So, could anyone give me any tips on creating difficult block pushing puzzles?

[Vinderex]

In case you're confused, what I'm trying to do is create mazes with movable blocks obstructing several parts of the path, and the player must push the blocks out of the way to clear the path.  Anyways.  I'm having trouble making difficult enough puzzles.  So far the best I can do just have the block block a passageway and become unmovable if the player pushes it too far forward instead of pushing it sideways when the opportunity arises.  Anyone could figure that out with hardly any thinking. -_-  So are there any tutorials on creating puzzles like this?  Or could anyone give me any tips?

 

[Stardust]

Well, I haven't played many games with puzzles, but I can try giving you some advice.  Just making one rock isn't challenging enough.  Instead, you need to make a number of rocks whose paths affect each other.  For example, if you push the first rock too far, you won't be able to fully push the second rock.

 

[Demosthenes2k8]

Try a "log" system like Golden Sun. They're longer and wider, but once they're pushed they continue until they can't anymore. (i.e. they hit another object)

 

[mawk]

And sometimes it's better to have the challenge be a little less immediate than the blocks themselves. Maybe the blocks aren't the obstacles, but an integral part of a puzzle that will unlock the door for you? There are a lot of things you can do with blocks that amount to more than just getting them out of your way.

But yeah, Golden Sun had some of the best block-pushing puzzles I've seen in a game. You should definitely look it up to see if you can get some inspiration from its puzzles.

 

[Demosthenes2k8]

Maybe there are small blocks and you need to push them to fill a hole in the path below you? Then you walk across, and push a block onto an otherwise inacessable switch to make a bridge fall...use your imagination!