Disclaimer: I’ve by no means created this particular sort of sliding block puzzle, however I’ve performed the free ones on-line so much (for instance right here).

Some preliminary reactions to your publish:

1. I’m glad you are not nonetheless consuming the items, however possibly a model of this sport supposed for cake toppers for birthday events the place the items are edible (possibly made from arduous icing) can be an important thought!

2. Aha moments will be considerably subjective. An aha second for me won’t be an aha second for another person. However, an honest check for an aha second may be to resolve your individual puzzle (just a few days after creating it so that you’ve forgotten the specifics of it, hopefully) and see if it causes that aha second for you. Or possibly you may simply inform if a sure sequence is an aha second, whilst you create it.

3. As for “Something I dislike is over-stuffing the board with vehicles,” these “further” vehicles, even when not moved, virtually all the time play an element within the answer as a result of they take up house that different vehicles can not use, which is a method you’ll sooner or later virtually definitely need to use in creating these puzzles. Also, keep in mind that these “further” vehicles distract from the answer. If they weren’t there, it could possible make the answer simpler to seek out, and “too simple” is not any enjoyable.

Ok. On to the principle query: How would I method designing such a puzzle?

There are 4 methods I can consider (listed under), and the one I checklist final (#4) is the one that most closely fits your wishes, I feel. All of those strategies take loads of time as a result of every puzzle, whether or not created by you or a pc, have to be solved by you personally as a way to verify for the correct really feel and aha second(s).

1. Use a pc to create a solvable place. Solve it your self to see if it has the correct really feel and aha second(s). If so, reserve it in your “authorized” bag. I gloss over this one since you made it clear that you do not need to use a pc to create the puzzle.

2. Create your puzzles by enhancing/tweaking present puzzles. I will not go into any specifics right here as a result of I actually, actually do not assume that that is the way in which you need to go. I’m pretty certain it could really feel like “dishonest” in some sense, however I point out it for completeness.

3. Create a random place to your liking and attempt to resolve it. If you can’t resolve it after a while, possibly it isn’t solvable. After a while of being caught, transfer on to a different place and start the method once more. Once solved, you determine if it has the correct really feel or not, and preserve it or chunk it. This is a really trial-and-error methodology that appears inefficient to me, however in the event you actually benefit from the puzzle-making side of this, it may be proper up your alley. The pleasure is within the journey, proper?

4. Work backwards. This methodology appears finest as a result of, not like methodology #3 above, you will not be losing any time on unsolvable positions. Also, you will not want a pc until you need to verify for a number of options, particularly different options that get across the aha second(s). This methodology additionally appears probably the most enjoyable to me, as a result of the creation of the puzzle working backwards is an identical feeling to the fixing of it.

Other Things Worth Mentioning
One of the issues that make Rush Hour puzzles enjoyable is having to assume logically by way of many prospects and acknowledge dead-ends. Take this puzzle, for instance:

The blue truck blocking the exit needs to be moved up or down, clearly, however solely after interested by it for a short while will one understand that transferring the big purple semi truck to the left in order that the blue blocking truck can transfer up will not be attainable due to the 3-length brown truck beneath the purple race automobile. I might take into account that realization an aha second. Just figuring out which means I must focus makes the puzzle doable and enjoyable. When you create your individual, be sure that to work in at the least one good alternate chance.

It is just like maze creation. If your whole dead-ends are very brief paths, the maze will not be enjoyable as a result of one can not get misplaced in it. Make certain the inaccurate paths are lengthy sufficient (sufficient logical steps lengthy) that it makes the solver cease and assume, which is what the solvers of those actually get pleasure from.

Would or not it’s useful for me to create one in every of these utilizing the “work-backward” methodology and publish that course of right here? If so, I’m sport!

EDIT:
I added in (under) the method of my creation of a Rush Hour-style puzzle utilizing the work-backward methodology. It was way more enjoyable than I had imagined. Not surprisingly, and as many issues are, it looks like one would naturally get intuitively higher at creating attention-grabbing Rush Hour puzzles (and fixing them) the extra time that was spent creating them utilizing the work-backwards methodology, or any methodology, actually.

Note, that is the primary one in every of these I’ve ever created, and I’m certain if I performed round with creating extra of those, that after a short while I’d be making attention-grabbing puzzles with at the least one “Aha!” second. The one under is nice for an instance of the method, though it did not trigger me personally to have an enormous “Aha!” second, however as a substitute 2 or 3 small ones. It is tough to inform if it is because I created it and was acquainted with it, or as a result of there merely was no enormous “Aha!” second.

The purple 2-length rectangle represents the automobile that should exit the car parking zone to the correct. The blue 3-length rectangle represents a truck and the inexperienced 2-length rectangle represents a automobile.

Read the diagrams left to proper earlier than transferring right down to the following line.

I began with a solved state.

Then I added a truck. The T1 means 1 complete transfer required as a way to attain the answer (and might embody transferring the purple automobile too, but it surely would not on this instance.) The complete # of strikes is loosely correlated with puzzle problem, I feel.

Then I added one other truck, which makes it a 2-move puzzle.

Then I added 2 vehicles, making it a 3-move puzzle. However, trying again at it now, I see that the automobile within the decrease left is basically not wanted, and might be eliminated if desired. Also, the house it’s taking over might then, as a substitute, be used so as to add extra complexity.

Then I added 2 extra vehicles and a truck, making it a 7-move puzzle.

Then I spotted that I might transfer the purple automobile all the way in which to the left and the puzzle wouldn’t change (nonetheless a 7-move puzzle). That would enable me so as to add complexity utilizing the spot that the purple automobile had occupied.

Then I added one automobile blocking the primary transfer that wanted to be made, making it an 8-move puzzle.

Then I added a closing automobile that blocks the transfer of the automobile that I added within the earlier step, making the puzzle an 11-move puzzle.