writers block when designing puzzles

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soma
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writers block when designing puzzles

Post by soma »

What do you all do when you hit a writers block on designing your ZZT World?

I've been working on revamping one of my old 2006 worlds with all the game design knowledge and ideas I've gained over the years, and lately I've hit a total wall on what kind of puzzles to implement in one of the levels. I've taken a short break from the project, and been working on other creative ventures in the meantime, but I still am unsure what to do with my ZZT world currently.

I'm trying to avoid being too cliche with my world, because after all this time, I'm sure there's plenty of repeat puzzles and designs in worlds. I'm stuck on a Tomb/Crypt-themed level, where I want to have a puzzle for moving "headstones" or something to gain access to a key to allow progression, but everything I come up with seems too much like time-wasting filler. Any ideas for a tomb/crypt-themed puzzle? :D
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Zitman
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Re: writers block when designing puzzles

Post by Zitman »

Here's a thought: a puzzle involving identifying some deceased beings' belongings and returning each to the correct matching tomb.
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Re: writers block when designing puzzles

Post by wil »

When I got stuck designing a puzzle for Kunger, I just thought about the people who put the puzzle there and worked backward. Who put puzzles among the dead? Are they there to spite, honor, or protect the world from those buried there?

If it were me I'd stick with something simple and classic: give the crypt a square pillar in a central area, with three locked mausolea nearby. We'll say a trio of conspirators, secretly honoring one another's (mis)deeds. Benevolent portraits of the deceased hang on three of four walls of the pillar. By swapping the paintings, you can align each one to the correct mausoleum and unlock it. Inside is a more sinister portrait that depicts the crime they committed in the name of the conspiracy. These mark the correct path through the mazelike crypt toward progression. Once progression is reached, remember to leave the player a fast route back.
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soma
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Re: writers block when designing puzzles

Post by soma »

These are excellent ideas. I really like the belongings idea as maybe a longer running puzzle for the whole level, like maybe after a certain room or mini boss, one of the belongings is dropped and can be returned. The paintings idea actually would fit a village level that would come after this one, so this helps a lot actually!

Now I'm thinking of how it would make sense in my story. It's sort of a cliche "average joe attains a mystical power and has to stop evil from overtaking the island" story, but the paintings could be in the village houses depicting murals of the prophecies of those who have gained the powers before, perhaps. Thanks for the ideas, this got the gears turning again!
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