![]() Being a game designer, he was able to put into words what he was feeling, and it’s been an extremely useful guideline ever since. ![]() This friend was a game designer and the feedback was completely unsolicited, he just blurted it out while playing. “When I realised that everything had a purpose, I started to play differently. I distinctly remember one player saying to me, When you design puzzles where everything has a purpose, in time you earn players trust. And mistakes feel less frustrating because it’s easier to see other possible solutions and “have one more go.” When the brain thinks it can see a solution, players can’t help but act. This, in turn, is more inviting for players to have a go, particularly newcomers to puzzle games. The two blue blocks are just obstacles to move out of the way.īecause there are now no distractions, the brain can immediately see possible solutions. The goal in the below puzzle to is to get the orange block on the left onto the orange cross. I’ll give you an example from one of my early Puzzlescriptprototypes (Puzzlescript is a great prototyping tool with limited graphics). ![]() What do I mean by dead space? Anything that isn’t part of the solution. When you earn their trust, they feel motivated to play through your game. There are a lot of people who don’t like puzzles because they think they can’t solve them. I think this sort of purposeful design is critical for appealing to a broad audience. I believe this is the most important aspect of Puzzledorf’s design, especially when appealing to a broader audience: everything has a purpose. The physical layout of the puzzle can be used to both teach and guide, without the use of text. I talk in depth about this in “ Tutorial Design in Puzzledorf“, but basically there’s only one way for players to move, they can’t get it wrong, and I use visual and audio feedback to reinforce when they’ve done something right. I use puzzle design to help teach the rules of the game. How to teach them without boring them? Or better still, how to have a tutorial that doesn’t feel like one? ![]() A lot of players, however, hate tutorials. Teaching players how to play the game is the first thing to get right. I also think there’s cross-genre applications to some of these ideals. This article covers the guidelines for puzzle design I used and why I think it appeals to that broader audience. I’m not going to suggest it’s the only way to make a good puzzle, but it works, and it appeals to a broad range of demographics and gaming preferences, including people who don’t like puzzle games. I believe I found a solid answer for “What makes a good puzzle?” that works for Puzzledorf. It was inspired by the fact that a lot of my friends, who don’t like puzzles, found my earlier puzzle games addictive. With Puzzledorf, I pursued an answer relentlessly until I was satisfied. That question has been in the back of my mind for years while making small, experimental puzzle games. When making Puzzledorf, I asked myself a question: ![]()
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![]() That’s because it provides coverage for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS hardware, plus on top of this, you get five devices supported minimum, and the 10-device plan has a deep discount (which you don’t see on the other two Bitdefender products, as mentioned). However, one of the main strings added to the bow here is parental controls, and because Internet Security isn’t such great value for higher device requirements – like that of a family – it makes less sense overall, at least in that respect.Īlso, both Antivirus Plus and Internet Security only cover Windows PCs, so if you have a lot of devices across different platforms, including smartphones, then Bitdefender Total Security is the clear choice for you. As it doesn’t cost much more than Antivirus Plus in some cases, you may be tempted to push the boat out a bit and go for Internet Security instead – depending on how much you value its selection of extra features. Much the same is true of Bitdefender Internet Security, in terms of only applying discounts to one or three device plans. However, Antivirus Plus only offers big discounts on lower amounts of hardware (a single device, or three), with larger device numbers not benefiting from any price-cutting, and not having the same value proposition (at least given current pricing – and indeed historically, too, this has been the case). Now, this plan can cover up to 10 devices – indeed, all the Bitdefender plans mentioned here can – which is impressive on the face of it. The potential weak point with Antivirus Plus comes with device coverage. Indeed, Bitdefender’s most affordable subscription option packs a number of capabilities that many vendors reserve for their upper-tier plans. Many folks will have their needs fulfilled by Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, which offers a lot of features for an entry-level product. (Image credit: Future) Which Bitdefender antivirus plan should I get? It also scores highly as a value proposition, given the overall quality and depth of coverage you’re getting here – we’ll discuss that further in the next section. That means you can protect not just Windows PCs, but Macs, and also Android and iOS mobile devices, so if you have lots of hardware – or your family does – across different platforms, then that could obviously be a major consideration.īitdefender Total Security also throws in anti-theft features and the ability to trace or remotely lock (or wipe) your device should it be stolen (or lost for that matter). The real selling point of Total Security is that it allows multi-platform coverage. With Bitdefender Total Security, you get the flagship security suite and it carries all of the features mentioned in the above two packages, plus it adds some PC maintenance tools - these are basic but it’s handy to have them integrated. There are some neat additions here, then, and Bitdefender Internet Security is not that much more expensive than Antivirus Plus (at least not with some subscriptions, given the current deals Bitdefender is offering). ![]() ![]() The spam filter is a strong effort and definite highlight, and the parental controls are similarly thorough, with those useful privacy extras including webcam and mic protection, and the ability to utilize secure (encrypted) file vaults. Namely a firewall, email spam filter and parental controls, along with some privacy tools. ![]() The mid-range Bitdefender plan is an internet security suite which has all the features of the above Antivirus Plus, but adds a few more into the mix. (Image credit: Bitdefender) Bitdefender Internet Security ![]() |
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