tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post3190169178546104575..comments2023-05-20T12:08:52.031+02:00Comments on In The Games Of Madness: Puzzles in horror games. Part 2.Frictional Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278352641328669040noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-27062201906675459512009-11-06T20:51:42.897+01:002009-11-06T20:51:42.897+01:00Anonymous:
You crazy! A rockworm obviously lives t...Anonymous:<br />You crazy! A rockworm obviously lives there! :)<br /><br />On a more serious note: Point taken, teasing with interesting locations where one can not venture is a bit annoying. For some reason it is very common in games though and "invisible walls" are complained about quite a lot.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02945983378935089787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-54757095320810290222009-11-06T18:52:17.884+01:002009-11-06T18:52:17.884+01:00First let me just say I'm really in awe of the...First let me just say I'm really in awe of the blog you put up here. I'm a big fan of the Penumbra games (plus att jag är svensk :D) and just the idea of actually getting to read your observations (and the fact that you can read mine) is cool.<br /><br />Anyway, I wouldn't exactly call it a puzzle, but playing Penumbra I was a bit annoyed at one part, in the room where you switch on some UV lights (you probably know which one I'm talking about). There's a huge hole in the wall which leads further into the cave but for some reason it won't let you through. Just making the tunnel caved-in or something would have made it much more obvious that you're not supposed to go there (as I tried numerous times to do so).<br /><br />Anyway, that wasn't really a puzzle, but it sounds a lot like the "obvious solution is not correct"-problem you were talking about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-2226889651973594602009-11-03T20:54:21.659+01:002009-11-03T20:54:21.659+01:00I agree with an above poster's comments about ...I agree with an above poster's comments about Thief. It did a lot of things very well. I don't remember much in the way of jumping puzzles, but the game did require minor acrobatics on behalf of the player. Unlike almost all other FPS games, Thief allows the player to grab onto a ledge and pull himself up during a jump. I think the Thief series and System Shock 2 are perhaps the only FPS games of notability that have done this.<br /><br />Speaking of System Shock 2, there's another unbelievable horror game. I like BioShock, but it saddens me to see so many people unaware of it's far superior predecessor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-38892048238235647942009-08-18T08:45:25.304+02:002009-08-18T08:45:25.304+02:00Tobias:
I agree that it is pretty good puzzle comp...Tobias:<br />I agree that it is pretty good puzzle compared to others. It was just that I completely missed that a certain action was available to me, which was the problem that I wanted to illustrate. Now this time it might have been that I approached it the wrong way as I thought the catapult shot too far (and not in the wrong direction) and worked from that.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02945983378935089787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-31164078761983001012009-08-18T07:36:27.087+02:002009-08-18T07:36:27.087+02:00On a side note: please(!) modify the design of thi...On a side note: please(!) modify the design of this blog, cause it's a pain to read - make the text column wider (specify it as eg 80-90% of user's screen width) + align the text to left and right. (A screenshot to illustrate what I mean → http://imagebin.ca/view/mFG2g4.html ).<br /><br />Right now I end up reading the blog posts in my rss reader and I miss out on the comments there :-).Cyber Killerhttp://digital.dharkness.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-62947933672066533402009-08-18T01:49:08.163+02:002009-08-18T01:49:08.163+02:00If memory servers, the catapult im Monkey Island, ...If memory servers, the catapult im Monkey Island, when first activated, misses the target but lands close. This would lead the player to assume that some sort of modification is needed and because of the simplicity of the catault (a board) the solution of physically pushing or pulling the board is not far away.<br /><br />This is one of the best kind of puzzles - the player can figure out what needs to be done and then figure out the solution by logic thinking. Much, much better than find key A and go to door B to progress which is kind of cheap and lazy.Tobias Ljungströmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13848029681040433820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-46200664076264279982009-08-18T00:33:54.212+02:002009-08-18T00:33:54.212+02:00I suggest also a game very important in the puzzle...I suggest also a game very important in the puzzle POV: the THIEF saga. <br />Thief is simply one of the best game ever, but also a very strong puzzle involved and, also a lot of atmosphere (good horror, steampunk but also lovecraftian). Take a look to the Thief Universe, a very good point of inspiration for your next game!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-46311539411124575252009-08-17T20:40:48.223+02:002009-08-17T20:40:48.223+02:00The only puzzle I had a serious issue with in the ...The only puzzle I had a serious issue with in the Penumbra games was the string from box bit you already admitted to. Well, at least that was the only major problem with Overture and Black Plague, but I'm sure you guys have all heard enough complaining about Requiem by now. ;)<br /><br />That does remind me, though, that I want to call attention to another example of your guess the action problem; the oft-maligned jumping puzzles. These are reasonable ways to challenge players in 2-D games because they demand precise timing and mastery of the game mechanics, but become problematic when put into a first-person perspective. This is because, while the obvious solution is the correct one and the player knows how to do it, in most such games you physically cannot see your own bloody feet so you end up just guessing at where the right point to jump is. The common design approach to this situation seems to be either making them so forgiving that they end up being more contributions to the atmosphere than actual obstacles (such as in the first appearance of Overture's worms), or just accepting that there will be a lot of quicksave and quickload at this point and it's okay to disrupt the flow of your game like that because it was easier than thinking of a real puzzle.<br /><br />Guess the action is a much broader and more common problem than I think most people realize.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02160128786894045702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-62429639491295456402009-08-17T20:25:12.949+02:002009-08-17T20:25:12.949+02:00Thomas:
The "button in warehouse" was j...Thomas:<br /><br />The "button in warehouse" was just an example that I thought up. However, it came into mind when I thought about the impractical design of the facilities from Quake 2.biomechanical923@gmail.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-68133307516007102662009-08-17T15:26:47.147+02:002009-08-17T15:26:47.147+02:00A puzzle in Penumbra Black Plague that's kind ...A puzzle in Penumbra Black Plague that's kind of broken is the one with the monster in the walls (in the dog kennel) where you had to block the holes by covering them with crates. You could only use some specific crates to do this, putting for example a barrel in the hole did not work. That was a bit confusing.<br /><br />But generally, the puzzles in the Penumbra games were good. I never really got stuck at one for long.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-54729665281404784882009-08-17T14:33:31.962+02:002009-08-17T14:33:31.962+02:00biomechanical923:
The crowbar puzzle is an excelle...biomechanical923:<br />The crowbar puzzle is an excellent example! How could I have forgotten that type... This "Obvious solution is not correct" kind of puzzle got to be the most common problem. I need to add that to the post!<br /><br />Was the "button in warehouse" from a game or was it just a theoretical example btw?Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02945983378935089787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-85813703352021757712009-08-17T13:48:28.081+02:002009-08-17T13:48:28.081+02:00I'm not sure if this qualifies as a "puzz...I'm not sure if this qualifies as a "puzzle", but I really hate it when I'm playing a game, and I push a button or flip a switch and there is no indication of what it does. If the button unlocked a door on the other side of the map, then it needs to be clearly understood that "this button unlocked a door somewhere". <br /> Also, unless the player is in a place run by crazy people, an alternate dimension, or hallucinating, then the puzzles should mostly make sense. I shouldn't have to travel through the medical lab, the armory, and the warehouse just to press a button that unlocks the cafeteria. Why would there be a door unlock button for the cafeteria inside the warehouse? <br />The worst (not the hardest, just the worst) puzzle from Penumbra was the "crowbar", (although I liked the Freeman reference). Why did I need to saw the frozen hand? I remember trying to break it with the hammer and it didnt work. If you're going to put a tool in a game, realize that players are going try to use that tool for all of it's practical purposed. If I swing a hammer at a frozen hand, and it doesn't shatter, then immersion is broken. If I shoot a lightbulb and it doesn't break, immersion is broken.<br />Basically, my definition of a "bad puzzle" is any puzzle you finally solve, and say to your self "How in the hell was I supposed to know that??"biomechanical923@gmail.comnoreply@blogger.com