1. Synapse Destroyer. These are the games that consist of no thinking, just mindless jumping or whacking things like a deranged lunatic. Like sports games.

2. Slight. These are the games that have puzzles, it’s just not part of the main mechanic. Nearly all Mario games go here.

3. Thinkers. These are where you are constantly faced with puzzles, usually ranging in difficulty. World of Goo would be an example.

At first Portal seems confusing and impossible, but once you get used to it, it moves to the high end of Level 3.

4. OH MY CRAP. There are some games that just seem to demand that you think, think, and keep on thinking. Also, these games steadfastly refuse to let your brain stop churning for one second. The obvious example, of course, would be Braid. (I got 52:11 on the speed run! YES!)

Then, there’s gameplay challenges, by which I mean: how hard is it to destroy the mustache? Is it so freaking impossible to make that jump between moving platform number 17 to number 18? Basically, how near are you driven to suicide?

1. Blank. In this, there are nearly no gameplay challenges. These are usually accompanied by Level 3/4 puzzles. Or Dora, of course.

2. A Little Bit. This is where there are a few challenges, but not too many.

3. Getting Hard. This is where Mario comes in to the gameplay aspect of challenge.

4. (suicide). This is where you keep trying, over and flippin’ over, to make the jump. If the game doesn’t have some great, addicting gameplay, it’s doomed. Think Bit.Trip Core.

And, then, there are the gamers, the most important part of gaming.

1. The Casual (35%). These people can be anybody from a middle-aged guy who occasionally plays a bit on the computer to an old lady. Generally, they’re all willing to try anything in the first two levels of anything and about half of them will venture into level three.

2. The Average (15%). These are the people who are fairly willing to try anything in the first three categories, and about half of the fourth.

3. The Hardcore (25%). Hardcore gamers will pretty much try any game, although not so much in the first category of gameplay.

4. The Puzzle Gamer (25%). Puzzle gamers will only play games with level 3/4 puzzles, and maybe the upper half of 2′s.

So, uh… I’m should make a chart, but it’s almost time for dinner… hm…

[please insert chart and conclusion here.]

I think I’ve figured out what makes the puzzles of World of Goo and Braid so awesome.

I have played a wide variety of puzzle games, but none of them have been nearly as fun as those two games, and I think I know what sets them out. (Oh, geez, I just said that last paragraph, didn’t I?)

So, anyways, here it is: the puzzles lay everything out before you.

If you don’t understand, here’s what I mean: the game tells you and shows you everything you need to know, yet then drops you there. Then, if you use a bit of semi-logical, outside-of-the-box thinking, you can solve it immediately, and when you do, you feel smart. (The Braid walkthrough says to not use a walkthrough. There’s a reason for that!)

So, all in all, Braid and World of Goo p0wn all.

Moe out.

Hi, this is Vince here.

So it wasn’t “tomorrow”, but then again, it’s never tomorrow. It’s always today.

So, anyways, as the title suggests, this post is about the puzzles of Innovation Corporation, and some stuff about frustration.

Like practically all game creators, I want this game to be challenging, but not frustrating. Basically, I want it to not be like this, but not like this, either. Maybe like this… that’s pretty delicious. I do like transportation. And innovation. And horizontal committees, for that matter.

Actually, I try to make all my puzzles feel like World of Goo puzzles. Maybe I should hire Kyle Gabler. I wonder what his fee would be.

P.S. I’m working on “The Indie Game Song”! Here’s a little bit!

Welllllllllllllll…

Most of Edmund’s games are free

And Gabler’s got that awesome goatee!

Well, maybe it’s not really a goatee at all,

But… um… mall?

It’s a work in progress.

Coming soon (tomorrow?): The Puzzles of In-Corp!