- 01Learn by producing manually
- 02Save unlock resources
- 03Enable automation
- 04Manage the next decision
Automation unlocks
Teach manual production before unlocking repeat-action producers, shifting decisions toward allocation and upgrades.
The player's decision
Buy immediate output or save for equipment that removes repeated input?
Original scenario
Original: after ten manual folds, buy a folding machine; decisions shift from repeated clicks to paper supply versus speed upgrades.
Start with this prototype
Build one input, one product and one automatic producer sharing the manual recipe. Make the unlock reachable within two minutes; show production rate and stop reasons, testing online progression only.
Change one variable
Tune time to first automation so manual play teaches without overstaying.
What to observe in a playtest
Prevent duplicate timers after resume and explain input-starved production.
Take the full design card
Includes rules, scope, tuning questions and sources for further planning. It does not create a project automatically.
Original analysis · version 1
Common pitfall
Requiring constant clicking after automation undermines its promised relief.
Observations and sources
Cases refer to public documentation. Developers and community wikis are credited separately; document review is not a claim of hands-on testing.
- Universal Paperclips
Original source contains manual production and periodic output based on clipper count, still constrained by inputs.
- A Dark Room
Original room.js registers recurring wood income when the builder reaches the required state.
Brief for the studio
Opens the AI studio with the brief below in the input. You can edit it. Nothing starts automatically.
Build one input, one product and one automatic producer sharing the manual recipe. Make the unlock reachable within two minutes; show production rate and stop reasons, testing online progression only.
Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.