This article looks at the visual style of Puzzledorf, but also how the graphics teach through design.
The Visual Design of Puzzledorf: Reflections
Playtesting and Puzzledorf: Reflections
Playtesting should be a key part of your design process. Done correctly, playtesting will transform your game design into something powerful.
Puzzle Design in Puzzledorf: Reflections
This article covers the guidelines for puzzle design that I used in Puzzledorf and my answer to the question, "What makes a good puzzle?" It's not intended to be the only answer, but instead is a guide through my journey about what worked for me.
Difficulty Pacing in Puzzledorf: Reflections
This article talks about the difficulty level of Puzzledorf, how it changes over time, and how that is used both to engage and retain players to help them finish the game.
Tutorial Design in Puzzledorf: Reflections
Teaching people how to play your game is a critical component of game design - and yet a lot of players hate tutorials. So how to teach people without boring them? Better still, how to provide a tutorial that players don't think of as a tutorial? This article discusses the subject through the lens of Puzzledorf.
How Difficult Should I Make My Game?
The subject of difficulty makes for interesting debate. There is a trend these days of making easier games to reach wider audiences. Is that a good thing? Back in the days of the Nintendo NES and SNES, games were much harder as a general rule, particularly when talking about modern Nintendo or casual games -... Continue Reading →
Megaman 11 And Breaking Down Levels
I've mentioned Mark Brown before as a game design channel you should watch. One of his more recent videos is on the game design of Mega Man 11. Making a platformer is something I've always wanted to do, and possibly will do for my next project now that Puzzledorf is finished. Mark's analysis is great.... Continue Reading →
Work Healthier Hours, Make Better Games
I was reading an article yesterday by the developers of Slime Rancher. It talks about crunch in the industry, but gives a unique perspective of their own experience. According to the article, they have maintained 40 hour work weeks, and furthermore, do not believe they have made a successful game despite those hours - they... Continue Reading →
Good Advice On Being A Successful Indie Developer For Mobile
One of the people I respect is Bart Bonte. He's put a lot of puzzle games out and has had a successful blog running for quite some time. I also heard he recently got to 500k players on his game Black. Well, Bart put an article out recently on how he's become a successful mobile... Continue Reading →
Stuart's Pixel Games 