The Brilliance of Paper Puzzles
Noble Steed Games
[{'start': '0.133', 'end': '0.932', 'text': 'A quick warning.'}, {'start': '0.932', 'end': '5.196', 'text': 'This video contains minor spoilers\nfor the puzzles you see on screen.'}, {'start': '5.262', 'end': '7.094', 'text': "If you haven't played them yet,\nyou really should."}, {'start': '7.094', 'end': '9.259', 'text': 'So check out the links in the description.'}, {'start': '9.259', 'end': '11.658', 'text': 'Game developers have long lauded paper'}, {'start': '11.658', 'end': '15.055', 'text': 'prototyping as a quick and easy\nway to test gameplay mechanics.'}, {'start': '15.288', 'end': '16.754', 'text': 'Testing a game'}, {'start': '16.754', 'end': '20.051', 'text': 'without having to commit too much\nto building it is incredibly helpful.'}, {'start': '20.118', 'end': '23.083', 'text': 'But what about games\nthat are designed for paper?'}, {'start': '23.083', 'end': '25.181', 'text': 'Around COVID, there was this pipeline that I saw'}, {'start': '25.181', 'end': '26.680', 'text': 'a lot of game developers go through'}, {'start': '26.780', 'end': '28.146', 'text': 'and I think it falls squarely'}, {'start': '28.146', 'end': '30.877', 'text': 'at the feet of YouTube channels\nlike Cracking the Cryptic'}, {'start': '30.877', 'end': '33.608', 'text': 'Game developers were looking to fill\nthe large amount of indoors time'}, {'start': '33.608', 'end': '36.606', 'text': 'that we all found ourselves\nwith after getting through video games.'}, {'start': '36.639', 'end': '38.072', 'text': 'Animal Crossing anyone?'}, {'start': '38.072', 'end': '42.202', 'text': 'turned to more bespoke experiences\nlike Sudoku variants or crosswords.'}, {'start': '42.302', 'end': '44.767', 'text': 'Strange Sudoku variants have this'}, {'start': '44.767', 'end': '48.331', 'text': 'feeling of exploration and discovery,\nwhich is really delightful.'}, {'start': '48.397', 'end': '52.561', 'text': 'Like these Fog of War Sudoku where \nplacing a correct digit allows you to see'}, {'start': '52.561', 'end': '53.494', 'text': 'more of the grid'}, {'start': '53.494', 'end': '56.691', 'text': 'Or these Rat Run sudoku\nwhich have you placing numbers in a maze'}, {'start': '56.691', 'end': '60.788', 'text': 'while also navigating\nhow the rat can reach its food.'}, {'start': '60.855', 'end': '63.753', 'text': 'These types of games always existed,\nbut I personally think'}, {'start': '63.753', 'end': '66.884', 'text': 'that COVID led to a big burst\nof more people experimenting with them.'}, {'start': '67.117', 'end': '70.548', 'text': 'People started creating very unique\npuzzles, often with unknown rules'}, {'start': '70.548', 'end': '73.546', 'text': 'that needed to be discovered\nor rule discovery.'}, {'start': '73.712', 'end': '77.709', 'text': '12 Word Searches is one of my favorite\nexamples of these types of games.'}, {'start': '77.776', 'end': '79.774', 'text': 'It takes the common word\nsearch and injects'}, {'start': '79.774', 'end': '82.139', 'text': 'a lot of weirdness into it\nas you progress.'}, {'start': '82.139', 'end': '85.137', 'text': 'You turn the page\nand suddenly feel absolutely stumped.'}, {'start': '85.270', 'end': '88.102', 'text': "There's\nno way you'll be able to solve this."}, {'start': '88.102', 'end': '90.999', 'text': 'But then you can just do your wits\nand a pencil.'}, {'start': '90.999', 'end': '91.999', 'text': 'You figure it out.'}, {'start': '91.999', 'end': '93.764', 'text': "It's an incredibly unique feeling."}, {'start': '93.764', 'end': '96.229', 'text': "I think that's part\nof the joy of these paper puzzles."}, {'start': '96.229', 'end': '99.660', 'text': "You're given a small booklet and you know \nit contains a handcrafted puzzle"}, {'start': '99.693', 'end': '103.424', 'text': 'with everything you need within the bounds\nof those pages to figure it out.'}, {'start': '103.524', 'end': '105.555', 'text': "It's just use your wits and a pencil"}, {'start': '105.555', 'end': '109.153', 'text': 'against a developer,\nand more often than not, your own printer.'}, {'start': '109.219', 'end': '114.149', 'text': 'Take the books of\nLetibus Design. Like Lok,'}, {'start': '114.149', 'end': '118.379', 'text': 'Lok is a book where you decrypt the strange\nlanguage of a forgotten society.'}, {'start': '118.446', 'end': '121.444', 'text': "It's unmatched in terms\nof the simplicity of its setup"}, {'start': '121.444', 'end': '124.208', 'text': 'and the beautiful complexity\nof where it goes.'}, {'start': '124.208', 'end': '127.972', 'text': "Again, it's very simple to start,\nbut builds up into a complex puzzle"}, {'start': '127.972', 'end': '129.538', 'text': 'that has been beautifully handcrafted'}, {'start': '129.538', 'end': '132.735', 'text': 'to treat your brain\nin the few hours that you spend with it.'}, {'start': '132.802', 'end': '135.034', 'text': 'These are the joys of paper puzzles.'}, {'start': '135.034', 'end': '138.598', 'text': "They're relatively simple to develop\ncompared to a big budget video game"}, {'start': '138.598', 'end': '139.297', 'text': 'at least.'}, {'start': '139.297', 'end': '142.295', 'text': "So it's easier for the loving\nhand of an auteur to craft them."}, {'start': '142.562', 'end': '143.661', 'text': 'This means they are likely'}, {'start': '143.661', 'end': '147.491', 'text': 'to have unique mechanics\nthat have been polished up very nicely.'}, {'start': '147.558', 'end': '151.755', 'text': "They're also typically very approachable,\nwith no need for prerequisite knowledge"}, {'start': '151.855', 'end': '155.619', 'text': "and often quite short \nthey don't overstay their welcome."}, {'start': '155.685', 'end': '159.682', 'text': 'Also, there is an undeniable\ntactile joy in just solving something'}, {'start': '159.682', 'end': '163.446', 'text': 'with your hands that elevates them\na bit beyond other types of puzzle games.'}, {'start': '163.513', 'end': '165.112', 'text': "So let's try it."}, {'start': '165.112', 'end': '168.143', 'text': "The best way to see what it's like\nto make a paper puzzle is just start."}, {'start': '168.276', 'end': '170.941', 'text': 'I was playing a lot of Boggle\nover the holidays and I found'}, {'start': '170.941', 'end': '173.972', 'text': 'that was a great starting point\nfor a puzzle to get my mind whirring.'}, {'start': '174.205', 'end': '177.203', 'text': 'I started with the idea of a puzzle\nwhere you spelled words while'}, {'start': '177.269', 'end': '180.267', 'text': 'also trying to figure out\nthe arrangement of the dice,'}, {'start': '180.301', 'end': '183.465', 'text': 'but needing to figure out ways to arrange\na six sided dice'}, {'start': '183.465', 'end': '184.997', 'text': 'felt a bit too complex.'}, {'start': '184.997', 'end': '188.728', 'text': 'So I simplified it down to coins. \nOn each side of the coin a letter'}, {'start': '188.794', 'end': '190.626', 'text': "and you'd be spelling words\nwhile trying to figure out"}, {'start': '190.626', 'end': '192.325', 'text': 'how the coins matched up on each side.'}, {'start': '192.325', 'end': '195.190', 'text': 'The next step was to start setting\nsome puzzles.'}, {'start': '195.190', 'end': '199.053', 'text': 'I started setting a few simple \n\\Word Search style puzzles, and quickly realized'}, {'start': '199.053', 'end': '201.918', 'text': 'it was going to be very complex\nto find ways of arranging these coins'}, {'start': '201.918', 'end': '204.483', 'text': 'that would line up to make actual English\nwords.'}, {'start': '204.483', 'end': '205.915', 'text': 'I ended up going a bit backwards.'}, {'start': '205.915', 'end': '208.913', 'text': 'I made a digital tool\nto help me set these puzzles.'}, {'start': '209.013', 'end': '211.977', 'text': 'It feels a bit weird to use a digital tool\nto prototype'}, {'start': '211.977', 'end': '215.242', 'text': 'a physical game, kind of like\nthe reverse of paper prototyping.'}, {'start': '215.342', 'end': '218.639', 'text': "I wonder if that's something that other\npaper puzzle designers have done too."}, {'start': '218.706', 'end': '220.038', 'text': 'Anyway, it worked out.'}, {'start': '220.038', 'end': '225.168', 'text': 'Plus, I do love making complex\nspreadsheets and this one was a doozy.'}, {'start': '225.268', 'end': '226.467', 'text': 'With a spreadsheet built, I'}, {'start': '226.467', 'end': '230.264', 'text': 'was able to set up my grids of coins\nand start to set the meta puzzle.'}, {'start': '230.364', 'end': '234.094', 'text': 'I started covering up letters, ensuring\nthere were some nice leaps in logic'}, {'start': '234.094', 'end': '237.325', 'text': 'to help you figure out the ways\nthat letters could be arranged.'}, {'start': '237.425', 'end': '240.423', 'text': 'Letters could be hidden,\nthe target words could be hidden,'}, {'start': '240.523', 'end': '241.989', 'text': 'and players would still need to figure out'}, {'start': '241.989', 'end': '244.986', 'text': 'how the letters must be placed\nin order to have words fit.'}, {'start': '244.986', 'end': '247.651', 'text': "Look, it's hard to describe here,\nbut you should play the game."}, {'start': '247.651', 'end': '248.650', 'text': "I'm pretty proud of it."}, {'start': '248.650', 'end': '251.648', 'text': 'With the meta puzzle built,\nI needed to do some play testing.'}, {'start': '251.682', 'end': '253.114', 'text': 'I find that when setting puzzles,'}, {'start': '253.114', 'end': '256.112', 'text': "it's really hard to know\nif I've nailed the difficulty."}, {'start': '256.145', 'end': '257.211', 'text': 'I already know the answers.'}, {'start': '257.211', 'end': '261.075', 'text': "So how am I meant to figure out\nif it's too big of a leap of logic"}, {'start': '261.075', 'end': '264.072', 'text': "to intuit the answer\nbased on the info you're provided?"}, {'start': '264.306', 'end': '268.103', 'text': 'I got some friends to test it out\nand found that I actually had ended up'}, {'start': '268.103', 'end': '271.534', 'text': 'making things a bit too difficult,\nSo I simplified a few bits, added'}, {'start': '271.534', 'end': '274.731', 'text': 'some hints to the player, some extra\nmeta elements to show the player'}, {'start': '274.731', 'end': '279.195', 'text': 'how they should be taking notes in a way\nthat would help them solve the puzzle.'}, {'start': '279.295', 'end': '282.292', 'text': "It's again weird to think about\nhow can I help a player"}, {'start': '282.326', 'end': '285.124', 'text': 'figure out what I already have\nfigured out?'}, {'start': '285.124', 'end': '289.054', 'text': 'How can I tell them the way that I think\nthey should write down their thoughts'}, {'start': '289.054', 'end': '290.786', 'text': 'in order to best \nlead them to an answer?'}, {'start': '290.786', 'end': '293.617', 'text': 'But again, hopefully I did a good job.'}, {'start': '293.617', 'end': '298.147', 'text': 'All we needed to do is add a bit of visual\npolish and it was ready to release.'}, {'start': '298.381', 'end': '301.012', 'text': 'Check out the link\nin the description to play.'}, {'start': '301.112', 'end': '301.778', 'text': "There's definitely"}, {'start': '301.778', 'end': '305.475', 'text': 'a lot of joy in being able to make simpler\nand smaller games.'}, {'start': '305.575', 'end': '308.573', 'text': "It's helped me design puzzles\nto make them more approachable."}, {'start': '308.573', 'end': '312.404', 'text': 'Not to mention focusing your design\ndown to the simplest elements of a game'}, {'start': '312.404', 'end': '315.535', 'text': 'so that you can put on paper\nis a great skill for a developer to have.'}, {'start': '315.768', 'end': '317.167', 'text': 'So get out there.'}, {'start': '317.167', 'end': '318.333', 'text': 'Try some paper puzzles'}, {'start': '318.333', 'end': '322.296', 'text': 'and enjoy some of these experiences\nthat fellow developers have put together.'}, {'start': '322.363', 'end': '323.595', 'text': "You won't regret it"}, {'start': '323.595', 'end': '325.894', 'text': 'While researching this\ntopic and working on my own games,'}, {'start': '325.894', 'end': '330.157', 'text': 'I came across the Thinky Games website,\nwhich is a great collection and community'}, {'start': '330.224', 'end': '333.222', 'text': 'for folks who like paper puzzles\nor puzzles of any type, really.'}, {'start': '333.322', 'end': '336.153', 'text': "So check that out if you're looking\nfor more recommendations."}, {'start': '336.153', 'end': '338.551', 'text': 'Links to all the games\nwe showed off today in this video'}, {'start': '338.551', 'end': '339.884', 'text': 'can be found in the description as well.'}]