The game I'm working on has and exploration/adventure component, and I'm toying with the idea of including some more open-ended puzzles like the one below. So, rather than doing a standard skill check between two options (e.g., Sleeping Gods), the idea is to offer enough information for players to solve the puzzle, have them think it through and discuss their solution, and then read the script to see how closely they came to the full solution. Why consider doing it this way, you may wonder? Because a more open-ended approach allows players to be more invested and active in solving the puzzle, rather than just determining risk vs. reward based on two opposing skill checks. The challenge will be to anticipate the various reasonable approaches players might come up with and incorporate those in the solution.
I would appreciate feedback to this style and your detailed solutions to the example puzzle, if you're willing. After feedback and solutions, I will post the full solution, along with rewards and consequences and ask for your further feedback on that section.
PUZZLE
You come to a large barn, its doors closed fast. You hear odd sounds from within. Compelled to investigate, you open the doors and are immediately sucked into the barn by an irresistible force. You find yourself hurtling toward the rafters and brace for impact. Luckily, a large pile of hay stuck to the roof breaks your upwards fall. An old woman and her teenage grandson are pinned to the ceiling as well, clearly exhausted from their efforts to fight the supernatural power. Nearby, an old wheelbarrow rocks and bangs, as if fighting to break loose from the space between two thick crossbeams it's jammed into. A long sturdy rope lays in a tangle near the wheelbarrow. Two buckets, both empty, cling to the rafters with a force stronger than gravity. And mercifully, you were quite lucky to avoid impaling yourself on the sharp tongs of a muck fork an arm’s length away.
“Help us!” the old woman pleads.
“Won’t do no good, Gran. They just as stuck as us now,” the boy sighs.
You struggle to your knees, crawling like a spider on the ceiling. The planks creak and protest, clearly not designed for this kind of force. Your effort to crawl to the barn door is met with even greater resistance – as if the magic holding you to the ceiling is sentient, working against your will; it’s clear you won’t be leaving through the same doors you entered from.
What do you do? Consider your solution to this problem BEFORE reading the next section. Think or talk it through thoroughly. Once you’ve outlined your steps, read The Solution below, then follow the instructions.
END PUZZLE
NOTE: As mentioned above, The Solution will be presented to this forum after feedback on the initial puzzle and premise.
Thanks for your consideration!
-Tom
Comments
Questions
Well, the short answer is: I'm stumped... Help! :)
Beyond that: this certainly seems like an interesting twist on Skill Checks. It reminds me of the approach that old skool text adventure games would take, in that the solution isn't obvious, and there's plenty of room for a player to take a novel approach to solving a potentially-non-linear-but-still-solvable puzzle.
Do you have any supplementary illustrations or other tools/clues? That may be helpful for neanderthals like me.
Is it more immersive? I don't know. This is because:
I have no idea about how your game facilitates the resolution - though you will likely share that when you reveal the solution. If there's a referee/DM involved, that might smooth the process a bit in terms of resolution and allow for variations that invite repeated plays while facing the same puzzles.
I personally think it's TOO open ended...
I'd check out the Professor Layton Series of Nintendo DS games to find maybe puzzles that require some reflection but are not so "open ended". I personally don't know where to start with this puzzle as it is TOO "open ended". You've got to balance between "puzzle FUN" and "puzzle too complicated". While you might feel this is an EASY puzzle to solve ... I feel it is the opposite.
You've got the Fork, the Rope, the two Buckets, the Wheel Barrow, the Hay and the rafters.
Off the top of my head, I would try to make a hole in the ceiling such that the force propels me outside of the Barn. That's all I got. How I'm not sure...
Anyhow I'll wait for your solution ... To see how you can get out of that pickle. Cheers!
I assume your game replaces
I assume your game replaces the need for a game master?
I think the scenario/ situation is interesting, and could be fun. I worry about calling it a puzzle, because that sort of implies only one viable solution without enough info to difinatively get to it.
We're I a GM in this scenario, I would let the PCs try anything, and adjust the roll difficulty based on the player cleverness.
You want to simply stand and walk out, carrying everyone with you? Sure, but you better roll a 32 on strength.
Just curious, is there a "right" solution in your mind? If so what is it?
SOLUTION
Hey guys, thank you very much for weighing in! You've confirmed my suspicions that this kind of puzzle is too open ended (which is why so many games offer a couple of choices and proceed based on skill tests). Based on your feedback, I will modify this aspect of my game to fall in line with more tried and true methods. As for the solution, questccg was definitely on the right track! Based upon what players do (or didn't do), there are a variety of penalties (negative Morale, taking more Time) or rewards (positive Morale, adding new characters to your party). The rule here is to read the Solution (once you've considered your own) and follow down the list of GOTO commands from top to bottom, proceeding to the next section based on your actions (or inactions as the case may be). Here is how the current version plays out...
The Solution
Eventually you realize your only way out is up. You grab the muck fork with the intent to break through the roof’s planks. But first, you must secure everyone lest they explode into the sky like a geyser, no telling how far. You tie everyone together with the long rope, including the wheelbarrow near the end, before anchoring everything to the strongest crossbeam. The two buckets are distributed to Gran and the boy – your most vulnerable members – to put over their heads for protection. You then crawl near the center of the roof and begin pounding at the planks with the sharp tines of the muck fork. The boards splinter and rupture, flinging you and everyone else through the hole with tremendous velocity. Gran hits her head on a thick beam as she’s sucked out, but thankfully the bucket over her head protects her. The rope holds, and you are left flapping in the sky like the knotted tail of a beleaguered kite until the wheelbarrow is drawn into the hole after you, abruptly corking off the mysterious force. You fall to the roof, quickly untying yourselves, using the branches of a nearby tree to climb back down to safety.
• GOTO Success! if this was your full solution.
• GOTO No Muck if you didn’t think to break through the roof with the muck fork.
• GOTO No Rope if you didn’t think to tie everyone together and anchor them to the wheelbarrow or a crossbeam.
• GOTO No Wheelbarrow if you tied everyone together and anchored them to a crossbeam but didn’t think to tie the wheelbarrow at the end of the rope chain.
• GOTO No Bucket if you failed to give Gran a bucket to protect her head.
No Muck
If you did not think to break through the roof with the muck fork, eventually Gran comes up with this solution. But you kick yourself for not thinking of it sooner.
Time 2
-1 Morale
• GOTO Success! If you thought to tie everyone to the wheelbarrow or crossbeam using the rope AND gave Gran a bucket for her head.
• GOTO No Rope if you didn’t think to tie everyone together AND anchor them to the wheelbarrow or a crossbeam.
• GOTO No Wheelbarrow if you tied everyone together AND anchored them to a crossbeam, but didn’t think to tie the wheelbarrow at the end of the rope chain.
No Rope
You correctly surmised that breaking through the roof was the only way out, but no one considered what would happen once the force blew you sky high. Without anchoring yourselves to either the wheelbarrow or a crossbeam, you fly through the air as if erupting from a volcano, landing roughly some feet away. Even if she’s wearing a bucket on her head, Gran is too fragile to survive the fall and dies.
• GOTO Sad Ending
No Wheelbarrow
You tied everyone to the crossbeam but didn’t tie the wheelbarrow near the end before anchoring the rope. The magical force eventually dislodges the wheelbarrow and plugs the hole – it just takes a bit longer.
Time 2
• GOTO No Bucket if you if you failed to give Gran a bucket to protect her head.
• GOTO Success! If you gave Gran a bucket for her head.
No Bucket
Without a bucket to protect her, Gran hits her head on the way out and dies.
• GOTO Sad Ending
Sad Ending
Gran sadly doesn’t make it, though everyone else pulls through with only a few bumps and bruises.
-1 Morale
+ Pluck
• END
Success!
You broke through the roof AND thought to secure everyone from a hard landing!
+2 Morale
+ Pluck
+ Tupithia (a.k.a. Gran)
• END
I will rewrite this "puzzle" using a more skill based approach based on your feedback.
Thanks,
Tom
My honest advice to you is...
Make it more like "Choose Your Adventure"! What I mean is offer some kind of choices where the end result is hard to predict. Maybe like 3 or 4 choices and then players decide what to do...
In the vein of D&D, add a layer of dice rolling to figure out what to do best.
For example: roll 1d4, 1d6 and 1d8.
Depending on the die rolls, allow some of the choices to be acceptable while others are out of reach.
For example: 1d4 = 4 For choice #1, 1d6 > 3 For choice #3 and 1d8 > 5 For choice #2...
This will limit the amount of available outcomes (and maybe a re-roll if none of the above works).
Each choice has a consequence and is good/bad depending on the difficulty of the dice roll.
But this adds a bit of Skill Checking much like in most RPGs like D&D and Pathfinder, etc. Different dice for different options, you can use other dice this was just an example of how to make choices available to the player. And the idea is NOT to penalize the players for bad rolls, but allow a retry if no option was available. It's a decide system not a penalty/point system.
You may roll 0 Choices and on your re-roll get all 3 Choices.
But I'm sure you understand... This is very simple and use dice for Skill Checking and making options easier. Also one side of the card can be the Puzzle, the other side of the card are the possible outcomes. Something simple like that...
I'm glad I was onto something with regards to escaping from the Barn! Cheers.
Note #1: The D4 could be Charisma check, the D6 could be a Strength check and the D8 could be an Intelligence check. Or you can keep them as only dice (D4, D6 and D8) without using any type of SKILLS in the mix. It was just to tie in with D&D and Pathfinder (more RPG-ish).
Further Discussion
The inspiration for trying this kind of open ended puzzle was the old text based games I grew up with. (Yeah, I know, I'm ancient.) Zork I, for example, starts with you standing outside next to a mailbox. What do you do? In those games you can essentially enter two word commands... "Open mailbox." You see a leaflet. "Take leaflet." Taken. "Read leaflet." ...and so on.
Obviously, in board gaming, you can't account for every command combination the way you can in a computer game (without printing an enormous book), but I was hoping to capture that same open ended feeling of exploration and adventure, with a fail-forward mechanic that accommodates players who are completely stumped. (In my solution above, if you do nothing, Gran gets you out of the barn, but you lose Time, Morale, and Gran herself as a character if you didn't think to do anything. However, you still gain "Pluck" as a character to add to your party.)
I also wonder if, rather than diving into the deep end with this puzzle, having players encounter more simple puzzles first to get their feet wet would prepare them to think through this one when they get to this point.
The other challenge I have is that, while I enjoy creating scenarios like this, it is a relatively small part of the bigger picture of my game which has the adventure/exploration section culminating in grandiose boss fights. So while I want players to spend a little time puzzling through solutions, I don't want them to spend more than a few minutes on any one puzzle. Thus, skill checks have the advantage of moving the story/narrative forward quickly while providing some variation of choice and outcome.
Still...
I like the idea of presenting a list of items to combine, and players having to consider what actions to take in what order using the items at hand WITHOUT spelling out the rewards and consequences. Many point-and-click adventure games have used this formula. (Bonus points if you've ever played The Beast Within!) So, I guess what I'm asking is if you think there is anything I can salvage from my current system (based on the Barn puzzle), or if you'd just vote to rewrite it to skill checks...
Intelligence 8: You put the bucket over Gran's head, tie everyone down, and break through. (Success!)
Intelligence 6: You tie everyone and the wheelbarrow to the support beam, but fail to protect Gran (Sad Ending)
Skill check failure: You break through using the muck fork, but don't tie anyone down. (-2 Morale, Time 2, Sad Ending)
Rough idea of how I see it playing out. This method takes the thinking aspect away from players and provides options based on stats and luck. Dry, but effective. Certainly tried and true.
Perhaps a hybrid approach where players can EITHER attempt to solve the puzzle themselves (open ended) OR roll for skill checks? Probably too messy.
Other thoughts?
Same Track
@questccg: We are definitely thinking along the same lines regarding skill checks, though our methods might be slightly different.
As for the "Choose your own adventure," that's already baked in (though I didn't present that). For example, when you arrive at the barn, you hear sounds of a struggle coming from within. Do you, A) Save time and just leave the area without investigating, or B) Open the barn doors? I only gave you option B, to open the barn doors, because I wanted to get the thoughts on this forum regarding this puzzle style in particular.
Thanks for your input!
Hmm... Something to consider with THIS Puzzle
Maybe if you SAVE "Gran", only then does her "Grandson" join your party. Otherwise in the "Sad Ending", the Grandson is too sad for the loss of his Grandmother. I can't picture a Grandmother on an adventure... But the teenage boy works just fine.
That's sort of my EDIT that I would make when resolving this Puzzle.
As far as "Choose Your Own Adventure" ... What I meant is to have Choices that a player can do which is tied into Skill Checking. I just had the skill checking tied to dice rolls to make it more "situational". What I mean is that depending on your LUCK, the odds of success vary from one moment to the next. Furthermore you don't rely on pure VALUES which could be more static (like Intelligence 8 or 6, etc.)
The goal with the dice is to make the choices VARIABLE. Meaning even if you WANT to save Gran, it's not always possible (depending on the dice rolls). Obviously everyone would choose to PROTECT her if they knew that was an option. But MAKING CHOICES is the goal of "Choose your own Adventure".
The Intelligence 8 or 6 or failure... That's NOT a CHOICE. It's a STATIC outcome based on party statistics. Whereas ROLLING DICE opens OPTIONS based on the rolls which can be different in different games play-thrus making the game much more REPLAYABLE.
You didn't mention anything about the DICE ROLLS. And those rolls can change the outcome of what happens or more precisely what OPTIONS are available to the party given multiple dice rolls.
I wouldn't leave it PURELY to a Skill Check. That is too LINEAR and not dynamic enough TBH. Of course this is my personal take on the matter. And why more games should use Polyhedral dice in RPG-type puzzle/missions. I mean sure there are uses for them... But why not combine the RPG-element with the board game puzzle element to have something MUCH more dynamic.
Again you didn't mention the dice rolls... So I was thinking you didn't comprehend how they are much more flexible than merely Skill Checks.
Cheers and best of success with these mini Puzzles.
Let me compare BOTH and then you will see a REAL difference
If Intelligence > 7 then "DO THIS #1"
Else If Intelligence > 5 then "DO THIS #2"
Else Fail Check then "DO THIS #3"
That is NOT a CHOICE like in "Choose your Adventure".
If D4 ROLL = 4 then YOU CAN "DO THIS #1"
If D6 ROLL > 3 then YOU CAN "DO THIS #2"
If D8 ROLL > 5 then YOU CAN "DO THIS #3"
If Fail rolls, re-roll all 3 dice
This is a CHOICE between options give CHANCE (or circumstances at that time). This is more like "Choose your Adventure" because you can maybe DO ALL THREE options (D4, D6 and D8!) Which one you choose is YOUR CHOICE!
See the difference? One is static stat checking and consequential. The other is more RPG in terms of offering ALTERNATIVES and it's up to the player to choose which they prefer to do.
Again I'm just trying to provide more VARIABILITY than plain Skill Checks.
No worries if this doesn't work for you. Feel free to use, adapt or ignore these suggestions... This is just me offering constructive Feedback and comments related to what you presented to us in your OP (excerpt).
Back In My Home Country, Adventure Chooses You!
I feel like three dice being rolled still causes problems while limiting choice.
What happens when only one die of the three rolled results in a success? The player is limited to random outcomes in terms of options, and no choice is involved.
Were I to come up with something like choice balanced/mitigated by skills, and at the same time -not- use a plain ol' Skill Check, I would ignore dice and instead try the following:
If INTELLIGENCE <6, choose from these options:
A) Use buckets to...
B) Use muck rake and...
If INTELLIGENCE >6, choose from these options:
C) Grab the wheelbarrow and...
D) Throw the rope to...
The options are framed by a Skill ranking, but within that ranking the choices are still there.
In later play-throughs, a player might want to deliberately adjust their Skill rankings in order to explore additional paths through the story.
Skip the dice. They simply obscure the story. That would be my suggestion.
Also...
Hell yeah! Shout-out to Zork! :)
I disagree 100% but it's okay to have differences of opinion
What happens when only one die of the three rolled results in a success? The player is limited to random outcomes in terms of options, and no choice is involved...
That's the BEAUTY of the dice: they are REAL! Sometimes in LIFE, you ONLY have one (1) choice in Life!... Like me being a "Game Designer": I am doing it because I am good at it. I chose to explore this avenue before realizing that I actually had potential when doing "Game Design". It was like my ONLY choice. At first it was a hobby and then I decided based on what I could come up with, I had a real shot at making GOOD (maybe Great) games.
That's a real problem for me... I honestly don't want to go back to computer programming. In short, if I need a website or Webster (WWWW) then I can code my own HTML/Javascript ... But I'm not keen on making website for other people because it takes far more "Graphic Design" skills that I don't have.
I can't go back to "Integration" there aren't any more companies involved in this sector near my home. Plus all the twenty year-old Female HR employees don't really like me (I'm sort of Black-Balled) and won't hire me... Trust me, I've gone back to old clients and their HR people are nuts. I don't know what it is they are looking for... But it's not NERDY me.
Finding a normal 9 to 5 job is hard because of the Pandemic. Lots of layoffs and office work seems to be required by almost ALL companies, yet I see very little openings in their offices (for a clerk or some kind of assistant).
That leaves me stupid options like MacDonald's who are always looking for staff... Or warehouse jobs (which my career coach says would be a Red Flag since my experience is in the office not on the floor - so-to-speak).
So this purpose of being a "Game Designer" is not ARBITRARY. It's my purpose.
I like collaborating with creatives... And will be contacting my Creative Writer with some of my ideas for "Crystal Heroes". To see what kind of story he can pen-down given my embryonic ideas...
That's kind of the point that I am making. Sometimes you ONLY get one choice!
(Like in my current situation it's keep trying, make some cool stuff and OBVIOUSLY WAIT for TradeWorlds to be delivered!) It's taking a freaken long time ... But I'm "poison" unless that campaign is dealt with.
Therefore CHANCE is CHANCE. Sometimes you roll with more leeway other times less with only one option to choose. And I think adding the dice makes for a cool reason to implement the use of Polyhedral dice because they are generally speaking RPG dice for use in those types of games.
Of course it's a matter of opinion and taste. I think the RNG adds a layer of realism meaning it's a bit up to LUCK what you can do and in some cases you have more options than others.
I respectfully disagree with @let-off studios that it is "distracting"... I feel it adds a touch of "realism" in that not all situations do we have options... Again this is just my own personal opinion on the matter at hand.
Note #1: This is not something that I planned... But I was thinking maybe my "Dual Dice" could be of interest. Instead of Attack-Defend, it could be like Choice #1 and Choice #2.
The Dice go THREE/THREE meaning that would allow you ALL three options from one choice and ALL three options from the second choice.
And maybe being more "completionary" makes for a better outcome. What I mean is like this:
Decision #1 = Related to Gran, do one or more of the following
#1: Use the Muck Fork to loosen the rafters. (+2 Puzzle Points)
#2: Tie Gran with the Rope. (+2 Puzzle Points)
#3: Give Gran the Bucket. (+4 Puzzle Points)
Decision #2 = Related to the Grandson, do one or more of the following
#1: Tie the Grandson with the Rope. (+2 Puzzle Points)
#2: Give the Grandson the Bucket. (+1 Puzzle Points)
#3: Tie the rope to the Wheelbarrow. (+1 Puzzle Points)
So you rolls a "3/2" (5 value): This gives you all three (3) options from Decision #1 and only two (2) option from Decision #2.
This is just exploratory ... Me stating some of my thoughts on dice usage and how my own "custom" dice could apply in some kind of decision making. I'm just thinking about the cleverness of the design. Obviously the HIGHER you roll the better: PERFECT would be "3/3" all of the choices are made. Worst case scenario "1/0" would be only one choice in Decision #1 can be made...
Again just having FUN with how this could be used. Its cleverness and something more flexible in the Decisions ... Maybe there are always a pair (2) of decisions to be made.
@lef-off studios: What do you think about the Dual Dice use in this particular context??? It may be too much. Just a thought... I'm always looking for IDEAS on HOW to use the dice. Will take note of this approach for RPG-ish decision making.
Note #2: The Puzzle Points would be revealed on the opposite side of the card (when resolving the choices). What I mean is that they are NOT present when making the selection of which options to choose. You don't know that "Giving Gran the Bucket" = +4 Puzzle Points.
That's cool because it determines how many options are available and still gives the freedom of CHOOSING what a player thinks is MOST IMPORTANT things to do (or choices to make).
Cheers.
No dice - but other good considerations!
There won't be dice in this game, but I may use some card mechanics to add variability. My example should have read: INT 1-5 = Fail, 6-7 = Sad Ending, 8+ = Success. The base player INT stat would be modifiable (card draws, spending resources, etc.). But the mechanics of skill checks isn't my primary focus at the moment (though I will get there).
However, breaking the decision tree up into various choices is interesting. Either the way left-off suggests (limited by base INT, for example), or perhaps by providing a binary option tree. The issue is, I'd likely have to add some red herrings. It might look like the following:
Select as many options from the following list as you wish, add up all the numbers, then look that number up in the book.
1 Give Gran the Bucket -OR-
2 Give the teenager the Bucket
4 Tie the rope around everyone
8 Tie the rope to the wheelbarrow -OR-
16 Tie the rope to the crossbeam
32 Tie the rope to the muck fork
64 Throw the muck fork at the barn doors -OR-
128 Break the rafters with the muck fork
Then, you look at each solution...
1 Gran uses the bucket as a helmet, but wonders what good it will do. Go back to Puzzle Start.
2 The teenager bangs on the bucket, but it doesn't help. Go back to Puzzle Start.
5 Gran uses the bucket as a helmet, and everyone is knotted together. Now what? Go back to Puzzle Start.
6 The teenager bangs the bucket, and everyone is knotted together. Now what? Go back to Puzzle Start.
{...}
149 Gran uses the bucket as a helmet, you tie everyone together with the rope and anchor it to the crossbeam, then you break through the rafters with the muck fork.
EDIT: Any value UNDER 64 would result in going back to Puzzle Start (so each one wouldn't have to be listed), thus...
1-63: Try again. Go back to puzzle start.
The advantages of a binary tree system is that it's inclusive of multiple options and combinations. The disadvantage is that it requires math and potentially a lot of flipping back and forth. If I limited the choices to 5 or 6 max (thus 1,2,4,8,16,32) the math wouldn't be that difficult and it would reduce the flipping - but still...
While I'd like to give players the most options available to choose from, the mechanics have to be accessible and quick. Thus, it will probably take the form of...
You start with a base INT (let's say 4 for example). You may spend resources now (perhaps units of TIME) to add to your score. Once your score has been modified, read from the following table...
1-5 See Solution 1
6-7 See Solution 2
8+ See Solution 3
S1: You break through the rafters and are hurled into space, landing hard.
Gran dies. -2 Morale, +Teenager.
S2: You tie everyone together but Gran hits her head without using the bucket as a helmet and dies. -1 Morale, +Teenager.
S3: Gran uses the bucket for a helmet and everyone lands safely. +1 Morale, +Teenager, +Gran
Thus, your choice is what resources you spend - not how you solve the puzzle. To left-off's point, in later playthroughs you could increase your INT (either base or modified) to see what happens if you save Gran.
And yes questccg, you could add a card draw or die roll to add some randomness to the outcome - though I don't often favor randomness. I'd rather have the decision be one to spend finite resources now that I may need later, but it's definitely common for many games to include some form of randomization and I may yet do so.
Games like Sleeping Gods follow a combined resource and luck format like this...
You take in your surroundings: a wooden hut with an
open doorway. Most of the crew lies next to you.
A. Cut the rope bindings on some nearby rocks.
CUNNING 8, fail: health
(Turn to A1)
B. Wriggle free of the rope bindings.
STRENGTH 8, fail: health
(Turn to A1)
Both roads lead to the same conclusion (A1), but the player can choose between a CUNNING test or a STRENGTH test. (Base scores may be modified by spending resources AND there is a random card draw added to your score.)
I think I'm leaning more in this direction at the moment as it's based on fairly simple mechanics and offers quick outcomes, moving the story along. It's just good to sometimes explore outside the box.
Hey, I haven't read all the
Hey,
I haven't read all the discussion after the solution, and have no real time for it, sorry.
Just wanted to chip in to say that I really like the idea, even as it is now.
I was a bit worried you could pull it off without a GM before reading the solution, but I actually think you did really well. I also like that the first line (with the Gran suggesting the escape route) basically gives you a hint forward even if you players stuck, with just some minor drawback.
I think what spotted by others is kind of true, some people will not enjoy this and will find it frustrating to think about the solution...but to be fair, people will always find frustrating gameplay they are not good at, you are targeting a specific audience who likes to be committed to story telling.
So overall I find your solution great if you are trying to invest players in the narrative of the game.
I would be more worried of how this integrates with the rest of the game. Since this is so particular, I guess the rest of the game should be fairly streamlined and also relay heavily on the decisions you took during this phase (if you need any other phase at all, fundamentally the game could even be only based on this).
Also, this makes the game only playable once. This can or not be a problem, if it is, you may allow other ways to branch the story not related to knowing how to solve these puzzles.
Anyway, just wanted to give my positive comment as I would hate the previous negative comments here changed your mind hahaha, I actually think your idea is pretty solid and well executed, it won't please everybody, but this is fine :)
Much appreciated!
@terzamossa: Thank you for the positive feedback! Truly, much appreciated. But because this is not the core aspect of my game, and because no one I've presented the puzzle to yet - here or elsewhere - has come up with "the solution" on their own, I'm thinking it's best to streamline this aspect and move on. At some point I may use a variation of the original mechanic in a stand-alone adventure/escape room type of game, but for now I'm content to alter course.
Thanks again!
-Tom
Cheers Tom! Makes sense of
Cheers Tom! Makes sense of course, you need to find the solution that fits best the game you are making :)
I would assume something like this would need to make 50% or more of the whole game to make sense. If people are in the game for another type of experience, you definitely don't want to break the flow and push them into something different.
Good luck and keep up the good work!
Antonio
PS (if ever needed)
on second reading I noticed that you actually give the full solution before the gran's suggestion, so if you are still planning on using this puzzle for something, I'd suggest to move that higher up, before specifying everything that happens with buckets for example. So even those stuck about the escape route can still think about what to do next.
On complexity and people not being able to solve it, I think that if the game started with some easier puzzles to get you in the mood and show you how solutions are presented, and then complexity was gradually increased, the result may well be different!