Puzzles!

[lonequeso 1,921]

Thanks!

 

I figure it will take most people multiple tries. That's why I made it very easy to restart as well as let the player leave if they don't feel like trying to figure it out. The game is more open-ended at that point so the player will probably have other stuff they can do to advance the story. The ice floors are a warm up to some more complex ones in a later level. 

[+ TBWCS 953]

Bookmarked, I really need this on my project, thanks a lot.

[Dymdez 77]

Bookmarked, I really need this on my project, thanks a lot.

 

I'll trade fully mapped puzzles for scripts all day

[lonequeso 1,921]

@Soulpour777-  My pleasure 

[philteredkhaos 131]

I can not tell you how thankful I am for this! I am terrible with puzzle design, but this will help immensely. Thank you!

[lonequeso 1,921]

A different thread reminded me of another puzzle type. A bit of a unique one. Colors! Essentially, it's the same as the light prism puzzle. You create certain colors to activate machines, open doors, defeat enemies, etc. I wanted to add it as it's own because personally I have an easier time thinking about color it terms of paint or dye than light. The one big difference is with light combining every color results in white and black is the absence of light. Color is the opposite. Mixing every color gives you black and no color is considered white. 

 

Anyway, there's actually a lot you can do with this type of puzzle. The type I have in mind would be in the gameplay is based around color. Like bringing colors to a gray world type of thing.The simplest is to have colors represent elements. red = fire; blue = water; etc.That can be used in combat and puzzle bosses. It can also be used to interact with objects. Throw some red liquid on a spider web and it acts like fire and burns it away so you can pass. Pour blue onto a plant a vine grows that you climb. Pour yellow in a machine to power it. Get the idea?

 

If the game doesn't use color as a core mechanic, it's a lot harder to find a place to implement, but a little creativity goes a long way. It's a great way to add a bit of uniqueness to your game if you can pull it off. 

[Cadh20000 249]

@ lonequeso
Sounds interesting, I think I saw something similar to that once or twice before.

-----------

This one is kinda specific to my game, but could be altered to fit others if you can figure it out. The puzzle I'm trying to figure out how to implement is core to my design, but I haven't had much luck so far. You know those cryptogram style puzzles you sometimes see in newspapers and on cereal boxes? The type where you replace a symbol or letter with a different letter to figure out the message?

Well, to learn spells in the game you first need to "translate" them via such puzzles. Basically the way I'm TRYING to get it to work is you can view the key before looking at the puzzle, but not WHILE looking at the puzzle. Once you have checked the key in your inventory you open the book to find the spell written in Mediaval Futhark(real world text, the "Latinized" version of ancient Norse syllabary) runes(in the early part of the game, later on you need other keys for other syllabaries which is what is making this so complicated), you then put in what you THINK the message says and press the prompt that asks you if you are done. If you got it right the spell is translated and you can learn it, if you got it wrong however is buzzes at you, the letters you got right will stay but the rest will revert back to the runes. The player is going to be able to put in any letter they want, and try it, but the only letters that stay on the page from one attempt to the next are those that are correct, and if the player closes the puzzle they need to start over again from the beginning next time.

Lol, it would be a whole lot easier to implement if I was only using one non-English syllabary/alphabet for the whole game, but I'm not. DX

Edited December 28, 2015 by Cadh20000

[lonequeso 1,921]

Hmm.... interesting. How are you making the puzzle itself? Are you using an input screen (like the one's for entering a player name)? I'm sure there's a better term for it, but it evades me. It's a cool idea, and I'm sure there's a good way to implement it one way or another (probably through scripting), but I've never attempted anything like it before.

[Cadh20000 249]

I tried requesting a script for it before but the scripters who responded said they didn't know how they could do it. DX
www.rpgmakervxace.net/topic/25067-cryptogram-puzzle-with-symbols/
One came close, but then never came through. I don't know if he forgot or what.

http://www.rpgmakervxace.net/topic/25067-cryptogram-puzzle-with-symbols/?p=185430

[lonequeso 1,921]

Yeah, Ace isn't really built for it. It has plug in written all over it. Perhaps MV could do it better.

[Cadh20000 249]

Lol, then maybe I'm in luck. I just won a copy of MV on the RPGMakerWeb forums' Holiday Event last week, got my keycode for it yesterday.

[lonequeso 1,921]

Ooo! Congratz!

[Cadh20000 249]

Thanks!

[Rezanta 373]

A different thread reminded me of another puzzle type. A bit of a unique one. Colors! Essentially, it's the same as the light prism puzzle. You create certain colors to activate machines, open doors, defeat enemies, etc. I wanted to add it as it's own because personally I have an easier time thinking about color it terms of paint or dye than light. The one big difference is with light combining every color results in white and black is the absence of light. Color is the opposite. Mixing every color gives you black and no color is considered white. 

 

Anyway, there's actually a lot you can do with this type of puzzle. The type I have in mind would be in the gameplay is based around color. Like bringing colors to a gray world type of thing.The simplest is to have colors represent elements. red = fire; blue = water; etc.That can be used in combat and puzzle bosses. It can also be used to interact with objects. Throw some red liquid on a spider web and it acts like fire and burns it away so you can pass. Pour blue onto a plant a vine grows that you climb. Pour yellow in a machine to power it. Get the idea?

 

If the game doesn't use color as a core mechanic, it's a lot harder to find a place to implement, but a little creativity goes a long way. It's a great way to add a bit of uniqueness to your game if you can pull it off. 

Reminds me of the game, Colourblind. Otherwise, I bet it'd be a fun spark. Something that you could be inspired from Minecraft and Undertale to do... What about slide puzzles? You slide/ slide items across ice or something to hit switches or to push something. Think it'd be worth a shot?

[lonequeso 1,921]

That should be on the ever growing list of puzzles. I didn't include sliding objects though. They are actually really easy to set up. Look up Yanfly's Slippery Tile script. Eventing is pretty easy too, but script is far more efficient both for workload and the engine. I would recommend drawing them out of grid paper first. It's a lot easier to make changes on paper first.

[Cadh20000 249]

There is a puzzle game called "Strata" that is pretty fun, you interweave ribbons so the topmost layer matches the pattern of squares on the background/gameboard. I wonder if something similar could be implemented in RPGMaker?

Edited January 4, 2016 by Cadh20000

[lonequeso 1,921]

A long long time ago on my family's first PC there was a similar game to Strata that came with the PC. I vaguely remember it, was very similar, you untangled intertwined threads of yarn using..... um.... methods...

I'm sure it could be done in RPG Maker, but it would probably require a ton of work to implement. 

[Smiling Dragon 8]

I think puzzles are one of the most underated aspect of RPGs. One of the best strength of RPG Maker games. You should add them as much as you can in your game as possible.

[lonequeso 1,921]

I came up with another one. This is one of those where an entire level is one big puzzle. You are in a jungle chock full of giant vines. There are several entrances and paths through this place, but giant vines are constantly blocking your path. You can remove them by attacking certain nodes. All the vines are part of one gigantic organism, a really really, reeealllly giant plant. The core is pretty big itself. The nodes are giant stalks/stems/whatever with large flowers it uses to gain nutrients and some good ol' sunshine. Attacking those flowers is what changes where the vines reach. The extend and recede based on which you attack. Some disappear all together. 

 

There are four different entrances to this maze. You have to clear the vines in a certain order to get through the the plant's core. That means you have to enter/exit the maze in a certain order as well. It involves a fair amount of walking around so the encounter rate will be on the low end, probably 90-100 steps. This is a later game level so it will be a while before I set it up in the editor. I did, however, already draw it out on paper. I made sure it was solvable, and there was only one solution. I also left myself a ton of notes cuz I know I'd forget a lot of it by the time I get to that part of the game. Oh, and the boss fight is a puzzle too 

Edited February 24, 2016 by lonequeso

[Rezanta 373]

...You're combining posts XD Anywhom, I see. So this puzzle is going to be earth/plant based then? Since that's the case, what happens if fire's used? I'm only asking becuase me=curious about small aspects to the puzzle.

[lonequeso 1,921]

It'll prolly be weak against fire. Nothing special other than that. I worry about it's elements and state/debuff resistances later.

Edited February 24, 2016 by lonequeso

[Rezanta 373]

Ah, I see. Still a solid puzzle setup, so I'll be watching in this safety box. :3

[lonequeso 1,921]

It was a lot of fun mapping it out. I just hope people enjoy trying to solve it as much as I'm enjoying designing it. 

[lonequeso 1,921]

I had the occasion to use the Control Timer command a couple days ago. That got me thinking of all the fun things you can do with timed events/puzzles.

You can do pretty much anything:

 

• Solve a puzzle in x seconds.
• Complete a dungeon within the time limit.
• Collect x items/shoot targets/evade attacks in x seconds.
• Escape capture or from a huge explosion/cave-in/etc before it kills you.
• Racing minigames.
• Defuse a bomb.
• Hack a system and steal data, and escape before detected or traced.

You can add a timer to a lot of different puzzles to add some sense of urgency.