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	Re: Definition
	Posted By: Senator Predator	Date: 10/26/05 6:00 a.m.
	In Response To: Definition (Deram Scholzara) I'm not a big fan of puzzles. Due to the nature of Marathon's aestetic and technological limitations, it's rare to see a puzzle that does not seem arbitrary. For me, puzzles interupt the suspension of disbelief. I'm willing to believe that I'm actually on a colony ship being attacked by slavers, because when energy bolts are whizzing past my head I don't have time to say "This makes no sense". However, once everything's dead and I'm wracking my brain trying to solve a puzzle, I'm no longer on the ship, I'm sitting in my room at my computer trying to figure out which combination of buttons to press. I love a brain teaser as much as the next guy, but when we're talking about ACTION games, I love immersion more. When I design maps, combat is my bread and butter. I try to present fights in novel ways, providing the player with enough options that the fighting becomes a puzzle itself. The essential questions every designer and player asks ("What weapons should be used? What enemies are here? Are there other directions I could approach from?" What possible dangers are hidden from plain view?") provide so many combinations of options, some better and some worse, that a thoughtful designer makes fighting just as cerebral an activity as solving a logic puzzle. Really, that's all that it is, a big abstract logic puzzle. There are logical decisions and illogical decisions, which are rewarded or punished appropriately. Really, I can only justify a complicated logic puzzle as a chance to give the player a break, and even then, there must be some kind of "action", be it a significant story development to keep in the back of your head and keep you motivated to get through this, a time limit (ex: vaccuum/lava slowly flooding, etc). -Graham : A puzzle, as would be found in Marathon, is a solvable sequence of events : that must be initiated by the player via a logical stream of abtract : thinking. Most comonly, this means finding clues to make meaningful : connections between otherwise unrelated props. : A puzzle can be as simple as finding oneself in a room, realizing that there : must be a way out of the room, and finding that exit. The solution could : be as obvious as an attached hallway. This can be compared to daily life, : which requires common sense. : Puzzles can also be as complex as the tedious switch flipping levels of the : marathon map "Labrynth." This can be compared to a Rubik's Cube, : which requires recognition of patterns. : To contrast, something that is not a puzzle is either not a sequence of : events, has no solution, or offers no vital clues that could enlighten the : subject in his or her quest for the solution. : One might ask why, if clues are required, is Myst a true puzzle game? The : answer is that the game relied heavily on the player's common sense and : life experiences to fill the role of many needed clue elements. In truth, : it is more accurate to say that Myst, as a whole, is a "mystery" : game which presents several puzzles which gradually uncloak the game's : secrets. : Also note, so long as a puzzle presents all required elements, the fact that : it can be solved by random chance does not disqualify it. Given enough : time, a chimpanzee could solve a Rubik's Cube. : So, the requirements for a puzzle are: 1) A logical sequence of events. : 2) A solution (or multiple solutions) : 3) Presentation of clues. : -Deram Scholzara

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Replies:

	What makes a puzzle?	C Lund	10/2/05 8:36 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	RyokoTK	10/2/05 3:44 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Steve Levinson	10/2/05 7:19 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	kyjel	10/2/05 9:12 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	C Lund	10/3/05 12:58 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	goran	10/3/05 1:13 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	ukimalefu	10/3/05 8:56 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Steve Levinson	10/3/05 10:32 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Forrest of B.org	10/3/05 1:36 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Blake37	10/3/05 3:16 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	RyokoTK	10/3/05 7:04 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	ukimalefu	10/4/05 11:58 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Steve Levinson	10/4/05 4:26 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Forrest of B.org	10/4/05 4:51 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Vid Boi	10/3/05 11:07 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Keith Palmer	10/3/05 11:52 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	Alexander	10/4/05 9:09 p.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	ellio7t	10/5/05 10:04 a.m.
	Re: What makes a puzzle?	themijolnir	11/3/05 9:58 a.m.
	Definition	Deram Scholzara	10/14/05 7:48 p.m.
	Re: Definition	Senator Predator	10/26/05 6:00 a.m.
	Puzzles?!	Jontar2b	11/15/05 3:32 p.m.
	Re: Puzzles?!	RyokoTK	11/15/05 5:38 p.m.
	Re: Puzzles?!	MrHen	11/16/05 5:33 a.m.
	Story discussions dwindling?	Steve Levinson	11/16/05 2:54 p.m.
	Re: Story discussions dwindling?	ukimalefu	11/16/05 6:46 p.m.
	Re: Story discussions dwindling?	MrHen	11/17/05 5:52 a.m.
	Re: Story discussions dwindling?	Steve Levinson	11/17/05 1:33 p.m.
	haha, well I *would*	MrHen	11/18/05 8:48 a.m.
	Re: Story discussions dwindling?	Hamish Sinclair	11/18/05 10:01 a.m.
	Point well taken *NM*	Steve Levinson	11/18/05 12:09 p.m.
	Marathon the saga continues	Jontar2b	11/21/05 5:00 p.m.

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