When players fail a timed level, is the clock the problem or the puzzle itself?

Both a tight clock and a hard puzzle end in a failure screen that looks the same. This entry shows the one extra number to log at the moment the time runs out so that you know which of the two to change.

Why this works

A timeout alone does not say who is to blame. Looking at how much was done when the clock ended separates a clock that is too short from a puzzle that is too hard: nearly done at the end means the time, hardly started means the puzzle.

When not to use it

It does not help when failures come mostly from mistakes, or when the clock is there for pressure and not meant to be comfortable. Then the time is part of the challenge, so look at the mistakes first or compare with a version without the clock.

In the full entry

• What to build, step by step
• Starting values and the reason for each
• 3 common mistakes and the fix
• 31 lines of example code with 5 checks that pass
• How your AI shows you that it works

Say this to your AI

Use the Spielerando entry "When players fail a timed level, is the clock the problem or the puzzle itself?" (read_entry puzzle-timer-or-puzzle-is-the-wall) 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