Stratadrake
Elder Than Dirt
Joined: 05 May 2004
Posts: 13721
Location: Moo
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 Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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Not counting the exceptions, of course... but the majority of puzzle games on the market -- that is, the ubiquitous "block/tile puzzle" type of games, there are only two types. Both of them have one common objective: As pieces (blocks, tiles, etc.) are added onto the board, you sort them into certain patterns, and once those patterns are formed, the blocks/tiles disappear to make room for more pieces (and patterns). Fail to find/match patterns often enough, the board becomes cluttered, you run out of space, and it's game over.
But here is where the tile/block puzzle games split into their two diametrically opposite breeds.
[u][b]The Pre-Sort Tile/Block Puzzle Game[/b][/u]
This variety of puzzle game puts you in charge of organizing the pieces into their patterns [i]while[/i] the new pieces are still arriving (falling, etc.) onto the board. You move, flip, and/or rotate each piece as it descends so that it lands in the optimum spot to form a pattern (and clear out more space). Once the piece lands, it's essentially immobilized; you can't affect it anymore, and you can only land other pieces around it to form patterns for scoring (and clearing space).
Examples of pre-sort puzzle games (that I can think of right now):
- Tetris
- Dr. Mario
- Fortress (GBA)
- Lumines (PSP)
[u][b]The Post-Sort Tile/Block Puzzle Game[/b][/u]
In this type of puzzle game, the new pieces fall onto your board automatically, apart from your control. Since you can't manipulate the pieces while they are falling, your job is instead to manipulate and sort the pieces which are already on the board, and thus form patterns with them. Again, once the patterns are formed, the blocks disappear and you continue.
Examples of post-sort puzzle games (that I can think of):
- Yoshi's Cookie
- Tetris Attack / Pokmon Puzzle League (they use the same engine)
- Polarium (DS)
- Meteos (DS)
[b]Comparison[/b]
Time is the major limiter to both varieties of puzzle games. In the pre-sort variety, the pieces fall at a set rate (which gradually increases as you score higher), limiting the amount of time you have to find a place for it; in the post-sort variety, pieces fall (or add) on to the board at a set rate, which also increases gradually as you score higher. In both cases, there is a limit beyond which, if there are too many blocks on the board, your game is over.
Additionally, both varieties can offer the competitive features of "garbage blocks", where by scoring highly in a single pattern (or combination of patterns), some of the blocks that were eliminated from your side of the board will be dumped upon your opponents. Sometimes the garbage blocks are recoverable/counterable by normal means (e.g., Tetris, where it's just a partially-filled row added to the bottom, and easy to complete), or sometimes the garbage blocks must be removed by special means (such as combos of your own). If your opponent should score highly and send a major storm of garbage down upon your board, sometimes you have time to react and defend, other times it might be instant game over.
[b]Contrast[/b]
One of the differences between the pre- and post- sort varieties of puzzle games lies in its play mechanics, that is, the control scheme. Arguably, this is primarily IMHO, but after playing Meteos for the DS, I believe the pre-sort variety is better suited to traditional control (i.e. D-pad/arrows and rotate buttons), while the post-sort variety is better suited to cursor-type control (i.e. mouse, pointer, or touch screen). This is because, in the pre-sort variety (where [b]you[/b] manipulate the pieces as they fall), the functions of "move" and "rotate" are easily mapped to directional button control; by contrast, in a post-sort puzzle game, you are moving a [i]cursor[/i] on the gameboard to select the pieces you with to arrange. Naturally, a mouse can be quickly moved to any position on its pad, and you can tap any point on a touch-screen within a quick reflex, producing very quick and precise control; whereas moving a cursor manually (through the use of buttons or a D-pad) is precise, but considerably slower.
I can also propose that the post-sorting games proceed at a naturally quicker pace than the pre-sorting games. In a pre-sort game, the pieces (or shapes) can only be added one at a time (because you have to move and rotate it as it falls). If, as in Tetris or Dr. Mario, each piece enters the field at its middle, this can create a "sand-cone" syndrome, where in high levels (and thus high speeds) it becomes impossible to move a piece quickly enough to land it at the sides of the board, so pieces end up forming a pile near the middle (often leading to a quick defeat). Therefore, in a pre-sorting game, defeat is defined as being unable to place a new piece on the board. In a post-sorting game, by contrast, defeat is measured by the field itself: if the pieces pile up to a certain limit (such as the top), it's over. And since the new pieces fall across the board in roughly equal distribution, the player must attempt to form patterns across all areas of the board, lest one area pile up higher than another and cause defeat upon reaching its limit, even while the player works in clearer areas.
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