SimonOC - Articles, Puzzle Logic Page 6


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Example Puzzle 4 (Page 6 of 7)

Taken from the map - Edge of Forever

The room consists of a large dormant machine in the middle with two electric generators on either side and a sea of cables across the floor.

The puzzle starts when the player uses the switch on the machine in the middle and closest to the central window. Stage one is to activate two switches on either side of the machine within a certain time limit. Stage two is to switch on both generators and the switch in the middle within the same time limit.

Click on the above image for a larger version


	All entities used for the puzzle logic		What the entities look like

Time-Lapse Growth

			This puzzle was designed to be a series of heavily choreographed sequences showing shader tricks and how a machine could grow through different stages. Most of the work with this puzzle was creating long chains of entities synchronized to a time line of events. Many special sounds were added to compliment the movement of the generator and help create a rich ambience. The final touch was to add an energy flow effect to the generator showing the way to the next puzzle.

			The entity logic for this puzzle is very simple, two sets of switches that have to be activated by the player within a fixed time limit. The first set is two switches and the second set is three, but both have the same time limit. The puzzle does not store any variable states, but the switches that are not needed are de-activated during stages. This is done to reduce the amount of interactive objects around the player and let them concentrate on what is truly necessary to complete the puzzle.

			The flow of the puzzle is controlled by blocking entities which stop the target_shooter entities. There are four blockers which are synchronized to the various phases of the machine. There are five switches to interact with and only one starts the puzzle. If the player uses the wrong switch a message is displayed and the hints are disabled by the Phase 1 and 2 blockers once the machine comes to life.