Control Room Puzzle: Difference between revisions

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** The sequel (''Jedi Knight'') had two similar puzzles involving systems where you have two blocks or two containers of liquid, and you can adjust the level of one (which adjusts the other). Both are quite simple if you know which button to push, but getting it right without a guide means a lot of running around while getting shot at.
** The sequel (''Jedi Knight'') had two similar puzzles involving systems where you have two blocks or two containers of liquid, and you can adjust the level of one (which adjusts the other). Both are quite simple if you know which button to push, but getting it right without a guide means a lot of running around while getting shot at.
* The ''[[Myst]]'' series is practically built on this, although without the possibility of getting killed. And, thankfully, trial and error, or extensive trekking. ''This does '''not''' prevent them from being mind-bogglingly hard''.
* The ''[[Myst]]'' series is practically built on this, although without the possibility of getting killed. And, thankfully, trial and error, or extensive trekking. ''This does '''not''' prevent them from being mind-bogglingly hard''.
* ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver (Video Game)|Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'' has one of these in Goldenrod City.
* ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'' has one of these in Goldenrod City.
* ''[[Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga (Video Game)|Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' has two such puzzles: one at Woohoo Hooniversity, and the other when Luigi is alone in Guffawha Ruins.
* ''[[Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga|Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' has two such puzzles: one at Woohoo Hooniversity, and the other when Luigi is alone in Guffawha Ruins.
* ''[[Zork Grand Inquisitor]]'' had one of those when you were escaping from jail, where you have the ability to open or close any cell block in the prison. As one of the last major puzzles before the end of the game, the solution is quite obtuse, and requires reading a map, watching camera footage , tracing air vents, and realizing {{spoiler|the map is a side view instead of a top-down}}. Any wrong answer leads to death.
* ''[[Zork: Grand Inquisitor]]'' had one of those when you were escaping from jail, where you have the ability to open or close any cell block in the prison. As one of the last major puzzles before the end of the game, the solution is quite obtuse, and requires reading a map, watching camera footage , tracing air vents, and realizing {{spoiler|the map is a side view instead of a top-down}}. Any wrong answer leads to death.
* ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'' has this on the Mannan Sith base, and an NPC remarks on what a pain in the ass these puzzles are.
* ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'' has this on the Mannan Sith base, and an NPC remarks on what a pain in the ass these puzzles are.
* The hidden summons in ''[[Wild Arms 2 (Video Game)|Wild Arms 2]]'' is protected by a switch puzzle. The player has to push some panels in the walls in a certain order with only a cryptic message about spirals for a clue. The puzzle is especially awkward because of a poor cultural translation. The Japanese original was based on the {{spoiler|the names of weekdays. In Japan, these are linguistically transparent and well-known. When they decided to make the puzzle the same, but convert it to English, it ended up much more obtuse.}}.
* The hidden summons in ''[[Wild Arms 2]]'' is protected by a switch puzzle. The player has to push some panels in the walls in a certain order with only a cryptic message about spirals for a clue. The puzzle is especially awkward because of a poor cultural translation. The Japanese original was based on the {{spoiler|the names of weekdays. In Japan, these are linguistically transparent and well-known. When they decided to make the puzzle the same, but convert it to English, it ended up much more obtuse.}}.
* ''[[Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow]]'' has a Control Room [[Fifteen Puzzle]]: fifteen rooms in a 4X4 grid, each with exits in certain parts, which you had to shuffle around to reach various paths that led out from the puzzle. Luckily, there wasn't just one "correct" solution, and the paths were easy to make with a bit of thought; it also came with a handy [[Puzzle Reset]] button in the control room.
* ''[[Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow]]'' has a Control Room [[Fifteen Puzzle]]: fifteen rooms in a 4X4 grid, each with exits in certain parts, which you had to shuffle around to reach various paths that led out from the puzzle. Luckily, there wasn't just one "correct" solution, and the paths were easy to make with a bit of thought; it also came with a handy [[Puzzle Reset]] button in the control room.
* ''[[Marathon (Video Game)|Marathon]]'' had a lot of these, but the one that sticks in everyone's craw is the platform puzzle in ''Colony Ship For Sale, Cheap!''. Several platforms need to be adjusted to the correct height using switches so that you can jump atop them and reach a high alcove, but all of the switches are far away from each other and the platforms, and you [[Rocket Jump|must use grenades]] on each try.
* ''[[Marathon Trilogy|Marathon]]'' had a lot of these, but the one that sticks in everyone's craw is the platform puzzle in ''Colony Ship For Sale, Cheap!''. Several platforms need to be adjusted to the correct height using switches so that you can jump atop them and reach a high alcove, but all of the switches are far away from each other and the platforms, and you [[Rocket Jump|must use grenades]] on each try.
** Or you can [[Take a Third Option]] and [http://marathon.bungie.org/vidmaster/films/Colony_Ship_no_pillars.sit bypass it].
** Or you can [[Take a Third Option]] and [http://marathon.bungie.org/vidmaster/films/Colony_Ship_no_pillars.sit bypass it].
* ''[[Fallout]] 2'' has an area where a "switches opens doors" puzzle is taken to its logical extreme - a surprise door maze. There are nine connected rooms in the Oil Rig area, and the whole setup has four exits. Each room has a console and using different consoles toggles the state of different doors. The objective is to move through the rooms, using different consoles to open different doors, to get to the four exits. The floor is frequently electrified.
* ''[[Fallout]] 2'' has an area where a "switches opens doors" puzzle is taken to its logical extreme - a surprise door maze. There are nine connected rooms in the Oil Rig area, and the whole setup has four exits. Each room has a console and using different consoles toggles the state of different doors. The objective is to move through the rooms, using different consoles to open different doors, to get to the four exits. The floor is frequently electrified.
** Worth noting that its possible with appropriate character skills to untrap and unlock the doors as well as shutting the floor electricity, thus brute-forcing your way through.
** Worth noting that its possible with appropriate character skills to untrap and unlock the doors as well as shutting the floor electricity, thus brute-forcing your way through.
* The ''[[Glider]] PRO'' scenario "SpacePods" had four control rooms with eight switches each. In each one, you had to toggle the correct four switches, with only cryptic clues to guide you. Players of the scenario "Sky Links" by the same author were relieved when, in the part recalling the environment of "SpacePods", they were directed to just hit all the switches on the control panel.
* The ''[[Glider]] PRO'' scenario "SpacePods" had four control rooms with eight switches each. In each one, you had to toggle the correct four switches, with only cryptic clues to guide you. Players of the scenario "Sky Links" by the same author were relieved when, in the part recalling the environment of "SpacePods", they were directed to just hit all the switches on the control panel.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass]]'' has this, but there are usually stone tablets with the proper switch sequence written on them.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass]]'' has this, but there are usually stone tablets with the proper switch sequence written on them.
* ''[[Secret of Evermore]]'' had small one of these to get to a hidden boss.
* ''[[Secret of Evermore]]'' had small one of these to get to a hidden boss.
* The real-life puzzler: There are three light switches. One controls a lightbulb in the next room, which you cannot see from the switches and can only enter to check once. How can you tell which switch controls the light? {{spoiler|Turn the first switch on and leave it on for ten minutes. Then turn it off, and turn on the second switch before entering the room. If the bulb is off but warm, is #1. If it's on, it's #2. And if it's off and cold, it's #3.}}
* The real-life puzzler: There are three light switches. One controls a lightbulb in the next room, which you cannot see from the switches and can only enter to check once. How can you tell which switch controls the light? {{spoiler|Turn the first switch on and leave it on for ten minutes. Then turn it off, and turn on the second switch before entering the room. If the bulb is off but warm, is #1. If it's on, it's #2. And if it's off and cold, it's #3.}}
* The Altador Plot in ''[[Neopets]]'' did this near the end. If you failed, Altador would be flooded, and you had to restart.
* The Altador Plot in ''[[Neopets]]'' did this near the end. If you failed, Altador would be flooded, and you had to restart.
* Subverted in ''[[Eye of the Beholder (Video Game)|Eye of the Beholder]]''- In one of the later floors, there is a room labeled "Combination Lock- Be Quick" with 5 switches and a group of items on the other side of a pit (by this point, the game has already established that pits can be moved or gotten rid of entirely). Each time a switch is hit, the party must move quickly to dodge a fireball that gets launched from the other end of the room. The player obviously thinks that they need to find the right combination to get rid of the pits; the catch, though, is that it's actually impossible to remove the pits, the switches do nothing, and it's just an excuse to frustrate the player.
* Subverted in ''[[Eye of the Beholder]]''- In one of the later floors, there is a room labeled "Combination Lock- Be Quick" with 5 switches and a group of items on the other side of a pit (by this point, the game has already established that pits can be moved or gotten rid of entirely). Each time a switch is hit, the party must move quickly to dodge a fireball that gets launched from the other end of the room. The player obviously thinks that they need to find the right combination to get rid of the pits; the catch, though, is that it's actually impossible to remove the pits, the switches do nothing, and it's just an excuse to frustrate the player.
* The medicine puzzle in ''[[La-Mulana]]'' is a [[Control Room Puzzle]] in disguise: here, the room is actually a corridor, and toggling switches is replaced by casting spells at fairies. If you get it wrong, you have to go all the way back to the sage before trying again. Another [[Control Room Puzzle]], lying in the second level of the Endless Corridor, is so cleverly disguised it doesn't even look like a puzzle at first.
* The medicine puzzle in ''[[La-Mulana]]'' is a [[Control Room Puzzle]] in disguise: here, the room is actually a corridor, and toggling switches is replaced by casting spells at fairies. If you get it wrong, you have to go all the way back to the sage before trying again. Another [[Control Room Puzzle]], lying in the second level of the Endless Corridor, is so cleverly disguised it doesn't even look like a puzzle at first.
* ''[[System Shock]]'' has one puzzle with a force-bridge that must be extended section by section, by hitting the right combination of buttons on a control board. This is not very difficult, since there is no penalty for getting the wrong combination, and the player can see the bridge from the board. Throughout ''System Shock'' there are also many doors opened by controlling the flow of power through little stylized circuit boards, where switching each of the elements the power passes through also changes other elements, making it easy to undo your progress. These puzzles range from very easy to quite difficult by the end, but a few single-use "logic probes" that can solve them instantly are scattered throughout the game.
* ''[[System Shock]]'' has one puzzle with a force-bridge that must be extended section by section, by hitting the right combination of buttons on a control board. This is not very difficult, since there is no penalty for getting the wrong combination, and the player can see the bridge from the board. Throughout ''System Shock'' there are also many doors opened by controlling the flow of power through little stylized circuit boards, where switching each of the elements the power passes through also changes other elements, making it easy to undo your progress. These puzzles range from very easy to quite difficult by the end, but a few single-use "logic probes" that can solve them instantly are scattered throughout the game.
* ''[[Duke Nukem 3D (Video Game)|Duke Nukem 3D]]'' has a lot of these, in the form of doors (or other objects) which can only be activated by a "combo lock" that is composed of three to five big switches. Opening the lock is just a matter of pressing the right combination of switches, which can be easily brute-forced (and it's the only way to open them). The only exception is on the secret level of episode four, where, to finish the level, you have to find out a ''ten-button'' sequence; you've got to find one of the two places in the level where the sequence is shown.
* ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'' has a lot of these, in the form of doors (or other objects) which can only be activated by a "combo lock" that is composed of three to five big switches. Opening the lock is just a matter of pressing the right combination of switches, which can be easily brute-forced (and it's the only way to open them). The only exception is on the secret level of episode four, where, to finish the level, you have to find out a ''ten-button'' sequence; you've got to find one of the two places in the level where the sequence is shown.
* Appropriately enough, the Shrine of Control in ''[[Ultima VI]]''.
* Appropriately enough, the Shrine of Control in ''[[Ultima VI]]''.
* ''[[Mass Effect]]'' has one where you need to set a bunch of switches to get a door to crush a geth ship's landing claw. This one is relatively sensible as a control panel, the switches are properly labeled and it's really a matter of simple addition to figure which switches to press for the right pressure. There's even a pressure gauge as such a control panel should. Needless to say it isn't much of a challenge as a puzzle.
* ''[[Mass Effect]]'' has one where you need to set a bunch of switches to get a door to crush a geth ship's landing claw. This one is relatively sensible as a control panel, the switches are properly labeled and it's really a matter of simple addition to figure which switches to press for the right pressure. There's even a pressure gauge as such a control panel should. Needless to say it isn't much of a challenge as a puzzle.
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