun. :P

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Do not underestimate the power of the mechanical pencil.

Join the Dark side. We have cookies.

Played in:
Fiddler on the Roof
Bye Bye Birdie

"Hey, Patrick, feel this random pipe. It's squishy"-Nils
Posts: 834 | Registered: Thursday, July 8 2004 07:00
Warrior
Member # 3905
Profile #12
Crate-pushing, lever-pulling, or lasers should result in an immediate defenstration (to use my word-of-the-day) of the scenario designer's computer. That, or just a good ole slapping...
Posts: 56 | Registered: Tuesday, January 20 2004 08:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 4682
Profile #13
Thank you, Dyng, for proving me right. :)

--------------------
Do not underestimate the power of the mechanical pencil.

Join the Dark side. We have cookies.

Played in:
Fiddler on the Roof
Bye Bye Birdie

"Hey, Patrick, feel this random pipe. It's squishy"-Nils
Posts: 834 | Registered: Thursday, July 8 2004 07:00
Warrior
Member # 250
Profile #14
Can I add my voice, to the people that absolutetly hate lazer puzzles. Koth's palace in ZKR was absolute toture. Luckily those lazer puzzles are going to be a lot harder to design then the old annoyance in BOE of conveyer belt puzzles.
Posts: 61 | Registered: Saturday, November 3 2001 08:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 4682
Profile #15
I loved the laser puzzle in Khoth's palace! What's not to love?

--------------------
Do not underestimate the power of the mechanical pencil.

Join the Dark side. We have cookies.

Played in:
Fiddler on the Roof
Bye Bye Birdie

"Hey, Patrick, feel this random pipe. It's squishy"-Nils
Posts: 834 | Registered: Thursday, July 8 2004 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 2262
Profile #16
Let me second and third that puzzles need to be organic to the storyline, which is why I prefer NPC and dialogue puzzles: they're not presented as puzzles (or shouldn't be), just some information you get that you can act on. Perhaps you can't move forward until you get more information and figure out what it means, but it isn't like some evil trickster has decided to sit down and say, "Hey, I like puzzles. I'll let you kill me if you figure this one out." Last time I checked, fiends don't tend to act that way.

Also, carting stuff around (except things like keys, which you get and maybe don't know what to do with just yet) is BAD. Laser puzzles are usually bad, although admittedly often make the most sense, plotwise, as a barrier (if you want to hold off the invading hordes, laser puzzles would be great--but the scenario needs a way for the occupants of the protected area to get in and out without spending half a day maneuvering mirrors and the like).

Finally, GREAT QUESTION/survey! I hope other people out there doing the hard work of designing scenarios are reading this thread.
Posts: 12 | Registered: Monday, November 18 2002 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 3174
Profile Homepage #17
I find laser puzzles incredibly annoying...riddles on the other hand are awesome...of course maybe thats because Im a LOTR/Hobbit freak...

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Aa' menle nauva calen ar' ta hwesta e' ale'quenle, melloneamin.
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Finder of impossible beta testing errors.
Posts: 364 | Registered: Saturday, July 5 2003 07:00