引言

迷题确实很有趣。它们自始至终就是令人兴奋的冒险，其中不乏需要技巧和趣味机制来解决的障碍。它们与RPG相得益彰明，也受到各类游戏玩家的欢迎（除了那些热爱故事元素的玩家，以及交互小说的粉丝）。但如果制作富有吸引力的谜题呢？你该如何创造一个既可以让玩家有把握解开，又不至于令他们抓狂得几欲反复撞键盘的谜题呢？我们将在本文探讨制作有趣的谜题的相关建议。

braid game(from gamasutra)

什么是优秀的谜题？

我们都知道优秀的谜题应该是什么样子的。当我们玩这种谜题时，就可以感觉到其设计智慧，并且觉得自己能够解决任何迎面而来的问题。但要如何设计这种谜题呢？到底谜题一开始是如何成为谜题的？在《俄罗斯方块》中，方块不停下落，你可以左右旋转来排列方块，以便获得分数，避免自己game over。但这为什么会好玩呢？为什么会令人上瘾呢？

tetris(from gamasutra)

在优秀的谜题中，总有明确的目标。游戏中有明确的起点，你的目标就是到达该点。其规则也十分明确，通常围绕着机制互动，直到你认识到发生什么情况为止。在《Sokoban》这类游戏中，你沿着地图推动岩石/板条箱，直到到达目标位置。游戏进展过程中困难重重，每个关卡都会引进新鲜而富有挑战性的策略。在更现代的游戏中引进的新机制则是将帮助或阻碍玩家到达目标。

Sokoban Pro(from gamasutra)

有时候，谜题拥有多个解决方案。这通常是因为简单机制会以有趣方式作出回应，所以它要求开发者发挥创意制作该谜题的解决方法。这通常会创造意外而有趣的结果，但如果其学习曲线调整不当，就有可能给玩家造成困惑。

如何制作优秀的谜题？

在你的日常生活中，例如购物和去上学时，你的脑中可能就会迸发出关于谜题游戏的想法。此时你要自问：“如果你踏上那个旋转方块会发生什么情况？”或者“我能否在你踏上方块时设置一个开关闸？”这正是我们人类灵感的产生来源，无论是电子游戏、美术还是音乐等其他创意念头均是如此。

你可以自己想想看。先提出关于谜题的想法，然后从简单处入手。当你获得想法时，那就开始为游戏拟订想法。当你获得了自己想做的谜题游戏的出色想法时，那就要开始创造游戏！所以，我们还等什么呢？开工吧。

现在，如果你迫不及待地打开了自己最拿手的引擎，开始疯狂地绘制贴图，那你就大错特错了。如果没有周全的计划就开始动手，通常只会产生既不有趣也不好玩、乱七八糟的关卡。你应该在开启引擎之前，先在纸上/Photoshop/Excel或者任何可记录的工具上制定计划。再次说明，计划是关键，所以不要偷懒哦。

你要做的第一件事就是创造起点和终点。不要自不量力，这两个点之间的距离不需要太遥远。完成这一项后，就可以创建玩家及其目标之间的障碍了。在此不要过于冒进，不要创造难度极高的谜题，因为你只想以有趣方式让玩家与游戏机制互动。

现在你可以打开引擎，创造关卡的原型，并进行迭代直至它具有可行性。要不断调整直到它感觉“对了”为止。现在你有游戏谜题了！恭喜你！但要记得先进行测试。但总体来看，创造谜题是有趣而很酷的事情。

所以，请记住，作为谜题设计师你的目标不是用极其困难的谜题摧毁玩家，而是有不让人觉得极具重复性的情况下，逐渐提升谜题难度。我们的玩法是由游戏机制决定的。它通常是一次引进一项机制，之后再让它们像幼儿园小朋友在操场上一样玩到一起。将简单机制与其他简单机制融合在一起可能创造出真正复杂而惊人的谜题，这是多数谜题游戏的基础。

如何引进新机制，创造有趣的游戏？

当你引进一个新机制时，你得先在心里酝酿一下。首先要先单独引进该机制，以便玩家在无需任何解释的情况下与之互动。让他们先玩一会儿，得到感觉之后，再继续添加更复杂的谜题。随着玩家在游戏中的进展，他们会更加了解游戏规则，而这又有利于他们解开更复杂的谜题。

你每引进一个新机制，潜在谜题的数量就会呈指数增加。当你将一些核心机制放在一起时，它们可能出现游戏开发者所谓的“即兴玩法”，即玩家以有趣而新颖的方式与机制互动。例如在《Minecraft》中，玩家可以随心所欲地创造内容，试验不同的机制。谜题也同此理，这些简单的机制（游戏邦注：例如，跳跃、弹跳、移动岩石等）可以结合在一起，以便玩家探索那些你自己可能从未想到的创意解决方法。

该如何判断学习曲线？

测试，测试，再测试。这是游戏开发过程中最易被低估的环节之一。如果玩家卡在一个谜题中，他们就很可能受挫并忿而退出。有时候玩家并没意识到你的意图如此明显，以至于你都想咆哮：“就在那里！开关在那里，像这样打开！”但你在测试时却不可以这么做，你只能坐在一旁静静地观察并记录下来。之后你才知道存在什么需要修复的问题。

learning curve(from gamasutra)

你甚至还可以追踪测试者的数据，例如他们完成每个谜题所花费的时间，或者找到他们觉得太难或者太容易的谜题。玩法测试的关键在于找到之前从未接触过该游戏的人。游戏开发者对自己的游戏最熟悉，他们很显然最明白游戏谜题的解决方法。但对于新玩家来说，他们的想法与开发者不同，某些开发者看起来很明显的东西，他们却没有注意到。他们将反复做同样的事情，期待不同的结果，你可能会畏惧这一结果，但这最终会为你指明游戏存在的重要问题。

记住要引进简单的关卡，以保持玩家的斗志。不要在玩家好不容易花了5-10分钟才完成的关卡之后，又让他们遇到一个更困难的关卡。因为这会直接导致他们退场。在一个困难的谜题之外，要引进一个简单的谜题。这样他们就会觉得“啊，这个容易”。之后你才可以再次引进困难的内容。

如何避免玩家产生困惑？

要保持游戏谜题的简单性和显而易见性。视觉提示很重要，不可引进模糊的贴图。不要让玩家在一个谜题上花了10分钟以上的时间，结果却发现自己一直在找的道具却在树后的箱子中。不要隐藏谜题组件。

另外，也不要设置大量的文本内容。要知道现在人们已经很少阅读本文信息了。在我看来，人们是通过玩来掌握游戏，而不是通过阅读了解游戏。极少人会去看教程，想想看你自己玩游戏时到底会不会看文本吧，反正我是不会了。

要预期人们对游戏规则的误解。如果游戏要求人们先了解一项机制，那就要让游戏强制人们理解之后才能继续游戏。例如，你需要掌握如何使用重力操纵方法，那么就要将退出的门设置在屋顶，这样他们就不得不去掌握该机制用法以便继续游戏。这样就不会产生对机制的误解了。

总结

谜题很棒，它们都很酷，是我最喜欢的游戏类型之一。我在酒吧、外出吃比萨，或者喝酒，甚至是睡前都会玩谜题游戏。但没有人会喜欢糟糕的谜题。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

PUZZLE DESIGN: HOW TO MAKE THEM FUN AND ADDICTING

Introduction

Puzzles are really fun. They’re exciting adventures from start to finish, with obstacles that require tactics and fun mechanics to solve. They blend well with RPGs, and they are enjoyed by all types of gamers (except maybe the avid story-lovers, and fans of interactive fiction). But how to make an intriguing puzzle? How do you create a problem that’s not too easy that they can solve it in a cinch, but also not so frustrating that they want to hit their head on the keyboard repeatedly? In this article, we will discover the things that make puzzles interesting and fun, and also some tips on how to design them for maximum fun.

Sounds good? Let’s get started.

obligatory screenshot of Braid

What is a good puzzle?

We all know what a good puzzle is. When we play it, we feel smart, and we feel like we can solve any problem that comes our way. But how to design one? And what exactly makes a puzzle a puzzle in the first place? In Tetris, blocks scroll down the screen, and you can move left/right/rotate to make rows that score you points and prevent you from dying. But what makes this fun? Why is this addicting?

Tetris, a.k.a. Video Game Crack

In a good puzzle game, the objective is always clear. There is a clear start point that you start from, and your goal is to get to the finish point. The rules are clear too, usually from playing around with the mechanics until you realize what is actually happening. In a game like Sokoban, you push boulders/crates around the map until you get to a desired position. The game progresses in difficulty, as each level introduces a new and challenging strategy to the game. In more modern games, a new mechanic is introduced, which will either help/hinder you from getting to your goal.

Sokoban. The cliche’d staple of RPG-related puzzles.

Sometimes a puzzle has multiple solutions. This is usually due to the simple mechanics reacting in interesting ways, so that it requires creativity to formulate a solution to the puzzle. These are usually unexpected and fun, but can lead to confusion if the learning curve isn’t moderated correctly.

How to make a good puzzle?

As you are walking around doing your everyday things, e.g. shopping and going to school, ideas will pop into your head for what you might like in your puzzle game. You begin to ask questions like: “What will happen if that tile rotates when you step on it,” or: “Can I put switches in it that when you step on them, the spikes on either side go up?” This is how inspiration comes to us as humans, whether it be for video games, or art, or music, or any other creative idea.

Hmm… Sokoban + GTA + Dance Dance Revolution… it’ll be a hit!

Think about it yourself. Start coming up with ideas for puzzles, and start simple. Once you get these ideas, it’s time to start drawing up your ideas for your game. Once you have got a good idea of what puzzle game you want to make, now it is time to start creating it! So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to it!

Now, if you immediately opened up your favourite engine to start laying down tiles like crazy, you are definitely doing the wrong thing. Laying tiles down like crazy without a definite plan often leads to jumbled, conceptless levels that are neither fun nor interesting. Instead, create a plan on paper/photoshop/excel or any other note-taking device before you even dare touch your engine. Again, planning is key here, so don’t be lazy.

“What is this puzzle? Russian?” “No, it took its time.”

The first thing you going to want to do is create the start point and the end point. Don’t be overly ambitious; they don’t need to be too far apart. Now, after you have done that, create what feels like an appropriate number of obstacles between the player and their goal. Don’t go crazy with this, you don’t want to make an intensely difficult puzzle, you just want to tease the player with your mechanics in interesting ways.

Now you can open your engine and create a prototype of the level, and iterate it until it ‘works’. Tweak and tweak it until it feels ‘just right’ (you’ll have to trust your gut here). And voila! You have your puzzle! Congrats, pat yourself on the back. But remember to playtest it like crazy first (I discuss this in a later section). But overall, creating puzzles is fun and cool. Don’t do drugs, kids. Instead make puzzles. Then you can be like me. Yeah, coz I’m so cool. I’m cooler than school.

Congrats bro! Your puzzle is difficult *and* nonsensical!

So, remember, your goal as a puzzle designer is not to overwhelm your player with difficult puzzles, but to ramp up the difficulty slowly, without making it feel overly repetitive. Our gameplay is dictated by the mechanics of the game. It usually works by introducing one mechanic at a time, and then allowing them to play together like little kindergarten children on a playground. Combining simple mechanics with other simple mechanics can make a truly complex and thrilling puzzle, and is the basis for most puzzle games nowadays.

How to introduce new mechanics to make the game interesting?

When you introduce a new mechanic, you have to let it simmer a little. Introduce it on its own first, so the player can interact with the mechanic without having everything explained to them. Let them play around with it first, getting the feel of it, before continuing on with the more complex puzzles. As the player progresses in your game, they get a better understanding of the game’s rules, which allows them to solve more complex puzzles.

Guys, I’m a real puzzle game, OK? OK!?

With every new mechanic you introduce, the number of possible puzzles increases exponentially. When you put a few core mechanics together, they can display what game developers call “emergent gameplay”, where the player is allowed to play around with the mechanics in interesting and new ways. Think of Minecraft, and how the player is free to do what they want, when they want, experimenting with the different mechanics as they please. This is the same with puzzles, in that the simple mechanics (e.g. jumping, bouncing, moving boulders, switches for spikes) can combine together to allow the player to explore creative solutions that you might have never even imagined.

How do I judge the learning curve?

Playtesting. Playtest, playtest, playtest. This is one of the most underrated aspects of game development in general. If a player is stuck on a puzzle, they’re likely to get frustrated and ragequit. Sometimes player’s don’t realize the thing that you thought was so blatantly obvious, so much that you feel like screaming “it’s there! The switch is over there, and it opens this.” But you are to never do that with testing; instead you just watch and take note every time you cringe. Then you know there’s a problem that needs to be fixed.

A steep learning curve breeds character, young man!

You can even track data about the testers, such as the duration it took to complete each puzzle, or finding which puzzles they found too hard, or too easy. Playtesting with people who have never touched the game before is key. A game developer is the most familiar with their own game than anybody else, and thus the solution is almost always apparent to them. But with a new player, they don’t assume what you assume, and what might seem so obvious, is in fact not obvious at all to the new player. They will do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, and you might cringe because of it, but you will have pinpointed a very important problem in your game, and it’s worth it.

Remember to include easy levels to keep your player’s morale up. Nothing’s worse than completing a very difficult level that took you 5-10 minutes to complete, only to be faced with an even harder-looking one. That’s a sure recipe for a ragequit, right there. After a difficult puzzle, hit them with an easy one, so they say, “Ah, that’s easy.” And then you can get right back to the hard stuff.

How do I avoid player confusion?

Always try to make it easy and obvious to see what elements are in your puzzle. Visual cues are important here, and there should be no obscured tiles. You don’t want to agonize over a puzzle for 10+ minutes, only to realize there’s a chest behind that tree that contains that item that you were looking for this whole time. Don’t conceal puzzle pieces.

OH OK DOGGIE I NO TELL ANYBODY

Also, no wall of text. Haven’t you learned by now that nobody reads those anyway? In my opinion, you’d rather a person learn by playing rather than by reading. Very few people read tutorial text at all, and think of if you were playing the game, whether you’d read the text or not. I know I wouldn’t.

Try to anticipate misunderstandings of the game’s rules. If understanding of a mechanic is required, then make it compulsory to understand it to continue. For example, if you need to learn how to use gravity manipulation, then make the door exit on the roof or something, so that they have to learn how to use it to continue. Then there will be no misunderstanding about how it works.

Conclusion

Puzzles are cool. They’re really cool. They’re one of my favourites. I hang out with them all the time: at the bar, eating out at the pizza parlour, having a drink with puzzles after graduation. And puzzles are reaaaaaaaally good in bed. But no-one likes bad puzzles. Nobody. （source：rpgmaker）