(Edit: This post is a bit of a tl;dr for most people, so summary: It's about the design behind the main puzzle featured in the video, the blocks vs. sewer canal puzzle.)
I realize that this thread is about two weeks old, but I just visited your server... Having never played Classic before I quite enjoyed what you've got up so far. During the intro, the tips on how to control the character, use the map, and the icons on the map, et cetera, were all very useful.
I actually mentioned to Development staff-person there that it was the best that I've experienced so far during my brief Graal relapse... We then transitioned to a rather heated discussion concerning the merits of "Respawning 101" but that's neither here nor there.
To my point:
There are always ways to improve your game design by making things easier for the user without taking away any of the fun. Find out what the core "fun" is to any given element of your design and trim around it removing the unnecessarily burdening, or possibly frustrating elements. It may end more quickly, shortening your play time, but when the user comes out of it they will better remember the fun bits you've created because they have no frustrating bits to consider!
In the context of what you've shown here I'm referring specifically to the push-block / water way puzzle. What are the fun bits here? My money would be on:
- Thinking of the puzzle's solution (Somehow put a block on the switch to keep the gate open... How do I do that?... Oh! push the other blocks into the canal to create a bridge!)
- Getting a reward (opening the gate)
That leaves the rest of the bits which aren't the most fun:
- Physically solving the puzzle (pushing blocks around is slow)
- Messing up and starting over (see your Quote below as well)
So I think you can see where I'm going with this. It's even apparent in your video. The part where you're putting the blocks in the canal really slows the flow of the video down, imagine if I'm
playing instead of watching. The solution here is simple:
Keep the "drop block through hole in ceiling from floor above" mechanic, but have only one extra block down by the canal. Replace the vast expanse across the canal with a broken bridge/catwalk that is missing a piece just the size of one block. The user must then only move two blocks, not 5 or 6... This way the fun bits are still the same (It still takes the same thought process to figure the puzzle's solution out, and the rewards the same). But one of the boring bits gets taken away! It's win / win!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffcmike
I actually have to add a pull-handle which we had used within the previous Ninja Trial which resets puzzle related objects such as blocks.
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This is another seemingly small mechanic that would greatly improve a user's experience were a more... elegant(?) solution devised. As you say above the pull-handle exists in the Ninja Trial, which does the job, yes, but does could it cause frustration?
I noticed this when I did the Ninja Trial. If I re-call correctly: the handle is placed at the beginning of the trial, and the block puzzle is near the end? This means that if I mess up the blocks, I have to travel back to the beginning (easy enough) but then go back through the 1st half of the trial again... through the laser trap. It would be a bit frustrating to have to go through that section again since I had already mastered it once.
Perhaps the solution to this problem is as simple as moving the pull-handle closer to the block puzzle? What do you think? Unfortunately I can't make any suggestions beyond that without further understanding the layout of the quest, but hopefully I've provided some food for thought.
Modern day game design has evolved. Punishing the user is out. Fun is in!
Anyway, I hope this was helpful and that you take my comments & suggestions with praise. I look forward to seeing more. Very cool stuff!