VN Ren'Py Thoughts on coded messages

[Jethro Hatfield]

Alright everyone, I would like some feedback on an idea I am thinking of implementing in an upcoming VN.

If I were to input a coded message into a game, how would you prefer to decode it? Would you rather see the source code on the screen? or would you just rather have the MC solve it for you? Here is a sample of what I am talking about.

 

[justpassingbyreally]

Give the protagonist Intelligence stat, have them solve it for the player if it's high, and make it impossible to answer correctly if it's low.

If there are more puzzles planned, let the player do it and list the puzzles on the feature list.
And maybe still add the INT stat that will translate to the amount of hint button uses, which will have the protagonist thinking to themselves how to approach it when pressed (the first hint being vague, the one you get from maxed intelligence being much more helpful). Especially if the answer is dynamic and changes on each playthrough. To give players weaker at cracking codes a helping hand without making it feel like they're just cheating.

 

[Jethro Hatfield]

This isn't meant to be a true challenge, just a part of the novel. The coded message isn't meant to change or anything like that.

It will make more sense when the prologue of the novel is ready for release.

 

[desmosome]

Let people solve it but give a cheat button for people who can't be bothered.

 

[snookums.d.panda]

For this I'd suggest putting it up as a multiple choice solution with, let's say, 5 options: 1 being the correct one, and the others ranging from close enough to completely wrong. This way you'll be able to strike the balance between letting people take the time to figure out the code (an option I would gladly take), and letting others just go 'Not it - rollback - Not it - rollback - Correct!' and move along the story (assuming this would be in RenPy, of course). No doubt this will still cause some complaints about your game (then again, what doesn't these days?) but I'd say it's a pretty fair option for all players.

I'd also stay away from having the solution be text entry. Lately I've been toying with the idea of having a throwback to old school copy protection, but making it a trivial 'are you paying attention?' type of check rather than a puzzle, with an elaborate joke ending if you fail it. One of my reasons in this thought process is to see if people would take more time to install a script-mod bypassing it than it would take to actually pass the check.

Solving that code via a text entry? Oh yeah, modders will fix that for ya.

 

[Shyguy1369]

I think solving it myself could be good, but also maybe an option (without consequence) to have the MC do it perhaps.

 

[Rafster]

Depends. Is your VN also focused on have different puzzles to be solved by the player? if yes, well, let the players tackle the riddle. If No, you can use the MC for that. If you had a stat driven game, you could have an intelligence stat on the MC that govern solving riddles like this...but I don't think that applies to you.

 

[Jaike]

You misspelt "Valkyries", 18 is wrong.

I don't think you can go wrong with a solution that's this easy.

 

[Doorknob22]

1. Any adult game challenge should be easy Your players came to fap, not watch you fulfil your fantasies of becoming a mainstream game developer. Having said that, a good challenge makes the reward (i.e. pussy) sweeter as the players feel they have earned it as opposed for simply clicking Space enough times.

2. Even if the challenges are easy, I'd recommend some sort of cheat mechanism for players who absolutely hate them. If you don't add the cheats, others might do it "for you" and then you'll have no control over the nature of the cheat, the bugs it may create etc.

 

[Niv-Mizzet the Firemind]

Depends on two things: how well the puzzle is designed and how easy it is.
If the puzzle is well designed and anything other than easy, I'd rather do it myself.
In any other case, I'd rather have the character solve it for me, because then it's a waste of time.

Taking for example the puzzle you presented, I'd rather have the mc do it, since it's rather easy and I'd just waste a couple of minutes hunting the elements on the periodic table.

In any case a cheat button or whatever would be a good idea.

 

[justpassingbyreally]

You misspelt "Valkyries", 18 is wrong.

Dictionary attack-proof, WAD.

 

[FromOtherSpace]

Hi,

Does these puzzle are part of your game's loop? Or it's going to be a one shot?

If part of game's loop : let player do it with a way to be help at the beginning. (like, 2 errors and they got a hint)

If a one shot : let player try by themselves with an option to skip it.

 

[Carrera]

Let the character solve it. After all it's a story about the MC, not the person playing the game.

 

[justpassingbyreally]

OK, it might be me forgetting most of the chemistry from school, but how do you use the electron configuration arrows in those mini cells on s and p element blocks (and what's the significance of the 3s cell being highlighted) to arrive to the atomic numbers Michael got?

 

[Jethro Hatfield]

The code was simply the atomic number of the element. When you replace the numbers with the letter designation of the corresponding element, it makes words or messages. This was just the first photo of a periodic table I came across, sorry for the confusion.

Currently my thoughts are to show the puzzle, and give the players the chance to solve it, while the next click reveals the answer.

Thoughts on this method?

 

[Nunu312]

The largest pro

The code was simply the atomic number of the element. When you replace the numbers with the letter designation of the corresponding element, it makes words or messages. This was just the first photo of a periodic table I came across, sorry for the confusion.

Currently my thoughts are to show the puzzle, and give the players the chance to solve it, while the next click reveals the answer.

Thoughts on this method?

You want there to be some payoff for players who do put in the effort, that is both in the attitude the game takes towards the player and possibly renders. Otherwise there isn't a point in people attempting the puzzle and it's just a time waster. One reason why an explicitly non-diagetic skip puzzle is good is because the player knows they are "cheating". This means players can bypass the puzzle while still letting the game treat them as though they have "won". You can work out the specifics themselves, but in general you don't want to solve the puzzle for the player as it just makes the player feel either talked down to or like their effort was wasted.

 

[Meaning Less]

Currently my thoughts are to show the puzzle, and give the players the chance to solve it, while the next click reveals the answer.

Showing useless information to players is poor storytelling. If anything as a player you would end up storing that information expecting to use it later and then be disappointed the dev never made use of it.

you don't want to solve the puzzle for the player as it just makes the player feel either talked down to or like their effort was wasted.

Indeed, if you reach the point of auto-solving a puzzle as the default behavior why even create and show it to the player? Just imply the mc solved a random puzzle at that point and move on.

 

[Jethro Hatfield]

Thank you for your input everyone, You have given me plenty to consider. I appreciate all of the feedback.

It seems as if most of you have the consensus that having the player solve the puzzle would be a waste of time, to which I can see your points.

Please consider this matter closed, and I will take all of your comments under close advisement.

Until next time,

J.