Design Review #1

Version reviewed: 

• On macBook, in Unity
• soil and rock cubes on a 5x5 puzzle with an artefact inside
• I made and played 2 puzzles

Puzzle #1: Equal soil and rock


The idea with this puzzle is to make several rocks which are each other connected by soil. Player has to remove soil and slowly discover the artefact, removing rock by rock.


Puzzle #2: Big rocks


The idea with this one was to try to create a more challenging puzzle; the player needs to look for hidden soil between and under big rocks to succeed to remove everything.


Design Comments

• Puzzle don't provide much challenge.
• it's quite easy: just remove all the soil
• it's hard to create different 'space thinking' puzzle with the actual bricks
• There's no choice to be made
• player has no choice than remove the soil, it becomes quickly a 'clicking' fest and a chore
• there's no mental challenge (ie. sudoku: calculate, rubik's cube: space movement)
• there's no short term choice which impact the mid-term state of the puzzle

Next steps

• Play those puzzle on touch surface: iPhone 4s and iPad 2; The experience could trigger different thought.
• Design puzzle rules so:
• the mental challenged is based either simple math or space movement
• Rules support the fantasy of 'removing soil to discover a mysterious artefact'
• Rules stays simple; all the family can play it.
• Player has choice to make: Rules create good and bad move. 
• Player can become better at it: 
• Rules create difficulty parameters
• player can make clever short term moves which create long term value