Puzzles

[Iane]

While playing around with the editor I've also created a few Puzzles along the way, most of these have been very basic at best - since Book 1 is a little limited in what it can do here is just a couple of my creations.

portcullis Trap.
Basically the floor traps open/close the portcullis doors ahead to continue through the level the end door must be open and a path to get there but one false step and all doors close.



Maze of Misery
I tried a few things and it just wasn't working out so I came up with this idea for a maze.



Short in game movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQeGQAn92p0

I liked the concept except for a few things, the major one was I could see the edge of the maze (you enter a Maze you should get disorientated).

So with the next build of the maze there will be no edges - the player will be ported to the center of the maze and with some luck no matter how far you walk in one direction you will never see the edge of the maze.

[Evnissyen]

Ugh, oh man, I hate, I hate, I hate mazes.

Especially mazes involving teleporters.

Sorry.

Iane: Can you tell me what exactly the attraction is with mazes in computer games? More than a few developers, past and present, seem so enamored with the concept... .

[Arkos]

Mazes aren't so bad...unless the game has random battles, like in most JRPGs.

Then I hate them with the fury of a thousand red suns...*hiss*

[Iane]

Well like I said book 1 is limited as to what you can create.

A Maze
A door combination switch trigger (with switch or trap trigger)
A portal maze

Possibly others I can't think of but other puzzles in book 1 are hard coded.

While designing the larger maze I figured out I'd need something like over 210 scripts to run it so if BW reads this can you tell me if there is a limit on how many scripts can be in a map file.

[Antigrav]

Aside from activating tiles and objects such as levers, the game has some other mechanisms that might lend themselves to puzzle creation: dialogs, combat and alchemy.

I don't know that a "tricky" conversation would make a very workable puzzle. But who knows?

I can picture a maze made of breakable objects, say glass orbs, that make a different sound when broken. Some would contain poison gas, some would be highly explosive, etc. The orbs closer to the really dangerous orbs could make a different sound when struck, for an audio version of Minesweeper.

I haven't fiddled with alchemy enough to know if you can obtain undesirable results.

A good combo maze might contain ingredients for demon oil to burn down a balsawood barrier, behind which is a princess you have to convince to give up a key to the exit, either with smooth talking or a love potion.

[Evnissyen]

A good combo maze might contain ingredients for demon oil to burn down a balsawood barrier, behind which is a princess you have to convince to give up a key to the exit, either with smooth talking or a love potion.

If this were Book 2 we were modifying: I suppose she'd have to be bisexual.

Luckily, we don't have to face that problem... yet.

...Except that there's no love in Eschalon.

Why is there no love in Eschalon?

I only remember finding one husband in the whole game . . . and he was dead.

...Then I had to break the news to his wife. So much for love conquering all.

But our own character was unloving and unlovable.

Why can't he love?

Will there be love in Book 2?

Beta people? Will my character finally be able to love? Will love bloom in Thaermore? Will people smile and dream, hug and hold hands, and lose their Concentration (-4) for days on end?

[Antigrav]

I suppose she'd have to be bisexual.

I have a good recipe for a love potion two straight male characters. It requires barley, hops, yeast and water. I call it the "I Love You, Man" elixir.

[jwrickert]

Otherwise known as the 'Bro Brew'!