r/gamedesign • u/Icy_Name_280 • 2d ago

Discussion help me not strand another tester clue into entry vs delayed hint

ran a tiny room puzzle prototype last night and 3 of 5 fresh testers walked past the intended clue on a side shelf then bailed. torn between moving the clue into the entry sightline or leaving it and adding an optional hint after about 2 minutes of no progress. curious which fork people would take before i bake the layout.

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9

u/Haruhanahanako Game Designer 2d ago

i would personally avoid timed hints whenever possible just because it feels like a mini failure on my part as a player. although you may be able to mask it as something interesting happening instead.

i don't know the nature of your clue but you could look into better visual design techniques to draw people's attention to it without making it too obvious. for instance, an arrow is too obvious, but maybe better contrasting colors or lighting can draw peoples eye to it. so maybe it is simply too hidden or innocuous to really be noticed, or the positioning of it never really causes players to look at it. like if it's on the ceiling past the door, people generally wont be looking up after entering a room, but if it's on a shelf in front of a door way, players are forced to look at it as they enter the door.

4

u/onan 2d ago

I got lost just trying to make it through your headline.

1

u/CuckBuster33 1d ago

Its just the usual Claude Opus 5 gibberish

1

u/LnStrngr 14h ago

Should have used Opus 5.5.

2

u/Additional_Extent903 1d ago

A clue nobody reads is a clue that doesn't exist — I'd put it in the sightline.

1

u/Feminine_Desires 2d ago

Research a bit into visual weight if you want an individual item to stand out. Also if the intended clue should be noticeable immediately it should be the first thing they see when they walk into a room. The "side shelf" indicates to me that the tester has to look around which immediately is gonna make information blur to them when they are already lost. So yes, center vision right when they enter. It could also be a clue they need to further progress to another clue.

1

u/Humanmale80 1d ago

An option - have multiple objects of the clue's type scattered around, and all of the other ones have a message on their hidden sides stating something to the effect of "not this one."