When should the game offer a hint to a player who is stuck?

A hint that pops up too soon spoils the puzzle, and one that never comes loses the player. Time since the level started tells you nothing; what the player has been doing does. Here is a simple rule that reacts to idle time and wrong moves, and gives stronger help only when the weaker help was not enough.

Why this works

Being stuck shows in behaviour, not in the clock: someone thinking calmly is quiet, someone lost is idle or keeps failing. Help that starts small and grows only when the weaker help was not enough keeps the puzzle alive while still rescuing the player.

When not to use it

Skip it in games with no single right answer or in competitive modes where help would be unfair, such as ranked or timed play. There, offer a visible guide in the menu, or none at all, so every player gets the same chance.

In the full entry

• What to build, step by step
• Starting values and the reason for each
• 3 common mistakes and the fix
• 36 lines of example code with 4 checks that pass
• How your AI shows you that it works

Say this to your AI

Use the Spielerando entry "When should the game offer a hint to a player who is stuck?" (read_entry hint-button-timing-when-the-player-is-stuck) in my game. Build it step by step, and show me how you checked that it works.

Or skip this and connect the MCP: your AI then finds all of this by itself.Connect the MCP