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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

01Scan valid swaps
02Choose goal and setup
03Swap and resolve in order
04Read the resulting board

Matching and mergingOne rule

Adjacent swaps and cascades

Clear the largest immediate group or clear below to improve the target color's position?

Reference gamesBejeweled 3 · PuzzleQuest: Challenge of the Warlords

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Core loop

01Find matching paths
02Extend or backtrack
03Confirm chain and endpoint
04Resolve and plan again

Matching and mergingOne rule

Chain drawing and endpoints

Extend for more value or stop at a safer endpoint?

Reference gamesGrindstone · Two Dots

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Core loop

01Read tiers and free cells
02Choose movement or placement
03Merge and add an object
04Preserve future moves

Matching and mergingOne rule

Merging with a space budget

Merge now for space or keep lower tiers positioned for the next arrival?

Reference games2048 · Triple Town

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Core loop

01Read current and next pieces
02Choose orientation and landing
03Lock and clear
04Plan remaining space

Matching and mergingOne rule

Falling pieces and stack planning

Clear a row now or preserve a well for a better upcoming piece?

Reference gamesTetris® Effect: Connected · Puyo Puyo™Tetris®

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Core loop

01Preview a group
02Predict collapse
03Remove it
04Inspect new groups and singles

Matching and mergingOne rule

Group removal and collapse

Take the large group now or remove a small group to join separated colors?

Reference gamesSame Game · Puyo Puyo™Tetris®

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Core loop

01Read the frontier
02Choose a color
03Merge neighbors
04Plan remaining moves

Matching and mergingOne rule

Flood-fill frontiers

Absorb the largest nearby patch or take a small corridor toward a distant region?

Reference gamesFlood · KAMI

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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.