Crafting
Learning paths through this topic
Check that a combine-two-things puzzle can be solved and list the shortest route
In a puzzle where you combine two things into a third, one forgotten recipe leaves the last item out of reach, and nobody notices until a player writes in. This entry finds every item the player can reach from the start, names the ones they never can, and lists the combinations needed for any goal in order.
Stop the player from crafting something that makes the level impossible to finish
In a puzzle level with limited materials, one innocent craft can eat the last of what a later, required item needs. The player plays on for ten minutes before it is clear nothing works anymore. This entry checks ahead whether a craft still leaves the goals within reach, and what to tell the player.
Turn a long match into a special piece and decide which one, and where it lands
In a matching game, lining up four or five pieces crafts a special piece, and combining two specials makes something bigger. The trouble is the cases in between: a line and a crossing at once, or a special swapped with another. This entry gives each shape one clear result and makes the combination table independent of order.
Merge a whole pile of tiered items at once and let the leftovers climb the ladder
A "merge all" button turns a stack of small gems into bigger ones. Done in the wrong order, the button leaves a pile of items that could still be merged, so the player has to press it again and again. This entry works through all the levels in one press and says exactly what is left.
Merge a group of matching pieces into one better piece on the square the player touched
In a merge puzzle the player drops a piece next to its twins and expects them to melt into one step up. The new piece appears in a random spot, a bigger group gives nothing extra, or a chain stops after the first merge. This entry decides where the result lands and keeps the chain going.
Judge a potion mix by its proportions, so two parts to one is right at any size
A mixing puzzle wants red and blue in a certain proportion. Players pour in a spoonful or a bucket, and the game must say whether the proportion is right, how close it is, and what to add. Comparing amounts directly fails, and floats make a perfect mix look slightly wrong. This entry judges with whole numbers.
Give a stuck player a hint that names the next thing to make, not the whole answer
A crafting puzzle has a goal item behind several steps, and the player is stuck. A hint that spells out everything spoils the puzzle, a hint that only says "gather more" is no help, and one that suggests making a part twice wastes material. This entry names the one next step and what is still missing.
Audit a recipe list for loops, twins and dead ends before players find them
When a puzzle game has dozens of recipes written over several evenings, mistakes creep in: two recipes with the same ingredients, an item that needs itself, or a made item that nothing ever uses. These are invisible while playing and obvious to a checker. This entry finds all three and says which recipes are to blame.
Recognise a shaped recipe wherever the player puts it on the crafting grid
A recipe shows two planks on top of each other, but the player puts them in the corner, in the middle, or flipped left to right, and the game says nothing happens. Another player leaves a stray item in a far square and still gets a result. This entry matches by shape, not by position.
Let players undo a craft without letting them re-roll the luck
Undo is a kindness in a puzzle, but if a craft has a chance of a bonus, undoing and trying again is a slot machine with a free handle. Taking the undo away is unkind. This entry lets players go back as often as they like and makes the same step always end the same way.
Choose which healing item to craft when one button fits several recipes
A quick-craft key should heal now. But three recipes all heal, and the game keeps burning the one rare ingredient the player was saving. This entry picks a recipe by priority and, when priorities tie, spares whatever the player has least of.
Make the rare crafting part drop eventually, but stop counting once it is not needed
A rare scope part drops from one enemy in ten, and some players kill fifty enemies and see nothing. A hidden counter fixes that, but it can also pile up luck for a part the player already carries. This entry makes the odds climb and knows when to stop.