I suck at making puzzles, need ideas

[KadoDragon]

So, I'm making an RPG (who isn't? ) and I have a set of dungeons which are kings burials, loaded with loot and treasures to gain the attention of anyone who would call themselves adventurers. But I doubt that a king would have his treasures out in the open in his tomb. So I need puzzles. Only problem is that I suck at making puzzles. My best attempt is sliding rocks.

What I need is ideas. I can certainly bend events to work to my will, so give me what ever you got. Bear in mind that I am using mostly RTP stuff, so keep your ideas limited to that. If I do end up using your ideas, you will get a special thank you and a nice position in the credits near the top under a Puzzle Design section. I also like to make my puzzles dangerous, a lethal event to occur if the puzzle is failed would be awesome. 

Thanks in advanced!

 

[Venka]

There's all kinds of popular puzzles:

1. sliding items into trigger spots

2. making mazes of movable objects you have to move in just the right way to reach the center of the room or you lock yourself out and have to reset the room

3. The match 3's, where you move objects of the same color together to make them vanish.

4. The Lights Out type puzzles, where if you step on one square, then the squares around it light up

Less common puzzles

1. Actual mazes where the player could get lost trying to find something.

2. Sliding picture puzzles (remember the little games with tiles you move around in a square container, and you have to put them in order).

3. The find the hidden path through the room, step off of it and you restart.

Timed puzzles:

1. Light all torches in the room before any extinguish. (each torch has its own timer).

2. Catch fast moving things in a set amount of time.

3. Find your way through a maze room within a certain amount of time.

Switch Puzzles:

1. Find the right order the flip switches to unlock a gate

2. Maze rooms that you have to run all over, flipping switches here and there to unlock different sections

Pipeline style puzzles usually done on rail tracks with a cart in RPG Maker games

Set up railways and flip pieces or switches to make the tracks go one way or another to make the cart go where it needs to go. The cart could fall off the rails or end up in a hole and you'd fail.

Timing Puzzles

1. Make your way past random falling objects without getting it

2. Make your way past guards that could spot you, so you have to watch their movement parterns

Awareness Puzzles

1. Give small hints through your dungeon about puzzles that are coming up and see how much the player pays attention.  Think it was Manifest that did this.. but honestly don't remember. I play a lot of RPG Maker games. (Although kudos to the dev of that game for the lock picking system.. loved that!).  But for this I think they had you pass few a few rooms and there was a pattern to the torch lights. They always appeared in the same color pattern and you get to this room and you can't leave and you can't go on unless you answer right and if you answer wrong you had to enter a fight or something.

2. Quiz the player on some basic history in the game.

Well there's some idea =P Not sure if you wanted something more specific.

I personally love the rolling boulders puzzles where if you touch them, then they keep moving till they hit something. I like the challenge of figuring out the harder puzzles in this style... of course.. and this may date me But one of my favorite games growing up was The Adventures of Lolo

 

[Celianna]

I've moved this thread to general discussion. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.


Unless you actually need help with event commands, don't post in support.

 

[KadoDragon]

I've moved this thread to general discussion. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.

Unless you actually need help with event commands, don't post in support.

Whoops. My bad.

There's all kinds of popular puzzles:

1. sliding items into trigger spots

2. making mazes of movable objects you have to move in just the right way to reach the center of the room or you lock yourself out and have to reset the room

3. The match 3's, where you move objects of the same color together to make them vanish.

4. The Lights Out type puzzles, where if you step on one square, then the squares around it light up

Less common puzzles

1. Actual mazes where the player could get lost trying to find something.

2. Sliding picture puzzles (remember the little games with tiles you move around in a square container, and you have to put them in order).

3. The find the hidden path through the room, step off of it and you restart.

Timed puzzles:

1. Light all torches in the room before any extinguish. (each torch has its own timer).

2. Catch fast moving things in a set amount of time.

3. Find your way through a maze room within a certain amount of time.

Switch Puzzles:

1. Find the right order the flip switches to unlock a gate

2. Maze rooms that you have to run all over, flipping switches here and there to unlock different sections

Pipeline style puzzles usually done on rail tracks with a cart in RPG Maker games

Set up railways and flip pieces or switches to make the tracks go one way or another to make the cart go where it needs to go. The cart could fall off the rails or end up in a hole and you'd fail.

Timing Puzzles

1. Make your way past random falling objects without getting it

2. Make your way past guards that could spot you, so you have to watch their movement parterns

Awareness Puzzles

1. Give small hints through your dungeon about puzzles that are coming up and see how much the player pays attention.  Think it was Manifest that did this.. but honestly don't remember. I play a lot of RPG Maker games. (Although kudos to the dev of that game for the lock picking system.. loved that!).  But for this I think they had you pass few a few rooms and there was a pattern to the torch lights. They always appeared in the same color pattern and you get to this room and you can't leave and you can't go on unless you answer right and if you answer wrong you had to enter a fight or something.

2. Quiz the player on some basic history in the game.

Well there's some idea =P Not sure if you wanted something more specific.

I personally love the rolling boulders puzzles where if you touch them, then they keep moving till they hit something. I like the challenge of figuring out the harder puzzles in this style... of course.. and this may date me But one of my favorite games growing up was The Adventures of Lolo

You gave a lot of ideas and I especially like the history quiz one since my game has tonnes of lore. Though it may be difficult for the players who don't give a damn about lore. I just remembered back in Elder Scrolls Arena that there were certain doors that had a riddle and you had to type in an answer. I could do a similar puzzle using the name input.

 

[Celianna]

I personally suggest checking out Zack & Wiki, or some of the Monkey Island games for ideas on puzzles.

 

[KadoDragon]

I personally suggest checking out Zack & Wiki, or some of the Monkey Island games for ideas on puzzles.

Oh my god! How come I never played monkey island before? Anyways, thank you for the tips.