The following exercises are taken from the book The Rules We Break by Eric Zimmerman
Exercise 1
Paper Prototyping Sheet for Get Out!
https://theruleswebreak.com/resources/gamesheets/RulesWeBreak_Sheets_GetOut.pdf
Design a puzzle using only Ute (the protagonist), the grid, the starting point, the exit and any amount of obstacle blocks.
– this kind of puzzle has a correct answer that you are first designing and then “hiding”.
– you can add “expert” goals, ways to solve the puzzle in less than a certain number of moves
– think about the aha! moment. When solving puzzles you often experience an epiphany that makes you look at the problem and the system differently.
Connect these nine points with a pen by four (or fewer) straight lines without lifting the pen or retracing any lines.
That’s where the phrase “thinking outside the box” comes from.
– Does the level use the space in an interesting way?
Exercise 2
Brainstorming new Game Elements.
-What could they do?
-How can describe the new rules in the sheet as precisely as possible? In a way a player can follow them unsupervised.
-Keep the rules as simple as possible, make sure you exhaust all the possibilities before you move to more intricate mechanics.
-Think about the new elements can be combined to produce more complexity
Exercise 3
Select 1 or 2 special element and create 3 levels leverage them.
-The first should be a “tutorial” that explains the new element(s)
-number each puzzle so it’s clear in what order they should be played
-make sure the players can “restart” the levels: if things can be move, mark the starting positions.