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== 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.


A '''puzzle element''' is an essential building block or characteristic of a puzzle. This list is intended to be an early first draft of an ongoing community project to catalogue and organize puzzle elements into a hierarchical and useful taxonomy, and should eventually catalog every page that is a member of [[:Category:Puzzle Elements]].
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.


Contributors are strongly encouraged to make edits to this page and to start discussion topics in the accompanying [[Talk:List of Puzzle Elements|Talk page]]. The following is a list of suggested editing conventions:
Elements can mostly be broken down into three core indices.
* <code><nowiki><code>[[Name]]</code></nowiki></code> for each proposed Puzzle Elements (these can link to blank pages while this taxonomy is evolving)
* ''italics'' for new additions
* <s>strikethough</s> for deletions
* <span style="background-color:PaleGreen">Supported</span>, <span style="background-color:Bisque">Neutral</span>, and <span style="background-color:LightPink">Opposed</span> suggestions</span> - Used as discussion prompts for things like name suggestions or Talk section discussions).


===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:


=Presentation Elements=
* [[Hint Presentation Elements|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?
'''Presentation Elements''' refers to the surface form of a puzzle (how it is presented to the solver). These elements should all be characteristics that a lay-person or non-puzzler can identify and describe, without hunt experience or puzzling knowledge. Because they are surface level characteristics, structure elements should never require any spoiler warnings.
* [[Media Elements|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.
* [[Formatting Elements|Presentation Format]] - Extra twists in puzzle presentation, such as grid shapes, solve paths, or particular changes to how a puzzle looks aside from flavour.


* Accessibility - <code>[[Accessibility Friendly]]</code> & <code>[[Content Warning]]</code> tags
=== Content Elements ===
* Media type - Elements that deviate from a "pen-and-paper" medium, or printable / static web page:
'''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:
** <code>[[Audio (Puzzle Presentation)|Audio]]</code> - Audio file or collection of such files
** <code>[[Video]]</code> - Video clip or collection of such clips
** <code>[[Physical Puzzle]]</code> - Physical object that requires manipulation or examination
** <code>[[Interaction]]</code> - Interaction event that requires physical and live presence. ''Could be subdivided further into Event, Runaround, Scavenger Hunt, etc''
** <code>[[Interactive]]</code> - Game applet, interactive fiction, mods or levels for external video games, ClueKeeper app, augmented reality, etc. ''Could be subdivided further particularly for Interactive Fiction''
** <code span style="background-color:Bisque">[[Tie-In Puzzles|Tie-In Puzzle]]</code> - Puzzle appears somewhere in the real world, likely deliberately synchronised so as to be released concurrent with the puzzle (i.e. published newspaper crossword, live podcast, art installation, etc)
** <code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Code]]</code> - Executable code that requires compilation or interpretation [''Better name?'']
** <code style="background-color:Bisque">[[File Archives]]</code> - Downloadable archives (.ZIP, etc) [''Better name?'']
** Others - <code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Spreadsheet]]</code>?
* Presentation - Top level, and most immediately apparent appearance of the puzzle
** <code>[[Image-Heavy Presentation|Image Heavy]]</code> - Puzzle consisting largely of images
**<code>[[Text Heavy]]</code> - Choose Your Own Adventure, Walkthrough, Checklist, Script, Diary
**<code>[[Minimalist]]</code> - Puzzles where extremely little information is apparent
**<code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Clue Centric]]</code> - Image clues, Numbered clues, Unnumbered clues
**<code>[[Grid]]</code> - May include <code>[[Circular Grid]]</code>, <code>[[Spiral Grid]]</code>, <code>[[Hexagonal Grid]]</code>
*Instructions - Nature of instruction provided with the puzzle
**<code>[[Explicit Instructions]]</code> - Instructions are provided explicitly as part of the puzzle
**<code>[[Example Instructions]]</code> - Examples are provided as part of the puzzle, but deduction of rules is intended to be a part of the puzzle
**<code>[[Flavortext]]</code> - Flavortext is provided, which ''may'' provide some cryptic allusions to the nature of the puzzle
**<code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Asked And Answered]]</code> - Special category of puzzle where a narrative element is posed within the puzzle and answer provides a resolution to that question
*Completion - Submission mechanism that deviates from a regular answer checker
**<code>[[Sub-answer Checking]]</code> - Mechanism for submitting answers to sub-puzzles for intermediate confirmation
**<code>[[Task Completion]]</code> - Completion of puzzle is contingent on finalizing a particular task


= Content Elements=
* [[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.
'''Content Elements''' refers to techniques that are encountered during the solving of a puzzle. Due to their size, these have been separated into three Subgroups:
* [[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 ===
===Puzzle Type===
'''Puzzle Type''' is the main categorization of a puzzle and the categorization that is most likely to help solvers find other similar puzzles
'''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.


*'''<code>[[Word Puzzle|Word Puzzles]]</code>'''
Flavour elements fall into two primary subcategories:
**<code>[[Acrostic]]</code>
**<code>[[Crossword]]</code> - See [[W:Crossword#Major_variants|Crossword variants]] for major variants including: <code>[[Cryptic Crossword]]</code>, <code>[[Diagramless Crossword]]</code>, <code>[[Fill-In]]</code>, but also would include <code>[[Marching Bands (Crossword Type)|Marching Bands]]</code>, <code>[[Rows Garden (Crossword Type)|Rows Garden]]</code> and <code>[[Some Assembly Required (Crossword Type)|Some Assembly Required]]</code> as common puzzle hunt occurrences.
**<code>[[Word Ladder]]</code>
**'''Rearrangement''' - All word play variants that involve unscrambling letters or words. Would include <code>[[Dropquote]]</code>, <code>[[Trigram Hell]]</code>, <code>[[Interwoven Strings]]</code>
**<code>[[Word Search]]</code> - Includes regular word searches as well as Boggle-Style Wordsearch (subsection on main page)
**<code>[[Cryptogram]]</code> - Substitution ciphers, specifically, with subpage <code>[[Cryptolist]]</code>.
**<code>[[Flats]]</code>
**<code>[[Printer's Devilry]]</code>
**<code>[[Rebus]]</code>


*'''<code>[[Logic Puzzle|Logic Puzzles]]</code>'''
* [[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.
**<code>[[Grid logic|Grid Constraint]]</code> - This puzzle type has a HUGE collection of subtypes (see [http://www.cross-plus-a.com/puzzles.htm Cross+A], [http://marshall.freeshell.org/nikoli_rules.html James Marshall's], or [https://www.janko.at/Raetsel/index.htm Angela and Otto Janko's] puzzle summaries) and care ought to be taken to curate a manageable list from this set. Common sub-categorisations may be <code>[[Akari]]</code>, <code>[[Battleship (logic puzzle)|Battleship]]</code>, <code>[[Crossnumber]]</code>, <code>[[Corral]]</code>, <code>[[Fillomino]]</code>, <code>[[Hashi wo Kakero]]</code>, <code>[[Heyawake]]</code>, <code>[[Hitori]]</code>, <code>[[Kakuro]]</code>, <code>[[LITS]]</code>, <code>[[Masyu]]</code>, <code>[[Nonogram]]</code>, <code>[[Nurikabe]]</code>, <code>[[Numberlink]]</code>, <code>[[Shikaku]]</code>, <code>[[Slitherlink]]</code>, <code>[[Sudoku]]</code>, <code>[[Yajilin]]</code>
* [[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.
**<code>[[Deduction]]</code> - Regular logic deduction like the <code>[[Zebra Puzzle]]</code>, but also may include game state reconstructions, murder mystery deductions and games like Mafia and Werewolf, induction problems, etc
**<code>[[Optimization]]</code> - Puzzles where a situation is presented with multiple possible solutions, but the best or shortest solution need to be identified.
*'''<code>[[Spatial Puzzle|Spatial Puzzles]]</code>'''
**<code>[[Maze]]</code>
**<code>[[Jigsaw Puzzle]]</code> - All puzzles with reconstruction elements (i.e. jigsaws, tangrams, etc). May include subcategories for <code>[[Tiling]]</code>, <code>[[3D Jigsaw]]</code>, <code>[[Burr]]</code>, etc)
**<code>[[Sliding Puzzle]]</code> - Games like Sam Loyd's sliding puzzle, Rush Hour, the Century puzzle, etc
*'''<code>Other Puzzles</code>'''
**<code>[[Metapuzzle]]</code> - Special puzzle type that relies on other puzzle answers. May include <code>[[Shell Meta]]</code> and <code>[[Pure meta]]</code> as subcategories
**<code>[[Instructional Puzzle|Instructional]]</code> - Includes <code>[[Conundrum]]</code> as incredible convoluted instructional puzzles
**<code>[[Rebus]]</code> - ''(Note: are Rebus puzzles Word Puzzles? Or unique enough in structure to justify being separated?)''
**<code>[[Trivia]]</code> - Half characterized by presentation (Questions with specific answers) and half by content (Questions about various subjects)

===Solve Path Elements===
'''Solve Path Elements''' attempt to categorise the process and intermediate stages through which the puzzle's solve path proceeds. These have been separated into two types:

'''"Atomic" Solve Path Elements''' - individual elements whose scope is that of an individual step
*<code>[[Identification]]</code> - Identification of provided elements as an initial step. Can include <code>[[Image Identification]]</code>, <code>[[Audio Identification]]</code> and <code>[[Video Identification]]</code> (though this may be redundant given the Media and Presentation elements)
*<code>[[Pairing]]</code> - Sets of clues that specifically pair up. Alternate ways of categorising this could be [[Connecting Sides]]</code> (left and right hand sets of clues that explicitly pair), <code>[[Before And After]]</code> (words form sets based on specific transformations), <code>[[Partitioned Clues]]</code> (partitions into distinct sets, no necessarily pairs) or <code>[[Chains]]</code> (answers form a connected chain).
*<code>[[Transformations]]</code> - Puzzle elements undergo some form of transformation. Again, there is a large number of potential transformations that may occur (see [https://enigma.puzzlers.org/guide/flat NPL's List of flat]) and it may be prudent not to categorise further, but some common subcategories may include <code>[[Beheadment]]</code>, <code>[[Transdeletion]]</code>, <code>[[Transaddition]]</code>, <code>[[Anagram]]</code>, <code>[[Padlock]]</code> (or <code>[[Sandwiched Term]]</code>), <code>[[Reversal]]</code>, <code>[[Caesar Shift]]</code>, <code>[[Consonancy]]</code>, <code>[[Transplants]]</code>, etc)
*<code>[[Reordering]]</code> - Some element is embedded into the puzzle elements that allows for a reordering prior to extraction (i.e. Alphabetical particularly with 26 unique letters, chronological, consecutively numerical, physical locations, etc)

'''"Holistic" Solve Path Elements''' - Higher-level elements whose scope is more about overall nature of the solve path itself (''Better name? "Sequence"?'')
*<code>[[The Waterfall Effect]]</code> - Solve path involves one sub puzzle provides information required to solve the next,...
*<code>[[Red Herring]]</code> - Solve path includes deliberate (either clued as such, or unclued) red herrings
*<code>[[Recursion]]</code> - Solve path involves multiple repetitions of itself until a final answer is obtainable
*<code>[[Retrograde]]</code> - Solve path involves reversal of a particular process, with the answer being related to its original state
*<code style="background-color:Bisque" span>[[Missing Information]]</code> - Puzzle for which (part of) the solve path is not feasible without first combining some additional piece of information

===Extraction Elements===
'''Extraction Elements''' refers to the techniques that are common to hunt puzzles which allow the "extraction" of a final answer from a puzzles that are not necessarily designed to result in a word or phrase

*<code>[[Decryption|Decryption Extraction]]</code>
**<code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Alphabet Mapping]]</code> - ''Unsure of the difference to "Alphanumeric" below <-- (We've had at least one case of A-Z or A-Whatever being based on a non-26-member list, instead mapping to, say, a 4x6 grid of colours like in [https://puzzles.mit.edu/2020/puzzle/scottish_display/ The Scottish Display]. Might be worth it to make some new name for this whole-cloth.)''
**<code>[[Alphanumeric Substitution Cipher|Alphanumeric]]</code> - A1Z26 or similar mappings, including other lists with at most 26 elements with canonical ordering
**<code>[[Binary]]</code> - 5-bit alphanumerical code, or 7 to 8-bit ASCII code
**<code>[[Braille]]</code> - see [[W:Braille]]
**<code>[[Dancing Men]]</code> - see [[W:The Adventure of the Dancing Men]] or [https://www.dcode.fr/dancing-men-cipher here]
**<code>[[Morse Code]]</code> - see [[W:Morse code]]
**<code>[[Pigpen]]</code> - see [[W:Pigpen cipher]]
**<code>[[Flag Semaphore]]</code> - see [[W:Flag semaphore]]
**<code>[[American Sign Language]]</code> - see [[W:Sign language]]
*<code>[[Visual Extraction]]</code>
**<code>[[Bitmap]]</code> - Pixel art letterform or pictorial representations
**<code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Coloring / Shading Spaces]]</code> - May have a fair degree of overlap with <code>[[Bitmap]]</code>
**<code>[[Connect-The-Dots]]</code> - see [[W:Connect the dots]]
**<code>[[Obscuring]]</code> - Silhouettes, shadows, perspective shifts
**<code>[[Overlaying]]</code> - Transparencies, OR & XOR additions
*<code>[[Letter and String Extraction]]</code>
**<code>[[Special Letters]]</code> - Use of double letters, or strings of matching length with exactly 1 letter in common, or letters appearing in special substring patterns
**<code>[[Marked Elements]]</code> - Colored or enumerated letters, Marked or overstuffed grid spaces, Marked entries, etc
**<code>[[Indexing]]</code> - Nth letters are extracted from component answers, where the value of N is either supplied, or somehow derived
**<code>[[Positional Extraction]]</code> - Appearance of answer within an ordered arrangement of answers. May include <code>[[Initialization]]</code>, <code>[[Terminalization]]</code>, <code>[[Centralization]]</code>, <code>[[Diagonalization]]</code>
*<code>[[Unclued Information (extraction)|Unclued Information]]</code> - Answer is related to an item that is identifiable missing from the puzzle's otherwise completed set
*<code>[[Instructional Extraction]]</code> - Instructions are provided (either explicitly, or via an intermediate answer phrase) that directs the extraction of the final answer. This may includes <code>[[Extraction by Reward]]</code> where the answer is provided as a "reward" upon the completion of a task and <code>[["Other Way" Message]]</code>, and instructional extraction that indicates an incorrect solve path.

=Flavor Elements=
'''Flavor Elements''' elements refer to either the ''topic'' (the subject matter of a puzzle) or the ''theme'' (the presentation of a puzzle) but either way provides identification of elements that may attract solvers with special interests, knowledge, or areas of expertise.

''This listing is a deliberately selective list, extracted from the much more exhaustive listing in the original Google Doc link [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D-ATvSsgG8f0d5Swj-3z4kngQ-P8efwssbR13H4J6hk/edit here]. The intention is for a more "bottom-up" approach that can be expanded up to the desired level of detail.''

* '''<code>[[Arts]]</code>''' - ''Could be combined to make "Arts & Literature"''
**<code>[[Dance]]</code> - All styles
**<code>[[Theater]]</code> - Live theater (Musicals, Shakespeare). For screen theater, see <code>[[Movies]]</code> under <code>[[Media]]</code>
**<code>[[Visual Art & Design]]</code> - Color & Color theory including palettes. <code>[[Heraldry]]</code> could be separate, but RGB manipulation is found under Content\Intermediate steps
*'''<code>[[Culture]]</code>''' - Cultural trends not easily classified in other topical areas (hairstyles, fashions, etc) can go here
**<code>[[Puzzle Culture]]</code> - Puzzles that reference previous, or other hunts
**<code>[[MIT Culture]]</code> - All things MIT specific (Course catalog, floor plans, etc)
*'''<code>[[Food & Drink]]</code>''' - Cooking, Recipes, Mixology, etc
*'''<code>[[Geography]]</code>'''
**<code>[[Human Geography]]</code> - Locations, Countries / Cities, etc. <code>[[Currency]]</code> is a likely sub category of this
**<code>[[Physical Geography]]</code> - Mountains, Climate, Weather, etc
**<code>[[Cartography]]</code> - Map specific concepts (real or fictional)
* '''<code>[[Media]]</code>'''
**<code>[[Movies]]</code> - Sub categorisations are possible here but are yet to be finalised (genres like <code>[[Sci-Fi]]</code>, studios like <code>[[Disney/Marvel]]</code>, and other things like <code>[[Academy Awards]]</code>, etc)
**<code>[[TV Shows]]</code> - Sub categorisations are possible here but are yet to be finalised (genres like <code>[[Reality & Game Shows]]</code> & <code>[[Anime]]</code>, specific shows like <code>[[The Simpsons]]</code>, etc)
**<code>[[Music]]</code> - Sub categorisations are possible here but are yet to be finalised (genres like <code>[[Pop]]</code>, <code>[[K-Pop]]</code> or <code>[[Classical]]</code>, elements like <code>[[Sheet Music]]</code> or <code>[[Lyrics]]</code>, etc). However music ''extraction'' elements like <code>[[Solfege]]</code> and <code>[[Music Identification]]</code> are categorised under Content Elements
**<code>[[Internet]]</code> - Webcomics, Youtube series, etc. <code>[[Memes]]</code> may be another useful sub-categorisation with overlap to Culture category above
*'''<code>[[History]]</code>'''
**<code>[[Mythology]]</code> - Fictional deities and belief systems. Some overlap with <code>[[Astrology]]</code>
**<code>[[Ancient History]]</code> - Babylonian, Egyptian, Chinese, Roman, Dark Ages, etc. For Heiroglyphs or Cuneiform, see <code>[[Linguistics]]</code>
**<code>[[Modern History]]</code> - World explorers, Military figures, Battles, War
**<code>[[Political History]]</code> - Presidents and political figures
*'''<code>[[Linguistics]]</code>'''
**<code>[[Language]]</code> - Sub categorisations by language is possible (i.e. <code>[[French]]</code>, <code>[[Japanese]]</code>) as is <code>[[Slang]]</code> (Australian / British colloquialisms, Cockney), etc
**<code>[[Fictional language]]</code> - Klingon, Quenya, Conlangs like puflantu, etc
**<code>[[Typography]]</code> - Fonts, etc
**Word constructs such as homophones, palindromes, pangrams, rhymes, false friends are categorised under Content elements
*'''<code>[[Literature]]</code>''' - ''Could be combined to make "Arts & Literature"''
**Sub categorisations are possible here but are yet to be finalised (genres like <code>[[Poetry]]</code>, authors, or series like <code>[[Harry Potter]]</code>)
**<code>[[Literature Awards]]</code>
*'''<code>[[Religion]]</code>'''
**<code>[[Astrology]]</code> is a potential sub categorisation here, potentially split into <code>[[Western Zodiac]]</code> and [[Eastern Zodiac]]
*'''<code>[[Science & Technology]]</code>'''
**<code>[[Astronomy]]</code> - Constellations, celestial bodies
**<code>[[Chemistry]]</code> - Periodic table of elements, molecules, etc
**<code>[[Biology]]</code> - Medical, Botany, Zoology
**<code>[[Mathematics]]</code> - Recreational mathematics, Large numbers
**<code>[[Physics]]</code> - Electronics,
**<code>[[Technology]]</code> - Coding exercises, algorithms, hacking
**<code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Geology]]</code> - Shares a lot with <code>[[Physical Geography]]</code> and may not need it's own categorisation
*'''<code>[[Sports & Recreation]]</code>'''
**Specific sports and hobbies are possible here but are yet to be finalised (<code>[[Football]]</code>, <code>[[Baseball]]</code>, <code>[[Olympic Games]]</code>, etc)
**<code>[[Board Games]]</code> - Specific board games are possible here but are yet to be finalised (<code>[[Chess]]</code>, <code>[[Monopoly]]</code>, etc)
**<code>[[Card Games]]</code> - Specific card games are possible here but are yet to be finalised (<code>[[Poker]]</code>, <code>[[Bridge]]</code>, <code>[[Magic: The Gathering]]</code>, etc)
**<code>[[Video games]]</code> - Specific video games are possible here but are yet to be finalised (<code>[[Minecraft]]</code>, <code>[[Retro Gaming]]</code>, etc
**<code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Needlecraft]]</code> - Knitting, crocheting, stitching, etc
**<code style="background-color:Bisque">[[Papercraft]]</code> - Origami, etc

[[Category:Lists]]

Latest revision as of 16:41, 23 September 2023

A puzzle element is an essential building block or characteristic of a puzzle. This list is intended to be an early first draft of an ongoing community project to catalogue and organize puzzle elements into a hierarchical and useful taxonomy, and should eventually catalog every page that is a member of Category:Puzzle Elements.

Contributors are strongly encouraged to make edits to this page and to start discussion topics in the accompanying Talk page. The following is a list of suggested editing conventions:

  • <code>[[Name]]</code> for each proposed Puzzle Elements (these can link to blank pages while this taxonomy is evolving)
  • italics for new additions
  • strikethough for deletions
  • Supported, Neutral, and Opposed suggestions - Used as discussion prompts for things like name suggestions or Talk section discussions).


Presentation Elements[edit | edit source]

Presentation Elements refers to the surface form of a puzzle (how it is presented to the solver). These elements should all be characteristics that a lay-person or non-puzzler can identify and describe, without hunt experience or puzzling knowledge. Because they are surface level characteristics, structure elements should never require any spoiler warnings.

  • Accessibility - Accessibility Friendly & Content Warning tags
  • Media type - Elements that deviate from a "pen-and-paper" medium, or printable / static web page:
    • Audio - Audio file or collection of such files
    • Video - Video clip or collection of such clips
    • Physical Puzzle - Physical object that requires manipulation or examination
    • Interaction - Interaction event that requires physical and live presence. Could be subdivided further into Event, Runaround, Scavenger Hunt, etc
    • Interactive - Game applet, interactive fiction, mods or levels for external video games, ClueKeeper app, augmented reality, etc. Could be subdivided further particularly for Interactive Fiction
    • Tie-In Puzzle - Puzzle appears somewhere in the real world, likely deliberately synchronised so as to be released concurrent with the puzzle (i.e. published newspaper crossword, live podcast, art installation, etc)
    • Code - Executable code that requires compilation or interpretation [Better name?]
    • File Archives - Downloadable archives (.ZIP, etc) [Better name?]
    • Others - Spreadsheet?
  • Presentation - Top level, and most immediately apparent appearance of the puzzle
  • Instructions - Nature of instruction provided with the puzzle
    • Explicit Instructions - Instructions are provided explicitly as part of the puzzle
    • Example Instructions - Examples are provided as part of the puzzle, but deduction of rules is intended to be a part of the puzzle
    • Flavortext - Flavortext is provided, which may provide some cryptic allusions to the nature of the puzzle
    • Asked And Answered - Special category of puzzle where a narrative element is posed within the puzzle and answer provides a resolution to that question
  • Completion - Submission mechanism that deviates from a regular answer checker
    • Sub-answer Checking - Mechanism for submitting answers to sub-puzzles for intermediate confirmation
    • Task Completion - Completion of puzzle is contingent on finalizing a particular task

Content Elements[edit | edit source]

Content Elements refers to techniques that are encountered during the solving of a puzzle. Due to their size, these have been separated into three Subgroups:

Puzzle Type[edit | edit source]

Puzzle Type is the main categorization of a puzzle and the categorization that is most likely to help solvers find other similar puzzles

Solve Path Elements[edit | edit source]

Solve Path Elements attempt to categorise the process and intermediate stages through which the puzzle's solve path proceeds. These have been separated into two types:

"Atomic" Solve Path Elements - individual elements whose scope is that of an individual step

"Holistic" Solve Path Elements - Higher-level elements whose scope is more about overall nature of the solve path itself (Better name? "Sequence"?)

  • The Waterfall Effect - Solve path involves one sub puzzle provides information required to solve the next,...
  • Red Herring - Solve path includes deliberate (either clued as such, or unclued) red herrings
  • Recursion - Solve path involves multiple repetitions of itself until a final answer is obtainable
  • Retrograde - Solve path involves reversal of a particular process, with the answer being related to its original state
  • Missing Information - Puzzle for which (part of) the solve path is not feasible without first combining some additional piece of information

Extraction Elements[edit | edit source]

Extraction Elements refers to the techniques that are common to hunt puzzles which allow the "extraction" of a final answer from a puzzles that are not necessarily designed to result in a word or phrase

Flavor Elements[edit | edit source]

Flavor Elements elements refer to either the topic (the subject matter of a puzzle) or the theme (the presentation of a puzzle) but either way provides identification of elements that may attract solvers with special interests, knowledge, or areas of expertise.

This listing is a deliberately selective list, extracted from the much more exhaustive listing in the original Google Doc link here. The intention is for a more "bottom-up" approach that can be expanded up to the desired level of detail.

Retrieved from "https://www.puzzles.wiki/wiki/List_of_Puzzle_Elements?oldid=9361"