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ATLAS / IDEAS

Game design atlas

Find a mechanism, understand its tradeoffs and smallest useful scope, then build your game with a design card and sample project.

192 Mechanisms32 Mechanism domain48 Art styles12 Genre guides

Art styles My research shelf Rain Canopy Workshop · Try the complete prototype Pixel toolkit

Core loop

01Collect checkable facts
02Build candidate explanations
03Eliminate contradictions
04Submit a claim and evidence

Observation and deductionOne rule

Evidence and elimination

Submit the most plausible answer or seek a clue distinguishing the remaining two explanations?

Reference gamesReturn of the Obra Dinn · The Case of the Golden Idol

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Core loop

01Reveal the first card
02Recall a matching location
03Reveal the second
04Match or remember and cover

Observation and deductionOne rule

Memory pairs and reuse

Explore an unknown card or complete a pair using remembered locations?

Reference gamesOriginal MEMORY Game · Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

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Core loop

01Read clue regions
02Mark known states
03Combine remaining counts
04Reveal certainty and update

Observation and deductionOne rule

Constraint-based reveals

Reveal a plausible cell or combine two constraints for certainty?

Reference gamesTametsi · 14 Minesweeper Variants

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Core loop

01Read clues
02Mark forced cells
03Propagate intersections
04Complete and verify

Observation and deductionOne rule

Nonogram run constraints

Use overlap in a long run or split a row around known empty cells?

Reference gamesPattern · Picross e

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Core loop

01Organize candidates
02Construct a probe
03Read both feedback counts
04Eliminate inconsistencies

Observation and deductionOne rule

Code-breaking feedback

Guess the likeliest answer or probe to eliminate more candidates?

Reference gamesGuess · Mastermind

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Core loop

01Read testimony
02Question or inspect
03Pair contradictory evidence
04Explain and update

Observation and deductionOne rule

Cross-examining contradictions

Is the evidence enough, or must you clarify the time or location first?

Reference gamesApollo Justice: Ace Attorney · Contradiction: Spot The Liar

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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.