Comments on: Enjoy the Maze

By: Hobbe

Hobbe — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:00:10 +0000

It’s not actually true that players take the shortest route to the cheese. There’s lots of different ways to build a maze.

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010427/hopson_01.htm

I would argue that designers do drop cheeses throughout the maze. Crafting systems, instances, special pets, etc. Ignoring them is different than complaining that they’re not present. To use myself as an example, I never got a single character in City of Heroes to max level. I was too busy playing alts and amusing myself with side activities.

By: Melf_Himself

Melf_Himself — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:38:11 +0000

They do this – they just space the cheese further and further apart. What you want is cheese spaced equidistantly throughout the maze ;)

By: Crimson Starfire

Crimson Starfire — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:52:08 +0000

Nice analogy.

I think a puzzle driven maze is a good idea, but like Syncaine pointed out, it would make some people feel dumb. There is also the problem that the solutions to the puzzles would be exposed online and then there would be no challenge at all… unless the puzzles have a random element to their solution, and their difficulties/rewards intelligently controlled to be specific to the user (kinda like a handicap)…

By: Yeebo

Yeebo — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:01:21 +0000

I just got back from a bar where nice man will bring you cheese (and fruit and crackers) on a plate. Also wine or snooty beer. No mazes, you just sit in a chair and they do your bidding. Cheese is great.

Wait, what was the topic?

By: Syncaine

Syncaine — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:50:15 +0000

“Why couldn’t they just make our maze more complicated and puzzle-driven? Then at least I’d feel smart when I beat the other rats there. Feeling smart is an especially nice little piece of cheese.”

But most would feel dumb, and unless you hand a cookie to everyone, it’s niche-ville for your MMO.

By: Atnor

Atnor — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:32:38 +0000

“Really, if they wanted me to slow down, all they have to do is drop little bits of cheese all throughout the maze. ”

imho, EQ2 did this to such a degree that there was no point to getting to the reward. In fact, they pretty much made the walls and floor of the maze out of cheese. Eventually you get tired of cheese and want something else, like pretzels. I’d go a long way for some pretzels. :)

By: West Karana » Daily Blogroll 6/25 — A Valiant Effort edition

West Karana » Daily Blogroll 6/25 — A Valiant Effort edition — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:28:23 +0000

[...] Suzina at Kill Ten Rats takes Lord of the Rings Online’s summer festival maze as a metaphor for these sorts of games themselves. Players as the rats, and a grind of pointless accomplishments [...]

By: Hirvox

Hirvox — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:38:01 +0000

Really, if they wanted me to slow down, all they have to do is drop little bits of cheese all throughout the maze. Then I’d actually have something to stop and enjoy.

But when you have eaten the morsels from one part of the maze, you’re going to move on. That’ll leave a part of the maze completely empty! We can’t have that.

By: Bhagpuss

Bhagpuss — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:56:05 +0000

So long as the maze is comfortable and pretty to look at, and I’m not actually starving to death in it, the piece of cheese can damn well wait til I’m ready for it.