Need GameDesign Ideas/Help! for HiddenObject Gameplay

[illuminate001]

Alright, I'd like some game design help/ideas.

I want to have point-&-click portions in my next VN, (Hidden Object segment) where the goal is to find clues to help you solve a mystery. The problem is that these can be very "un-fun". Checkout Jim Sterling's commentary on such gameplay in the link below:

https://youtu.be/6H3D8uyj5-Y?t=424

As you can see, with Hidden Object games, people can simply click away and eventually find everything mindlessly. I'd like to find a way of gamifying this even more, so that there's tension, urgency, actual stakes and the player must use their brain.

I definitely want to do something where, out of the objects you find, a select few, you can mark as *key clues*, which are then used in tandem to solve a mystery. If you didn't pocket all the best (most correct) clues, than you can still solve the mystery, but it will influence events and interactions with characters in-game.

I'm curious to hear if anyone has any other cool ideas to spice up a "Point-&-Click/Hidden Object" gameplay segment?

Thanks!

[shortycake]

Hmmm, I think putting a limit will improve the thrill of hidden object game.

For example, putting a timer or how many times you can click the objects; like you can only do 15 clicks or 3 minutes to find all the objects. For urgent scenerio, like the door will close in 3 min. or the room has poisonous gas and you need to grab the item quick.

Or sequential method, when you click the right object/sequence it will glow, then if you make a wrong move the puzzle resets and you'll begin again until you get the right sequence. It's hidden object/puzzle.

Or small encounter: where if you click the object, an enemy will pop-up(like a poisonus spider or a ghost) then you have to fight it until it drop the object you need to retrive. This one is hidden object/battle.

or the doubting method, where in every item you click you question the player if they making the right decision to pick this item. If you carelessly pick the item, that item will kill you(ex. a granade/dangerous substance) and end the game.

okay, that's all I can think off atm. I bet someone gets a better idea!

also, sorry for my english.

[illuminate001]

Hi Shortycake,

Thanks for these suggestions! I've gotten alot of ideas from you and also a discord channel I'm frequently on. What's cool, is most of the idea from you aren't repeated ideas I've gotten from other sources. So thank you! ^_^

I'm going to write these down and perhaps combine some of the ideas into a unique system.

[shortycake]

np! glad it help!

I have another one, maybe it was already suggested but anyway, where there's someone/something(a security camera) is monitoring the room and you can only grab the items when they are not looking (you can see them rotating automatically, items should be scattered thoroughly) but if they caught you, the items will automatically drop then repeat again until you collect them all.

or the usual hidden object, if you collect the item(which is well hidden) very fast, you'll get a bonus/reward item which you can use for later. Like if you collect the 5 items in 30 sec, you'll get this bonus item but if not that's okay the game still go on but you just miss an extra scene or something.

[Gear]

Limiting the number of "wrong" clicks is one way. Another way is lots and lots of dialogue. In some P&C games, when you click on something, the PC will say something. "It's a window, but it's barred shut. There's no way out." or "If meat is murder, that rug is at least a severe beating." If these messages are posted every time you click something that isn't the item you're looking for, it significantly slows down the crazy clicking and forces the player to only click on things they're curious about. This may be troublesome if there's a TON of things to look at, but if you're willing to put in the time, it'll not only slow the player down, but it'll also add some dimensionality to the PC, injecting a little personality into each click.

[alphawolf]

hi...

how about...
the player starts out with 3 coins/chances etc
with each p&c in a certain scene a chance is used.
get it right first time and your chances stay at 3...2nd time 2 etc.
each time you find the right object you get that object...a piece to a map or picture...and a clue about the next p&c scene.
extra coins/chances can be found along the way up to a max of 3.
if a player blindly clicks about and uses up the 3 chances they must go back a scene and find the hidden coin to use on a p&c.

so the player must work out the clue...find the object...slowly piece together the map/picture to progress the game and remember the next clue for the next p&c scene.
i guess youd have to supply the 1st clue to the first scene...maybe an easy one to start things off...say a one only possible object scenario... and increase d.o.d as you go further into the story.

also objects found at one scene could be critical or useful in the next or later...a key for example.
the object becomes the clue.

hope that helps
...ciao

[Aviala]

Personally, I get super stressed out when there's a timer in a game that requires thought and logic. Action games? Totally fine. Escape room with a time limit? Anxiety and panic, but not in a good way. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like it when a game genre that is usually slow paced (like puzzles etc) has a time limit. It makes me feel stupid because while I'm pretty good at these games when I can calmly think about the problems, as soon as a timer starts I will panic and lose all of my logic skills. I'l just be like "oh god oh god the timer is ticking down and I can't concentrate on anything else".

So for the sake of people like me, don't use time limits in usually slow paced game genres unless it's a very conscious aspect of your design. Other ways like limiting clicks or whatever are more in line with the genre.

[illuminate001]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for all your advice! While there hasn't been a definitive "THIS IDEA! This is the one!", what has come from this is I have an idea which involves combining a few of your suggestions together.

Also Aviala, I don't like Timers either just for the sake of timers. Ugh! I remember playing FF7 having the first timer in a game I've ever played...and it stressed me out so much! I'd never do that, don't worry lol.