Hey puzzle friends,
I hope you're all having fun with the latest Bumfuzzled, Haybound Needle, which is probably the most difficult one to date! I'll write a designer diary on that one in a couple of weeks, but today I figured I'd zoom out a bit on my design process in general.
I've mentioned in many designer diaries that my puzzle ideas tend to stem from three different starting points:
- An illustrative idea, where I have a subject matter in mind.
- A mechanical idea, where I have a certain solve experience or connector type in mind.
- No idea, where I just put my pencil to paper and see what doodle comes out.
Now, each design ends up incorporating all three of these to a degree. If I start with an illustrative idea, I'm also going to then land on a connector type that complements that illustration, and there's going to be some doodling along the way. If I start doodling, it's eventually going to take on a form, ending in a whimsical illustration full of interesting connections that I discover in the midst of th doodle, even if it's abstract.
But, there's always that main impetus that each design stems from!
Illustration-First Approach
A few good examples if illustration-first puzzles are Bumfuzzled 7: Aerostat Eve, Bumfuzzled 20: Towering Repast, and Bumfuzzled 23: Arboreal Abode.
With Aerostate Eve, I started with the theme of hot air balloons.
The initial layout was 100% making an visually pleasing arrangement of balloons interspersed with clouds, and the dusk sky which provided a nice, colorful backdrop. I then doodled in some unexpected chevrons for further visual interest. The illustration then informed the cut-styles, with swirly connectors for a breezy sky, bulbous cloud connectors. and interesting hot air balloon mini-puzzles.
Towering Repast very obviously began with a giant stacked burger illustration.
The toppings then informed most of the cut pattern, with the lettuce squiggles, and the holes in the cheese providing many of the necessary connections.
The treehouse theme was front and center to the design of Arboreal Abode.
With the theme-first approach being pretty blocky when it comes to architectural elements, this one was very much about making connections however I could. It required many more utilitarian connections, but a few thematic ones as I could find opportunity, such as the tops of the doorways, and the abstracted spiral staircase. The trees utilize a very doodly connection type.
Mechanics-First Approach
Bumfuzzled 12: Vertex Ruse is probably the ultimate example of a featured mechanism, with puzzles like Bumfuzzled 10: Chromacular Meander and Bumfuzzled 30: Haybound Needle also being good examples.
The entire premise of Vertex Ruse was void-solving.
I went pretty much all-in here on featuring the mechanism, which made for an interesting/unique solve. The color scheme was just there to make it a bit more visually interesting, and to trick the eye a bit when searching for finding the four pieces that would complete a void.
Chromacular Meander presented another unique challenge of primarily solving by piece color to create a gradient.
I then had to doodle/plan a design around that concept that wound the gradient path in an interesting way, and to sneak in other gradient mini-puzzles. The end result is a pleasing abstract piece, the mechanism is truly what shines here.
The current Bumfuzzled, Haybound Needle, was designed on the premise of the connectors simply being sticks that jut out at differing lengths and angles.
The final "illustration" was really just a product of the interesting texture that the mechanism created, accentuated by slight color variance in the pieces. The "needle" was just a fun touch and ah-ha moment to the accidental haystack look!
Doodle-First Approach
When all else fails, just start doodling! The very first Bumfuzzled, Bumfuzzled 1: Enigmatic Gewgaw was an all-out doodle. Bumfuzzled 21: Gooey Galaxy and Bumfuzzled 27: Hexagonal Landscape are other prime examples.
I created Enigmatic Gewgaw on a whim, with no idea in mind, or even the thought it would spark an entire puzzle series that's now the primary identity of Puzzle Bomb today!
In many ways, it shows my lack of experience as a puzzle designer at the time, as there's no real cohesive theme or style here, but the doodle still makes for an interesting puzzle with a slew of connector variety!
Gooey Galaxy has a bit of illustrative direction in that I wanted a puzzle with a lot of voids, but was still majority doodle.
As I doodled and saw how difficult the puzzles was going to be, the outer frame was a bit of a functional mechanical add, providing some structure to begin the solve process from. I thought it was a bit of a humorous turn, given that pretty much none of my puzzles are "border-first" solves.
Hexagonal Landscape began as very random doodling with no aim in mind.
The initial doodle was actually quite boring, but over the course of several iterations, took on a solid identity and aesthetic with an interesting connection system.
I'd love to know from you...
Which of these approaches tends to yield the Bumfuzzleds you enjoy the most? Leave a comment!
Blessings,
Chad aka the Puzzle Bomb Design and Other Stuff Guy
7 comments
I love them all, honestly. Arboreal Abode was the pretty one that drew me in first, and I like the ones with rainbows. I’m entertained by the variety of shapes, especially when there are a couple different styles in one puzzle like the Bosc.
My favorite elements are dropouts, edges that look like connectors (like Haybound Needle) and pieces where the connector isn’t obvious until two or more pieces come together to make a totally new shape. Prismatic Parasol was full of those, and the edge pieces were tricky. I also liked the snowflake sky in Polychrome Slalom because the snowflakes could go in any direction but the pieces around them only fit one way with each other. That was a fun surprise in a puzzle that looked pretty easy at first glance. For me, the more difficult, the better. The fun lasts longer!
Also, I’m trying to figure out which puzzles are in the pile in the picture at the top. There’s clearly 34 keys, Bucolic Mechanoverse, Aerostat Eve, Skyline Oasis and Simian Cask. But I don’t think I’ve got them all. I think I’m missing at least one.
I joined the club with Prismatic Parasol. Had been looking for a while but that one got me to bite. It was a fun puzzle that I will re-due at some point. Nebular Skirmish was absolutely gorgeous in a space invaders theme. I was surprised that all the purple pieces had the same connectors in the same places! Then I caught on to the “holes” and solved it pretty fast. Haybound Needle was far more challenging. Got in the groove and solved it before it drove me crazy. Keep up the great work, can’t wait to see next months puzzle.
I tend to like the illustrative ones best. I probably have the most of those.
I’ve been wondering for awhile now if you would accept suggestions for puzzle ideas? I love your work.
I really do love the variety. Theme first puzzles brought me in the door, sometimes they just look so good! I just couldn’t walk past Towering Repast, for instance.
But the fact that the solve experience varies so much is what really works for me. Nebular Skirmish took a while to find the strategic in that wasn’t just trying a piece against every other piece to see if the bubbles lined up. Then we suddenly unlocked the solve. It’s been the first one which felt easier to solve without a frame there.
With Haybound Needle, we had a weekend away and this one came along with a different outer sleeve on the puzzle and no hint of what we were about to build. We had to do it in 11 piece chunks with breaks to do, and finding where the needle actually went was so satisfying. Many of the abstract ones end up being favourites.
I hope things are looking up for you in these times, Chad.
I think a variety of all is needed! The last monthly puzzle was our hardest so far (space invaders tribute). I like the differences in how to find how pieces fit together. The monkey puzzle and the slalom are runners up to my piece variety/difficulty enjoyment