Menu

puzzles

The Human mind-2

The Human Mind: A Double-Edged Sword

, , 0

Jackson Chavarria is a manager at Cross Roads Escape Games, has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and is working on his Master’s degree. Here is his take on interesting things he sees in our escape rooms through his psychology perspective.

We’ve all come across a problem that makes cognitive sense to us in how it should be solved, but then we realize that our method is not quite the right one. Our minds are constantly changing and learning the most efficient and effective solution in any given scenario, no matter how incredulous it may be.

If we come to a solution that doesn’t take much mental effort, it is semi-rewarding and doesn’t result in much change in our brains. They are fantastic in their abilities and can find shortcuts to complex problems. However, if we start to find the answer using extreme jumps of logic, our imperfect brains play a little trick on us. Because it has exhausted a ton of energy, it believes this must be the right way to figure out a puzzle.

This is typically not a huge issue, but it can quickly become unmanageable, and the player can find themselves in a trap some call “tunnel vision.” A player will start behaving as though their current train of thought is indisputable, frequently losing sight of other alternative methods for solving the problem. This can make the player irritable and unapproachable, derailing their fellow players from the correct path and losing precious time in an escape room.


Often it is stressful to be put in a situation where time is of the essence and you are thrown into an unknown environment. Your brain, scrambling to make sense of everything, is doing its best to aid in escape. Practically, if you feel yourself starting to slip into tunnel vision, these are some things I’ve found to be successful in helping stop this self-imposed obstacle.

1. BREATHE

As an aspiring psychologist, I’ve found that the #1 aid in reclaiming a calm mind is to breathe deeply. The best kind of breathing is an inhale for 5 seconds, and then an exhale for 7 seconds. Taking slow, intentional breaths lowers your heart rate, increases your awareness, and improves your state of mind.

2. TAKE A STEP BACK

We can begin to assign ourselves to a specific puzzle and make it our solo mission to figure out how to solve it. But there’s a reason escape rooms are typically played with others: some new insight! A fresh perspective may be just the thing that is missing from you and your group’s progression to the next puzzle.

3. CELEBRATE SMALL WINS

Each puzzle that you are presented with is meant to challenge your mind and make you begin to unravel the secrets that the room has for you. However, not permitting yourself to have a sense of pride and victory when you solve something is a factor that can make or break your mind’s clarity. Being your own cheerleader is sometimes one of the best things you can be for yourself!

Your brain is capable of being your greatest asset or your greatest enemy. Going into an escape room knowing these tips and tricks will help you be the reliable friend your friends will need!

WE played an escape room with Jeff Goldblum-2

We Played An Escape Room With Jeff Goldblum!

, , , , 0

Where to watch

Owners and Creators of Cross Roads Escape Games, Luke & Madison, along with the owners and creators of Exit Game OC, Jeremiah & Christine, played ‘Wrongfully Convicted’ at Escape Revolutions with the one and only, Jeff Goldblum!

Check out the ‘Puzzles’ episode (season 2, episode 7) on ‘The World According to Jeff Goldblum’ streaming now on Disney+.

How we got on the show

We are good friends with the owners of Exit Game OC, Jeremiah, and Christine, who opened just a few months ago down the street from Cross Roads. Christine is also a YouTube star and has been doing videos on Escape Rooms for years. She and her husband have played over 500 escape rooms! The show looked for enthusiasts to play with Jeff, so she was contacted. They needed two others to join her, so she name-dropped us (who have played a modest 250 escape rooms), and after a short video interview, we were in!

Playing an Escape Room with Jeff Goldblum

We were told that the game was modified for filming, so big spoilers or answers were not given away to people who still wanted to play. This was understandable, but it also made it much harder to play. Navigating through the game and not knowing what was relevant to us was very difficult. Not to mention that we were being watched by a crowd of people (the film crew), who were expecting us to fly through the game because we were “experts,” which made it very stressful. Oh, and Jeff made it impossible to focus.  

Jeff is an incredibly nice guy, naturally funny, and unpredictable. It took us 6 hours to play the 1-hour escape room because Jeff likes to talk… a lot. Before we started playing, the director told us our job was to keep Jeff on track. Easier said than done.

To be fair, this was Jeff’s first escape room, so he was overwhelmed, confused, and amazed. He was new to what a clue is and how to piece together a code. There is a learning curve for solving escape room-type puzzles, so we had to help guide him through our thought process.

Jeff is easily distracted and jumps from story to story and question to question. He tests your movie knowledge, constantly quoting lines from movies and quizzing you on what movie it’s from and who said it. It was not only hard to get him to focus, but also hard to focus yourself.

One thing Jeff is great at is making you laugh. As stressed as I was, Jeff is a hilarious guy, and it’s hard to take anything too seriously with him around.

Something you didn’t see in the episode is that we figure out a four-digit code for a number lock, and we tell Jeff to be the one to put the code in. Before he does, Christine asks him if he is familiar with that kind of lock and if he knows how to enter the code. Jeff goes into this 10-minute spiel about how he is a “lockmaster,” and his “middle name is Lock,” and he has been “opening locks since he was five years old.” Finally, once he finishes his speech and puts in the numbers, he pulls down on the lock, and it doesn’t open. He looks at us like, “you gave me the wrong code!” So, Christine looks over and says, “oh, you lined it up wrong,” and points to where the code should have gone. He looks back at us and says, “Well, how was I supposed to know that?!” To which I respond with, “Jeff, you just took the last 10 minutes to tell us your middle name was Lock, we thought you knew!” That got a big laugh out of Jeff and the film crew.

Jeff is big into word association games. We noticed him playing a game with himself during breaks where he would say the name of an actor, then a movie that actor was in, then a new actor from that movie, a movie that actor was in, and so on. We jumped in and played a few rounds with him (he was really good).

After the 6 hours of playing the escape room, we finally escape, and we are taken outside for Jeff to interview us and ask us some questions. The director tells Jeff, “Ask them what they like about solving puzzles.” Well, instead of asking us, he answers the question himself. Director says, “That was great; now ask THEM the question.” He turns to us, and instead of asking the question again, he notices an ear hair on Jeremiah, PLUCKS IT FROM HIS EAR, puts it in his pocket, and says, “I’m going to keep this to remember you by. This was such a great day, I’m going to remember it forever.” There is no controlling this man or knowing what he will do next.

Overall, it was a really fun day. The game was challenging, but Jeff made it a blast. He wanted to know all about us and was interested in our story. He cares a lot about other people, goes out of his way to make you laugh, and takes it upon himself to make sure you have a good time. I hope he continues playing escape rooms and had as much fun as we did.

Make sure to catch the ‘Puzzles’ episode (season 2, episode 7) of ‘The World According to Jeff Goldblum‘ streaming now on Disney+.

Geoff_Sep_W1_Header

How to Solve a Puzzle

, , , , , 0

On this blog, we’ve covered a lot of topics, from What Is an Escape Room to Who Should I Bring to an Escape Room and a who slew of other escape room-related musings. But I realized just recently that we were missing the most basic part of escape rooms: how do you solve a puzzle? I’ve decided to tackle this deceptively complex topic so first-time players and Escape Room Extraordinaires can play to the best of their ability.

WHAT IS A PUZZLE?

Let’s start at the beginning. According to Merriam-Webster, a puzzle is “something that puzzles” (a very unhelpful definition if you ask me), or “a question, problem, or contrivance designed for testing ingenuity.” In escape rooms, you will come across a wide variety of puzzles, but they will all have something in common:  you will be required to use your brain to connect pieces together and discover an outcome.

Step 1: SEARCH

No matter what type of room you are playing, there is one thing you should always do first: Search the room. This should be a very obvious step, but I have seen many groups stumble over this important step and severely impact their game. Any escape room you play will have clues scattered around for you to find. If you don’t take the time to discover your space and collect the provided clues, there is a good chance you will miss vital information that will help you not only solve your puzzle, but be able to understand what you are solving. I recommend collecting anything that looks like it is a clue and placing it somewhere accessible to the group but not in the way. Put things on top of a large open table or desk if there is one available; Do not pile everything in walkways or in front of doors. Know the difference between what looks like a clue and what is just set dressing. Which brings me to a little footnote here:

Know the difference between clues and set dressing. More often than not, clues are made to stand out just enough that they will catch the eye. Look for things that don’t belong, are repeated in different ways throughout the room (such as colored blocks, similar but distinct statuettes, or jars labelled with different types of poison), or look to be purposefully altered in some way. Leave behind things that do not easily move, seem to only serve the purpose of making the space more believable, or don’t have any defining characteristics. And as a pro-tip, avoid making a mess of the room in case you accidentally cover up something you need.

Step 2: ORGANIZE

After you’ve collected you clues, it’s time to move on to organizing your clues. Organize your found items into groups that correlate with each other. Have a collection of severed doll heads each with different hair? Those might go together. Have three marbles, a rubber snake, and a portrait of an old lady playing cards? Those might not go together unless there is something else that stands out about them. Remember to use common sense. If it feels like you’re stretching to make a connection, there’s a good chance that’s not the right path. Ask your group for their opinions.

It’s important to remember that escape rooms are played by a lot of people each day, each with varying degrees of familiarity with puzzles. Many escape rooms are also aware that they will have players that are not native English-speakers and have developed their puzzles to be more accessible to a wide audience. If you find yourself digging for some obscure horror movie reference to open a lock, chances are there’s an easier way to solve the puzzle.

STEP 3: FIND

After you have organized your clues, it’s time to move on to the next step: finding where to input your code. If you are solving a puzzle and it looks like you are getting an answer containing five numbers, look for a place to input a five-digit code. This can also help you in the opposite direction. Have a collection of items but you’re not sure what to do with them? Look at what you’re trying to unlock. If it’s a five-letter lock, you know you will somehow have to convert your puzzle pieces into letters. Seriously, this is probably one of the most helpful hints I can give for any escape room; Know what you are looking for and let that guide your puzzle solving.

STEP 4: INPUT 

And now we reach the final part of solving a puzzle: input your code. If you are unlocking a number or letter lock made up of tumblers, it’s important to make sure you are aligning your code perfectly to the correct spot. Look for any indicators of where to align your code. After your code is aligned, give the lock a firm tug. Yanking ferociously multiple times on a lock will not open it if you have the wrong code, despite what many people seem to think. If your lock doesn’t open, check again to make sure your code is perfectly aligned to the correct spot and give it another tug. If you are using a keypad, make sure you hit the submit button after entering your code. Most of the time the submit button is specifically stated or may even be part of the code.

BONUS TIP

What if your lock doesn’t open? Double-check your work. Start from the beginning of your puzzle again and make sure you didn’t make a mistake. Ask a teammate to check your work. Search your room for another lock or place to input your code.

I hope this guide will help you or your friends in your escape room endeavors. Remember, escape rooms can be overwhelming at times, but as long as you stop to think about your basics, you can ensure your group moves in the correct direction.

Geoff Durham

Game Master, Manager, Puzzle-Solver

Cross Roads Escape Games

PredictingPlayers_header

Predicting Your Players in Non-Linear Games: Part One

, , , , 0

Possible Paths vs. Most Accessible Paths

Non-linear games have several possible puzzle paths from the very beginning and players can choose between any of them. However, you will notice that players tend to choose certain puzzle paths more than others. Why? The answer can be a number of things from prop design, clue placement, lighting, etc. Figuring out what is drawing your players to certain puzzles is key to being able to create predictable outcomes.

For instance, if the players enter a dark room with a light shining down on a bright red phone located on a desk in the center of the room and all other locks are obscured by shadows, then you can be fairly certain that one of the first things (if not the very first thing) that the players will investigate will be the phone. The moment the player picks up the phone, an ominous voice whispers, “follow the stars” and the lights come on. Now the players can see three visible locks and, unknown to the players, there are three hidden puzzles as well that can be discovered by searching the room. Since a ton of new info was just introduced, you can be fairly certain that the players will now divide and investigate the room separately or in small groups.

In this fictional situation, we started by drawing attention to the phone, which would give them their first clue and turn the lights on. Because of the clue they received on the phone, they are most likely to be drawn towards anything with a star on it. The players are not limited in what they can do and there are other puzzles that can be solved, but by setting up the situation like this, we can be fairly certain that the players will act a certain way without destroying the feeling of the game being non-linear.

The “Lone Wolf” players may still work on different puzzles by themselves and the rebels will purposefully ignore direct information given to them, but the majority of the players will try and hunt down information pertaining to the clue they were given: “follow the stars.”

From an outsider’s perspective it looks like the players have been “set up,” but because options were never taken from them, the player will feel like every choice they make is their own. And the choice of what to do should always be in the players hands, but it is a game designer’s job to try and predict what a player will do so that we can add more to the experience.

In part two we will discuss how to expect the unexpected and how beta tests can help limit the number of unexpected behaviors in the room. To keep your finger on the pulse of this topic, follow us on twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Jason Sakal

Manager and Game Master

Cross Roads Escape Games 

The Fun House

What I Look For In An Escape Room: Jason

, , , , , , 3

Personally, I love escape room and I will try and solve ANY puzzle I come across. I love puzzles, riddles, scavenger hunts, and even the pixel hunt kind of games in video games. I love the process of going from being completely unaware of the answer, to a full understanding of the puzzle by piecing together the clues. If a puzzle can do that for me, then I am over the moon!

The puzzles are a HUGE part of what I look for in an escape room. Though I don’t think that puzzle design can carry the experience on its own, it is definitely one of three big factors to my enjoyment of a room.

When I solve a puzzle, I want to know exactly how the puzzle works just by solving it. For example, there have been times where I thought “I don’t think this makes sense but maybe ____ is the answer?” Then it works, and I feel a little disappointed, even though I got the answer correct. The reason I feel let down is because the puzzle didn’t work the way I had thought it was going to.

Now I know what some of you might be thinking. You didn’t like the puzzle because it didn’t work the way YOUthought it would? And I completely understand the eye rolls that I might be getting right now but let me explain!

Making a good puzzle is very much like writing a good plot twist into a story or movie. If the twist is not foreshadowed earlier in the movie, then it just feels like a plot device. But if there are subtle hints from earlier that influence how you should be thinking, then when the twist happens you are like “WHOA! I knew that that painting from earlier was going to be important!” Same goes for puzzles. If your team has been trying things to no avail and then you look at one clue you haven’t used yet and suddenly everything clicks and you exclaim “WAIT! What if the ____s are actually showing us how to use these other clues!” then you have yourself a GOLDEN “aha moment!” And in the end, isn’t that what all puzzles are really about?

The next thing I look for in an escape room is theme. At the end of the day, if you don’t like the theme of a room then you won’t be having as much fun as other people that can really engage with the setting.

I am a huge Horror film junkie! I watch them all; everything from the Exorcist to Zombie Mutant Vampires from the Hood! What can I say? I am a silver lining kind of person. I can find diamonds in just about any roughs. However, just because I enjoy the genre does not mean that all horror movies are good. Same goes for escape rooms. The theme of the room is kind of like the salesman for the room: It is what catches my eye fastest when I am looking for an escape room to play. However, once I actually get into the room, I feel that theme carries the least amount of weight on whether I will find the escape room enjoyable or not.

Third, and possible most importantly, is immersion. I don’t care if my team is being hunted by a serial killer or if we are all aliens trying to break out of area 51, I need to be sold on the idea. It isn’t enough to tell me that I am a fish in an aquarium, you need to sell me on that every moment of the experience.

This can be achieved in many ways. It could be as simple as giving everyone a mask to wear, or as complex as having actors in the room that interact with the players in a certain way to get the desired result. Trust me, nothing convinces someone that they are an outlaw in the wild west more than giving them a cowboy hat, a bandana, and having the “law dogs” lock them up in a jail cell. We’ve already talked a lot about immersion in one of our other blog posts, so I don’t need to go too far into how to achieve full immersion… but it is VERY important!

So, to sum this up, when I am looking for an escape room to play the three things I am looking for are:

1) What is the theme?

2) Do they have well thought out puzzles? (This is kind of hard to find an answer without spoiling anything, but reading people’s reactions to the puzzles in reviews is often a good way to find out how good the puzzles are.)

3) How immersive is the game? (One thing I look for is people discussing a game’s hint system in the comments. I ask myself if it makes sense for the setting or not.)

Look at the escape room’s website to get an idea for theme, and then if you are intrigued read some reviews. I can temper my expectations based on other peoples’ reviews and how well the room markets itself. I have only played around 30 escape rooms so far, so I would not consider myself an expert, but this method has helped me search for the next game my team will take on.

What do you look for in an escape room? Let us know in the comments below!

Jason Sakal
Game Master & Manager
Cross Roads Escape Games

Jason_April_W4_1

Tips on how to solve puzzles in an escape room!

, , , , , , , , 4

Being good at playing escape rooms is just like any other skill: it takes some practice. As you play more and more escape rooms, you will learn what methods work for finding solutions to puzzles and what habits just waste time. If you are a new player or are already an escape enthusiast looking to improve your gameplay, here is some advice and techniques I have found effective when solving puzzles in escape rooms!

#1) Look at the lock!

This is such an important step that I see a lot of players skip. Even if the puzzle doesn’t have an actual “lock” per say, look at what it is that you are putting your solution into. What kind of solution do you need: Does it require numbers? Letters? Directions? Colors? Look at what it is asking for even before you look at the clues that you have found. After all, once you know what you are looking for, the clues you need will stand out to you!

#2) Look at the clues!

Do not be that one person that looks at the lock and instantly starts guessing random codes. The odds are that you aren’t going to get the right combination and even if you do guess the right code… congratulations… you are still going to need to solve the puzzle to figure out which clues have been used and which clues haven’t. I can tell you from experience, if you don’t separate the clues you should have used and set them aside, your team will continue trying to use them on EVERY SINGLE PUZZLE they come across. You may have saved five minutes by hacking a lock, but you have wasted 15 minutes throughout the game just trying clues that no longer have any purpose. TRUST ME… just look at the clues.

Once you know what you are looking for, the clues will begin to make more sense. Once the clues start making sense, it becomes easier to deduce the correct answer. Remember, solving puzzles is a matter of deductive reasoning.You start with infinite ideas on how it can be solved and begin narrowing the possible solutions based on what the clues are telling you

#3) Talk it out with your team!

This is the point where your team mates become invaluable. If you are looking at the clues and aren’t coming up with a solution to the puzzle, bring everything you’ve discovered to your team mates. Tell them what the lock is looking for, tell them what clues you’ve found and what you think those clues are telling you. Once you’ve done that, tell them everything that you’ve tried so far so you don’t waste time coming to the same conclusions. Talk it out and brainstorm different solutions. Don’t worry about being 100% right on what you guess during the brainstorm. This is the point where everyone brings their ideas to the table and everyone talks about what works/doesn’t work and why. You and your team will narrow the possibilities down until you come up with a solution that uses the clues to open the lock!

#4) Try the solution twice!

Uh Oh! The lock didn’t open. You review your solution and you are POSTIVE that you have the right answer. But it didn’t work the first time! Don’t panic. If you are sure you have the right solution, try inputting the code into the lock once more. Sometimes you have the number on a lock slightly off, or you accidentally press an extra digit on a keypad. It happens. Just make sure everything is lined up perfectly and take your time inputting the code. If you want to be extra sure everything is done right, then have your teammate impute the code the second time; just in case you are doing it wrong. And don’t forget, you may need to give a lock a gentletug to open.

#6) Come back to it.

If you have tried everything to solve a puzzle but you are missing a piece or just aren’t getting it, come back to the puzzle later (if possible). Most escape rooms have multiple things that need to be done at any point in time. If you’ve given the puzzle your best shot, then perhaps you don’t have everything that you need to solve it yet. You might think you know the solution only to discover a clue later that changes EVERYTHING! So, don’t get stuck! Feel free to step away from a puzzle and come back to it!

I hope these tips can help improve your gameplay and make you more effective escape artists. Do you have some tips that should have made the list? Leave other escape enthusiasts your best advice in the comment section below! And be sure to test your escape artistry in either The Fun House or The Hex Room at Cross Roads Escape Games!

Jason Sakal
Manager and Game Master
Cross Roads Escape Games