Puzzle Tutorial

Hey all, I came up with this idea when thinking of a puzzle to use in my new game just so you know . I'll be adding different types of puzzles and maze as time goes by so keep checking back!

Just so you know, a number with a star next to it on a map refers to a event, while the same number on the same map without a star would be the "Destination" area. (I.E. the teleport in 2* would send you to position 2, hope you understand this.)

Also, the maps are just quickly thrown together so they arn't great; but you can comment on them if you want 

Ok, I'll be putting all the different puzzles and mazes in spoiler bars to reduce the size of the post (kinda...). It will also help keep the post tidy as you only need to look at the puzzle or map you want! If you want any of the puzzles (or maps) explained in more detail, just reply saying so and I'll see what I can do. Same for any errors you notice.

So, let's get started!

Spoiler for Basic Maze:

Ok, The point of this maze is for a quick but sometimes not so easy maze. There are four different paths on this map and only one of the paths will lead onto the next one, the others will put you back onto the first maze map. For this example I will only be creating three of the maps, and I would recommend no more then ten. I personally used six as this means that even with a mistake the player won't be wasting too much time.

If you have good knowledge of variables, and would rather use those, click here.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the swamp tileset is used as an example here and is one of many that can be used for this type of maze.

First, create a map which should be no bigger then 25x20. Detail it to have 4 paths like so:



You want to make a event one space away from the sides as shown by 1* and 2*. These events you be player touch, and teleport you to the opposite side two spaces away from the side as shown by 1 and 2. Note that these teleports should NOT fade. This will create a better effect then having the screen fade everytime you teleport. So have them teleport to the same map.

An interesting thing I just thought of, If you come in from the top, you should make those events on the top teleport you back to the map you came from (with fade). Same for any other sides if you came from that way.

Now you have all the events set up, simply copy the maze map. Then paste it the number of maps you want. As I said earlier, I do not reccommend more then ten. Keep all map names the same and it should end up looking like this:



ALL MAPS MUST BE IDENTICAL!

Then, Pick a side on the first map you want the player to go to get to the second map. I'll choose the left side for ease of this tutorial although you should pick any side you want. You simply change the teleport destination of the events to the same location on the second map. Still with no fade. Now, when in game the player goes to the left, they will appear on the right of the next map, without knowing it. Simply repeat this process with map two and three to get the person from one map to the next. You can pick any side you want, but picking the same side all the time may get ever so slightly boring.

When you get to the last map, the choosen sides events should link to another map with fade. What you have after this is for you to decide.

Make sure your player will know the path in some way or another. (Sorry to give away any cheats but...) You should have an event on the map before the maze starts (or before that) which has some kinda writing on it. Simply using the first letter of the direction in an order which is the maze directional order. (So it could say RDR or similar, and on your maze the first direction would be Right, then Down, then Right to finish it and move on to the next map.)

I hope you all get this simple to design and use puzzle.

Spoiler for "Ball room":

The concept of the ball room is simple. Make alot of events that can be pushed around to make paths in and out of the sea of balls (Or what ever it is you use, balls just seem appropriate). You can have a switch or chest or just the way out of the map on the other side of the ball room.

Again, any tileset can be used for this as its not really dependant on what you have in the tileset as the balls are events and you only need them against two walls (if you want).

Start by making a map. I'm making mine using the castle interior tileset as it looks good  . After finishing your map, we need to add the balls!

The balls are simply events. Set them to hero touch and only have one thing in the event "Page". That is the "Move Event", "Move away from Hero" eventing. Here is a screeny:



So you can see there isn't much to it. However, one... glitch with this method is, if you push against an event that can't move away due to another event or a impassable tileset peice, if you then move around the event and move the way you where pushing it the event will move the opposite way to the way you where pushing it. This shouldn't pose to much of a problem though and can add character to your "Ball Room".

Now you have one event, one ball. Mine looked like this at this stage:



The trick now is, to copy and paste the "Ball" event into other locations, while making sure it is possible to make a path through. I'm not really sure how else I can explain this so that will have to do! lol. If possible, make more then one way through the balls incase another gets blocked and has to move out of the map and back into the map. Which reminds me, moving to another map and back to the one with the balls on will reset the balls to their original position!

After messing around my balls looked like this (LOL):



You may notice the are two destinations on my map, one having a chest and the other a switch. You can make the events all different sprites as this may add more character to the ball room. Other ideas would be "Fake" balls which dont move if pushed, although this may confuse some of us. (Well, not now I said it lol).

I wonder... Before you click on this spoiler, try to work out the two paths in the above picture of my room.

Think you found them? Check on the next spoiler!

And thats about it for making a ball room, Hope you enjoyed this part of the tutorial as much as I did making it! lol

Spoiler for Ball Room Answer!:

Spoiler for Timed Switches:

Here is the requested puzzle tutorial (I hope this is what they wanted... lol)

The bases of the timed switches puzzle is that you have to activate all the switches in a time limit for something to happen. For example, in my tutorial here I will be having three switches that will open a door out of the room. So, start by making you desired map. This puzzle will work on ANY tileset.

For this puzzle you will be using two events and one variable.

Now you have your map, you need to create the switches! Make the switches action button (Or Hero Touch if its a floor switch). You need the switch to move so the first part should just be moving the switch, use waits of three to five frames in between. I used a sound effect at this point to show that it had been done. You then want to activate your first switch, which I called "Start_Timer". This will set off the timer in which you must activate the other switches in. I also added a Variable called "Door_Switch" which I "+1" to. When all three switches are pressed the variable will be 3 so it will activate another event that opens the door. If you don't understand variables check out some of the great variable tutorials in the Tutorial Database!

After doing this my event looked like so:



Now you need to copy this and paste it in other places for how many switches you are going to have.

Next we will do the timer event. Make this event have a precondition of the switch "Timer_Start" and the first part of this event should be the time (In frames) to wait untill times up. Now, I found 300 frames good for the size and spread of my three switches. It's down to trail and error on the time you need. I first tried 150 frames shown in the picture below but I found that to be not nearly enought so I doubled it. Next you want to create a Condition Branch. The condition being if the switch "Door_Switch" (Not the variable) was on. If it is, Erase the event as this means the door is already open.

If the condition is not met, then first use the move event command to change the graphic of all the switches back to their original position and I choose to play another sound here so the player knows it has happened. Ok, so I found a problem here; you could keep pressing the same switch to get the variable to 3 so, at the end of each switch event, select Local Switch A (Different letter for each event, if you run out uses switches) to be on. Then create another page on the switches and have the precondition as Local switch A (or w/e) on and just set the image to the final one in the chain you move it to. Then, on the timer event if the condition is not met, instead of changing the graphic just turn off the local switches. This should fix the glitch!

Ok, so after that I then play a sound lol. Then I make the Variable go back to 0 and turn the "Timer_Start" switch off. This is what it looked like after (Still with the above glitch ; ; ):



Setting the variable back to 0 will mean that all the switches will need to be activated again.

We now want to create the event that will open the door. So, set the precondition as the variable "Door_Switch" is equal to 3 (Or the number of switches you have) on and have the page activate the "Door_Switch" switch. This will stop the timer and open the door. I also played a sound here, lol. I put a message here to say the door has been opened incase you cannot see the door at the time you hit the last switch. This is what it looked like at the end of this part:



Now, make a event where you want the door (or w/e it is you want to happen). Have the precondition as switch "Door_Switch" on and the picture from the tileset as the door. The only event line here should be a teleport one for the door. You will also need to include other parts of the tileset in other events for the door with the same precondition. At the end of it all it looked something like this:



So that's pretty much it for this puzzle. I tested it out and it works fine! Any further problems just reply with them to this post! 

I'll be adding more as time goes on as I have already said. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Regards,
Darico

Added a "Ball Room" part! Check it out!

Nice puzzles. You ought to add a timed, ordered switch pulling one. I like to use one of them in every game I attempt to make. They're easy, and easy to vary difficulty.

Ok, I'll play around with that idea and you should see it soon in this tutorial 

More opinions please! 

Ok, started to work on it now...

EDIT: Whoops, meant to edit my other post ; ; sorry 

Hey that's nice man !

Thanks! I decided to add a bit to my game for now although i'll be back on this tommorrow at the latest. (Maybe just after I finish a few of these quests  )

Nice tut, you is very clever. *bows*

This will be very helpful to people like me, who SUCK at puzzles.

lol, glad to help!

Ok, i'll be adding another puzzle shortly! Just trying to get some of the events to work lol. Stay tuned!

EDIT: Ok adding it to the first post now...

New tutorial added!^^

Oh wow I love these puzzles! I was dumbfounded on how to do that so now that THIS is explained! I can go and do my super-duper-PAIN-IN-THE-BUTTOCKS-puzzle. It takes up the whole temple too. x3 Well maybe not the whole temple but most of it is just one giant puzzle.

Cool, I have a place in my game where you keep going back to which is loads of different puzzles!

You should make it to where if you hit a switch that opens a door, it only stays open for a certain amount of time.

That isnt really much of a puzzle but I may add it in anyway later when I'm not busy with the... housework...

That's great. It'll work flawlessly

I'm experimenting with variables now I know they can bring so much into a puzzle! Prepare to see a couple more advanced puzzles with a few easier ones thrown in for good measure soon!

How would you make a puzzle where you have to move a stone or something onto a switch and the door opens, but closes when the stone is moved?

Ok, ill get on it when I get home from work!

For the "Ball Room", since most puzzles like this only allow you to push each ball once, adding a page two change would increase the complexity of the puzzles.

Very nice. 

For the "Ball Room", since most puzzles like this only allow you to push each ball once, adding a page two change would increase the complexity of the puzzles.

Well, if there is nothing in the way of it you can push it again. What would be on the second page?

I'm guessing that the second page would force you to push only once.

Oh right, but then if you get stuck and can't push the balls out of the way to get back your kinda bugered... Hmmm...

So, let's get started!

Ok, The point of this maze is for a quick but sometimes not so easy maze. There are four different paths on this map and only one of the paths will lead onto the next one, the others will put you back onto the first maze map. For this example I will only be creating three of the maps, and I would recommend no more then ten. I personally used six as this means that even with a mistake the player won't be wasting too much time.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the swamp tileset is used as an example here and is one of many that can be used for this type of maze.

First, create a map which should be no bigger then 25x20. Detail it to have 4 paths like so:



You want to make a event one space away from the sides as shown by 1* and 2*. These events you be player touch, and teleport you to the opposite side two spaces away from the side as shown by 1 and 2. Note that these teleports should NOT fade. This will create a better effect then having the screen fade everytime you teleport. So have them teleport to the same map.

An interesting thing I just thought of, If you come in from the top, you should make those events on the top teleport you back to the map you came from (with fade). Same for any other sides if you came from that way.

Now you have all the events set up, simply copy the maze map. Then paste it the number of maps you want. As I said earlier, I do not reccommend more then ten. Keep all map names the same and it should end up looking like this:



ALL MAPS MUST BE IDENTICAL!

if all the maps are identical you can use my variable maze map... that way you save on maps... located here: http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,11295.0.html

demo download doesn't work... i will work on getting that back up onto my site...