Telltale Games

Booboo · 07/01/2011, 10:22 pm

First off, I loved the first Puzzle Agent. Completed it in one sitting and was satisfied by it. The puzzles were hit or miss, but they were fun enough even when they were easy.

So far, I love the second game as much. The writing is still pretty good and the mood is unique for a video game.

(SPOILERS here)

But that space digits puzzle felt like a complete mistake. I was pretty good at math in high school, but I don't know more than four pi digits. The thing is that I understood the puzzle, but I couldn't do it and had to look elsewhere.

Like I said, I love the mood of the game, and "alt-tabing" the game to check the number on internet destroyed the that mood. I quit the game and came back later.

Also, it's pretty misleading that the number are in pair. It's like they want you to think about something else (because the puzzle would be pretty easy if it wasn't for that).

I think in games like this (like Puzzle Agent and Prof. Layton), the player should be able to solve the puzzle when he understands it. Also, they shouldn't be hard because they're misleading, they should be because they present a logical challenge.

I don't think the answer is common knowledge, but maybe I'm wrong. I still love the game and think it has an unique mood for a videogame. Sorry for the rant.

Epic Kiwi · 07/02/2011, 04:06 am

I only ever played the first Professor Layton game on DS, but I remember there being a similar annoying puzzle in which the player was required to know the positions of letters on a keyboard in relation to each other (which wasn't a problem for me at the time as I was sitting right next to my computer, but I could have easily been somewhere where one was not available to look at). It only took a minute to alt+tab and look at the windows calculator to get pi, but was still annoying to have to do so.

Graywing · 07/02/2011, 04:48 am

Do have to agree with this one being quite a bummer puzzle as well..

I recognized the number being a clustered form of Pi in when I accidentally read it out loud..but my reciting skills of Pi are normally limited to 3.1459 something something something..

Just like I said in the coinbox thread: puzzles should be solved with common logic, not alt+tabbing to Wikipedia.... being able to recite pi further than 6 digits isn't common logic but plain weird

**puzzlebox** · 07/02/2011, 05:36 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graywing

being able to recite pi further than 6 digits isn't common logic but plain weird

I once knew a guy who could recite pi to 50 decimal places. This is what I made for his birthday:

pi_pie.jpg

90 decimal places to go around! Precision icing is not my greatest strength though.

Graywing · 07/02/2011, 05:38 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by puzzlebox

I once knew a guy who could recite pi to 50 decimal places. This is what I made for his birthday:

Attachment 2668

90 decimal places to go around! Precision icing is not my greatest strength though.

That's one nice looking pi-pie!

WalkerTR77 · 07/02/2011, 08:41 am

I had to use hints to derive that it was a mathematical formula, once I got that I flew to my calculator and had it tell me the digits of pi. Unfortunately the calculator was giving it to 9 decimal places (ergo the answer would be 54) which was not the variant of pi the puzzle was using. Had to go to wikipedia. Thought it was still a fairly neat puzzle though. That final Monosaki puzzle is out of order though.

Booboo · 07/02/2011, 10:17 am

I haven't finished the game yet (I'll probably finish it today) so I don't know about other puzzles, but it was the first one that I hated this much. Even in the first game there was no puzzle where I needed to alt-tab.

Garywing is right, puzzle should be solved with common logic. I'm disappointed with this cause it feels like they didn't even bother to test the puzzle. I understant how the developpers can't see their mistakes, but this puzzle (and the coin box one, for lot of folks) feel likes obvious mistakes that a tester could see right away.

Anyway, still a good game.

P.S. Puzzlebox: I want that pie.

LabRatt · 07/03/2011, 04:00 am

As it happens, I sometimes use Pi to 9 decimal places as a PIN so I know it fairly well and recognised the sequence. I have to say that I rather feel that truncating at 9 places and not rounding is, well, cheating. Anyone likely to know the sequence without googling knows that you round a decimal when you truncate to a certain number of figures.
Did anyone get this in one go? Ok, in retrospect, the wording suggests simply the next two digits in a continuing sequence, but I think it's still misleading...

richmcd · 07/04/2011, 10:17 am

Why would you round it? I understand sequence puzzles as potentially continuing indefinitely... In the puzzle "What comes next after 2, 4, 6, 8, ?" You don't imagine that those are the only five numbers in the sequence, it's just that you only need to give one more term to show that you've understood the puzzle.

That's what's wrong with it, that you can know what the sequence is without knowing how to continue it. I have no problem that the numbers are paired, and I think the OP is going to have to disallow quite a lot of good and fun lateral thinking puzzles by being that strict. The "AHA!" moment is one of the best parts of solving a brainteaser style puzzle, and a large part of creating that comes from adding in redherrings or presenting information in an unusual way. But the point of the puzzle is "can you recognise the digits of the decimal expansion of pi, even if we group them into pairs?" The related task "can you look up pi to nine decimal places on google" is tedious and breaks immersion.

LabRatt · 07/04/2011, 12:07 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by richmcd

Why would you round it? I understand sequence puzzles as potentially continuing indefinitely...

...

Quote:

Originally Posted by richmcd

The related task "can you look up pi to nine decimal places on google" is tedious and breaks immersion.

Go and lookup pi to 9 decimal places - it's 3.141592654. You'll never find it as anything else - this is because of the rules of mathematics. Look it up (or know it) and you'll fail the puzzle.

Falanca · 07/04/2011, 12:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Booboo

Also, it's pretty misleading that the number are in pair. It's like they want you to think about something else (because the puzzle would be pretty easy if it wasn't for that).

Hence why it's a puzzle. It's not a good one at that, though, I agree.

Booboo · 07/04/2011, 07:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by richmcd

I think the OP is going to have to disallow quite a lot of good and fun lateral thinking puzzles by being that strict.

You're probably right.

I don't enjoy too much those kind of puzzle (that's why I quit traditionnal point n' click game) but I'm probably the minority here.

I tend to enjoy puzzle where you are given all the elements and the rules but still need to figure out how to make those work together. Games like Portal worked pretty well this way (it's just an exemple), I think.

I wouldn't mind those too much in the next puzzle agent if they were actually good, though, since I love the mood so much.

07/01/2011, 10:22 pm	#1
Booboo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 10	I hope it's the only puzzle like this... (ranting, sorry) First off, I loved the first Puzzle Agent. Completed it in one sitting and was satisfied by it. The puzzles were hit or miss, but they were fun enough even when they were easy. So far, I love the second game as much. The writing is still pretty good and the mood is unique for a video game. (SPOILERS here) But that space digits puzzle felt like a complete mistake. I was pretty good at math in high school, but I don't know more than four pi digits. The thing is that I understood the puzzle, but I couldn't do it and had to look elsewhere. Like I said, I love the mood of the game, and "alt-tabing" the game to check the number on internet destroyed the that mood. I quit the game and came back later. Also, it's pretty misleading that the number are in pair. It's like they want you to think about something else (because the puzzle would be pretty easy if it wasn't for that). I think in games like this (like Puzzle Agent and Prof. Layton), the player should be able to solve the puzzle when he understands it. Also, they shouldn't be hard because they're misleading, they should be because they present a logical challenge. I don't think the answer is common knowledge, but maybe I'm wrong. I still love the game and think it has an unique mood for a videogame. Sorry for the rant.

07/02/2011, 04:06 am	#2
Epic Kiwi not a coconut Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: I accidentally the entire city of Boston Posts: 331	I only ever played the first Professor Layton game on DS, but I remember there being a similar annoying puzzle in which the player was required to know the positions of letters on a keyboard in relation to each other (which wasn't a problem for me at the time as I was sitting right next to my computer, but I could have easily been somewhere where one was not available to look at). It only took a minute to alt+tab and look at the windows calculator to get pi, but was still annoying to have to do so. __________________ Status: Epic Now Playing: Telltale Texas Poke 'Em 2

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Puzzle Agent BUG : Puzzle 2	joelegecko	Puzzle Agent Discussion	10	09/28/2012 04:10 pm
Suggestions for puzzle corrections	MultiPigeon	Puzzle Agent Discussion	25	08/15/2010 07:36 am
Puzzle Agent Site Puzzle?	FatDragon	Puzzle Agent Discussion	3	07/10/2010 03:12 pm
Puzzle Agent: First Puzzle Downloading?	Exomonia	Forum & Site Help	3	07/09/2010 10:51 am
Worst puzzle in TMI? (Plus some rambling)	Kroms	Tales of Monkey Island General Discussion	31	02/23/2010 10:48 pm

07/02/2011, 04:48 am	#3
Graywing Munior Jember Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Netherlands, the Posts: 80	Do have to agree with this one being quite a bummer puzzle as well.. I recognized the number being a clustered form of Pi in when I accidentally read it out loud..but my reciting skills of Pi are normally limited to 3.1459 something something something.. Just like I said in the coinbox thread: puzzles should be solved with common logic, not alt+tabbing to Wikipedia.... being able to recite pi further than 6 digits isn't common logic but plain weird

07/02/2011, 08:41 am	#6
WalkerTR77 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 10	I had to use hints to derive that it was a mathematical formula, once I got that I flew to my calculator and had it tell me the digits of pi. Unfortunately the calculator was giving it to 9 decimal places (ergo the answer would be 54) which was not the variant of pi the puzzle was using. Had to go to wikipedia. Thought it was still a fairly neat puzzle though. That final Monosaki puzzle is out of order though.

07/02/2011, 10:17 am	#7
Booboo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 10	I haven't finished the game yet (I'll probably finish it today) so I don't know about other puzzles, but it was the first one that I hated this much. Even in the first game there was no puzzle where I needed to alt-tab. Garywing is right, puzzle should be solved with common logic. I'm disappointed with this cause it feels like they didn't even bother to test the puzzle. I understant how the developpers can't see their mistakes, but this puzzle (and the coin box one, for lot of folks) feel likes obvious mistakes that a tester could see right away. Anyway, still a good game. P.S. Puzzlebox: I want that pie.

07/03/2011, 04:00 am	#8
LabRatt Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 11	As it happens, I sometimes use Pi to 9 decimal places as a PIN so I know it fairly well and recognised the sequence. I have to say that I rather feel that truncating at 9 places and not rounding is, well, cheating. Anyone likely to know the sequence without googling knows that you round a decimal when you truncate to a certain number of figures. Did anyone get this in one go? Ok, in retrospect, the wording suggests simply the next two digits in a continuing sequence, but I think it's still misleading...

07/04/2011, 10:17 am	#9
richmcd Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 9	Why would you round it? I understand sequence puzzles as potentially continuing indefinitely... In the puzzle "What comes next after 2, 4, 6, 8, ?" You don't imagine that those are the only five numbers in the sequence, it's just that you only need to give one more term to show that you've understood the puzzle. That's what's wrong with it, that you can know what the sequence is without knowing how to continue it. I have no problem that the numbers are paired, and I think the OP is going to have to disallow quite a lot of good and fun lateral thinking puzzles by being that strict. The "AHA!" moment is one of the best parts of solving a brainteaser style puzzle, and a large part of creating that comes from adding in redherrings or presenting information in an unusual way. But the point of the puzzle is "can you recognise the digits of the decimal expansion of pi, even if we group them into pairs?" The related task "can you look up pi to nine decimal places on google" is tedious and breaks immersion.