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[Evilperson]

I'm working on a 2d puzzle-platformer and I have no idea when to introduce new mechanics.
I have studied Super Meat Boy and Portal and could not find any pattern at which the mechanics are introduced.
Is there any general rule to when they should be introduced, or do I have to use trial and error until it feels right?

[Alec S.]

There's no hard and fast rule, but there are some basic goals you'll want to accomplish with your pacing.  Basically, you want to let the player learn the mechanics they've been introduced to and do some interesting things with them before introducing another mechanic to the mix.  So, like, introduce mechanic (A), do a slightly more challenging puzzle with mechanic (A), do a somewhat challenging puzzle with mechanic (A), introduce mechanic (B), do a somewhat challenging puzzle with mechanic (B), have mechanic (A) and (B) interact in an interesting way, expand on that interaction, combine them in a different way, introduce mechanic (C), ect...

You want to keep things fresh while not overwhelming the player and while also properly exploring each mechanic and any interesting relationships that might exist between the mechanics.

[arzi42]

What Alec wrote is spot on, but you'll also need to do a lot of testing and iteration. It's crucial to watch people play your game and ask them to speak aloud whatever they're thinking. You'll see pretty fast when the player get frustrated or overwhelmed.

I think it's often a good idea to introduce the core mechanics quite quickly, and then let the player combine them before moving on. Super Mario's first level is a really good example of how it's done well and there are several videos explaining how it works.

[G-Factor]

For a puzzle game, I'd say introduce a new mechanic just before the game starts to get stale/repetitive. In general you'd want to milk a mechanic for all it's worth before introducing something new. For example, if you can use a mechanic in 10 truly unique and interesting ways then that's what you should do. If you can think of 15 puzzles that's even better. If the current mechanic is still fun and you can introduce new ways to use it, I say keep milking.

[s0]

I don't think you really need to add mechanics to keep the game fresh (aka the "extended tutorial" approach). Imo puzzle games (or i guess mechanics-focused games in general) are not really about the mechanics themselves but about the possibility space created by the mechanics. so you can approach puzzle design either through through exploring a given possibility space or changing/expanding the space itself (or a mix of the two, obv). both are valid approaches and both can be used to create variety.

[G-Factor]

Just to be clear, when I say new mechanics I mean sub-mechanics or variations to the main mechanic, not an entirely new gameplay feature

If the game is centered around a unique core mechanic, for example the portal gun in Portal or the concept of time in Braid, the sub-mechanics are what keeps the game fresh.

If portal only had the mechanic of creating portals and nothing else, I don't think it could last several hours. It'd run out of variations much sooner than that. At certain parts of the game they add new sub-mechanics such as the concept of dropping into portals from a high distance or that foam thing you can use to create your own portable-surfaces. Braid does the same thing, each world has a new sub-mechanic.

If your game has a single mechanic that can truly support 50-100 puzzles with level design alone and absolutely no additional twists, then more power to you and I'd say you've struck gold. But from my experience this is very rare.

[Evilperson]

Thanks for your answers, everyone, this was very helpful! I think I got the general idea of what to do now.

(Also, and I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but are these Forums also for discussion of Browser/Flash games or only for Indie games?)

[JWK5]

All of the above (especially given browser/flash games often are indie games).

[halk3n]

I'm working on a 2d puzzle-platformer and I have no idea when to introduce new mechanics.
I have studied Super Meat Boy and Portal and could not find any pattern at which the mechanics are introduced.
Is there any general rule to when they should be introduced, or do I have to use trial and error until it feels right?

The problem with mechanics in games is that you should not look at them specifically like a mechanism in a machine. It's never that symmetrical and the best games understand that pretty well.

Perhaps the reason why you can't pinpoint the introduction of mechanics in Super Meat Boy specifically is because there aren't necessarily new mechanics introduced in as much as there's variations of problem-solving that are added to the same mechanics as the player progresses.

[JWK5]

"Mechanics" tend to be obstacle-solvers. You introduce new mechanics when you introduce new obstacles they are intended to solve.

[TitoOliveira]

(Also, and I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but are these Forums also for discussion of Browser/Flash games or only for Indie games?)

What? There are plenty indie games on browser. Not sure what you mean there.

[Evilperson]

(Also, and I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but are these Forums also for discussion of Browser/Flash games or only for Indie games?)

What? There are plenty indie games on browser. Not sure what you mean there.

Yeah, I was just confused about the definition of 'Indie'. I know it comes from 'Independent', as in Independent  of a publisher, but I've seen people refer to some games as 'Indie' even though they have a publisher. I was just asking because I wasn't sure if browser games count as Indie.

[s0]

this site isn't limited to discussion of indie games at all. you can discuss any and all games here