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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

01Help and create a promise
02Record who owes whom
03Request an eligible action
04Fulfill and clear the debt

Characters and relationshipsOne rule

Favors and obligations

Call in a favor now or save it for a more important request?

Reference gamesBohna Nostra · Crusader Kings III

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Core loop

01Read faction needs
02Choose an action
03Update reputations separately
04Inspect changed services

Characters and relationshipsOne rule

Faction reputation conflicts

Will helping dockworkers cost access to a merchant route?

Reference gamesTyranny · Fallout: New Vegas

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Core loop

01Receive private information
02Make public claims
03Challenge and compare
04Vote and reveal

Characters and relationshipsLinked states

Hidden roles and credibility

Reveal your evidence now or hold it to test others' claims?

Reference gamesAmong Us · One Night Ultimate Werewolf

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Core loop

01Read duplicates/missing items
02Select surplus
03Confirm material yield
04Craft a chosen target

Collecting and expressionOne rule

Duplicates into targeted progress

Keep a spare copy or convert it toward a desired collectible?

Reference gamesHearthstone · GWENT

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Core loop

01Choose slots/items
02Preview layering
03Adjust colors/occlusion
04Save and display an outfit

Collecting and expressionOne rule

Cosmetic layers and outfits

Match a set or mix origins to express your character?

Reference gamesFinal Fantasy XIV · Minecraft

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Core loop

01Choose a theme
02Arrange exhibits/labels
03Invite viewing
04Revise from comprehension feedback

Collecting and expressionOne rule

Curating a collection

Display every rarity or use related ordinary items to tell a coherent story?

Reference gamesTwo Point Museum · Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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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.

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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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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.