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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

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

01Identify rewindable objects
02Arrange forward actions
03Choose a past point
04Use persistent world state

Time and echoesLinked states

Selective rewind

Record a path through the switch before rewinding the box, or move it directly to the exit?

Reference gamesBraid · The Entropy Centre

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Core loop

01Choose a repeatable task
02Record the actions
03Work with the replay
04Adjust timing and handoffs

Time and echoesLinked states

Recorded-self cooperation

Record a short reliable action or combine several tasks in one longer loop?

Reference gamesThe Last Clockwinder · Super Time Force Ultra

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Core loop

01Pause and inspect
02Allocate action budget
03Commit and execute
04Review the final position

Time and echoesOne rule

Plan, then execute

Spend the budget attacking or reserve a move to finish in safety?

Reference gamesTransistor · Frozen Synapse

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Core loop

01Read box and standing space
02Plan pushes
03Walk around and push
04Check dead positions and undo

Spatial and path puzzlesOne rule

Pushing and dead positions

Walk around first or push toward the goal and lose turning room?

Reference gamesA Monster's Expedition · Sokobond

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Core loop

01Read path conditions
02Choose visit order
03Draw and inspect conflicts
04Backtrack and submit

Spatial and path puzzlesOne rule

Paths with constraints

Visit the near checkpoint first or preserve access to the far region?

Reference gamesThe Witness · Linelight

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Core loop

01Identify a missing link
02Change viewpoint
03Align and confirm
04Test the resulting route

Spatial and path puzzlesOne rule

Perspective alignment

Move to another viewpoint or adjust the held shape to cover the gap?

Reference gamesSuperliminal · Viewfinder

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Core loop

01Collect checkable facts
02Build candidate explanations
03Eliminate contradictions
04Submit a claim and evidence

Observation and deductionOne rule

Evidence and elimination

Submit the most plausible answer or seek a clue distinguishing the remaining two explanations?

Reference gamesReturn of the Obra Dinn · The Case of the Golden Idol

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Core loop

01Reveal the first card
02Recall a matching location
03Reveal the second
04Match or remember and cover

Observation and deductionOne rule

Memory pairs and reuse

Explore an unknown card or complete a pair using remembered locations?

Reference gamesOriginal MEMORY Game · Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

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Core loop

01Read clue regions
02Mark known states
03Combine remaining counts
04Reveal certainty and update

Observation and deductionOne rule

Constraint-based reveals

Reveal a plausible cell or combine two constraints for certainty?

Reference gamesTametsi · 14 Minesweeper Variants

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Core loop

01Read active statements
02Find editable terms
03Form a valid rule
04Observe and act

Language and rule manipulationLinked states

Rules as manipulable objects

Change the obstacle's property or change the goal condition?

Reference gamesBaba Is You · Scribblenauts Unlimited

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Core loop

01Observe symbols and actions
02Record candidate meanings
03Compare new contexts
04Confirm and apply

Language and rule manipulationOne rule

Decoding an unknown language

Label a symbol WATER now or retain DRINK as an alternative until another sentence clarifies it?

Reference gamesChants of Sennaar · Heaven's Vault

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Core loop

01Read inputs and goal
02Arrange instructions
03Step through state changes
04Locate errors and rerun

Language and rule manipulationOne rule

Programming and debugging

Patch the current example or find a loop or condition that handles every input?

Reference gamesHuman Resource Machine · Opus Magnum

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Core loop

01Recognize an obstacle
02Find and learn an ability
03Recall an old route
04Open a new connection

Maps and explorationOne rule

Ability gates and revisits

Continue outward or revisit a remembered obstacle to test the new ability?

Reference gamesMetroid Dread · Hollow Knight

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Core loop

01Observe landmarks
02Form a location hypothesis
03Test it along a route
04Reorient from a new view

Maps and explorationOne rule

Navigating by landmarks

Take the nearby fork or climb higher to reorient against the tower and coastline?

Reference gamesSea of Thieves · A Short Hike

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Core loop

01Meet an unexplained barrier
02Collect rule clues
03Test a hypothesis
04Enter through understanding

Maps and explorationOne rule

Knowledge as access

Keep looking for a key or apply a newly understood rule to an old barrier?

Reference gamesOuter Wilds · TUNIC

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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.