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

Guides explain combinations and are counted separately from individual mechanisms.

Genre guides

Roguelike runs

A run begins with a set of starting resources while rooms, rewards or combinations change. Failure resets the run; each design decides which forms of progress persist outside it.

Show the loop

Enter a new area with few resources
Make one tradeoff in a fight or an event
Use the new ability to change the next encounter
Restart immediately, keeping only memory of the route

Reference gamesHades · Spelunky · The Binding of Isaac

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Genre guides

Tower defense

Enemies travel a route, and the player spends limited defenses in space so each tower answers a different stretch of the problem.

Show the loop

Read what the next wave contains
Place or upgrade a defense beside the route
See which stretch let an enemy through
Spend that wave's income on the weakest spot

Reference gamesKingdom Rush · Bloons TD 6 · Plants vs. Zombies

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Genre guides

Survivor-like

The character attacks automatically, and the player mostly moves. Pressure comes from enemies closing in together, and growth comes from one choice at each level.

Show the loop

Move through gaps in the crowd
Let the automatic attack open a temporary path
Choose one ability from a few options
Use the new range to choose a new place to stand

Reference gamesVampire Survivors · Brotato · Halls of Torment

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Genre guides

Idle progress

Progress continues while the player is away, and the return needs a decision that visibly changes the pace. The pleasure is knowing what to change at that moment.

Show the loop

See what offline or automatic work produced
Spend resources on a new producer
Let production run by itself for a while
On return, retire an outdated setup and replace it

Reference gamesCookie Clicker · Melvor Idle · AdVenture Capitalist

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Genre guides

Platform jumping

The distance, height, and recovery of a jump are the rules. A level is a set of sentences about where the player can land.

Show the loop

Read the distance between the landing and the danger
Jump and make a small correction in the air
Land and accept the position the jump left you in
Use that position to attempt the next stretch

Reference gamesCeleste · Super Meat Boy · Shovel Knight

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Genre guides

Deck building

The deck is the list of things the player can do. Each fight asks whether the card just added crowded out an answer that was needed more often.

Show the loop

Draw a limited hand from the deck
Play a few cards with a limited number of actions
Choose the next step from the remaining cards and the enemy's intent
After the fight, add one card or remove one

Reference gamesSlay the Spire · Balatro · Inscryption

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Genre guides

Bullet patterns

Danger on screen is a pattern that can be read. The player has a very small hit area and finds a path through the gaps that lasts a few seconds.

Show the loop

Read the direction and the gaps
Move a little and hold a safe point
Attack or collect during a pause in the pattern
Find a new gap when the pattern changes

Reference gamesIkaruga · DoDonPachi Resurrection · Jamestown

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Genre guides

Management sim

The player arranges space, people, and prices so a chain of needs is met. The usual problem is not too few buttons; it is a bottleneck that stays hidden.

Show the loop

See which step is holding guests or production
Add a facility, add a person, or change a price
Watch whether the flow moves forward
Treat the new bottleneck instead of repairing the old one again

Reference gamesRollerCoaster Tycoon · Two Point Hospital · Game Dev Tycoon

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Genre guides

Rhythm

The music gives the time first, and the player acts on a chosen beat. The judgment should match the accent that was heard, and a miss should still leave the next beat playable.

Show the loop

Hear or see the beat that is coming
Press, release, or move inside the window
Receive early, on-time, or late feedback
Adjust with the next phrase

Reference gamesRhythm Heaven · Thumper · A Dance of Fire and Ice

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Genre guides

Stealth

Being seen puts the player at a disadvantage, so patrols, light, and sound must be rules that can be read rather than a sudden failure.

Show the loop

Watch the gap in a patrol and the shape of vision
Choose a route that is exposed for a moment
Slip through, or make a sound that shifts attention
Reach cover and look again

Reference gamesMark of the Ninja · Invisible, Inc. · Metal Gear Solid

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Genre guides

Auto battler

Preparation handles buying, merging, and position. Battle only shows the result of that arrangement. The decisions happen before the fight starts.

Show the loop

Spend limited money on a random offer
Merge matches into a stronger unit and set positions
Watch the automatic fight and see which side breaks
Use the result to change next round's positions and spending

Reference gamesTeamfight Tactics · Super Auto Pets · Hearthstone Battlegrounds

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Genre guides

Physics launch

The player sets direction and power, then gives the result to collisions. Skill is predicting the path, the impacts, and the shots that remain.

Show the loop

Read the target and the obstacles
Pull a direction and an amount of power
Launch and see how collisions rewrite the board
Spend the remaining shots on the new positions

Reference gamesAngry Birds · Peggle · Golf Peaks

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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.