Puzzles

This is the author's working classification, and not a generally accepted standard and not a proven complete list. New combinations of rules and new ways of interacting remain possible.

The catalog contains action families and more specific rule templates. For example, connecting pairs and contouring by numbers are related to general line work, but create different problems. Therefore, the number of positions does not mean as many independent base mechanics.

The sections serve as navigation and partially overlap. Each position is placed in one main section. Push, signal and time loop can all be involved in the same puzzle at the same time.

Puzzle, escape room, adventure, match-3 and mechanical puzzle describe different levels of classification. Here the main subject of the description is: what the player is doing and what rule makes achieving the goal non-trivial.

A paper or physical problem can be reproduced digitally. The runtime itself does not make new mechanics.

Search, memorization, rhythm and dexterity are included in the broad scope of the request. In their pure form, some of them are closer to perceptual or performance tasks; What makes them a puzzle is the task of choosing a way to achieve a goal.

The examples in the lines are conditional and serve as templates for the design. Terms and names of games help to look for analogues, but do not indicate complete equivalence of the rules. The brief definitions do not replace the full rules for named puzzles.

Primary sources support only signed rules and examples. They do not endorse the author's entire classification, coverage, balance, or test results.

If the answer requires an external fact without being able to infer it from the data provided, it's closer to a quiz. If multiple equal answers remain, additional restrictions or explicit permission for multiple solutions are needed.

Inference by contradiction, invariants, parity, elimination of candidates and enumeration are methods of solution. They only become a separate game rule when the system explicitly requires or verifies the appropriate action.

group: Time; Options: General timer; Time limit per move; Repeating time windows; Actions only in a given rhythm

group: Action budget; Options: Move limit; Limit of turns or switching; Consumable Tools; Exact rather than maximum action quota

group: Information; Options: Partial visibility; Hidden properties; Deferred check result; Limited number of measurements

group: Reversibility; Options: Free cancellation; Cancel with resource consumption; One-time changes; The need to return after achieving the goal

group: Purpose and verification; Options: Exactly one solution or several valid ones; Any correct solution or optimum; Multiple simultaneous goals; Solution for one case or for all inputs

group: Field and objects; Options: Other mesh geometry; Changeable boundaries; Objects with multiple properties; Converting properties as a task progresses

group: Randomness; Options: Random starting configuration; Known probabilities of outcomes; Full or partial information about future elements; Repeatable seed for comparing solutions

group: Execution; Options: Discrete strokes or continuous control; Physical accuracy; Simultaneous actions; Individual solution or division of roles

group: Feedback; Options: Final check only; Local error indication; Partial confirmation; Numerical assessment of solution quality

Warehouse with reflections

Related options: push-only; mirror-ray; pressure-controls; Rule: The boxes simultaneously block the beams and hold the doors.

Unknown language archive

Related options: document-search; symbol-system; timeline; Rule: The meanings of the signs help restore the order of events, and he clarifies the translation.

Factory in the loop

Related options: command-sequence; record-replay; shared-resource-schedule; Rule: The recorded performer works next to the player; equipment has to be divided.

Rooms inside boxes

Related options: recursive-space; push-only; pair-routing; Rule: Moving boxes changes routes inside nested rooms.

Joint optical design

Related options: asymmetric-information; color-filter; signal-delay; Rule: One participant sees the circuit, the other adjusts the lights and delays.

Crossing with memory

Related options: river-transfer; state-memory; consumable-terrain; Rule: The composition of the cargo and already disappeared crossings must be taken into account together.

Separate player action, signal recognition, game rule, and feedback. The related variants here preserve the context of application and are not necessarily independent physical primitives.

When prototyping, test one rule and failure conditions first. The presence of an API, sensor, or source does not prove that all scenarios work. For devices, test feature availability, calibration, and alternate input on the actual target hardware.