Game Design 2. Week 5: February 26, Puzzles and Permutations. Spring 2018 Mondays & Wednesdays 12:30-3:15 PM

Transcription

1 Week 5: February 26, 2018 Game Design 2 Puzzles and Permutations Spring 2018 Mondays & Wednesdays 12:30-3:15 PM Instructor: Naomi Clark nmc5@nyu.edu / naomi@halfrobot.com Teaching Assistant: Daniel Kimsey daniel.kimsey@nyu.edu

2 Week 5: Puzzles Today s Class Thinking outside the box and playfulness Solutions, and who comes up with them Non-verbal puzzle hints and cues Practicing the design of space (and puzzles) on paper & whiteboard Elegance in Puzzle Design

3 Riddles

4 Riddles Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. Whoever knows it, wants it not.

5 Thinking outside the box A man walks into a bar, and asks the bartender for a drink of water. The bartender pulls out a gun, points it at the man, and cocks it. The man pauses, before saying "Thank you" and leaving. What happened? You may ask yes/no questions.

6 What is a puzzle? Definition time.

7 What is a puzzle? Definition time. A static logic structure that players can solve with the assistance of clues. Puzzles aren t dynamic: they don t respond to player actions. Chris Crawford

8 What is a puzzle? Definition time. A static logic structure that players can solve with the assistance of clues. Puzzles aren t dynamic: they don t respond to player actions. An activity that s fun and has a right answer. Scott Kim

9 What is a puzzle? Definition time. A static logic structure that players can solve with the assistance of clues. Puzzles aren t dynamic: they don t respond to player actions. An activity that s fun and has a right answer. Labyrinth (only one answer) Maze (only one right answer)

10 What is a puzzle? Definition time. A static logic structure that players can solve with the assistance of clues. Puzzles aren t dynamic: they don t respond to player actions. An activity that s fun and has a right answer. A game (or subgame) that has a dominant strategy. (the player has choices, but one of them is clearly better than the rest it s the only way to achieve the goal, or it s more efficient, reliable, less failure-prone, etc) Jesse Schell

11 What is a puzzle? Definition time. A static logic structure that players can solve with the assistance of clues. Puzzles aren t dynamic: they don t respond to player actions. An activity that s fun and has a right answer. A game (or subgame) that has a dominant strategy. (the player has choices, but one of them is clearly better than the rest it s the only way to achieve the goal, or it s more efficient, reliable, less failure-prone, etc)

12 What is a puzzle? Definition time. A static logic structure that players can solve with the assistance of clues. Puzzles aren t dynamic: they don t respond to player actions. An activity that s fun and has a right answer. A game that has a dominant strategy. (the player has choices, but one of them is clearly better than the rest it s the only way to achieve the goal, or it s more efficient, reliable, less failure-prone, etc) A playable activity where the creator has ensured a solution.

13 Types of Puzzle Games HETEROGENOUS Puzzle Games Contain a series of pre-designed puzzles, each with different mechanics. Common trope: solve to proceed with the story.

14 Puzzles and Process Solitaire maybe the oldest randomized puzzle game Minesweeper One correct Solution, but different every time! PROCEDURAL Puzzle Games Tetris A constant flow of problems to solve theoretically, always solvable?

15 Puzzles and Process Spelunky and other modern roguelikes the procedural aspect often also involves a solvable puzzle in space, enemies PROCEDURAL Puzzle Games

16 Types of Puzzle Games PROCEDURAL Puzzle Games Same mechanics but a newly generated, different version of the problem to solve every time COMBINATORIAL Puzzle Games A core set of mechanics, used over and over in different combinations and arrangements to produce many predesigned puzzles. HETEROGENOUS Puzzle Games Contain a series of pre-designed (non-procedural) puzzles, each with different mechanics

17 Combinatorial Puzzle Games COMBINATORIAL Puzzle Games A core set of mechanics, used over and over in different combinations and arrangements to produce many predesigned puzzles.

18 True Puzzle Game Design? PROCEDURAL Puzzle Games COMBINATORIAL Puzzle Games HETEROGENOUS Puzzle Games Same mechanics but a newly generated, different version of the problem to solve every time A core set of mechanics, used over and over in different combinations and arrangements to produce many predesigned puzzles. Contain a series of pre-designed (non-procedural) puzzles, each with different mechanics

19 Elegant Puzzle Design Marc Ten Bosch Universe as designer COMBINATORIAL Puzzle Games A core set of mechanics, used over and over in different combinations and arrangements to produce many predesigned puzzles. Jon Blow Designing towards the truth, not just towards fun

20 Combinatorial Design: techniques from many games sutef: How many uses are there for a crate? As a bridge, blocking lasers, depressing switches, etc. Or falling on you and killing you.

21 Techniques for Combinatorial Design 1. Treat it like a toy: play with mechanics, see what you can do 2. Find dynamics: the consequences of rules, verbs, objects interacting 3. Add more mechanics: each new one adds more dynamics (combinatorial) Note: it s very easy to add too many ( muddy combinatorials) 4. Find interesting challenges using the dynamics; push your own skills 5. Teach the player how to learn the same things that you did, step by step 6. Refine and distill: cut away all the excess, trim down to the very best. Also: playtest, playtest, playtest. Puzzle games require a lot of Kleenex.

22 Designing Forward vs. Designing Backwards

23 Designing Forward vs. Designing Backwards Every Portal level boils down to get to the exit What s between the player and the exit? Door, which you need to open by doing X, etc. The raw materials for these difficulties is non-arbitrary, but designed forward

24 Techniques for Puzzle Game Design: Focus Q.U.B.E. -- Draw the player s attention to the right place Puzzle games often try to avoid clutter it can be misleading or slow the player down with trying to figure out what s unimportant Color, space, and camera can all be used to point out to the player what s significant & useful As you enter a room in Q.U.B.E. you see the elements you re likely to have to work with. Visual style: minimalist (Portal) Red herrings and decoys can increase difficulty, but use with caution?

25 Techniques for Puzzle Game Design: Q.U.B.E.

26 Techniques for Puzzle Game Design MFQT: Draw the player s attention to the right place Puzzle games often try to avoid clutter it can be misleading or slow the player down with trying to figure out what s unimportant Color, space, and camera can all be used to point out to the player what s significant & useful Subtle details from MFQT:

27 Techniques for Puzzle Game Design Create, create, create and cut, cut, cut There s a lot of experimenting with level design in puzzle games and then throwing out at least 20% of what s made Being able to try out ideas quickly is important: paper prototypes, even Excel prototypes

28 Techniques for Puzzle Game Design Playtest, playtest, playtest Puzzle game solutions are by nature obvious to the designer Players who learn how to play can t be testers again: Kleenex time! Need to get a lot of data

29 Interlude: let s make something Get Out: Ute must reach the exit 5 walls 1 each Pair exercise by birthday order! Let s try playing Get Out first The basic rule: when Ute (the little blue face) moves in a direction, she moves until she hits something (including the edge) The basic goal: get to the exit. Try with the sample level! Design a level using only these rules, but see if you can work within this framework to create something new and interesting The challenge: not too easy, and not too hard. Juuust right.

30 Get Out Levels Expanding possibility towards richness What elements could be added to expand the level design possibilities of this game without radically changing it? Next: pick an element to work with Choose some icons to represent the element Write down rules on the board or the element list Design two levels: one tutorial level for this element, and one more advanced challenge Record your final two levels on a blank worksheet