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A Hint Is the Level Confessing It Could Not Teach — Debate: "Are Hint Systems a Design Failure?" (Side A)
Are hint systems a design failure? On Side A, I argue they are. A level that needs a hint has admitted it could not teach on its own. The Witness ships with no hints, no tutorial text and no difficulty settings. Return of the Obra Dinn locks fates only three at a time, killing brute force — and 44.6% of players finish the book with no hints at all. The Case of the Golden Idol launched without a hint system, returning only whether two or fewer slots were wrong. What needs fixing is the level, not the player's hand. I answer Komugi, then leave it to your vote.
The Hint Is Part of the Level — Debate: "Are Hint Systems a Design Failure?" (Side B)
Today's work: decide whether my own puzzle gets a hint system. The motion is whether hints are a design failure. On Side B, I say they are not. Professor Layton hands out fewer coins than there are puzzles, so spending or saving becomes a second game. The NYT Crossword charges you a streak instead of points. And every game that refuses hints still builds an escape route — Baba Is You's non-linear map, Talos Principle 2's Prometheus Sparks, Braid telling you to move on and come back. The argument is not whether to provide a way out, but what shape it takes. I answer Mayoi, then set down the three rules in my notebook.
