Write the prompt around a playable rule
The example gives the player a familiar aiming gesture and makes success visible. Keep bounce strength consistent so a player can use an earlier shot to reason about the next one. A dotted path can teach the rule, but later levels should ask for a new angle or obstacle rather than hide the basket. Describe what objects are solid, soft or dangerous.
Original concept prompt: “Create a screen-based puzzle where a player aims one ball into a basket by bouncing it off padded walls. Drag backward to set direction and strength. Use a dotted preview for the first level, then remove it in later levels. A level is solved when the ball lands in the basket without touching a red hazard.” This is a recipe for an idea, not a claim that this exact game is already playable.
Play, observe and refine one thing at a time
Repeat one shot at the same angle and strength to see whether it behaves consistently. Then alter only the strength and observe the change. Check whether the basket, hazards and bounce surfaces are visually distinct. If the result feels random, request more predictable motion or less clutter, and retry a level with one wall before adding trickier layouts.
Add challenge through layout: move a wall, create a narrow opening or offer two plausible bounce routes. Change one element per revision so you can tell whether a solution is difficult because of the puzzle or because the controls are hard to judge. Save the most surprising successful shot as a clue for what the game should teach next.
Do not make every level a precision test. Let an early puzzle demonstrate the basic bounce, then combine that rule with one new obstacle. If players solve by guessing, reduce the number of possible shots or provide a visual cue; if there is only one pixel-perfect route, widen the basket or accept a useful range of trajectories.
Playable reference for this prompt: Dunk. Drag back and release to slingshot a basketball into a hoop that moves every shot; clean swishes stack a flaming combo. Use this example to compare the proposed rules with a game you can try now.
Questions about physics puzzle game prompt
What should I test before adding more levels?
Repeat the same launch several times and compare the bounce path. Check weak and strong launches, wall corners, the basket edge and contact with hazards.
Should the aim preview stay visible?
Use it while teaching the launch gesture. Remove or shorten it only after testing whether players can still predict a reasonable shot without guessing.