There are many traditional elements of interactive fiction, such as puzzles and mazes. Here are some of the discussions these elements have sparked on rec.arts.int-fiction.
- Designing puzzles
- How one author designs puzzles.
- The problem of empty rooms
- How do you create the illusion of space without including a lot of empty rooms?
- Puzzle difficulty and arbitrariness
- A violent argument over whether it is possible to design logical puzzles which are nevertheless unsolvable. This thread lead to Dave Baggett writing the game +=3.
- Mazes and the game Curses
- How mapping a game adds to its enjoyment.
- Mathematics and puzzles -- No comparison
- What's the difference between, say, mathematical proofs and puzzles in IF?
- Quantifying puzzle difficulty
- How to gauge the difficulty of puzzles you design.
- Maze design dilemma
- Designing mazes.
- Puzzle classification
- Gareth Rees' categorization of puzzles.
- Red herrings
- Do red herrings add to or detract from IF?