What makes a puzzle good/bad?

[nokori3byo]

I have a love/hate relationship with 3D puzzles in FPS games. On the one hand, I get a feeling of accomplishment from solving a difficult puzzle. On the other hand, there's a certain kind of headache I only get from being stuck in a single area for half an hour trying to figure out what I have to do to progress.

Looking at the Half-Life franchise, there are some puzzles I recall very fondly. The laser beam sequence in "Questionable Ethics" was interesting, not because of its difficulty level, but simply because it required a little bit of thought and patience, and it was fun to watch it coming together. Most of HL2's memorable puzzles are, for some reason, packed into the early chapters. I like the ramp-raising puzzles in "Water Hazard" because they were interesting to interact with in a Rube Goldbergesque way (even if the convenient placement of a washing machine on a rickety ledge was a little hard to swallow).

In contrast, the most maligned Half-Life puzzles were ones that appeared in "Residue Processing" and "Sandtraps" (like the infamous "don't walk on the sand" puzzle). In truth I didn't mind either of these levels, but the fact that they rely on coordinated jumping and/or patience seems to dimish them somehow in the eyes of gamers. Also, HL2 milked the grav gun bridge gimmick a bit too much in my opinion.

So, the question is, do you like FPS puzzles, and if so, what makes them good or bad? And also, what games put the puzzle element to the satisfying use? Please add spoiler warnings for recent games.

 

[Steve]

I think what makes a good puzzle is having an obvious objective with a difficult path to accomplishment.

Having a difficult puzzle is one thing, but I HATEHATEHATE not even knowing what to do.

 

[Asknoone]

A good puzzle first presents the problem, and then guides and instructs you on how to solve it. Once that part is done you leave the player to solve the rest of the puzzle, knowing exactly what to do and how to do it, bumping up the challenge at every available point, and testing them on their newfound knowledge. Having the player revolve around the problem, such as in Blast pit (Half-life) for example is also a very good way of keeping the player in the loop. Directing them on new paths and sending them away from the problem can often cause confusion, and most players like to check on their progress regularly.

 

[Bad^Hat]

For puzzles in general, I like it when they contain a fair amount of difficulty and a good amount of interaction with the environment - also things that make you go "neat!". The two things I hate most in puzzles though are alot of trial and error, and getting hung up on the details. For example I hate when I've all but solved a puzzle, but get held up by something entirely miniscule, like using the wrong type of item or cliking the wrong part of a painting or something totally asinine which the game gives absolutely no hint to. Those frustrate me to no end...

As for FPS puzzles in specific, they should contain some or all of the following - shooting things, pressing things, breaking things, and manipulating the environment or things in it (or even better, enemies). Other more boresome things like shifting objects around alot or timing jumps should be solely restricted to platformer puzzles, unless they find some way for it to make sense in the game's environment.

Edit - What Samon said, too. I was actually thinking of Blast Pit when I read the OP

 

[nokori3byo]

Other more boresome things like shifting objects around alot or timing jumps should be solely restricted to platformer puzzles, unless they find some way for it to make sense in the game's environment.

Yep, the "communications array" puzzle in Jedi Outcast drove me bananas. Flipping switches, jumping from platform to platform...it was all so tedious. Puzzles like that really only have the effect of pulling you out of an immersive narrative and making you think "Well, here I am again in video game land..."

 

[Bad^Hat]

Don't recall that puzzle in particular, but Jedi Outcast would be one of the exceptions to the jumping rule. Force jump is just damn fun, and actually somewhat intuitive to use.