This week, I wanted to share my journey of incorporating puzzles into IHAS, an aspect of the game that enhances gameplay by breaking up the action. While IHAS is primarily a first-person shooter, I recognized early on that a stream of constant shooter sequences could lead to player fatigue. [b]By introducing puzzles, I aimed to create a more balanced and engaging experience. [/b] [u][b]The Puzzle Development Process[/b][/u] Creating the first puzzle was quite the challenge. Inspired by Remedy Entertainment’s [i]Control [/i]I initially focused on [b]mechanics like telekinesis for object manipulation[/b]. In my early attempts I quickly ran into issues such as objects clipping through walls and erratic movement. However, after several iterations and helpful tutorials, I finally achieved a functional grab mechanic. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43140933/b0c7aee48f41805e62cb119efdbe986ff17ca00e.png[/img] [i]One of the earlier puzzles designed for IHAS. [/i] With that foundation laid, I moved on to designing puzzles. The first was a simple keypad puzzle, requiring players to input a 4-digit code to open a door. Following that, I created a "Key-Part" puzzle where players must find an item — be it a key, switch, or button — to unlock a door. [b]I also introduced jump pads into the game.[/b] I was playing [i]Portal 2[/i] at the time and thought they added to the environment, encouraging exploration and creativity in navigation, and are quite fun to use. [u][b]Crafting Engaging Experiences[/b][/u] The challenge with puzzles lies in ensuring they enhance gameplay without disrupting flow. I focused on making them intuitive, [b]integrating them into the game world seamlessly[/b]. This required careful consideration of level design and how players would naturally interact with their surroundings - which proved to be a challenge in and of itself. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43140933/0f9c85acd85c6d0bd9cbc18ce9c8b04467795d91.png[/img] Creating puzzles for IHAS has proven to be a rewarding endeavor. They add depth and variety, enriching the player experience and complementing the game's action elements. I look forward to sharing more insights in future devlogs as I continue to refine and expand upon these mechanics. Stay tuned for more updates! Vladyslav -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]The Difference Studio[/b] [list] [*][url=https://x.com/The_D_Studios]Twitter[/url] [*][url=https://discord.com/invite/PZVgAkrsaY]Discord[/url] [*][url=https://www.tiktok.com/@the_difference_studios]TikTok[/url] [*][url=https://www.youtube.com/@thedifferencestudios]YouTube[/url] [/list] [b]Iceberg Interactive[/b] [list] [*] [url=http://www.twitter.com/iceberg_int]Twitter[/url] [*] [url=https://www.tiktok.com/@iceberg_int]TikTok[/url] [*] [url=https://www.facebook.com/iceberginteractive]Facebook[/url] [*] [url=https://www.youtube.com/iceberginteractive]YouTube[/url] [*] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/iceberg]Steam Publisher Page[/url] [/list]