I read already many times people are "annoyed" about the "platform puzzles" in ED.
Sometimes I too because
I have problems with "TIME based" puzzles. I remember at least 2 platformpuzzles where I must reach an next platform before an amount of seconds, otherwise you must begin (over) again or you will die because the platform goes down in lavastream!
I have much patient, but I can fully understand many people are annoyed !
I like puzzles in a RPG !! The Keara Fortress puzzle I really love it!
And the most platform puzzles too, except the ones that are "time based".
So don't stop making more "puzzles" in your games Larian! I like it!!
My suggestion about puzzles (so the next games are even better and more intuitive) :
1) make a (hidden) possible second way to solve a puzzle for people who didn't like the puzzles! For example:
- a) provide an additional skill :
- * a skill so a player can for example STOP the TIME for a few seconds or more?
- a skill like Telekinesis (see DD) so the player can move a lever from a distance so he must make LESS jumps from platform to platform or can pull a (hidden) lever by using Telekinesis so the puzzle is immediately solved, but with some minus points for the reward of solving the puzzle on that way or some enemies comes free by using the hidden lever and the player must first kill all enemies before he/she can take the reward (with XP OR no XP (?) for killing these enemies)
- a NPC : finding a NPC who can help you (via Mindreading?) to solve a puzzle? For example: if you Mindread the NPC you discover HOW and WHERE you can pull a (hidden)lever or something else so the puzzle is solved or the puzzle haven't his "time based" element anymore!
- Or : via Mindreading a NPC (a Mage, for instance), you learn a "spell" so the time stops if you speak the spell while you make the puzzle or whatever!
- Or ... I'm sure other people here have also more suggestions for alternative ways .. ?
Just some of my thoughts for an alternative
Please make the reward for solving a puzzle higher IF the player must put his/her SKILLPOINTS in a additional SKILL for solving a puzzle on an alternative way.
OR: give this Skill some extra's the player can ALSO use in BATTLE
:
suppose the additional skill is "Telekinesis", then supply here and there some levers on a wall or behind a waterfall, in a big fountain or whatever ... and if the player find those levers and pull them via Telekinesis (other ways to pull them are NOT possible or ONLY possible via Mindreading?), some mechanism begin to work and :
- 1) some creatures resurrect and help you in battle ...
- 2) or some "traps" appear for damage nearby enemies or enemies that comes closer ... !
- 3) or a spellbook appear you can use against those enemies in that specific area AND possibly the player can "learn" (one of the) weak spots of the enemies ... ?
- 4) or a weapon appear that is strong/good against specific kind of enemies ... ?
A second suggestion:
I love the idea the make the game from easy to very hard to play!
So also put here an there "books" OR give the possibilty by some NPC's to Mindread them to find out more about a kind of enemy ...
... and so the player find out more about the strength and weakness of most enemies so the player can make different strategies to kill them ! That aspect I really love !! Then the player can choose to play the game on very hard AND use the knowledge about (most of) the enemies he must kill so the game is playeble, also at very hard
IF the player wants to make the effort to make "time" to learn this knowledge!!
Thanks for reading my suggestions !
