List of Puzzle Elements

Project: Collaborative Element Documentation
''As a community, we want to figure out the best way to break down puzzles into their core components - whether topics, puzzle types, gimmicks, etc. To assist in this, a Google Document has been created as a base for establishing and expanding this puzzle component taxonomy. This project is a key part of expanding this wiki, and any contributions to the list would be greatly appreciated.''

''All requests will go through editor approval before being finalized, and this may take some time! Check the Discord for regular updates on new elements and any major changes to wording within element names.''

Puzzle Elements
When it comes to puzzle creation, an element is an essential building block. Various elements can be mixed and matched to create countless unique and (hopefully) engaging puzzle experiences, and the collection of known elements is growing with every new puzzle event. Here, we collect them for those curious enough to explore this wonderful, ever-changing puzzle landscape.

The important thing to remember about these elements is that they are not all that exist. We're always discovering new ways to structure and present puzzles, and new topics to write about. Just because a topic or idea isn't here doesn't mean it's not good, or won't make for a good puzzle (after all, we don't discriminate against puzzle quality when collecting these elements). The overwhelming chances are that a puzzle using that particular element just hasn't been made yet! Alternatively, we may not have added it to our collection quite yet! Either way, we always support new puzzle creators experimenting with what's here AND what's not.

Elements can mostly be broken down into three core indices.

Structure Elements
Structure Elements are one of the three elemental pillars of puzzle creation. These elements are the core pieces that allow for a puzzle to exist beyond the basest foundation. These include the following subcategories:


 * Baked-In Hints and Clues - Should solvers be clued by the title? How about the flavourtext? Or is there something in the plaintext of the puzzle itself?
 * Alternate Media Formats - Videos that are puzzles, audio files that are puzzles, images that are puzzles, anything other than text and grids that could be described as "media" goes here.
 * Presentation Format - Extra twists in puzzle presentation, such as grid shapes, solve paths, or particular changes to how a puzzle looks aside from flavour.

Content Elements
Content Elements are one of the three elemental pillars of puzzle creation. These types of elements primarily effect the solve path and the overall solving experience. Most content elements fall into the following subcategories:


 * Puzzle Types - If a puzzle is a commonly-recognized type, or if it simply has a commonly-reproduced structure, chances are that it'll have one of these elements.
 * Helpful Messages - Sometimes a puzzle will need to let the solver know when they're on the right/wrong track, if they have an intermediate step to perform, or have to solve another clue to reach their final answer.
 * Extraction Mechanisms - Solvers have to reach the final answer somehow, and a lot of traditional puzzles aren't necessarily designed to result in a word or phrase. Extraction mechanisms are key to elevating a puzzle to something fitting for a puzzle hunt.

Flavour Elements
Flavour Elements are one of the three elemental pillars of puzzle creation. These types of elements give a puzzle something to be about; without flavour, a puzzle risks becoming generic. However, even then, it's very difficult to find a puzzle without flavour, since as long as a puzzle has a theme or a topic to tie it together, it's utilizing these elements.

Flavour elements fall into two primary subcategories:


 * Puzzle Topics - If a puzzle is about something, it'll end up here. Since there's so much information out there for puzzles to draw from, and subjects can get very niche very quickly, expect these elements to be somewhat broad, especially since many puzzles tend to avoid reusing the same niche topics that another has already used.
 * Puzzle Theming - Separate from topics, thematic elements tend not to have a direct impact on the puzzle itself, at least in terms of the knowledge needed to solve it. Instead, they provide a new way to look at a puzzle, whether by obscuring a puzzle's true form with a particular artistic style or simply adding some story elements to a puzzle that would be otherwise out-of-place.