Hello everyone, I just posted a little poll to see what kind of puzzle games you people enjoy playing the best, well, the poll is only 2 options. I will really appreciate a vote from everyone and anyone!

Wow, this is interesting, it's a tie so far. I think it will come down to me looking at ways how I can combine both techinques. It will be hard, but it's always good to satisfy as many customers as possible.

It took me a long time to vote on this poll because I have no real preference. I've enjoyed games that belong to both camps, I think that the implementation of the gameplay around the items is more important then how you expose the player to them.

Ah, yes the implemintation of gameplay around the items is important. Fitznik for example did a great job there I think. Although I've heard that a lot of people complained that Fitznik didn't have enough elements to play with. Oh well, no one can crerate a new gener that satisfies everyone. I guess you just have to balance out the type of games you release so that there is a game for everyone.

I voted for New Elements Every Level, but to me an "element" is not nessicarily an object in the game. An "element" could be a concept. An element could be a new aspect of an existing object in the game.

Also, I think the key is variety, whether you do it by introducing new elements, or by mixing up the experiences you have with existing ones. I think introducing new things each level has a better chance of satifying the "variety" craving aspect for more users.

But having both (new elements, and new twists on existing ones) makes for the best experince, i think.

Hanford

I voted for a game that has fewer elements combined in different ways. Fitznik is a good example of such a game. It has a very small set of rich objects.

I didn't vote because I don't think the poll is clear enough. I mean new elements every level could be very ineteresting or sloppy and annoying depending on how it's implemented. I could probably vote for either and it would be accurate depending on how the game was presented.

I was apt to vote for that because I like variety and working my way towards goals to see more variety in games. But at the same time this has to be approached carefully because I also don't like to be constantly facing a small learning curve as I go.

There's another level of fun you can reach when you've mastered the use of the various bits in a game and you're no longer thinking about how the piece or element works, but rather how you can combine the pieces to solve a puzzle. It's the difference between playing a good game of chess and trying to remember how many squares over a horse can jump.

Thanks everyone, those are very interesting points. The votes are very close, so I am going to do what I was afraid I might have to do. Make levels with new elements and with new twists on existing ones as hanford_lemoore said earlier. Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate the help.

I couldn't vote either. The poll asked two good questions, but needed at least one more. While you can certainly use a few puzzle elements over and over, it's nice to introduce a few new ones later in the game. So if you're thinking of actual puzzle type items that change the gameplay, you don't have to show a new one every single level. I like a balance. You can use existing elements for awhile and then bring a new one in later to freshen up the game.

Originally posted by Hydroaxe
I like a balance. You can use existing elements for awhile and then bring a new one in later to freshen up the game.

Yes, that is exactly what I've decided upon. Thanks everyone for making my decision a lot easier!