week 8

puzzles

      There are many reasons why people are drawn to videogames, one of such reasons would be the puzzles involved and associated to them. People enjoy the mental stimulation and challenge that they receive from them and it is often a large source of discussion among talks of given games, The types of puzzles present within games can very greatly and include chemical puzzles, cause and effect, people, code, timing and spatial.
     Chemical puzzles are defined as puzzles through which the user must combine different substances such that a desired or optimal result occurs. Such puzzles occur often as a means to benefit the user’s avatar in the game rather then move forward however both result do occur.
     Cause and effect puzzles are established through transitive relationships between items. Typically, a user performs one action which causes another action to occur which causes another action and this chain of events continues until the user gets to his goal.
     People puzzle are defined as challenges in which a person within the game is in possession of a key to the users goal.
     Code puzzles utilize locks or lock like structures through which a user must defer the combination. Clues to the combination are commonly placed throughout the level or maps leading up to the point in which the lock is discovered. On some occasions however, the user must figure out some the combinations on their own, it is those moments with a user can become more frustrated with a game.
     Timing puzzles force the user to time for specific actions such as jumping to moving platforms.
     Spatial puzzles are tuned to navigation within a game; typically the user must find a way through an internal maze through which the game is designed. However some such puzzles also include the movement of objects through physical space within a given map.
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time      The Zelda games are series through which Nintendo has thrived by placing a large sum of puzzle based systems embedded in all the games. The Ocarina of time is no different; it possesses time based puzzles, spatial puzzles, and configuration puzzles.
     The time based puzzles within Zelda are very simple puzzles and typically occur in the temples strewn about Hyrule as jumping platforms. As the game progresses the time based puzzles do begin to become more complicated namely by having given platforms begin moving more quickly or having them move in all three accesses of motion. However on some instances other time based traps could occur in the time based puzzles as well.
     The most complex spatial based puzzle present within Ocarina would be that of one present within the ice caves while seeking the iron boots to enter the water temple. Present within those caves lays a series of ice blocks which have to be manipulating along an icy service without leaving the given proximity. If an ice block is accidentally pushed off the edge a new one appears in its original location in its stead. Once complete one of the give blocks should be on top of a given switch which opens a door.
     Configuration puzzles refer to a series of items which have to be activated in a certain order. Within Zelda the most apparent one occurs within the Spirit temple when a series of sun dials must be activated in a given order otherwise the desired result for the user never occurs.
Resident Evil 4      Within the confines of RE 4 are a number of puzzles strewn about the game, many of which are far more complicated or complex of other games which one has encountered of a similar nature. Present in the game are configuration puzzles, code puzzles, chemical puzzles, and spatial puzzles.
     The configuration and code puzzle are two pieces of the same puzzle within the game. Before one is capable of entering the church in the beginning of the game one must unlock it. Here is where it becomes difficult because the lock is comprised of a series of symbols and the dial can only move in increments of three and four. Due to these fact the user must first go find the given tomb stones which mark the symbols required and finally configure the lock such that it opens.
     Combining items within the Resident games to yield given results is common and practice and in RE 4 it is no different. The game use chemical puzzles in the item menu to create a variety of items and weapons to help the user.
     Spatial puzzles are the final puzzle type present within the game. The example being the point that at many points throughout the game the user is unable to press forward until a required key can be located.