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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

01Run a fixed interval
02Inspect queues and idle time
03Upgrade one stage
04Compare deliveries

Logistics and automationOne rule

Finding the bottleneck

Which stage deserves the only upgrade: extraction, processing or assembly?

Reference gamesFactorio · Satisfactory

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Core loop

01Inspect mixed arrivals
02Set filters
03Observe blockage and misrouting
04Adjust overflow policy

Logistics and automationOne rule

Filtered routing

Wait for the dedicated exit, or divert into shared storage and consume its future capacity?

Reference gamesFactorio · Satisfactory

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Core loop

01Account for both outputs
02Provide a byproduct outlet
03Run and inspect accumulation
04Balance fresh and recycled input

Logistics and automationLinked states

Byproduct loops

Recycle, consume elsewhere or buffer the byproduct—and when must fresh input be reduced?

Reference gamesFactorio · Satisfactory

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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

01Read remaining steps
02Build or refine
03Update progress/quality
04Deliver or scrap

Gathering and craftingOne rule

Completion versus quality

Secure completion or spend another step on quality?

Reference gamesFinal Fantasy XIV · Atelier Sophie

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Core loop

01Inspect joints/hazards
02Choose a cut
03Separate and sort
04Audit recovered/lost value

Gathering and craftingOne rule

Disassembly and salvage value

Safely isolate the core or take a quick destructive shortcut?

Reference gamesHardspace: Shipbreaker · TerraTech

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Core loop

01Read ingredient geometry
02Preview placement/path
03Adjust the combination
04Resolve coverage effects

Gathering and craftingOne rule

Ingredient geometry

Use a powerful large ingredient or small pieces that fit key regions?

Reference gamesAtelier Sophie · Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator

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Core loop

01Sample stock
02Compare thresholds
03Switch production
04Consume and sample again

Logistics and automationLinked states

Stock feedback control

Start early to avoid shortage or reduce switching and overproduction?

Reference gamesFactorio · Timberborn

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Core loop

01Read supply/demand
02Allocate power
03Advance systems
04Inspect shortage effects

Logistics and automationOne rule

Shared power allocation

Power essential protection or briefly redirect it to production?

Reference gamesFTL: Faster Than Light · Mindustry

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Core loop

01Read occupancy
02Reserve a route
03Enter and leave
04Release and recheck

Logistics and automationLinked states

Rail blocks and reservations

Enter an empty junction now or wait until its exit is available?

Reference gamesFactorio · OpenTTD

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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.