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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperDesignHow to learn to design levels\puzzles?
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Lostghbear
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« on: January 28, 2017, 09:20:34 AM »

Hello, everyone!
I am making 3d puzzle adventure!
I have an artist and 3d modeler(sort of) in my team, and I am a programmer and 3d designer too.
But we get stuck with designing puzzles\levels.
And I cannot find any tutorials on this topic? Any tips?

Thanks Smiley
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PaulWv2.017
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« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2017, 10:36:11 AM »

I really hate being someone who's mean and negative, but if your goal is to make puzzle game and you can't figure out puzzles to put in front of the player, maybe you should make a different kind of game.
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Lostghbear
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« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2017, 10:47:33 AM »

I really hate being someone who's mean and negative, but if your goal is to make puzzle game and you can't figure out puzzles to put in front of the player, maybe you should make a different kind of game.

The thing is I've done some clever puzzles, but now I have run out of ideas.
You not mean, don't worry. Just I think I really should learn this stuff.
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st33d
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« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2017, 10:50:42 AM »

The only recipe for lack of skill is practice.

Or money!  Hand Money Left Grin Hand Money Right

If you don't have money I would recommend http://www.puzzlescript.net/ - there's a lot of examples of puzzles on there. They appear to be all in 2D but when you know how the language works, it's all about stacking layers of patterns: 3D.

Puzzlescript was made by Increpare, creator of 3D puzzle games English Country Tune and Stephen's Sausage Roll. If you want to follow in Increpare's footsteps, then you should play his games and try to make a game in puzzlescript. You will definitely have an idea of how to make 3D puzzles afterwards.
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PaulWv2.017
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« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2017, 10:52:45 AM »

Without knowing the specifics of your game, I would really suggest to take a look at Valve's Portal.

It's about thirty levels, IIRC, and the mechanics don't change after the first few. If you've designed some really clever puzzles, maybe think of some simple ones to pull the player in and 'train' the player to your game. If you have some simple levels, think about adding them to other level designs to make them more complex like how a word is a compound word if you put two words together.

If you've run the gamut from simple to complex and still need more puzzles to make your game feel "complete", maybe you need another game mechanic.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2017, 10:58:38 AM by PaulWv2.017 » Logged

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ThemsAllTook
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« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2017, 04:38:00 PM »

Play lots of puzzle games and analyze their design. If the game has a level editor, spend some time with it and see how it feels to work with the elements in it. English Country Tune and Stephen's Sausage Roll were recommended above. I'd second those, and add Deadly Rooms of Death. DROD is pretty much the pinnacle of puzzle games in my opinion, and features a capable level editor with a very active community behind it. Snakebird and The Witness are also highly recommended. Jelly no Puzzle is also worth a look.

I'm working on building a DROD hold now, and I'm finding that it's a process that can't really be forced. If I sit down to design a puzzle without some sort of inspiration, nothing productive tends to happen. What I do is keep a text file around where I jot down ideas for puzzle design any time they pop into my head, so that when I sit down to build something, I have a bunch of ideas ready to pull from. If the well runs dry, it seems like I just have to wait it out - inspiration can be encouraged to happen by keeping the project in mind, but it still has to happen on its own without being forced.
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Pfotegeist
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« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2017, 08:34:30 PM »

Start with an endpoint that is fit for your audience. Work backwards from there. Each step taken logically towards an answer will increase the potency of the resulting conclusion. It is comedy. I'm describing comedy writing the way Jackie Chan described it, and something else that says "comedy is written backwards." I've wasted your time now, haven't I?
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