Jack is a Fool - Potential use for platform engine

I've started toying with an idea to use with the Platform Engine. It's called 'Jack is a Fool'.

In Jack is a Fool, you won't control Jack directly at all. Instead, you'll control the machinery around him, to try to successfully get him to the exit. Think something along the lines of lemmings, where you control floating platforms to stop Jack falling in holes, and move doors around to get him through mazes. It will be almost a pure puzzle game - that happens to be with a guy who walks on platforms.

I've started doing some design drawings of levels etc. to figure out how viable this idea is in LibreOffice Draw. So far, I've designed 2 basic non interactive 'levels' (which will be a grand total of being a more entertaining way to write 'Nerdy Gentleman Games Presents' and on the next one 'Jack is a Fool' while introducing the basic start of gameplay). I've designed 1 basic level to demonstrate the moving mechanic.

I've finally so far designed 2 actual puzzles - I don't count the others as puzzles at all. The first involves moving lift doors and a lift to get Jack to the top of the level, and the second moving a series of platforms to get Jack to the other side without crushing him, or allowing him to fall off. Both are just design ideas, and as such don't look like what actual gameplay would. For your benefit, they're included below.

First fully designed level

Second fully designed level

I've got ideas for a couple of other mechanics I could add for puzzles, and a couple of unfleshed ideas I could use for the mechanics already introduced. I want to get to somewhere between 10 and 20 puzzles (probably closer to 10) before focussing on implementing the features they need, and seeing if gameplay is fun. If it is, I may more fully finish the game. If I can't figure out interesting puzzles, I won't bother.


Lachlan