puzzle solving

Hello all,

I'm looking for help in puzzle ideas, something original that you would like to see in game.
Not something like go up to the tower thats 10miles height pull the lever, come back down and go through the gate you just opened. It's thought to be in 3d third person.

I'm not sure if I understood the question right but:

- Use more complex and non-linear levels instead of big, easy ones; Portal 1 and 2 are good examples (I hope you know what I mean)
- Use physics objects which the player can carry around for example to keep buttons activated, etc.
- Use some time-limits
- Use colors; for example: there are colored "energy-barriers" which the player only can pass if he has the same color

...just to name a few ideas I would use.

I see.. i was planning to do big levels! although not easy ones..
Use physics objects, pull levers, press buttons in right order are things very used. If not always used in this type of game. I'm looking for something new..
The genre of game is something like zelda the twilight princess or the first templar. But i would like to have some inovations.

Some time ago I was trying to come up with a (at least to a degree unique) puzzle for my side-scroller, too, and had to learn that it's very hard to do so.
Take a piece of paper and try to draw a few puzzle sketches first, try to be creative while thinking of more general aspects such as turning and commuting things or combining and disconnecting certain elements. The general or current setting of your level can (and maybe even should) dictate the puzzles in a way, too, check how the material of the objects can influence the former (stones, crystals, metal/ wood, maybe mechanics from a Mayan or sand temple).

I know what you mean. I've been doing that in paper for some time. But i find myself always getting ideas from other games. It's just that inevetable for me.. And i cant break this loop. Every puzzle either on zelda, prince of persia, the first templar are the same.. They just switch a lever to a button from each other and it's done.. I might just be looking for something further than puzzle.. Implement some diffrent elements inside this puzzle type.. Got any ideas?

If you do not have any special gameplay ability such as a gravity beam or something like that it all comes down to pushing buttons, switching levers, pushing crates and so on, simply because the way you can interact with the game world is limited.
In my game I have a level where you need to turn two somehow connected wheels (one moves when you turn the other one) in 45° degree turns to transmit electric current from one place to the other. You do this by jumping on one of the triggers below the wheels. The difficulty is that there is a flying enemy that chases you and the wheels turn rather slowly (and the correct order of turns is not obvious), so you sometimes have to get rid of him using your acrobatic moves. To complete the puzzle you need to pull down a metallic rail from the ceiling by grabbing on to it with the "rope" ability, you have to use your skill to avoid the enemy while hanging on the rail because the latter moves slowly, too. This is how I've tried to combine my jump and run gameplay and a puzzle mechanic.
Sometimes there are regular switch "puzzles" and sometimes rather not so obvious puzzles, but most if not all of them are realized by pressing/ pushing things.

I don't think you should try to avoid switches and similar/ known ways to interact with the game world, just try to make their effects interesting.
Maybe a few more ideas for you: Light and darkness (maybe put a light switch in a room and when the player switches off the light, he will be able to see a path/ note drawn with invisible ink, or the player can run over a puddle of invisible ink and make a path for himself that he can use to see in the dark), electricity, water, weight, air, ...

i see what you mean... Those are the type of puzzles i already have. Ability implementation is a nice thing. Turn things intresting is gonna be a hard job

Thank you very much Superku