[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.84,0:00:06.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,JONATHAN BLOW: It was very clearly the case that more ideas came out of the development process,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.16,0:00:11.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and ended up in the final game, than I put into it as a designer.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.88,0:00:16.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The process of designing the gameplay for\Nthis game was more like discovering things
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.29,0:00:22.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that already exist than it was like creating\Nsomething new and arbitrary.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.60,0:00:25.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And another way to say that is that there\Nwas an extent to which
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.07,0:00:27.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this game designed itself
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.76,0:00:37.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is Game Maker's Toolkit, I'm Mark Brown.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.60,0:00:43.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That was Jonathan Blow talking about the rewindable\Nplatformer Braid at the Game Developer's Conference
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.73,0:00:45.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in 2011.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.17,0:00:49.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What Blow's describing here is a philosophy\Nof game design that he used when making both
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.44,0:00:56.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Braid and The Witness where rules and puzzles\Nwere discovered through programming and play-testing,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.39,0:01:01.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rather than designed through the implementation\Nof some preconceived idea.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.08,0:01:06.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So with the Mario-like platformer Braid, he\Nstarted with a mechanic - the ability to turn
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.57,0:01:09.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,back time by a practically unlimited amount.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.70,0:01:15.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the process of coding that, new ideas emerged.\NIf he was rewinding the position of everything
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.72,0:01:20.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the world, he could choose to not do that\Nfor certain objects, and thus make them immune
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.54,0:01:25.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to your ability to manipulate time. A rule was born.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.75,0:01:30.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After implementing these new rules, Blow could\Nplay the game and look for consequences that
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.81,0:01:36.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he perhaps did not foresee. Like how if a\Nmoving platform was immune to time travel,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.27,0:01:41.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the hero could rewind to a point where the\Nplatform is no beneath his feet, and would fall
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.10,0:01:46.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,down as soon as he stops manipulating time.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.32,0:01:47.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's kinda cool.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.49,0:01:52.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So each puzzle became an illustration of one\Nof those phenomena, so that by solving it,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.99,0:01:58.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the player would stumble upon that interesting\Nfact about Braid's unique universe - the same
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.32,0:02:02.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fact that Blow himself discovered while programming\Nthe game.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.10,0:02:08.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A similar process was used in The Witness,\Nwhere Blow made rules and puzzles by exploring
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.02,0:02:14.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the mechanic of drawing lines on a grid. Play\Ntesting this showed Blow that he was often
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.22,0:02:18.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,partitioning grid cells - perhaps that could\Nbecome a rule?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.18,0:02:22.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which leads to situations like this. This\Npuzzle is pretty easy to solve: you just loop
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.71,0:02:27.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,around here and you're away. The next puzzle\Nlooks identical but you'll notice that the exit
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.41,0:02:32.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has moved. Now, using that same solution will cut\Noff your access to the exit. So you have to
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.67,0:02:35.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solve it like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.64,0:02:41.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here, the mechanic of drawing a line inspired\Na rule about partitioning cells which had
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.48,0:02:47.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the consequence of cutting off your exit,\Nwhich led to a puzzle illustrating this fact.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.14,0:02:52.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Describing the invention of this puzzle type\Nat IndieCade in 2011, Blow said...
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.78,0:02:55.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,JONATHAN BLOW: That came from asking these little known questions.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.86,0:03:00.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It didn't come from a top-down imposition 'I want to make a puzzle type that... blah'
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.74,0:03:06.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rather, it came from this very simple process of exploration very early in development.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.54,0:03:12.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While Blow may have largely abdicated the\Nduty of designing puzzles to, I dunno, the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.35,0:03:15.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,universe, he still has some important roles\Nto play.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.55,0:03:20.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,First, is making sure the ramifications of\Neach change are explored to the fullest. In
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.84,0:03:25.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Witness, Blow asked how every part of\Nthe game could be twisted, and that includes
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.44,0:03:28.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the grid, the cells, the line, the environment, and the panel.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.84,0:03:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in Braid, you'll notice that the consequences\Nof each rule change are explored by every
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.49,0:03:34.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,object in the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.73,0:03:39.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the world where objects can be immune to rewind,\Nfor example, there are puzzles where enemies,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.47,0:03:44.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,keys, doors, clouds, platforms, and even the\Nplayer character have this property.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.49,0:03:50.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Blow's second job is to present the resulting puzzles\Nin a way that will give the player the best
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.22,0:03:54.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,possible set-up to discover the interesting\Nfact at the heart of the conundrum.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.58,0:03:59.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, he frequently uses misdirection\Nto lull you into making a seemingly obvious
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.67,0:04:05.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,move - only to show you that this is not correct.\NIn the Braid puzzle "Hunt", you're told to
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.17,0:04:09.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kill all the monsters but they're set up in\Na way that if you kill them in the most obvious
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.32,0:04:11.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sequence, you're unable to solve the puzzle.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.52,0:04:17.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Misdirection like this stops the player from brute-forcing\Nthe puzzle and failing to grasp the interesting
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.11,0:04:22.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fact. And showing the player why something\Ndoesn't work is often part of that fundamental
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.13,0:04:25.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,truth that Blow is illustrating in each puzzle.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.81,0:04:31.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The designer also uses sequences, pairings\Nand reprisals. If you come across a simple
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.50,0:04:36.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,puzzle - like this one about trying to unlock\Ntwo doors with one key - you'll likely come
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.18,0:04:38.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,across a more substantial version in the same\Narea.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.61,0:04:42.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And by using familiar layouts in different\Nworlds, with different rules, you can see
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.81,0:04:48.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how the consequences have changed. This level\Nis essentially repeated in Worlds 2 and 4,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.38,0:04:52.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the way time works in each means the solution\Nis unique.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.31,0:04:56.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Jonathan Blow also subverts the rules you're\Nused to. In the level Irreversible, you have
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.52,0:05:01.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to realise that you must not use your rewind\Npowers. And throws in traps, to catch out
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.34,0:05:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those who aren't thinking hard enough. In\Nthis level, the wacky way that time works means
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.08,0:05:09.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only one of these gates can be opened...
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.25,0:05:14.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Blow's final job is to be ruthlessly curatorial,\Nand edit out mechanics, rules, and puzzles
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.98,0:05:20.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that lack a sense of surprise, or overlap\Nwith each other, or fail to say anything interesting.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.71,0:05:25.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Both Braid and The Witness were spin-offs\Nof games that were shelved because their main
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.19,0:05:30.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mechanics didn't present a rich enough space\Nto explore. And Blow killed off rules, like
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.58,0:05:35.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Braid's weird turn-based world, because their\Nconsequences weren't surprising, or the rules
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.70,0:05:37.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,felt contrived.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.98,0:05:42.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But where Jonathan Blow will differ from other\Ndesigners is that he deliberately left stuff
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.37,0:05:46.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in, even if it wasn't fun - simply because\Nit was interesting or would make the game
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.67,0:05:48.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,feel incomplete to remove it.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.99,0:05:53.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like this super weird puzzle where a key can\Nbumble along on its own. It is, after all,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.78,0:05:57.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a surprising and interesting consequence of\Nthis game's universe.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.87,0:06:02.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because for Jonathan Blow, a puzzle is never\Njust a puzzle. It's a communication of an
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.75,0:06:06.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,idea from the designer to the player. And\Nsolving the puzzle is the player's way of
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.97,0:06:09.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,saying "I understand".
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.42,0:06:14.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think "I understand" is a significantly\Ndifferent concept to "I finally figured it
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.42,0:06:19.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out", which is how many puzzle games operate with\Ntheir arbitrary steps and intricate sequences
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.45,0:06:21.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and red herrings and obtuse mechanisms.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.48,0:06:27.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the puzzles in Blow's games feel more\Nfair. And that's why this design philosophy
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.46,0:06:31.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,isn't just about letting the design help direct\Nyou to the next rule or the next puzzle - it's also
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.96,0:06:35.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about helping you make better, and more honest puzzles.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.49,0:06:39.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Braid and The Witness introduce all the elements\Nupfront and teach their mechanics quickly
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.83,0:06:44.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with introductory puzzles - from there the\Nharder puzzles are only about understanding
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.61,0:06:49.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the consequences of those known mechanics\Nin different set-ups, combinations, and layouts.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.40,0:06:54.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the puzzles can be blisteringly simple.\NMost are about exploring just one idea and
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.76,0:06:59.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the stages are small enough so you can consider\Nall the moving parts at once. And there are
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.72,0:07:05.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no, or very few, red herrings, and also few\Narbitrary steps to finish. Once you've found
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.41,0:07:08.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the solution, it's relatively effortless to\Nexecute it.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.45,0:07:13.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So solving a puzzle in this game isn't like\Nsolving a Rubik's cube or trying to guess
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.04,0:07:18.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the answer to a riddle. It's simply seeing\Nsomething that was there all along. The answer
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.25,0:07:23.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was right in front of your eyes, if only you\Nknew the right way to look at the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.25,0:07:25.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Kinda like those hidden puzzles in The Witness.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.64,0:07:30.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that "a-ha!" moment you get when solving\Na puzzle isn't about finally putting together
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.30,0:07:34.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all the pieces or finally understanding what\Nthe hell the designer was asking you to do,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.90,0:07:38.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it feels like you just saw the world a\Nbit more clearly.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.14,0:07:43.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As Jonathan Blow told Gamasutra, "the more\Nthat a puzzle is about something real and
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.17,0:07:47.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something specific, and the less it's about\Nsome arbitrary challenge, the more meaningful
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.74,0:07:51.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that epiphany is".
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.24,0:07:54.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks for watching!
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.29,0:07:59.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of my goals with GMT is to pass on the\Nphilosophies of the best game designers around
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.49,0:08:02.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so you can use their ideas in your own games.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.58,0:08:06.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're interested, I've put loads of links\Nin the description where Jonathan Blow talks
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.40,0:08:08.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more about the process.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.27,0:08:12.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's not just for puzzles games - Blow\Nreckons that this process of letting the design
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.49,0:08:16.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dictate the rules and mechanics could be used\Nin other genres, too.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.51,0:08:20.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As always if you liked the show you can leave\Na comment, give me a thumbs up, subscribe
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.01,0:08:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on YouTube, or even support the show financially\Non Patreon like these endlessly awesome gold
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.00,0:08:25.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tier supporters...