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From: someguy@someplace.com
Subject: How intiuitive should a puzzle be?
Message-ID: <326FD46D.6952@someplace.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996 20:41:17 +0000
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Ims till working on designing puzzles for my game, even though I
cant compile it, and I want to know if this would be considered a 
fair puzzle.  You see, you have no clues to the nature of the puzzle
within the game itself, but the nature of the game is a clue to the 
puzzle.  Confused? <g>  Read on, youll understand.


The armory
  Yeah right.  Its basically a big space full of empty weapons racks.
It was supposed to be filled wiht all the weapons of terror Triax
took from his mighty opponents- but since Triax always gets the snot
beaten out of him by any race more advanced than o, say humans, this
place is more or less empty.

  One rack near the door catches your eye by appearing to not be
empty.

>EXAMINE RACK
  My god, there are two guns here, securely locked in the case.
  Below each one of the guns, there is a neatly printed label.

>EXAMINE GUN
  Which gun do you mean, the left gun, or the right gun?

>LEFT GUN
   The left gun looks like your basic raygun.  There's a printed
   label on the case below it that says "Acme Disintegrator pistol"

>GET LEFT GUN
   Both guns are securely locked in their case, to which Tirax has
   the key.

>EXAMINE RIGHT GUN
  The right gun looks like your basic raygun.  There's a printed
  label on the case below it that says "Kill-o-zap pistol"

 Suddenly, there is an <bzzzzst-click> and the ships intercom hums
  into life. "Greetings human.  My sensors show you are on my ship.
  I shall be coming to collect you and your head shortly.. not
  necessarily in that order."

>i
  You have in your possesion
   A razor blade
   <snip>
   A label maker

> SCRAPE LEFT LABEL
  (with the razor blade)
  The left label falls to pieces when you scrape it off.

> SCRAPE RIGHT LABEL
   (with the razor)
  The right label falls to pieces when you scrape it off.

> MAKE KILL-O-ZAP LABEL WITH LABEL MAKER
  You print out a label reading "Kill-o-zap pistol"

> MAKE ACME LABEL WITH LABEL MAKER
  You print out a label reading "Acme disintegrator pistol"

> PUT ACME LABEL UNDER RIGHT GUN
  You affix the label under the right gun.

> PUT KILL-O-ZAP label under left gun.
   You affix the label under the lfet gun.

   Suddenly, the door wooshes open and in strides Triax the teribble.
Well, allright hes not so terrible- more like a big green snowman.
But he's still between you and the door.
   He unlocks the case and grabs a pistol and points it at you.
"Say Goodbye Earthling.. be prepared to spend the next millenium in
my trophy room".

> GET PISTOL
  You quickly snatch up the remaining pistol.

  Triax fires his pistol, and the look of suprise on his face when
it disentgrates is truly spectacular.

Still with me? K. Good. heres my question.  Technically, there is
NOTHING in the game to this point that indicates you should switch
the labels.  Is it allright to assume that becuase it is an adventure
game, the player will try and do everything he can?  Or should I
try and work in a warning that the labels must be switched.

Oh, and on the technical side, how difficult will implementing the
label maker be?  Not that I can(kicks stupid puter with no memory)
but Im curious

Chidder

