dreamisle
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 23
Registered: 05-13-2005
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Is trivia in a hold a problem? A hold I'm working on has a level with lots of multiple choice trivia questions with orbs (and checkpoints). The concept was one I found in another user-made hold and liked, but I adapted it to include binary puzzles and using mimics for some questions. One concern I had is that a lot of my questions aren't quite common knowledge. Although a few are math problems, who can tell me Can I get a (or several) second opinions?

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The Hold of Knowledge is a hold I'm working on with a lot of scripting elements that piece together some great puzzles for ya. Check out the tester versions!

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2936
Registered: 03-29-2003
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If I have to find the answer to a question outside the game, it would turn me off a lot. I don't want to have to quit or minimize to look it up. Even if it's common knowledge to me, it might not be that way to someone else, and I would sympathize with them for sure.

My suggestion would be to make a separate trivia hold (if that's not already what you're doing), or make the trivia all optional, in secret rooms/levels only. Or to have the answers available in the hold somewhere, but that is usually part of a global puzzle instead of trivia.

Game on,

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"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

dreamisle
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 23
Registered: 05-13-2005
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That's a very good point. I think I'm going to make two seperate routes then, one with trivia and one with slashing puzzles. Do you think that questions which are strictly middle/high school level math would be common knowledge though?

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The Hold of Knowledge is a hold I'm working on with a lot of scripting elements that piece together some great puzzles for ya. Check out the tester versions!

silver
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 915
Registered: 01-18-2005
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Sure. They'd be common knowledge. But also therefore no fun.

Trivia is fun when it's something obscure. But people play trivia games for that. They play DROD for puzzles they can solve within DROD.

A solution might be to replace math trivia with math/logic puzzles/problems. But those are very hard to make without cribbing from a book of math games.


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Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

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Registered: 03-29-2003
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dreamisle wrote:
Do you think that questions which are strictly middle/high school level math would be common knowledge though?

Considering the average DROD player, probably common enough knowledge...I'm sure there have been tougher puzzles in other holds. So it's your call.

Remember, nowadays people can just hit Undo if they guess wrong, unless you take pains to hide the effects of the orbs.

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

MeckMeck GRE
Level: Smitemaster
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Registered: 01-03-2005
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Orb/Door Trvia is a good idea if its in some rooms. It shouldnt be the whole hold. I think your hold is that mystery maze thingy which is quite good in implenting this (alternative H&S Way). However some player might abuse the orb show door thingy

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
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In DROD 2.0 it's possible to use scripting to create knowledge-based puzzles that are essentially uncheatable. You can find a couple of threads on this in the architecture forum.

That said, I agree that trivia questions in the middle of a non-trivia hold would be a big annoyance as far as I am concerned. I, too, recommend putting them in a different hold or making them bypassable.

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