How I make puzzles for my indie magnet game (Developing 9)

🧲 Wishlist Mind Over Magnet on Steam! - store.steampowered.com/app/26... 🧲
Developing is an on-going KZbin series, where I share the step-by-step process of making my first video game: Mind Over Magnet!
Since the last episode of developing, I've been hard at work on making puzzles for my untitled indie magnet game. But was I able to make 30 levels, as promised?
=== Links ====
Puzzle Level Idea Strategies | Patrick Traynor
cwpat.me/misc/puzzle-level-id...
=== Credits ===
Music By:
LAKEY INSPIRED @ / lakeyinspired
License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported "Share Alike" (CC BY-SA 3.0) License.
KZbin Audio Library
Epidemic Sound - www.epidemicsound.com/referra... (Referral Link)
=== Subtitles ===
Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/videos/7eV0j8R1f4mK/

[@fabrislemos]

That puzzle matrix is genius

[@jakfrost2]

It's useful for more than just puzzles too. Any time you need content in a game think of how various items or mechanics intersect to help come up with more ideas.

[@kevingriffith6011]

@@lederp42 Hell, I could see it in a fighting game. Comparing each element of two characters movesets together to see if some options are disproportionally advantageous.

[@ShineChromatica]

@@kevingriffith6011 some people in the fgc actually already make matchup sheets like these!

[@kevingriffith6011]

@@ShineChromatica I've seen the matchup charts, but I don't think I've seen them on a move-by-move basis.

[@zmaj12321]

I remember reading that blog post a few months ago and thinking "wow, this is neat, I wish more people would see this." So thanks Mark!

[@johnjekyllson28]

This is how I make puzzle levels in Mario Maker. I pick two or three main gimmicks (depending on how big I want the level to be) and write down every novel interaction I can find between them.

[@FabriSlv]

I immediately thought of Mario Maker when I saw the grid! ...and of how bad I am at designing levels 😅

[@fredclasson7865]

Yeah same kind of thing here. I used to get overwhelmed and want to include everything in levels. But now I know that it's better to focus on a few things and really squeeze them out and make it interesting instead of complicated.

[@derekw8039]

I feel like this trick could work for designing more action-based levels in Mario Maker as well.

[@JmKrokY]

Hmm

[@bluetoad07]

What's your Maker ID? I want to check out your puzzles.

[@omegaminoseer4539]

My speedrunning brethren, the time has come to once again exploit GMTK's game and break it in ways that he'd never foreseen. We are still reeling from the removal of the laser clip, but I believe that wall-techs are still possible. When the game goes live, trust that I will work my hardest to exploit the game as much as possible. You have my honor.

[@ramendampfen]

We are the storm, and we are approaching gmtk 🤝🏼

[@MeCantSpell]

TheSpiffingBrit would be proud.

[@Kenionatus]

I hope he takes the Celeste approach and leaves in some bugs of the bugs that you've discovered and that don't impact normal gameplay.

[@omegaminoseer4539]

@@Kenionatus our #1 exploit was being able to clip the lasers and use them as platforms. I think he's going to give an equally valid option.

[@JmKrokY]

Ok

[@sunnyaliceart]

This is one of my absolute favorite series that you do. I really admire and appreciate your honesty going through the process of making a game. The "Oh God I wanna delete this and live in a cave" to "I can see the End" is really inspirational and something I think we can all relate to. Keep doing your best! You got this!

[@AndreasToth]

He's certainly inspired me to create the games from my game playing days, games that held my attention, games that I had a hard time putting down. I want to relive these games but with the pleasure of having recreated them myself. After all, I've prepared for this all my life having dabbled in creative fields but also in having become a seasoned software engineer.

[@haflaen]

Does anyone else find the Developing intro/outro music super relaxing? It has this vibe of, “ok, we’ve got a lot of work before us, but let’s just take it one step at a time and we’ll get through it together”.

[@vanterbaba4110]

The artist is Lakey Inspired, you might wanna listen to his other music too!

[@firepheonix7301]

@@vanterbaba4110 you know which actual song it is, by any chance? Listened to his other stuff and it's great

[@vanterbaba4110]

@@firepheonix7301 The song Mark uses is called "Blue Boi"

[@nahometesfay1112]

@@vanterbaba4110 Thank you! I was looking for this song on Lakey Inspired's SoundCloud and couldn't find it. They make so much music!

[@05degrees]

@@vanterbaba4110 !!!!!

[@SeanNoonan]

That puzzle matrix is essentially a gameplay variety matrix - something I used at Ubisoft a bunch. It's pretty much the driving force behind maintaining variety across a game's campaign!

[@THExRISER]

What games did you work on when you were at Ubisoft? What games did you use the gameplay variety matrix for?

[@SeanNoonan]

@@THExRISER Watch Dogs and the Far Cry series. The variety matrix was used extensively in both! It was pretty much what drove the gameplay scenarios in every campaign mission (along with the story).

[@THExRISER]

​@@SeanNoonan Ah, the only two Ubisoft series I was ever interested in. They are leagues above the rest from what I know, so you've done a pretty good job keeping the game loop interesting. I'll think back on this conversation whenever I play those games.

[@goranisacson2502]

That's interesting, both those games are big open world series- what "gameplay elements" did they have as equivalent to the "puzzle bits" in Mark's puzzle matrix? Enemy encounters, NPC's, resource acquisitions, stuff you can hack in Watch Dog's case etc, etc?

[@SeanNoonan]

@@goranisacson2502 Hard to explain without showing it, but I'll give an example from a Watch Dogs mission I made. In "A Risky Bid", I recall that the variety matrix suggested "behind enemy lines", "no weapon", "intense combat", "vehicular escape". This drove the mission to force the player into temporarily giving up their weapons at the start, and rely on their phone and stealth once the "behind enemy lines" part of the mission was out of the way. It's hard to say if it was my personal preference bleeding through, or just the direction the game was headed... But at some point I overruled this and gave the weapons back just as the greater combat state kicked into gear. However, that initial focus on making a hacking only path through the combat section didn't go away, so it simply augmented the combat scenario rather than replacing it. Hacking only combat was still mostly viable, but it allowed for a richer combat space for those that wanted to go guns blazing. Hope that sorta explains one application of the matrix, even if I didn't stick to it until ship 😅

[@PokeHearts]

My favorite thing is that the puzzle matrix idea cures the "blank page issue" where you're stuck staring at a blank page (or in this case a blank stage) and not sure what to put on it. Which is extremely clever!

[@Stratelier]

Prompts in general are a fast solution to the "blank page/canvas/screen" problem, in almost any type of project. Writing prompts. Art prompts. etc...

[@error.418]

The high level concept behind most of these techniques is "how can I get more clay (options) on the table?" followed by "okay, now which clay do I keep and which clay do I get rid of? how do I sculpt this clay into my sculpture (game)?"

[@lightningstrike9876]

This reminds me of your episode on Baba is You as well. You described the puzzle making process as starting from a Solution and then working backwards until you reach a satisfying starting position.

[@BenMakesGames]

I was really waiting for him to say "then I found a really good resource: my own videos!" :P

[@Lugmillord]

26 of 30 is amazing! One thing that can be very demotivating in gamedev is not getting "enough" done (according to your own plans). It's beneficial to think in terms of "I got these things done" instead of "I didn't get those things done". A very simple psychological trick. Today I spent 9 hours designing rather small areas on paper and I got 3 of 5 done that I wanted to design. And while I could say "damn, almost half of it is still on the todo list", my mind is rather at the point "man, 9 hours! Can't believe I was able to focus for so long and the areas turned out great". This mindset is especially helpful when the project takes a long time in total.

[@aydenbales]

Love this! It can be really easy to be overly self-critical if you don't take the time to look back and acknowledge your progress.

[@diguifi0fficial]

Finally a video with really applicable and reproduceable steps to create good puzzles, and not just superficial tips or analysis. This video just turned "only geniuses make good puzzles" into "i can make good puzzles if I organize myself and follow these steps"

[@HelperWesley]

Always a treat when a GMTK video gets released. 🥳

[@iamtheonlyjoe]

no way it's helper wesley

[@HelperWesley]

@@iamtheonlyjoe no way it's ThatOneJoe😱 Hey. 👋

[@iamtheonlyjoe]

@@HelperWesley 😱😱😱 Hey!!

[@HoodedOlive]

This is truth

[@spoonsweet]

Puzzle matrix seems lik a very nice and methodical approach. Thank you for sharing this process! Especially how it became a starting point for further work and mental freedom

[@viniciusjdasilva8555]

I cant even understand how ppl make puzzles in general . Making a puzzle game sounds rough

[@IfOUGHTpIRANHAz]

It sure is a completely different muscle from solving them.

[@waltuh4716]

Ye

[@arushiiru]

Doing it in reverse (from solved state to unsolved) is one way to make a puzzle.

[@shlokwaghela9560]

I still remember having my blown at how clever the puzzles got in the portal games, especially the sequel since it's such a simple fucking concept yet executed so damn well

[@elijahberegovsky8957]

@@IfOUGHTpIRANHAz I find solving and setting puzzles actually to be two sides of the same coin, when it comes to pencil puzzles at least (i.e. sudoku, yajilin, slitherlink, starbattle, etc.) Setting a puzzle is just solving a puzzle, when there isn’t yet a puzzle to be solved. You come up with an idea of a solve path, then make it work by iteration. Thus, the more familiar you are with a certain genre of puzzles, the more patterns and techniques you encounter during solving puzzles set by others, the better your own setting becomes. Similarly, setting a couple puzzles in a genre, building them up from a blank grid, can lead you to making up tricks you wouldn’t have otherwise seen, and make you a stronger solver for it. I’d presume it works largely the same way with video game puzzles

[@FireallyXTheories]

That matrix is insane. 22x22/2 = 242 possible levels with 2 mechanics alone and 252 if we built from 2 mechanics up to the full 22. 494 total possibilities. And the best part is they're visually easy to see and sort out. Now that's some productive genious!

[@jacobshirley3457]

Nevermind how one set of combined mechanics can have more than one novel interaction.

[@randomsandwichian]

Too true, I'd even go so far as add in one more mechanic to add a little more depth (easter egg or story branch?) to each level. Imagine the possibilities

[@error.418]

@@jacobshirley3457 Well, and minus the combinations that just don't work or aren't fun for one reason or another. But the point is you get _a lot_ of clay on the table to then start sculpting down into the sculpture (the game) that you want. The high level concept behind most of these techniques is "how can I get more clay (options) on the table?" followed by "okay, now which clay do I keep and which clay do I get rid of?"

[@yalilitman849]

This has been such an inspiring series not only as someone who adores game development but as someone who wants to work in creative fields. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making this.

[@Leonvddeure13]

Suggestion: use the music of this series somewhere in the game, like menu screen or intro screen or something. I love this song!

[@Roxfox]

I genuinely want to play this now! Not just out of curiosity, like before, but some of these puzzles look really inviting and rewarding! That idea matrix is a tool that can probably used for every type of game. I've seen similar charts with enemies and weapons used to dissect why Doom and Halo have such rich combat scenarios. I bet something similar was going on in the minds of whoever decided that Burnout Paradise should have three different boost systems that reward different types of driving, and which cars should have which boost combined with which stats. Fill up all the possible slots, prototype them, get rid of the ones that don't make sense or aren't fun. Boom, game development.

[@rancheraosborne]

Where have you seen the Doom and Halo charts you mention?

[@Roxfox]

@@rancheraosborne I couldn't tell you at this point. Ancient video essays going way too in depth about why their favorite game is so good. I think one of those charts came up in... I think it was a video about Far Cry 3, and a chart like that was used to explain why the enemy variety in that game is so lacking? God knows who made that video, though... I consume a lot of content and don't retain much of it!

[@officialgrimwaregamesllc]

"Finish The Game" - the saying I tell myself as I work on my game for 4 years now...

[@Sitskier123]

I love the idea of this puzzle matrix! One thing I would encourage you to do is to remember the solution for older puzzles once you figure out some basic order and reuse some of those solutions as pieces of puzzles further down the line as I think it would be nice to add depth and allow for the player to have a callback to something they solved before and have it be just a portion of the overall puzzle down the line with a bit of a twist maybe too! Love the progress! Keep up the great work! (Obviously it’s your game so so as you please but just figured I’d offer my thoughts)

[@shawnheatherly]

The spreadsheet is really clever! That's a great idea to see what mechanics are being underutilized or perhaps popping up too much.

[@robertscherf9642]

“I’m almost at the end… I just have to do general polish” 😂 poor guy, you have no idea…

[@Agustinb14]

He said he could see the end. As in, the path to follow is more clear. Not that he was finishing already.

[@asthalis]

The final polish might take ages but once the core mechanics work fine, the game world is done and the learning curve is right, the rest does not really feel like work but more like a relief...

[@robertscherf9642]

@@asthalis It definitely feels like riding a bike downhill... a hill that never seems to end!

[@BillyLemonZest]

The first 90% is much much easier than the second 90%.

[@iantaakalla8180]

When making a video game takes 180% effort for some reason

[@marularch]

Greetings from Serbia! I hope I can start making games soon too.

[@D3kryption]

That puzzle matrix thing. Legit blew my mind. I shared that tip and this video with a few people 😅😅

[@michaelpease2103]

Every veteran dev: "Don't spend more than 3 months on your first game" Every rookie dev: "So i think it's ready for polishing after 3 years"

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

What I love about your process Mark is that you incorporate research into it, experimenting and exploring methods to better aid your production. It's so easy to get burnt out and demotivated, but sometimes a bit of research can go a long way into boosting your enthusiasm and plotting out a new route for success!

[@hamzafasih]

Mark you're making such quick progress, it's truly an inspiration. Can't wait to see the finished game 🔥

[@tahini245]

It’s actually insane how the developing series has been going on for a year now. I still remember when the first one came out

[@JaredClaunch]

That matrix is an ingenious way to get past the ‘white blank page’!

[@cheeseballpete8944]

Mark: "I will see you (hopefully) in March!" March: ...

[@reNINTENDO]

The matrix concept is essentially another way of looking at another common puzzle design method: teaching the player mechanics. You mention this in the video tangentially, but for me this is the focus rather than a side effect. Once you develop your main mechanic and sub mechanics, the game should teach the player how to use them, and for a puzzle game, that's done via puzzles. It's essentially the same concept of classic Mario level design, but with a more explicit purpose. Your reordering of puzzles near the end outlined this, but for me, puzzle design has always been easiest when I know what I want to teach the player. As you found, experimenting with your tools/mechanics though is a great way to discover that. Hell even making puzzles to teach something is a great way to stumble into new combinations. Like Johnathon Blow has mentioned about Braid, designing a game can lead to the game essentially designing itself. One caveat to all this (and this applies to making puzzles in general, regardless of the method), is in order for it to work... you have to really understand your mechanics. Being good enough at puzzle games to understand the lateral thinking the designers want you to figure out is one thing, but it's another thing all together to invent your own. So kudos to you for making so much progress and finding so many clever combinations! It's incredible how much you've learned and improved on through this project in such a short time.

[@G-Major]

That "fill the cells in the spreadsheet" design strategy is a big part of how content gets made in all sorts of games! The work for "design 50 abilities" is made so much clearer when you instead say "design an ability at each rarity for each keyword for each weapon." Figuring out what the columns and rows should be is the juncture where content and systems designers need to be on the same page.

[@ReVision..]

Yeah New Video!

[@WebstersYouTube]

That matrix is low key genius. Glad you found your flow. I'd be interested in learning about the tools you developed.

[@AndreasToth]

I love the logical process. The puzzle matrix leads to individual experiments, some of which lead to discovering useful combinations that then lead onto becoming the foundation for a level design, which then lead to multiple levels being created, that then lead to the puzzle bible, that then highlights gaps in the levels and hence the need for new new level designs utilising the identified combinations that they need to include. It's like you have gamified the process from begging to the end since each part leads to a reward that then builds on the previous to then complete the game, which in this case results in a game being created! I love it!

[@Gibom]

Happy to see that puzzle strategies post by Patrick get some recognition, it seems very useful

[@Kilomylesco]

I use this technique! I call them art-punnet squares, shout out to Mendel and his peas!

[@mikecullingham5585]

This is exactly the video I needed, as I continuously find myself enjoying design-more-widgets-time and dreading level-design-time. Thank you!

[@NightRunStudio]

I've shared this series with a couple of my high school game dev classes and it's brilliant! Thanks so much for opening up and sharing your insights into the design process. This one has been especially helpful for me as I work on my own project. Keep it up!

[@GMTK]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Toprak135]

The puzzle matrix makes things so much faster. Dude went from semi-procrastinating to really enjoying the development.

[@fal_pal_]

And so 1.37 million people went on to incorporate puzzle matrix into their design workflow, and we were all better off for it. Thank you so much for sharing your process!

[@zmanrockz6358]

Every one of these videos makes me more excited for the final product. You’re doing great Mark!

[@unhingeDoor]

Thank you so much I felt like maybe just giving up on being a game dev altogether but to know that you had similar struggles to me and hearing your solutions is really inspiring!

[@RetroBreak]

Loving these dev diaries! Very clever with the table for puzzle elements, and using Keynote to arrange levels is genius!

[@reeceborgars]

These videos are always a treat - I started making my own game shortly before you released the first in the series and it's been really cool seeing the parallels in our experiences. I'm not making a puzzle game, but I totally agree that coding new mechanics is far easier to focus on than making content, and I'm at a similar place where I mostly have to focus on content and it can feel like a bit of a slog sometimes. Still, the end being in sight (if distant) is a great motivator and so is seeing others with similar experiences - thanks for making the series!

[@zacharywong483]

Superb video, Mark! Your breakdown of the puzzle-making process was fascinating and educational! And it's so exciting to see how well your game is coming along!

[@hoebare]

The puzzle matrix is a great tool and I like that you highlighted that it is just one way someone could give themselves a seed to start from. You also mentioned that you still haven't come up with a story. To me the story is almost always the most important part and before watching the whole video I was going to suggest that the puzzles should be motivated by the story. But you're making excellent progress anyway, so instead of "should be" let's say "could be". Besides, if you don't have a seed for the story you're still staring at a blank canvas with no clear goal in sight. ANYWAY, excellent video, thank you.

[@arkdotgif]

11:36 funnily enough, you did invent maths! that shape you made is called a cardioid

[@randomlinuxuser]

Hey Mark, I just want to say you're doing great work. We really appreciate the gamedev videos with the behind-the-scenes looks at what it takes to be a solo indie developer. It's a giant undertaking and I know I'm super proud of how far you've come. Thank you so much for allowing us to come with you on this journey, and I look forward to your update in the future :)

[@asthalis]

The matrix is a great idea ! For my own game, I just listed all mechanics I had created and tried to find the best way to introduce them so that the player keeps discovering new things all along the game and get a nice learning curve.

[@jonperry]

That matrix is exactly how I generate interesting effects for card games.

[@prejudicedpizza2764]

Hey Mark, just wanted to thank you for all your videos and insights into game making. I finally found the courage and motivation to start on my first, and thanks to you, I'm not scared of not finishing it, or it being too much for me anymore.

[@smashcubed]

Way to go, Mark! That's some great progress, and you're motivating me to make more games.

[@monoinyo]

what a journey, that you for sharing the ups and downs - it's already all worth it for the videos and cherry on top the game looks like a hit

[@oliverfalco7060]

This video is really cool, right now I'm writing a story, and this was encouraging hehe thanks ❤️

[@EzekielWarren]

The title "The clever hack that makes puzzle design easier" made me more interested in this video. The mechanic matrix idea is very cool!

[@JvG0]

I love this series, it's great to see such high effort content still exists.

[@TheIronicRaven]

I really like the idea of the puzzle matrix! It reminds me a lot of the way that I use to make factions/races/groups in the games I make. I create a list of every single mechanic that the game has, then I assign a handful to separate factions as their major focus, and then a different handful to the same factions as their minor focus. Depending on the number of mechanics some will be shared (though one faction will have it as their major and the other as their minor) or not shared at all It's a great way to make factions feel totally different based on the focus that they have, so they aren't just thematically different they are also different in gameplay. The puzzle matrix sounds super similar. You've got a list of all the mechanics and a really great progression system. Keep up the awesome work, both with game design and the videos!

[@verysourdragon]

This is a beautifully made video you have here, as someone who has been watching for a few years now and have always been used to hearing your voice overs, it's lovely putting your voice to your face whilst you explained everything, with the frequent cuts to the visuals of the game. I felt I could engage with the video rather than be a audible background that historically your videos have been for me. Keep up the marvelous work!

[@Defectivania]

I'm seriously so grateful for you taking the plunge to not only develop your own game, but take us along for the ride, and being courageous enough to share the ups AND downs. it's really encouraging as a creator to see how you put the advice in your amazing analysis videos into practice!

[@jazibobs]

As someone who has been banging their head against the wall regarding designing puzzles, that matrix is ridiculously useful! Thank you!

[@quardamon]

So proud for you. Following your progress is a pleasure and inspiration at the same time

[@ForlornCreature]

Man I love watching these, I can really get a feeling for the whole process that I’ve never really gotten from anything else.

[@Skeffles]

Great to see how the matrix helped you find the fun puzzles and I'm glad to see you excited for the game again!

[@stephenrollins265]

Mark, I love this series, because it feels like a journey I could see myself going down. I find it very helpful that almost every one of these videos starts with dealing with frustration, a lack of motivation, etc. because seeing how you deal with those obstacles makes me feel like I could do that, too. I am looking forward to your play testing video! I really hope that you will take some time to talk about how a developer could approach play testing if they don't have a huge KZbin channel and Discord and Patreon full of willing testers.

[@moustachiox3562]

Just keep on going, Mark! There are only a finite number of steps between you and your goal and you are taking them one at a time! The amazing thing is that everything you learn, we learn too. Even though I'm writing a science fiction novel and you're making a puzzle game, I can apply so much of the logic, organisation and goal-oriented determination that you share in your videos to my task also, so thanks very much and looking forward to the next installment!!

[@Icecicle83]

I’ve been wanting to make a game for a while. I might actually start on it now because of you. It’s helpful to see your process to know where to start.

[@felixtremblay1390]

This is such a great way of making puzzle, I have been having a hard time when making some little game to come up with interesting puzzle. This is genius! Thank!

[@sniperdragon3345]

one of the things I love in some games is the secrets and easter eggs in it , I think it will be a good idea to add some

[@eddeh0772]

Honestly one of the best video series about working as a creative I’ve ever seen. I don’t make games as a job, nor do I make games as a hobby, but I do work in a creative field, and I am learning SO MUCH from your videos. Thank you!

[@KhuestionableDecisions]

I have been waiting for this next installment for a long time, yay!

[@badroshdy1012]

Best of luck, happy to see you excited for the release of this game

[@pedrooliveira936]

great video and some amazing tips, specially the puzzle matrix idea. thanks for the hard work!

[@MajesticMindGames]

This is amazing. I'm working on a puzzle game right now and this video is gold. Thank you so much. ❤

[@mtthwfreeman]

I've been trying to write short stories, so not really like game development at all, and yet I've found a lot of useful insights and inspiration watching your GMTK progress on this magnet game. So thanks for that!

[@dejaview365]

Love following this project along as you make it. It's really inspirational!

[@andygeers]

This video is SO helpful - thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, both the challenges and the breakthroughs. The puzzle matrix idea is SUCH a helpful concept.

[@microdavid7098]

no youtuber uses this music like this series. Truly some of the best videos on youtube

[@DeepFriedOreoOffline]

This is an amazing concept for puzzle design, wow! One thing I saw in a video a while ago was the idea of a "double-take effect". It doesn't work for puzzle where the goal is part of it, but the idea is to setup a method for solving the puzzle that pretty much requires the player to fail once. Such as, you teach the player to press a button in the previous room. In the next room, there's a ledge, a button, and a platform. So the player goes to press the button... but the platform goes up without them. Then they realize there's a box in the corner.

[@iwoMalki]

Amazing mate! Really great idea with that Puzzle Matrix! Gonna try it myself for my Puzzle Game where literly got the same creative problems where it comes to puzzle level desing.

[@suicaf]

Mark Brown: That's a Puzzle George Constanza: That's a Show

[@mantarri]

I'm working on my first project I'm going to release, and I just want to say that your "Developing" series has been one of the few series that has encouraged me to keep on. Probably also responsible in part for the fact that it's end up as a puzzle game. xD I was just banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how to come up with puzzle ideas, and this video has suddenly given me hope. xD

[@JVStorck]

This is one of the best videos on game development I've ever seen, pure gold, making levels is my main bottleneck, not making a puzzle game here, but the mechanics matrix can certainly be used and adapted to any kind of game.

[@njdarda]

i watched the whole series in one go and you're like a different person when compared to first video in the series. this metamorphosis from an aspiring video game developer to an actual video game developer is really inspiring. i can't wait for the final product and for your future endeavours.

[@usualatoms4868]

Inspiring story. It can be so easy to just quit a project when faced with a really difficult section but powering through can be so rewarding and important in your personal growth. Well done!

[@Surfboarder4]

Really enjoying this series! Really excited for this to be a finished game! Looks like a lot of fun and I'm a big fan of the art style.

[@Alison-cj4pj]

this is one of the coolest game design trick i've ever seen. You'll publish this masterpiece soon just keep moving :)

[@micahjones7837]

Mark I need you to know that it's so encouraging to hear that I'm not the only person who gets really discouraged trying to do something new sometimes! Thanks for your honest look at game dev!

[@aliexacute3930]

Mark, i just wanna say, you were the inspiration i needed to start learning unity! Much love man, keep up the great work

[@ghostnugget1911]

i just found you and you are now one of my favs game dev youtubers and i'll use you to fuel my dream of becoming a good game dev. :)

[@JF743]

26/30 is still really good! I'm looking forward to more dev logs and the eventual release!

[@annakopeikina9685]

Amazing video and very helpful material and experience for other puzzle gamedev folks! Thank you❤

[@RyanMcLeod]

Such a thoughtful process and documentation! Thanks for sharing this!

[@jacobdaboss8413]

This made me think of that expression "Judge, jury and executioner" but with game design, pretty neat. Keep it up👍

[@michaeltang6290]

Humans work really well having decent feedback loops. With large concepts like "Build a puzzle" or "Build a chair", humans can quickly become demotivated by feeling like their not making progress. The puzzle matrix is a great tool to help bring some of that feedback loop back into level design, love it!

[@convincingmountain]

the puzzle matrix is so cool, it's like a fast-track way of getting interesting interactions between many independent systems... my system for making cool levels is just messing around with whatever tools i have available, and mushing stuff together until something interesting happens as though it's a point-and-click adventure. really great tips n ideas on how to navigate around the "writer's block" you had.

[@toxic_shr00m]

This is so cool! Genuinely so interesting and inspiring to see your journey of making this game. I hope some day I can create something in a way that inspires someone else in the way that you have done to me. Can't wait to see what comes next.

[@MyChunkyGoose]

An inspiration as always good sir. Thank you for showing us your game dev journey!

[@J4ckkuz]

The new visuals look great!

[@yellofinch2710]

Really really love this type of video--will be trying to apply the mechanic matrix to combat level design and seeing if it works out! Would love to see more videos on design methodologies+tricks like this.

[@giggityguy]

Sounds like you were bashing your head against the classic creative problem of the blank page. And you definitely found the solution that most people find works best, which is to introduce goals and restrictions to give each idea more focus. Necessity is the mother of invention, and limitations are the mother of creativity. On an unrelated note, I still want to draw attention to the fact that even with all of the work that is going into making the game, your video quality is still superb. The editing, effects, scripting, and flow are professional grade.