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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

01Read required categories
02Compare later uses
03Commit a combination
04Inspect remaining orders

Gathering and craftingOne rule

Recipe substitutions

Fulfil the order now with a rare ingredient, or wait for a common substitute and preserve the rare one?

Reference gamesStardew Valley · Don't Starve

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Core loop

01Find an inaccessible resource
02Read the required capability
03Gather and craft a tool
04Return to use it

Gathering and craftingOne rule

Tools unlock resources

Spend metal on an immediate need or invest in a tool that opens the next resource chain?

Reference gamesTerraria · Valheim

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Core loop

01Read the target state
02Prepare prerequisites
03Watch processing change
04Collect inside the window

Gathering and craftingOne rule

Processing and heat

Wait to serve two items together, or remove the item that is about to overcook?

Reference gamesCooking Simulator · Overcooked! 2

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Core loop

01Build a structure
02Apply a load
03Inspect deformation and breaks
04Reallocate material

Building and layoutsOne rule

Loads and supports

Reinforce the weakest connection or shorten the unsupported span?

Reference gamesPoly Bridge 3 · Besiege

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Core loop

01Inspect demand
02Preview reach
03Place a facility
04Inspect unmet needs

Building and layoutsOne rule

Service coverage

Cover the dense center or reach an isolated group that otherwise remains unserved?

Reference gamesCities: Skylines II · Anno 1800

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Core loop

01Read origin-destination demand
02Connect routes
03Observe traffic
04Reroute congestion

Building and layoutsOne rule

Roads and access

Spend limited road pieces on a new connection or improve the junction used by every route?

Reference gamesMini Motorways · Anno 1800

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Core loop

01Set a trial price
02Observe sales and refusals
03Record price evidence
04Adjust to inventory needs

Trade and managementOne rule

Price discovery

Wait for a high-price buyer or lower the price to free cash and shelf space?

Reference gamesMoonlighter · Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

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Core loop

01Forecast near-term demand
02Choose supply and storage
03Prioritize consumption
04Review remaining shelf life

Trade and managementOne rule

Perishable inventory

Use the oldest stock first or fulfil a better-paying order that requires fresher ingredients?

Reference gamesRimWorld · Project Zomboid

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Core loop

01Read waiting jobs
02Estimate finish times
03Choose the next job
04Watch other deadlines

Trade and managementOne rule

Scheduling a service queue

Finish a quick order to improve throughput, or rescue a long order near its deadline?

Reference gamesPlateUp! · Overcooked! 2

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Core loop

01Cast bait
02Observe probes
03Recognize the bite
04Respond and catch

Catching and trackingOne rule

Reading the bite signal

Is this a probe or a confirmed signal—and should I act now or keep waiting?

Reference gamesDinkum · Stardew Valley

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Core loop

01Read struggle and distance
02Reel or release
03Watch tension change
04Advance during calm periods

Catching and trackingOne rule

Managing line tension

Risk one high-tension pull to finish or release and wait for the next calm interval?

Reference gamesDinkum · Fishing Planet

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Core loop

01Collect environmental clues
02Form a habitat hypothesis
03Choose gear and travel
04Update the record

Catching and trackingOne rule

Tracking habitat conditions

Wait at the most likely location or investigate another habitat hypothesis that remains possible?

Reference gamesStardew Valley · DREDGE

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Core loop

01Choose a commitment
02Record who knows
03Pass intervening events
04See the later response

Events and narrativesLinked states

Delayed consequences

Make a promise for immediate help or consider whether you can fulfil it later?

Reference gamesOXENFREE · The Walking Dead

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Core loop

01Observe event times
02Record knowledge
03Reset the world
04Execute a revised plan

Events and narrativesLinked states

Planning within a time loop

Use this loop to investigate an unknown event or execute a known chain of actions?

Reference gamesOuter Wilds · Twelve Minutes

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Core loop

01Watch one event thread
02Note a gap or contradiction
03Switch perspective
04Revise the explanation

Events and narrativesOne rule

Combining perspectives

Which perspective resolves the current contradiction instead of repeating known information?

Reference gamesTacoma · 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

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Core loop

01Read ropes and swing
02Predict release direction
03Choose and cut a rope
04Inspect landing and retry

Physics and contraptionsOne rule

Releasing a rope

Cut now or wait for a swing with a better launch direction?

Reference gamesCut the Rope Daily · Unravel

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Core loop

01Inspect pivot and load
02Position a counterweight
03Let the platform settle
04Test with player weight

Physics and contraptionsOne rule

Counterweights and pivots

Place the weight farther out for lift, or nearer so the route survives the player's added weight?

Reference gamesHuman Fall Flat · Trine Enchanted Edition

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Core loop

01Read levels and floats
02Plan valve order
03Transfer water
04Use the new height

Physics and contraptionsOne rule

Water-level routes

Raise the cargo platform first or open the far gate before its switch becomes inaccessible?

Reference gamesHydrophobia: Prophecy · Fluidity: Spin Cycle

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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.