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Signs and feedback; HUD grouping and clarity","quote":"Cognitive psychology is a discipline dedicated to understanding the human mind via mental processes such as problem solving, language, perception, attention, and memory.","flag":"author article","work":"celia-hodent-cognitive-psychology-applied-to"},{"label":"Celia Hodent, Developing UX Practices at Epic Games","url":"https://celiahodent.com/ux-practices-epic-games/","kind":"practitioner","page":"slides 14–19: signs, feedback, clarity and HUD organization","quote":"Everything is important: from the text font, size, color, contrast, to all other information in your HUD: organization, hierarchy, context, iconography…","flag":"author talk notes","work":"celia-hodent-developing-ux-practices-at-epic"}],"id":"interface-layout","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.5,0.55],"material":"screen","color":"#243747","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Player actions","aka":["what you do"],"kind":"part","plain":"The player chooses inputs and commits actions that change the game state.","does":"Turns a system of rules into an interactive game rather than a passive display.","ask":"Which choice has a meaningful consequence right now?","cues":["Inputs committed as actions","Movement, aiming, building or choosing","A changed game state after a choice"],"children":["input-action","choice-space","action-resolution"],"at":[0.95,-0.38,0.06],"sources":[{"label":"Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc and Robert Zubek, MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research","url":"https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf","kind":"research","page":"pp. 2–4","quote":"Dynamics describes the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player inputs and each othersí outputs over time.","work":"robin-hunicke-marc-leblanc-and-robert-zubek-mda"},{"label":"Ernest Adams, Fundamentals of Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321929679/samplepages/0321929675.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780321929679","page":"introduction, p. xiii","quote":"The gameplay consists of the challenges the player faces and the actions he takes to overcome them.","work":"ernest-adams-fundamentals-of-game-design"},{"label":"Jesper Juul, Design (MIT CMS.608 lecture, 2008)","url":"https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/cms-608-game-design-spring-2008/a2a848079602d24d5baea1aa6b6eb49b_MITCMS_608s08_lec02.pdf","kind":"research","page":"MIT OCW lecture slides 5, 8 and 12: player experience, meaningful play and iterative design","quote":"Meaningful play: When relation between action and outcome is discernable and integrated","work":"jesper-juul-design-mit-cms-608-lecture-2008"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, What are game mechanics?","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2006/10/24/what-are-game-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"game mechanics definition and feedback loops: action, effect, feedback, next action","quote":"Player performs an action","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-what-are-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Pacing; 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Difficult Decisions","quote":"The ace that gaming has up its sleeve is that it gives the player opportunities to make decisions and then observe the results of those choices in a consequence-free zone.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"},{"label":"Robert Nystrom, Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/game-loop.html","kind":"book","isbn":"9780990582908","page":"Game Loop: Event loops; Pattern","quote":"processes user input without blocking, updates the game state","work":"robert-nystrom-game-programming-patterns"}],"id":"player-actions","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.8,0.55,0.35],"radius":0.12,"material":"matte","color":"#b75d45"},{"shape":"plane","size":[0.85,0.36],"pos":[-0.6,0,0.19],"material":"gloss","color":"#263646","svg":""},{"shape":"plane","size":[0.85,0.36],"pos":[0,0,0.19],"material":"glow","color":"#263646","svg":""},{"shape":"plane","size":[0.85,0.36],"pos":[0.6,0,0.19],"material":"screen","color":"#263646","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Input action","aka":["press, move or select"],"kind":"part","plain":"A player input is mapped to an intentional action such as moving, aiming, building or choosing.","does":"Provides the controllable cause in the action-to-feedback chain.","ask":"Does the input express the intended decision without friction?","cues":["A press, move or select","Movement, aiming, building or choosing","Input followed by an effect"],"children":["decision-window"],"at":[-0.6,0,0],"sources":[{"label":"Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc and Robert Zubek, MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research","url":"https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf","kind":"research","page":"pp. 2–4","quote":"Dynamics describes the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player inputs and each othersí outputs over time.","work":"robin-hunicke-marc-leblanc-and-robert-zubek-mda"},{"label":"Jesper Juul, Design (MIT CMS.608 lecture, 2008)","url":"https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/cms-608-game-design-spring-2008/a2a848079602d24d5baea1aa6b6eb49b_MITCMS_608s08_lec02.pdf","kind":"research","page":"MIT OCW lecture slide 8: discernible relation between action and outcome","quote":"Meaningful play: When relation between action and outcome is discernable and integrated","work":"jesper-juul-design-mit-cms-608-lecture-2008"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, What are game mechanics?","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2006/10/24/what-are-game-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Feedback loops: player action and simulated effect","quote":"Player performs an action","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-what-are-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Steve Swink, Game Feel: The Secret Ingredient","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-feel-the-secret-ingredient","kind":"practitioner","page":"The Garden’s Ecosystem; Input: natural mapping and input sensitivity","quote":"A natural mapping is a clear, intuitive relationship between possible actions and their effect on the system.","work":"steve-swink-game-feel-the-secret-ingredient"},{"label":"Robert Nystrom, Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/game-loop.html","kind":"book","isbn":"9780990582908","page":"Game Loop: Event loops; Pattern","quote":"processes user input, but\ndoesn’t wait for it","work":"robert-nystrom-game-programming-patterns"}],"id":"input-action","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.8,0.62],"material":"gloss","color":"#35424f","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Decision window","aka":["when a choice matters","WEGO turn window"],"kind":"knob","plain":"The time and information available before an action becomes committed.","does":"Sets how a player plans, locks an order, sees a simultaneous result and returns to the next turn.","ask":"What can each player revise, when do orders lock, and what cadence lets asynchronous players meet?","cues":["Time before an action commits","Private planning before a shared result","A next turn after resolution"],"range":"milliseconds for a reflex action to hours or days for an asynchronous turn","children":["wego-plan-resolve-cycle","order-commitment","simultaneous-conflict-adjudication","planning-information","async-turn-deadline"],"at":[0,0,0.14],"sources":[{"label":"Avalon Hill, The Rules of Diplomacy","url":"https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/ah/diplomacy_rules.pdf","kind":"standard","page":"p. 6","quote":"Immediately following this period of “diplomacy,” each player secretly writes an order for each of his or her units on a slip of paper. When all players have written their orders, the orders are simultaneously revealed, and then the orders are all resolved.","work":"avalon-hill-the-rules-of-diplomacy"},{"label":"Battlefront.com, Combat Mission: Afrika Korps Game Manual","url":"https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3843570/manuals/d310bfc71b620f3e871de6eb8d321c659d4f1a81/CM3_manual_EN.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"pp. 7–8, 12, 14","quote":"Both players issue their orders in the Orders Phase. The game is paused and players can take as much time as they like to plan their actions and issue orders.","work":"battlefront-com-combat-mission-afrika-korps-game"},{"label":"Matrix Games, WEGO World War II: Overlord Game Manual","url":"https://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/WEGOWorldWarIIOverlord/WEGOWW2GameManual.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"pp. 10–11, 13, 17–19","quote":"WEGO by its nature is about the Player’s ability to plan for and manage chaos","work":"matrix-games-wego-world-war-ii-overlord-game"},{"label":"Matrix Games, WEGO World War II: Overlord Dev Diary #1","url":"https://www.matrixgames.com/news/wego-world-war-ii-overlord-dev-diary-1","kind":"maker","page":"planning lock, order reconciliation, collisions and movement slices","quote":"both players issue their orders during the planning phase, and then the game executes them simultaneously in a resolution phase—like watching a film of the turn play out.","work":"matrix-games-wego-world-war-ii-overlord-dev"},{"label":"PlayDiplomacy, Game Options","url":"https://www.playdiplomacy.com/help.php?sub_page=Game_Options","kind":"practitioner","page":"deadlines and finalizing; Fog of War; game-length examples","quote":"By default, if all players with orders for\na phase finalize, the deadline expires early and the phase is resolved\nimmediately.","work":"playdiplomacy-game-options"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Pacing and Time Pressure","quote":"Short time lapses between cause and effect.","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions: decision frequency and decisions made within seconds","quote":"Decisions like whether to reload a weapon or instead wait another one second to re-evaluate the situation are what should concern game designers.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"id":"decision-window","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.85,0.85],"material":"gloss","color":"#2e3542","svg":""}]}},{"term":"WEGO plan–resolve cycle","aka":["simultaneous turns","plan, commit, resolve"],"kind":"loop","plain":"A WEGO turn alternates a private planning phase with a shared resolution phase; unlike IGOUGO, both sides prepare before either side sees the outcome.","does":"Makes planning, commitment, resolution and review the repeatable unit of asynchronous strategy play.","ask":"Does the phase boundary preserve simultaneous choice without making the result unreadable?","cues":["Private planning phase","Shared resolution phase","Orders revealed before resolution","Review before the next turn"],"range":"plan → commit → resolve → review, repeated each turn","trouble":"If planning and resolution blur together, players can react after seeing outcomes and the game becomes IGOUGO by accident.","at":[-0.21,0.22,0.08],"links":[{"to":"action-resolution","rel":"see also"},{"to":"core-gameplay-loop","rel":"see also"}],"loop":{"type":"cycle","through":["planning-information","order-commitment","simultaneous-conflict-adjudication","async-turn-deadline"]},"sources":[{"label":"Avalon Hill, The Rules of Diplomacy","url":"https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/ah/diplomacy_rules.pdf","kind":"standard","page":"p. 6","quote":"Immediately following this period of “diplomacy,” each player secretly writes an order for each of his or her units on a slip of paper. When all players have written their orders, the orders are simultaneously revealed, and then the orders are all resolved.","work":"avalon-hill-the-rules-of-diplomacy"},{"label":"Battlefront.com, Combat Mission: Afrika Korps Game Manual","url":"https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3843570/manuals/d310bfc71b620f3e871de6eb8d321c659d4f1a81/CM3_manual_EN.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"pp. 7–8: Orders Phase, Action Phase and Action Replay","quote":"The computer calculates the Action Phase, 60 seconds of real-time combat, based on both players’ orders.","work":"battlefront-com-combat-mission-afrika-korps-game"},{"label":"Matrix Games, WEGO World War II: Overlord Game Manual","url":"https://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/WEGOWorldWarIIOverlord/WEGOWW2GameManual.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"p. 10: WEGO versus IGOUGO and the reconcile/replay cycle","quote":"In many board and computer wargames, one side will move its units and resolve combat, followed by the other side repeating the process. This game mechanic is known as IGOUGO","work":"matrix-games-wego-world-war-ii-overlord-game"}],"id":"wego-plan-resolve-cycle","feel":{"shape":0.42,"energy":0.72,"weight":0.02,"warmth":0.68,"grain":0.3,"motion":"orbit","why":"A warm orbit keeps private intention and shared consequence in a legible repeating rhythm."}},{"term":"Order commitment","aka":["lock-in","commit","ready"],"kind":"knob","plain":"The point at which a player's private orders stop being revisable for a resolution.","does":"Sets whether players can keep drafting while waiting, whether early readiness advances the turn, and which order set is authoritative.","ask":"When does an order become immutable, and can the player uncommit before resolution?","cues":["Orders no longer revisable","Ready-up or hard lock before resolution","Resolution using the final order set"],"range":"revisable until deadline; ready-up; hard lock at phase end","trouble":"If locking is hidden or reversible without clear feedback, players cannot tell which plan the engine will execute.","at":[0,0.07,0.1],"links":[{"to":"action-resolution","rel":"controls"}],"sources":[{"label":"Avalon Hill, The Rules of Diplomacy","url":"https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/ah/diplomacy_rules.pdf","kind":"standard","page":"pp. 6–7: secret order writing and simultaneous reveal","quote":"Each player secretly writes “orders” for each of his or her units on a slip of paper. All players then reveal orders at the same time.","work":"avalon-hill-the-rules-of-diplomacy"},{"label":"Battlefront.com, Combat Mission: Afrika Korps Game Manual","url":"https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3843570/manuals/d310bfc71b620f3e871de6eb8d321c659d4f1a81/CM3_manual_EN.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"p. 7: GO starts the Action Phase; orders cannot be changed during it","quote":"After giving orders to their units, players click the GO! button.","work":"battlefront-com-combat-mission-afrika-korps-game"},{"label":"Matrix Games, WEGO World War II: Overlord Game Manual","url":"https://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/WEGOWorldWarIIOverlord/WEGOWW2GameManual.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"p. 17: Next Phase ends planning and cannot be undone","quote":"Next Phase . This button concludes the Planning Phase for a player’s side","work":"matrix-games-wego-world-war-ii-overlord-game"}],"id":"order-commitment","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.42,0.28],"material":"screen","color":"#28394a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Simultaneous conflict adjudication","aka":["WEGO conflict resolution","collision rules","order reconciliation"],"kind":"process","plain":"The resolver combines all committed orders against a common starting state and applies explicit priority rules when actions collide.","does":"Turns crossings, mutual attacks, move collisions, retreats and chain reactions into one deterministic result or an intentionally stated random result.","ask":"What happens when two orders claim the same space, kill each other, or change the conditions for a later order?","cues":["Orders claiming the same space","Crossings, mutual attacks or retreats","A replay of resolved moves"],"range":"priority phases, initiative, standoff, mutual destruction, retreats","trouble":"Order-dependent outcomes, hidden priority, or a replay that cannot explain why a move failed.","at":[0.21,0.22,0.08],"links":[{"to":"action-resolution","rel":"see also"},{"to":"rules-evaluation","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Avalon Hill, The Rules of Diplomacy","url":"https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/ah/diplomacy_rules.pdf","kind":"standard","page":"pp. 8–14: standoffs, dislodgments, retreats and order interactions","quote":"Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces. If two or more units are ordered to the same province, none of them can move.","work":"avalon-hill-the-rules-of-diplomacy"},{"label":"Matrix Games, WEGO World War II: Overlord Dev Diary #1","url":"https://www.matrixgames.com/news/wego-world-war-ii-overlord-dev-diary-1","kind":"maker","page":"collisions, chain reactions, ad-hoc battles, timing and priority","quote":"Once both players have locked in their orders, the game records two full sets of Commands — every move, every attack, every recon mission, the lot.","work":"matrix-games-wego-world-war-ii-overlord-dev"},{"label":"Matrix Games, WEGO World War II: Overlord Game Manual","url":"https://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/WEGOWorldWarIIOverlord/WEGOWW2GameManual.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"pp. 10, 76–85: reconciliation and combat resolution","quote":"Each player’s moves and attacks are compared and resolved as necessary.","work":"matrix-games-wego-world-war-ii-overlord-game"},{"label":"Battlefront.com, Combat Mission: Afrika Korps Game Manual","url":"https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3843570/manuals/d310bfc71b620f3e871de6eb8d321c659d4f1a81/CM3_manual_EN.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"p. 7: simultaneous action replay and no mid-resolution input","quote":"Players have no influence at this stage on the results of the orders they have given","work":"battlefront-com-combat-mission-afrika-korps-game"}],"id":"simultaneous-conflict-adjudication","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.44,0.3],"material":"screen","color":"#382c3b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Planning information","aka":["fog of war","order preview","what you can know"],"kind":"concept","plain":"The visibility and prediction tools exposed while orders are still private: observed enemies, legal-move overlays, estimated paths and test replays.","does":"Lets a player reason about an uncertain future without leaking hidden orders or promising a forecast the resolver cannot guarantee.","ask":"What can each player see, test or infer before committing, and what remains hidden?","cues":["Observed enemies on the planning map","Legal-move overlays","Estimated paths","Test replays before commitment"],"range":"full information; fog of war; partial scouting; preview with uncertainty","trouble":"A preview that looks certain, or information revealed before resolution, erases hidden-information play and makes commitment bookkeeping rather than judgment.","at":[-0.21,-0.22,0.08],"links":[{"to":"screen-presentation","rel":"see also"},{"to":"choice-space","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Battlefront.com, Combat Mission: Afrika Korps Game Manual","url":"https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3843570/manuals/d310bfc71b620f3e871de6eb8d321c659d4f1a81/CM3_manual_EN.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"pp. 7, 12, 16–19: replay, Fog of War and planning overlays","quote":"Fog Of War None - enemy units are visible all the time and detailed information is available for all of them.","work":"battlefront-com-combat-mission-afrika-korps-game"},{"label":"Matrix Games, WEGO World War II: Overlord Game Manual","url":"https://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/WEGOWorldWarIIOverlord/WEGOWW2GameManual.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"pp. 10, 13, 17–19, 87–90: fog, planning map and information controls","quote":"The following icons are used on the game map during the Planning Phase to assist the player in seeing/understanding his current plan","work":"matrix-games-wego-world-war-ii-overlord-game"}],"id":"planning-information","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.44,0.3],"material":"screen","color":"#233b4a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Asynchronous turn deadline","aka":["turn cadence","phase deadline","correspondence tempo"],"kind":"knob","plain":"The real-world cutoff and repeat interval for submitting the latest legal orders when players are not online together.","does":"Sets how much planning time asynchronous players have and when the server locks, resolves, reports, and opens the next turn.","ask":"What clock is authoritative, what happens to an unsubmitted or late order, and how often does a new turn open?","cues":["A clock before the order cutoff","The next turn after a repeat interval"],"range":"seconds to minutes for live play; hours to days for correspondence play","trouble":"Unclear time zones, silent late-order behavior, or a cadence so short that players cannot inspect the replay and plan again.","at":[0.21,-0.22,0.08],"links":[{"to":"core-gameplay-loop","rel":"controls"},{"to":"decision-window","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"PlayDiplomacy, Game Options","url":"https://www.playdiplomacy.com/help.php?sub_page=Game_Options","kind":"practitioner","page":"deadlines, optional finalizing, fixed deadlines, early processing and 12-hour/3-day cadence examples","quote":"The length of deadlines can be set\nindividually for each type of phase.","work":"playdiplomacy-game-options"}],"id":"async-turn-deadline","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.44,0.3],"material":"screen","color":"#302c38","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Choice space","aka":["the alternatives"],"kind":"concept","plain":"The set of actions that are legal, understandable and worth comparing in the current state.","does":"Creates agency by making alternatives carry different risks, costs or opportunities.","ask":"Why choose this action instead of the others?","at":[0,0,0.2],"sources":[{"label":"Michael Sellers, Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach","url":"https://books.google.com/books?id=gLg7DwAAQBAJ","kind":"book","isbn":"9780134667607","page":"ch. 7, p. 225","quote":"If there are only a few viable paths through the game world, then the probability space for game is narrow; the player has few if any meaningful decisions to make.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Option Complexity: meaningful options and reducing overload","quote":"Fewer options are available to consider.","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 5: Mechanics and Dynamics","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/level-5-mechanics-and-dynamics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Mechanics, Dynamics and Complexity; The Process of Play; Homeplay","quote":"How do players interact with one another?","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-5"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Decisions; Difficult Decisions; Decision Recognition, Evaluation, and Design","quote":"Each decision always offers at least two strongly competing options, which makes it difficult, and thus, interesting.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"id":"choice-space","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.9,0.62],"material":"screen","color":"#263646","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Action resolution","aka":["the rules answering an input"],"kind":"process","plain":"The game applies rules, timing and interactions to turn an input into a state change.","does":"Makes the player's decision causally matter in the system.","ask":"Which rules fire, in which order, with what information?","cues":["Input turning into a state change","An interaction producing a result"],"children":["rules-evaluation"],"at":[0.6,0,0],"sources":[{"label":"Jesper Juul, Design (MIT CMS.608 lecture, 2008)","url":"https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/cms-608-game-design-spring-2008/a2a848079602d24d5baea1aa6b6eb49b_MITCMS_608s08_lec02.pdf","kind":"research","page":"MIT OCW lecture slide 8: relation between player action and game outcome","quote":"Meaningful play: When relation between action and outcome is discernable and integrated","work":"jesper-juul-design-mit-cms-608-lecture-2008"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, What are game mechanics?","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2006/10/24/what-are-game-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"game mechanics definition and feedback loops","quote":"The action causes an effect within the simulated game world","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-what-are-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Steve Swink, Game Feel: The Secret Ingredient","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-feel-the-secret-ingredient","kind":"practitioner","page":"Response; Context; Rules","quote":"Response -- How the system processes, modifies, and responds to player input in real time.","work":"steve-swink-game-feel-the-secret-ingredient"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 5: Mechanics and Dynamics","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/level-5-mechanics-and-dynamics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Mechanics, Dynamics and Complexity; Feedback Loops; Emergence","quote":"When does the game end, and how is a resolution determined?","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-5"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Tangible and Obvious Results; Decision Recognition, Evaluation, and Design","quote":"The ace that gaming has up its sleeve is that it gives the player opportunities to make decisions and then observe the results of those choices in a consequence-free zone.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"id":"action-resolution","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1,0.7],"material":"gloss","color":"#263747","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Rules evaluation","aka":["checking the rule"],"kind":"process","plain":"The resolver checks conditions, calculates effects and records the new state.","does":"Keeps outcomes consistent enough for learning and strategy.","ask":"Can a player explain why this result followed?","at":[0,0,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/imprint_downloads/peachpit/peachpit/samplechapters/0321820274/0321820274_gamemechanics_ch05section.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 5, p. 92","quote":"Activators connect two nodes. 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For example, if you have a resource called money and an entity called the player’s bank account, you would use a pool to model the bank account.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, What are game mechanics?","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2006/10/24/what-are-game-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"feedback loop: simulated game world, tokens and causal rules","quote":"The simulation contains public and private tokens and the causal rules that affect the states of the tokens.","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-what-are-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Balance Between Game Objects; Three Ways to Balance Game Objects","quote":"Cards in a trading-card game. 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More Game Balance Techniques: stats, costs, benefits and changing values","quote":"Spreadsheets help you to see causes and effects of changes in the game.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Eclipse Colony design case study: yield, growth timer and health as state variables","quote":"When the plant is harvested, the amount of food that appears is based on yield.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"},{"label":"Robert Nystrom, Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/state.html","kind":"book","isbn":"9780990582908","page":"State: current state and transitions","quote":"This maps directly to a state machine: Each room is a state. The room you’re in is the current state. Each room’s exits are its transitions. The navigation commands are the inputs.","work":"robert-nystrom-game-programming-patterns"}],"id":"state-value","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.15,0.72],"material":"screen","color":"#273b4b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Part behaviours","aka":["what a part does"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A behaviour describes how a part responds, changes state or affects other parts over time.","does":"Connects static attributes to the interactions that create play.","ask":"What does this part do when the relevant condition occurs?","children":["behaviour-rule"],"at":[-0.55,-0.25,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/imprint_downloads/peachpit/peachpit/samplechapters/0321820274/0321820274_gamemechanics_ch05section.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 5, p. 89","quote":"In addition, you can trigger nodes to fire, or activate or deactivate them, in response to changes in resource distribution.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, What are game mechanics?","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2006/10/24/what-are-game-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"game mechanics as rule-based systems/simulations explored through feedback","quote":"Interconnected networks of game mechanics make up the game as a whole.","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-what-are-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 5: Mechanics and Dynamics","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/level-5-mechanics-and-dynamics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Mechanics, Dynamics and Complexity; Emergence","quote":"The Dynamics emerge from the Mechanics, and the Aesthetics arise out of the Dynamics.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-5"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Player Model Principle; Eclipse Colony design case study","quote":"Each can work at the fishing pond, the market, the field, the mill.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"},{"label":"Robert Nystrom, Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/component.html","kind":"book","isbn":"9780990582908","page":"Component: independent behavior components","quote":"They let us build complex\nentities with rich behavior by plugging different reusable component\nobjects into sockets on the entity.","work":"robert-nystrom-game-programming-patterns"},{"label":"Robert Nystrom, Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/update-method.html","kind":"book","isbn":"9780990582908","page":"Update Method: updating objects each frame","quote":"each entity in the game should encapsulate its own behavior.","work":"robert-nystrom-game-programming-patterns"}],"id":"part-behaviours","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.25,0.85],"material":"screen","color":"#263747","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Behaviour rule","aka":["condition → response"],"kind":"process","plain":"A behaviour rule maps a condition and an input to an effect on one or more parts.","does":"Produces the repeatable interactions from which dynamics emerge.","ask":"What input, condition and effect should be written down?","at":[0,0,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/imprint_downloads/peachpit/peachpit/samplechapters/0321820274/0321820274_gamemechanics_ch05section.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 5, p. 92","quote":"If the state of the origin node meets this condition, then the target node is activated (it can fire). When the condition is not met, the target node is inhibited (it cannot fire).","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, What are game mechanics?","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2006/10/24/what-are-game-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"feedback loops and causal rules","quote":"The action causes an effect within the simulated game world","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-what-are-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 5: Mechanics and Dynamics","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/level-5-mechanics-and-dynamics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Now, About That MDA Framework Thing…; Mechanics, Dynamics and Complexity","quote":"simple mechanics create extreme complexity","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-5"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Eclipse Colony design case study: rules for crop growth, tending, damage and health","quote":"Each tending operation speeds the plants towards finishing growth.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"},{"label":"Robert Nystrom, Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/state.html","kind":"book","isbn":"9780990582908","page":"State: finite state machines and behavior selected by state","quote":"Each state has a set of transitions, each associated with an input and pointing to a state. When an input comes in, if it matches a transition for the current state, the machine changes to the state that transition points to.","work":"robert-nystrom-game-programming-patterns"}],"id":"behaviour-rule","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.05,0.7],"material":"screen","color":"#27384a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Parts register","aka":["the working table"],"kind":"process","plain":"The register records part names in rows and their common attributes in columns so the set can be inspected as it grows.","does":"Keeps scope, omissions and balance comparisons visible as content expands.","ask":"Can a new part be compared with the existing rows?","at":[0.55,-0.25,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"Simone Cicchetti, Practical tips on technical Game Design Documentation (Part 3) - Spreadsheets","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/practical-tips-on-technical-game-design-documentation-part-3---spreadsheets","kind":"practitioner","quote":"Ideally, you want to organize elements in rows and their data in columns, and you want to keep the columns on a single screen window","work":"simone-cicchetti-practical-tips-on-technical"},{"label":"Simone Cicchetti, Practical tips on technical Game Design Documentation (Part 3) - Spreadsheets","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/practical-tips-on-technical-game-design-documentation-part-3---spreadsheets","kind":"practitioner","quote":"You can use them for tuning of your game’s Progression, Economy and Stats","work":"simone-cicchetti-practical-tips-on-technical"}],"id":"parts-register","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.6,0.95],"material":"screen","color":"#253647","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Core gameplay loop","aka":["the repeatable play cycle"],"kind":"loop","plain":"The core loop is a repeatable chain in which the player reads a state, chooses an action, sees the system's result and updates their mental model before acting again.","does":"Defines the game's immediate rhythm and the decisions players spend most of their time making.","ask":"What does the player do again and again, and why does the next repetition matter?","cues":["State read before an action","Result shown after the action","A changed state before the next repetition"],"children":["goal-state","choice-point","action-resolution-step","feedback-step","state-change"],"at":[0,-0.1,0.06],"loop":{"type":"cycle","through":["goal-state","choice-point","action-resolution-step","feedback-step","state-change"]},"sources":[{"label":"Michael Sellers, Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach","url":"https://books.google.com/books?id=gLg7DwAAQBAJ","kind":"book","isbn":"9780134667607","page":"ch. 7, p. 226","quote":"In a core loop, the player forms an intention and carries it out within the game, causing some change to occur in the game’s internal model. This change is presented as feedback to the player, often with an increase in ability or information.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, Loops and Arcs","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/04/30/loops-and-arcs/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Loops section: model → action → system → feedback → updated model","quote":"The player starts with a mental model that prompts them to… Apply an action to… The game system and in return… Receives feedback that… Updates their mental model and starts the loop all over again.","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-loops-and-arcs"},{"label":"Steve Swink, Game Feel: The Secret Ingredient","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-feel-the-secret-ingredient","kind":"practitioner","page":"opening; Response; Rules","quote":"Control, intent, and instructions flow from me into the game as quickly as I can think.","work":"steve-swink-game-feel-the-secret-ingredient"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 5: Mechanics and Dynamics","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/level-5-mechanics-and-dynamics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"The Process of Play; Feedback Loops; Homeplay","quote":"Designers start with the Mechanics and follow them as they grow outward into the Aesthetics.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-5"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Decisions; Difficult Decisions; Tangible and Obvious Results","quote":"The ace that gaming has up its sleeve is that it gives the player opportunities to make decisions and then observe the results of those choices in a consequence-free zone.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"},{"label":"Robert Nystrom, Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/game-loop.html","kind":"book","isbn":"9780990582908","quote":"A game loop runs continuously during gameplay.","work":"robert-nystrom-game-programming-patterns"}],"id":"core-gameplay-loop","feel":{"shape":0.48,"energy":0.7,"weight":0.05,"warmth":0.64,"grain":0.3,"motion":"orbit","why":"A warm moving ring makes the repeated cycle feel learnable but alive."}},{"term":"Goal state","aka":["what the player is trying to change"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A goal state is a desired condition that gives the next decision a direction.","does":"Turns available actions into purposeful choices.","ask":"What state would count as progress or success here?","sources":[{"label":"Michael Sellers, Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach","url":"https://books.google.com/books?id=gLg7DwAAQBAJ","kind":"book","isbn":"9780134667607","page":"ch. 7, p. 225","quote":"In addition to the game’s internal systems, the player’s mental model includes both the explicit goals that the game sets before them, as well as the implicit goals that the player creates for themselves.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Ernest Adams, Fundamentals of Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321929679/samplepages/0321929675.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780321929679","page":"ch. 4, p. 85","quote":"Play without a meaningful goal. Simply racking up the highest score isn’t enough.","work":"ernest-adams-fundamentals-of-game-design"}],"id":"goal-state","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1,0.78],"material":"gloss","color":"#2b3948","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Choice point","aka":["the decision"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A choice point is a state in which two or more actions have different consequences worth weighing.","does":"Creates agency and makes the core loop more than a sequence of button presses.","ask":"What can the player choose, and what trade-off does each option carry?","trouble":"Two buttons lead to the same useful result, one option wins in every relevant state, or the player cannot explain what choosing differently would change.","children":["choice-options","choice-tradeoffs","choice-information","choice-timing","choice-consequences"],"links":[{"to":"choice-space","rel":"see also"},{"to":"decision-window","rel":"see also"},{"to":"goal-state","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals","url":"https://www.creativegames.org.uk/modules/Intro_Game_Studies/Salen_Zimmerman-Rules_of_Play_Chapter3_2003.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780262240451","page":"ch. 3, excerpt PDF p. 3: choices, outcomes and changed relationships","quote":"When a player makes a choice within a game, the action that results from the choice has an outcome.","work":"katie-salen-and-eric-zimmerman-rules-of-play"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions; Tangible and Obvious Results; Decision Recognition, Evaluation, and Design","quote":"Each decision always offers at least two strongly competing options, which makes it difficult, and thus, interesting.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Option Complexity and Time Pressure","quote":"Which options are the most meaningful?","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"id":"choice-point","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.4,0.24],"pos":[0,0.52,0],"material":"screen","color":"#263646","svg":""},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.4,0.24],"pos":[0,0.26,0],"material":"screen","color":"#51423a","svg":""},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.4,0.24],"pos":[0,0,0],"material":"screen","color":"#354d50","svg":""},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.4,0.24],"pos":[0,-0.26,0],"material":"screen","color":"#49394e","svg":""},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.4,0.24],"pos":[0,-0.52,0],"material":"screen","color":"#3e4b36","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Viable alternatives","aka":["what I could do instead"],"kind":"concept","plain":"Alternatives are actions the player can actually take and has a reason to compare in this state. A large menu is not the same as a large set of worthwhile choices.","does":"Gives the decision competing courses of action rather than decorative buttons.","ask":"Which alternatives are legal now, and in what situation would each be worth choosing?","trouble":"Many actions are listed, but only one is affordable, discoverable or useful.","children":["choice-availability","choice-dominance-check"],"at":[0,0.52,0.01],"links":[{"to":"choice-space","rel":"see also"},{"to":"unlock-gates","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Option Complexity; Discreteness","quote":"Fewer options are available to consider.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"id":"choice-options","feel":{"shape":0.55,"energy":0.35,"weight":0,"warmth":0.45,"grain":0.2,"motion":"pulse","why":"A branching, moderately sharp body suggests several distinct routes that remain open."}},{"term":"Action availability","aka":["can I do it right now?"],"kind":"knob","plain":"Availability rules decide which actions the current state permits: required resource, target, position, cooldown or prerequisite. Set those conditions explicitly; a disabled action is not a viable alternative at this moment.","does":"Controls the live option set without confusing it with every action the game contains.","ask":"What exact condition enables each action, and can the player see why it is unavailable?","cues":["Actions enabled by a required resource","A target in range","A cooldown or prerequisite blocking an action"],"range":"Author a per-action condition such as ammo > 0, cooldown = 0, target in range or resource >= cost.","trouble":"The player plans around an action that is silently illegal, or all interesting alternatives are gated out together.","links":[{"to":"rule","rel":"made by"},{"to":"choice-space","rel":"controls"}],"sources":[{"label":"Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals","url":"https://www.creativegames.org.uk/modules/Intro_Game_Studies/Salen_Zimmerman-Rules_of_Play_Chapter3_2003.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780262240451","page":"ch. 3, excerpt PDF p. 3: choices within a game-system","quote":"All of this activity occurs within a game-system designed to support meaningful kinds of choice-making.","work":"katie-salen-and-eric-zimmerman-rules-of-play"}],"unverified":"The ammo predicates are an authored illustration, not rules quoted from the book.","deeper":"State-dependent predicates, disabled-action explanations, affordability and target legality.","id":"choice-availability","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#263646"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#263646","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Dominance check","aka":["is one option always better?"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Compare each action's costs and consequences across representative states and player goals. An option is dominated if another is never worse on the relevant criteria and is better on at least one; a popular option alone does not prove dominance.","does":"Finds false alternatives that add menu complexity without a real trade-off.","ask":"Can I name a reachable state where each option earns its place?","range":"Record state, goal, costs, exposure and future options; mark a witness state for each viable alternative.","trouble":"Experienced players repeat the same action regardless of ammo, threat, position or objective.","links":[{"to":"transitive-balance","rel":"see also"},{"to":"interaction-observation","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions; Evaluation; Design: static routes become non-decisions","quote":"If you present the player with exactly the same situation over and over, he will learn what the best thing to do is and thus the choice becomes easy.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"unverified":"The formal dominance definition and witness-state worksheet are analytical extensions of the essay's discussion, not its terminology.","deeper":"Strict versus weak dominance, mixed strategies, goal-dependent value and representative-state sampling.","id":"choice-dominance-check","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#263646"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#263646","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Trade-off structure","aka":["what I give up to get this"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A trade-off makes desirable outcomes compete: getting more of one costs something else. Reloading gains future ammunition but gives up the ability to fire during the reload.","does":"Makes the best action depend on priorities and circumstances rather than a universally superior button.","ask":"What valuable thing does choosing each alternative sacrifice?","children":["choice-opportunity-cost","choice-risk-stakes"],"at":[0,0.26,0.01],"links":[{"to":"cost-curves","rel":"see also"},{"to":"investment-capacity","rel":"see also"}],"variants":[{"label":"Trade-off pattern","items":[{"id":"choice-now-later","name":"Now versus later","plain":"Keep firing now or spend time reloading for the next engagement. Change the horizon; the same scarcity remains.","why":"It counts when an immediate action competes with a future benefit, not because the action is firing or reloading.","sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions: reload timing and buying now versus saving","quote":"Should I reload now or later? What if the enemy comes around the corner while I’m reloading? But what if I run out of ammo while I’m fighting an enemy?","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}]},{"id":"choice-safety-progress","name":"Safety versus progress","plain":"Stay in cover or expose yourself to take an objective or retrieve a better weapon.","why":"It counts when safety competes with progress, not because cover or an objective is present.","sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions; Examples: retrieving the dropped AK-47","quote":"Should I move my position forwards, backwards, laterally, or not at all now? What if I get shot while I’m in between cover? But what if I lose because I don’t make my objective?","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}]},{"id":"choice-attention-split","name":"Attention allocation","plain":"Manage the current fight or inspect an economy that may be falling behind. Attention itself is the scarce resource.","sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions: RTS attention management","quote":"A player may be micromanaging a battle, but his economy will be dying from lack of attention.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}]}]}],"sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions","quote":"At all times, the player must decide what his spending priorities are, where to focus his attention, how many resources to put into scouting, defense, offense, economic development, and so on.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"id":"choice-tradeoffs","feel":{"shape":0.65,"energy":0.25,"weight":0.45,"warmth":0.68,"grain":0.3,"motion":"settle","why":"A weighty, angular body conveys competing demands that cannot all be satisfied."}},{"term":"Opportunity cost","aka":["the alternative I cannot take"],"kind":"knob","plain":"Opportunity cost is the valuable alternative forgone by committing time, resources or attention to an action. Tune the shared budget and each action's demands, not just its printed price.","does":"Connects local decisions to the wider economy and action schedule.","ask":"What else could this same time, money or attention have accomplished?","range":"Set shared resource budget, action cost, occupied time and whether competing actions can overlap.","trouble":"Everything can be done at once for free, or an apparent trade-off charges a resource that never runs short.","links":[{"to":"economy-instance","rel":"see also"},{"to":"cost-curves","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Difficult Decisions: reload vulnerability, spending priorities and attention","quote":"If he leaves the battle, however, his troops will be at a disadvantage and vulnerable, but then again, his better stewardship of his economy may allow him to better reinforce his army","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"deeper":"Shadow prices, binding constraints, marginal value and parallel versus exclusive actions.","id":"choice-opportunity-cost","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#51423a"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#51423a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Risk and stakes","aka":["what might go wrong, and how much it matters"],"kind":"knob","plain":"Risk concerns uncertain outcomes; stakes are the magnitude of the gain or loss. The same chance of success can feel very different when failure costs a little health versus the whole run.","does":"Controls how much uncertainty the player is being asked to accept for a potential benefit.","ask":"What are success and failure worth, and what can the player do to change the odds?","range":"Set outcome magnitudes and, where the rules use chance, the probability distribution; separately account for unknown opponent actions.","trouble":"A supposedly risky option has no meaningful downside, or the player cannot connect catastrophic losses to a choice.","links":[{"to":"planning-information","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Probability; Social Complexity","quote":"Players were convinced that the game was completely random and had zero logic.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Examples: risks and alternatives of retrieving the AK-47","quote":"If he doesn’t get the AK-47, and his teammates die without his support, he is in a very disadvantaged position … However, if his teammates win the engagement, Bob can simply grab the AK-47 in safety after the fighting is over.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"deeper":"Outcome distributions, variance, downside caps, expected value and risk-sensitive player goals.","id":"choice-risk-stakes","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#51423a"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#51423a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Decision information","aka":["what I know before choosing"],"kind":"concept","plain":"Decision information is the evidence available before commitment, including the current state, known rules and clues about other players. Uncertainty can be intentional; missing rule explanations are a different problem.","does":"Makes choices reasoned bets rather than guesses with no learnable basis.","ask":"What can the player know, infer or deliberately discover before acting?","children":["choice-visibility","choice-prediction-depth"],"at":[0,0,0.01],"links":[{"to":"planning-information","rel":"see also"},{"to":"mental-model","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Hidden information; Processing Complexity; Social Complexity","quote":"What is the most important piece of information the player needs right now?","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"id":"choice-information","feel":{"shape":0.35,"energy":0.3,"weight":-0.1,"warmth":0.2,"grain":0.6,"motion":"drift","why":"A cool, partly grainy body suggests evidence emerging from incomplete visibility."}},{"term":"Information visibility","aka":["shown, hinted or hidden"],"kind":"knob","plain":"Visibility rules determine which relevant facts are public, privately known, hinted at or hidden. A deterministic game can still have uncertainty because the opponent's state or intentions are unknown.","does":"Sets what kind of inference, scouting or bluffing the choice requires.","ask":"Which fact am I hiding, and what playable way does the player have to reduce that uncertainty?","cues":["Current ammunition or legal moves shown directly","Footsteps hinting at an unseen enemy","An opponent's intended action withheld"],"range":"Choose visibility per fact, not one visibility setting for the whole game.","trouble":"A computer adaptation silently hides rules players could inspect on the tabletop, or an exact preview destroys the intended deduction.","links":[{"to":"rendered-state","rel":"see also"},{"to":"planning-information","rel":"see also"}],"variants":[{"label":"Visibility policy","items":[{"id":"choice-visible-fact","name":"Explicit","plain":"Show the fact directly, such as current ammunition or legal moves.","sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Hidden information: visible sequences and Triple Town movement opportunities","quote":"A clear signal of effect that is related to the cause.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}]},{"id":"choice-clued-fact","name":"Clued","plain":"Give indirect evidence, such as footsteps suggesting an unseen enemy's position.","sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Strength of Feedback: multiplayer FPS footsteps","quote":"A game like Mastermind is entirely about a hidden code","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}]},{"id":"choice-hidden-fact","name":"Concealed","plain":"Withhold a fact such as an opponent's intended action; let prediction, discovery or bluffing matter.","sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Hidden information; Social Complexity","quote":"Hidden information or off screen information.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}]}]}],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Hidden information; Social Complexity","quote":"Visible sequences that are readily apparent.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"deeper":"Perfect versus imperfect information, asymmetric knowledge, stale observations and the cost of scouting.","id":"choice-visibility","feel":{"shape":0.28,"energy":0.18,"weight":0,"warmth":0.18,"grain":0.72,"motion":"pulse","why":"A cool body with a rough boundary suggests a clear core surrounded by missing facts."}},{"term":"Prediction depth","aka":["how far ahead I must think"],"kind":"knob","plain":"Prediction depth is how many linked effects the player must mentally simulate to compare actions. Tune the interaction chain and preview tools; more steps can create planning depth or simply exceed the available thinking time.","does":"Controls the reasoning burden of a decision independently of the number of buttons.","ask":"Can the player predict the important effect in the time allowed, and trace where a failed prediction went wrong?","range":"Inspect immediate effect, next response and later resource or position effects; expose previews for the layers not meant to be the challenge.","trouble":"Players understand every local rule but cannot follow their combined effect, or a preview makes all planning automatic.","links":[{"to":"decision-window","rel":"see also"},{"to":"part-interactions","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Processing Complexity; Indirection; Time Pressure","quote":"System requires simulating multiple steps to predict an outcome.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"deeper":"Branching factor, search horizon, consequence previews and debugging multi-step plans.","id":"choice-prediction-depth","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#354d50"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#354d50","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Decision pacing","aka":["how fast the choices arrive"],"kind":"concept","plain":"Decision pacing combines the time available to consider one choice with the rate at which fresh choices arrive. Fast input does not necessarily mean frequent meaningful decisions.","does":"Sets whether play feels reflective, pressured, repetitive or overwhelming.","ask":"How much reasoning is required, how much time is available, and when does the next new dilemma arrive?","children":["choice-time-pressure","choice-decision-density"],"at":[0,-0.26,0.01],"links":[{"to":"decision-window","rel":"see also"},{"to":"order-commitment","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Time Pressure; Processing Complexity","quote":"Short time lapses between cause and effect.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Recognition: identify decisions and elapsed real time","quote":"Any game of Counter-Strike, analyzed deeply, becomes a series of extremely complex decisions made at intervals generally between half a second and five seconds.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"id":"choice-timing","feel":{"shape":0.72,"energy":0.8,"weight":0.15,"warmth":0.78,"grain":0.3,"motion":"jitter","why":"A hot, restless body conveys choices arriving faster than an idle player can ignore them."}},{"term":"Deliberation time","aka":["how long I have to decide"],"kind":"knob","plain":"Deliberation time is the interval in which the player can inspect and compare alternatives before a deadline or changing state forces commitment. Shortening it adds pressure without adding new rules.","does":"Balances the reasoning burden against the intended tempo and player skill.","ask":"Is failure caused by the intended time challenge, or by insufficient time to read the interface?","cues":["An interval before a deadline","A changing state before commitment"],"range":"Set a decision deadline or threat speed; alternatively pause world time while choosing. Do not confuse real-world turn deadlines with in-world action duration.","trouble":"Novices cannot read their choices before commitment, or unlimited thinking stalls a shared match.","links":[{"to":"decision-window","rel":"see also"},{"to":"async-turn-deadline","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Time Pressure: NetHack and WarioWare","quote":"Looser : Requires simulating the model quickly.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"deeper":"Player-controlled pause, shared clocks, threat deadlines and accessibility adjustments.","id":"choice-time-pressure","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.1,0.76,0.07],"material":"matte","color":"#49394e"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.04,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.04],"material":"screen","color":"#49394e","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Meaningful decision density","aka":["choices per stretch of play"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Decision density records how often play presents a fresh comparison between worthwhile alternatives, not how many inputs the player performs. Mark decision timestamps and repeated solved situations in a play trace.","does":"Reveals empty stretches and overload while separating tactical choice from mechanical execution.","ask":"Where does a new dilemma occur, and where is the player merely repeating an already settled answer?","range":"Measure intervals between marked decisions; annotate option set, relevant state change and player familiarity. No universal target rate.","trouble":"Rapid clicking disguises a long decision void, or important dilemmas arrive before the previous result can be understood.","links":[{"to":"playtest-session","rel":"see also"},{"to":"observation-measure","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Recognition; Evaluation; Examples: decision frequency","quote":"Any game of Counter-Strike, analyzed deeply, becomes a series of extremely complex decisions made at intervals generally between half a second and five seconds.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"deeper":"Operational definitions, observer agreement, decision voids and comparing novice versus expert traces.","id":"choice-decision-density","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#49394e"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#49394e","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Consequential choice","aka":["my decision changes something"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A consequential choice produces a difference the player can perceive and that matters to subsequent play. Different animations alone do not establish different strategic consequences.","does":"Connects agency to learnable outcomes and a changing next decision.","ask":"What will choosing differently change now, and what will that difference enable or constrain later?","children":["choice-result-readability","choice-future-state","choice-context-test"],"at":[0,-0.52,0.01],"links":[{"to":"feedback-step","rel":"see also"},{"to":"state-change","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals","url":"https://www.creativegames.org.uk/modules/Intro_Game_Studies/Salen_Zimmerman-Rules_of_Play_Chapter3_2003.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780262240451","page":"ch. 3, excerpt PDF p. 3: actions change overall game relationships","quote":"When a player makes a choice within a game, the action that results from the choice has an outcome.","work":"katie-salen-and-eric-zimmerman-rules-of-play"},{"label":"Jesper Juul, Design (MIT CMS.608 lecture, 2008)","url":"https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/cms-608-game-design-spring-2008/a2a848079602d24d5baea1aa6b6eb49b_MITCMS_608s08_lec02.pdf","kind":"research","page":"slide 8: discernible and integrated action/outcome relationship","quote":"Meaningful play: When relation between action and outcome is discernable and integrated","work":"jesper-juul-design-mit-cms-608-lecture-2008"}],"id":"choice-consequences","feel":{"shape":0.45,"energy":0.5,"weight":0.6,"warmth":0.6,"grain":0.2,"motion":"pulse","why":"A substantial pulsing body suggests a decision leaving an impact rather than disappearing."}},{"term":"Discernible outcome","aka":["I can tell what my action did"],"kind":"measure","plain":"An outcome is discernible when the player can identify the relevant change and connect it to the action. Observe whether the player can explain the result, not merely whether a flashy effect played.","does":"Lets the player revise a mental model and make a better-informed next choice.","ask":"Can a target player tell what changed, which action caused it and whether it helped?","cues":["A relevant change after an action","Health changing with the action","The result tied to its cause"],"range":"Record correct causal explanations, missed changes and time until recognition; compare channels and feedback delay.","trouble":"A health change is buried in noise, delayed feedback is attributed to the wrong action, or a celebration hides a bad tactical result.","links":[{"to":"result-feedback","rel":"see also"},{"to":"feedback-signals","rel":"see also"},{"to":"mental-model","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Jesper Juul, Design (MIT CMS.608 lecture, 2008)","url":"https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/cms-608-game-design-spring-2008/a2a848079602d24d5baea1aa6b6eb49b_MITCMS_608s08_lec02.pdf","kind":"research","page":"slide 8","quote":"Meaningful play: When relation between action and outcome is discernable and integrated","work":"jesper-juul-design-mit-cms-608-lecture-2008"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Strength of Feedback; Noisiness; Pacing","quote":"A clear signal of effect that is related to the cause.","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"deeper":"Causal attribution, signal sequencing, feedback latency and observation without coaching.","id":"choice-result-readability","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#3e4b36"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#3e4b36","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Integrated outcome","aka":["the result matters later"],"kind":"knob","plain":"An integrated outcome changes the larger course of play: resources, position, relationships, progress or future actions. Set which differences persist and when they expire; integration does not require a permanent story branch.","does":"Makes a local choice part of a continuing game rather than an isolated effect.","ask":"Which future possibilities change because of this action, and for how long?","cues":["Resources persisting after an action","Position carried into the next choice","Future actions changed by the result"],"range":"Specify the affected state values, duration or reset boundary, and downstream rules that read them.","trouble":"Both alternatives immediately reconverge with identical relevant state, or a persistent penalty matters but is never communicated.","links":[{"to":"state-change","rel":"see also"},{"to":"part-behaviours","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals","url":"https://www.creativegames.org.uk/modules/Intro_Game_Studies/Salen_Zimmerman-Rules_of_Play_Chapter3_2003.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780262240451","page":"ch. 3, excerpt PDF p. 3: changed piece relationships, character stats and the larger game","quote":"Every action taken results in a change affecting the overall system of the game.","work":"katie-salen-and-eric-zimmerman-rules-of-play"},{"label":"Jesper Juul, Design (MIT CMS.608 lecture, 2008)","url":"https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/cms-608-game-design-spring-2008/a2a848079602d24d5baea1aa6b6eb49b_MITCMS_608s08_lec02.pdf","kind":"research","page":"slide 8: integrated outcome","quote":"Meaningful play: When relation between action and outcome is discernable and integrated","work":"jesper-juul-design-mit-cms-608-lecture-2008"}],"deeper":"State persistence, reversible consequences, reset boundaries and branches that reconverge without erasing impact.","id":"choice-future-state","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#3e4b36"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#3e4b36","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Decision variation test","aka":["does the answer change with the situation?"],"kind":"process","plain":"Replay a decision across changed resources, threats, positions and goals, recording why the preferred action changes or stays the same. Then watch target players to distinguish a deliberate preference from misunderstanding.","does":"Checks that repeated core-loop decisions stay sensitive to context rather than becoming rote.","ask":"What reachable change in state makes a different action worth taking?","range":"Use representative states with stated goals; compare alternatives and causal explanations, not a requirement that picks be evenly distributed.","trouble":"The same answer survives every relevant change, or apparent variety comes only from players not knowing the rules.","links":[{"to":"playtest","rel":"see also"},{"to":"choice-dominance-check","rel":"see also"},{"to":"iterate","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, Decision-Based Gameplay Design","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2005/01/4/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Recognition; Evaluation; Design: dynamically generated decisions","quote":"The specific circumstances of each individual match make every instance of these decisions unique.","work":"tynan-sylvester-decision-based-gameplay-design"}],"deeper":"Scenario sampling, repeatable playtest protocols, separating learning from preference and testing emergent decisions.","id":"choice-context-test","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"box","size":[1.25,0.76,0.06],"material":"matte","color":"#3e4b36"},{"shape":"plane","size":[1.2,0.7],"pos":[0,0,0.035],"material":"screen","color":"#3e4b36","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Action resolution step","aka":["apply the move"],"kind":"process","plain":"The game resolves the chosen action against current rules, parts and resources.","does":"Converts intention into a causal result.","ask":"What interactions happen between commitment and result?","cues":["Parts or resources changing after commitment","A causal result after commitment"],"sources":[{"label":"Jesper Juul, Design (MIT CMS.608 lecture, 2008)","url":"https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/cms-608-game-design-spring-2008/a2a848079602d24d5baea1aa6b6eb49b_MITCMS_608s08_lec02.pdf","kind":"research","page":"MIT OCW lecture slide 8: discernible relation between action and outcome","quote":"Meaningful play: When relation between action and outcome is discernable and integrated","work":"jesper-juul-design-mit-cms-608-lecture-2008"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, What are game mechanics?","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2006/10/24/what-are-game-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"feedback loop: action causes effect in simulated game world","quote":"With new tools and information in hand, the player performs another action","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-what-are-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 5: Mechanics and Dynamics","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/level-5-mechanics-and-dynamics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Mechanics, Dynamics and Complexity; 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In this balancing loop, resources are exchanged such that each part ultimately balances rather than reinforces the others.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/imprint_downloads/peachpit/peachpit/samplechapters/0321820274/0321820274_gamemechanics_ch06section.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 6, pp. 113–117: feedback structures stabilize or amplify differences","quote":"The losing, rather than the leading, team can field an extra player for every N points of difference.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321820273/samplepages/0321820274.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 4, pp. 66–71","quote":"Feedback systems based on relationships between two players can produce effects that keep games close","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"opening ecology example; “Player Model Principle”; “Drowning in Complexity”","quote":"The ‘virtual ecology’ affects nearly every aspect of the game world, from the very small to the very large.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"opening ecology example; Player Model Principle; Drowning in Complexity","quote":"The ‘virtual ecology’ affects nearly every aspect of the game world, from the very small to the very large.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"}],"id":"ecology-instance","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.15,0.8],"material":"screen","color":"#263747","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Competing parts","aka":["counter-pressure"],"kind":"part","plain":"Competing parts use, deny or constrain the same opportunities, spaces or resources.","does":"Creates counterplay and prevents a single subsystem from dominating every situation.","ask":"What does each part make harder for the others?","cues":["Parts contesting the same space","Resources denied or constrained"],"at":[0,0,0.16],"sources":[{"label":"Michael Sellers, Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach","url":"https://books.google.com/books?id=gLg7DwAAQBAJ","kind":"book","isbn":"9780134667607","page":"ch. 7, p. 249","quote":"The deer eat the plants, balancing their growth, and the wolves eat the deer, balancing theirs.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/imprint_downloads/peachpit/peachpit/samplechapters/0321820274/0321820274_gamemechanics_ch06section.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 6, pp. 113–117: positive and negative feedback between competing teams","quote":"The losing, rather than the leading, team can field an extra player for every N points of difference.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Michael Sellers, Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach","url":"https://books.google.com/books?id=gLg7DwAAQBAJ","kind":"book","isbn":"9780134667607","page":"ch. 7, p. 249","quote":"Combat can also be considered an ecology: two or more sides (player character versus monster, for example) attempt to “balance” each other by their actions—a nice way of saying that they each try to kill the other.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321820273/samplepages/0321820274.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 4, pp. 66–71","quote":"They also need to spend resources to build military units, to expand their bases, and to develop new technology.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"opening ecology example; “Story-Richness”","quote":"There were three parts to it. 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higher-level abilities are just better (e.g. doing more damage) than their lower-level counterparts, but they cost more to buy.","flag":"author course post","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321820273/samplepages/0321820274.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 4, pp. 72–76","quote":"Each class should have a unique set of different skills and abilities.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"}],"id":"new-ability","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.8,0.62],"material":"glow","color":"#93b3ee","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Level and experience measure","aka":["where progression is now"],"kind":"measure","plain":"The current level and cumulative experience locate the player on a progression curve.","does":"Makes pacing and unlock timing inspectable.","ask":"What is the next-level cost, XP income and time-to-level?","cues":["Current level and experience","Progress toward the next level"],"at":[0.55,-0.25,0.14],"sources":[{"label":"Bulbapedia, Experience","url":"https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Experience","kind":"reference","quote":"The amount of experience points a Pokémon has is tied directly to its level.","work":"bulbapedia-experience"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","page":"cost/progression relationships","quote":"Leveling is also transitive: a higher-level character is better than a lower-level character in nearly every RPG I can think of.","flag":"author course post","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","page":"“Examples of Transitive Mechanics”; “Cost Curves”","quote":"Leveling is also transitive: a higher-level character is better than a lower-level character in nearly every RPG I can think of.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Daniel Cook, Value chains – A method for creating and balancing faucet-and-drain game economies","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2021/12/12/value-chains/","kind":"practitioner","page":"“Sink Type: Fixed (Constant)”; “Source Type: Trickle (Linear)”","quote":"The one time cost in XP to earn the next level in an RPG.","work":"daniel-cook-value-chains-a-method-for-creating"},{"label":"Bulbapedia, Experience","url":"https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Experience","kind":"reference","page":"“Relation to level”; “Experience table”","quote":"The amount of experience points a Pokémon has is tied directly to its level.","work":"bulbapedia-experience"}],"id":"level-measure","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1,0.62],"material":"screen","color":"#91a9db","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Balance","aka":["keeping choices live"],"kind":"part","plain":"Balance is the relationship between options, costs, benefits, counters and the challenge the player can reasonably meet.","does":"Stops one part, strategy or progression path from making the rest of the system irrelevant.","ask":"Which choice is too cheap, too strong, too weak or impossible to answer?","children":["part-interactions","cost-curves","transitive-balance","intransitive-balance","hits-to-kill","time-to-kill"],"at":[-0.06,0.09,0.06],"sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"Within a system that has several similar game objects","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is Game Balance; 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Solutions to intransitive mechanics","quote":"an intransitive game is at least more interesting than one with a single dominant strategy","work":"ian-schreiber-level-9-intransitive-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 6: Situational Balance","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/level-6-situational-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Situational Balance; Playtesting: The Ultimate Solution?","quote":"In each of these cases, finding the right cost on your cost curve depends on the situation within the game, which is why I call it situational balancing.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-6-situational-balance"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is Game Balance?; Balance in Single-Player Games; Balance between Strategies; Balance Between Game Objects; Three General Game Balance Techniques","quote":"Within a system that has several similar game objects","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Steve Swink, Game Feel: The Secret Ingredient","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-feel-the-secret-ingredient","kind":"practitioner","page":"Context: movement speed, jump height, spatial placement and challenge","quote":"the placement of objects in the world is just another set of variables against which to balance movement speed, jump height","work":"steve-swink-game-feel-the-secret-ingredient"}],"id":"balance-system","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"cone","radius":0.3,"height":0.26,"pos":[0,-0.48,0.08],"material":"metal","color":"#788c9c"},{"shape":"box","size":[0.12,0.72,0.12],"pos":[0,-0.15,0.08],"radius":0.03,"material":"metal","color":"#788c9c"},{"shape":"box","size":[1.55,0.1,0.1],"pos":[0,0.28,0.1],"rot":[0,0,-8],"radius":0.04,"material":"metal","color":"#b88e60"},{"shape":"box","size":[0.035,0.35,0.035],"pos":[-0.62,0.02,0.08],"material":"metal","color":"#c7d4db"},{"shape":"box","size":[0.035,0.35,0.035],"pos":[0.62,0.02,0.08],"material":"metal","color":"#c7d4db"},{"shape":"lathe","profile":[[0,0],[0.24,0],[0.3,0.04],[0.26,0.1],[0,0.1]],"pos":[-0.62,-0.18,0.08],"material":"metal","color":"#d8a55f"},{"shape":"lathe","profile":[[0,0],[0.24,0],[0.3,0.04],[0.26,0.1],[0,0.1]],"pos":[0.62,-0.18,0.08],"material":"metal","color":"#e1b766"}]}},{"term":"Part interactions","aka":["how parts affect one another"],"kind":"part","plain":"Part interactions are the causal relationships through which one part changes another part's state, value or available choices.","does":"Turns a parts list into a system with emergent dynamics.","ask":"Which part changes which other part, under what conditions and with what delay?","cues":["One part changing another's state","A value changing after an interaction","Available choices changing after an effect"],"children":["interaction-formulas","interaction-observation"],"at":[-0.62,-0.18,0.16],"sources":[{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/imprint_downloads/peachpit/peachpit/samplechapters/0321820274/0321820274_gamemechanics_ch05section.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 5, p. 89","quote":"State connections indicate how changes to the current state of a node (the number of resources in it) affect something else in the diagram.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"interconnections between systems and second-order effects","quote":"Look at the interconnections between systems. If you change one thing, you should know what other things will be affected.","flag":"author course post","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321820273/samplepages/0321820274.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"Introduction pp. xi–xiii; ch. 1 pp. 1–22; ch. 4 pp. 59–77","quote":"the mechanisms that govern the relationships between them and how they are produced or consumed.","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 2: Numeric Relationships","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/level-2-numeric-relationships/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Identity and Linear Relationships; Relationships Within Systems","quote":"Numbers in games don’t exist in a vacuum. They only have meaning in relation to each other.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-2-numeric-relationships"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"More Game Balance Techniques: interconnections and second-order effects","quote":"Look at the interconnections between systems. If you change one thing, you should know what other things will be affected.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"opening ecology example; Drowning in Complexity; Creating Story-Richness","quote":"Each can work at the fishing pond, the market, the field, the mill.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"}],"id":"part-interactions","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.1,0.8],"material":"screen","color":"#263747","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Interaction formula catalogue","aka":["ways to combine attack and armour"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A catalogue of mitigation formulas compares how armour changes damage taken: subtractive, divisive, percentage and threshold models.","does":"Makes a hidden balance choice explicit before numbers are tuned.","ask":"Which response curve keeps every relevant interaction playable?","at":[0.28,0,0.08],"variants":[{"label":"Mitigation model","items":[{"id":"subtract","name":"Subtract","plain":"Damage = max(0, raw damage − armour); a high armour value can reach immunity.","sources":[{"label":"Bethesda Softworks, Fallout: New Vegas Game Manual","url":"https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22380/manuals/fnv_gfw_manual-10-steam.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"p. 8","quote":"Damage is calculated by subtracting the DAM rating of the weapon you are firing against the Damage Threshold of your target’s armor.","work":"bethesda-softworks-fallout-new-vegas-game-manual"},{"label":"Runarcana RPG, Objects","url":"https://wiki.runarcana.org/en/game-mastering/running-the-game/objects/","kind":"maker","quote":"An object with a damage threshold is immune to all types of damage unless it suffers an amount of damage from a single attack or effect that equals or exceeds the damage threshold, in which case it receives normal damage.","work":"runarcana-rpg-objects"}]},{"id":"league-ratio","name":"Divide / ratio (League of Legends)","plain":"Damage taken = raw × 100/(100 + armour), so armour reduces damage without reaching zero.","why":"Damage taken = raw × 100/(100 + armour) defines it; 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this is a hard breakpoint model.","sources":[{"label":"Runarcana RPG, Objects","url":"https://wiki.runarcana.org/en/game-mastering/running-the-game/objects/","kind":"maker","quote":"An object with a damage threshold is immune to all types of damage unless it suffers an amount of damage from a single attack or effect that equals or exceeds the damage threshold, in which case it receives normal damage.","work":"runarcana-rpg-objects"}]}]}],"sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"in a transitive mechanic, everything has a set of costs and a set of benefits, and all in-game effects can be put in terms of one or the other.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Bethesda Softworks, Fallout: New Vegas Game Manual","url":"https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22380/manuals/fnv_gfw_manual-10-steam.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"p. 8","quote":"Damage is calculated by subtracting the DAM rating of the weapon you are firing against the Damage Threshold of your target’s armor.","work":"bethesda-softworks-fallout-new-vegas-game-manual"},{"label":"Bethesda Softworks, Fallout 3 Game Manual","url":"https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/22300/manuals/fallout3_us_pc_manual.pdf","kind":"maker","page":"p. 11","quote":"DR – The percentage of damage resistance the item offers","work":"bethesda-softworks-fallout-3-game-manual"},{"label":"Runarcana RPG, Objects","url":"https://wiki.runarcana.org/en/game-mastering/running-the-game/objects/","kind":"maker","quote":"An object with a damage threshold is immune to all types of damage unless it suffers an amount of damage from a single attack or effect that equals or exceeds the damage threshold, in which case it receives normal damage.","work":"runarcana-rpg-objects"}],"id":"interaction-formulas","feel":{"shape":0.8,"energy":0.5,"weight":0.34,"warmth":0.46,"grain":0.56,"motion":"spin","why":"A sharp rotating dial suits a formula whose curve changes every interaction."},"plot":{"x":"Armour","y":"Damage taken (%)","series":[{"name":"Subtract","item":"subtract","points":[[0,100],[10,90],[20,80],[50,50],[100,0]]},{"name":"League ratio 100/(100+A)","item":"league-ratio","points":[[0,100],[10,90.909],[20,83.333],[50,66.667],[100,50]]},{"name":"Warcraft III 1/(1+0.06A)","item":"warcraft-ratio","points":[[0,100],[10,62.5],[20,45.455],[50,25],[100,14.286]]},{"name":"Percentage 1−0.02A","item":"percentage","points":[[0,100],[10,80],[20,60],[50,0],[100,0]]},{"name":"Threshold at A=20","item":"threshold","points":[[0,100],[10,100],[20,0],[50,0],[100,0]]}]}},{"term":"Interaction observation","aka":["the measured outcome"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Record the outcome of an interaction across representative states, opponents, frequencies and timings; a single stat or duel can mislead.","does":"Shows whether a formula creates useful choices in context.","ask":"Which comparison would change our mind about this interaction?","at":[-0.28,-0.02,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"Playtesting alone is not automatic proof that a particular strategy is unbalanced, but it should give you strong signals that certain aspects of the game need closer inspection.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"playtesting, measurement and one-change guidance","quote":"Playtesting alone is not automatic proof that a particular strategy is unbalanced, but it should give you strong signals that certain aspects of the game need closer inspection.","flag":"author course post","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 6: Situational Balance","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/level-6-situational-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Situational Balance; Playtesting: The Ultimate Solution?","quote":"If you’re only fighting a single enemy, one-on-one, it isn’t any more valuable. If you’re fighting fifty enemies all clustered together in a swarming mass, it’s 50x more valuable.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-6-situational-balance"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Balance between Strategies; Balance Between Game Objects; Three General Game Balance Techniques","quote":"Playtesting alone is not automatic proof that a particular strategy is unbalanced, but it should give you strong signals that certain aspects of the game need closer inspection.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Story-Richness: percentage of interactions that are interesting; Eclipse Colony design case study","quote":"the mental model in the player’s mind, which the player constructs while playing the game.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"}],"id":"interaction-observation","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.1,0.7],"material":"screen","color":"#263747","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Cost curves","aka":["how much more power costs"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A cost curve maps rising benefits or power to the resources, limits and opportunity costs required to obtain them.","does":"Balances transitive upgrades without assuming that twice the power should always cost twice as much.","ask":"What curve makes the extra capability worth its complete cost?","at":[0,0.28,0.16],"variants":[{"label":"Cost shape","items":[{"id":"cost-linear","name":"Linear","plain":"C(P)=P: each extra power point has the same cost.","sources":[{"label":"Schreiber, Game Balance Concepts","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"The two might scale linearly: +1 cost means +1 benefit.","flag":"linear cost relationships discussed","work":"schreiber-game-balance-concepts"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 2: Numeric Relationships","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/level-2-numeric-relationships/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Identity and Linear Relationships","quote":"If a healing spell always costs 5 MP and heals exactly 50 HP, then there is a 1-to-10 linear relationship between MP and HP.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-2-numeric-relationships"}]},{"id":"cost-quadratic","name":"Increasing / quadratic","plain":"C(P)=P^2: later power costs progressively more.","sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"Costs might be on an increasing curve, where each additional benefit costs more than the last, so incremental gains get more and more expensive as you get more powerful.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"}]},{"id":"cost-threshold","name":"Thresholded","plain":"C(P)=P below power 4, then C(P)=2P: a capability gate creates a new phase.","why":"It counts by the new cost phase after a capability gate, not because the illustrative break is at power 4.","sources":[{"label":"Schreiber, Game Balance Concepts","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"we might expect to see a shift in the cost curve at or around five mana","flag":"custom curves and thresholds discussed","work":"schreiber-game-balance-concepts"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Creating a Cost Curve; custom curves and thresholds","quote":"we might expect to see a shift in the cost curve at or around five mana","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"}]}]}],"sources":[{"label":"Schreiber, Game Balance Concepts","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"How do you know how much each resource is worth? That is what we call a cost curve.","work":"schreiber-game-balance-concepts"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","page":"linear, curved and diminishing/increasing cost relationships","quote":"How do you know how much each resource is worth? That is what we call a cost curve.","flag":"author course post","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Costs and Benefits; Cost Curves; Creating a Cost Curve","quote":"How do you know how much each resource is worth? That is what we call a cost curve.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 2: Numeric Relationships","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/level-2-numeric-relationships/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Identity and Linear Relationships; Exponential and Triangular Relationships; Other Numeric Relationships","quote":"You may have a relationship where there are either increasing or diminishing returns","work":"ian-schreiber-level-2-numeric-relationships"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Three Ways to Balance Game Objects: transitive relationships and cost curves","quote":"This is the most direct way to balance objects. The general idea is to find some desired proportion of costs to benefits.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"}],"id":"cost-curves","feel":{"shape":0.68,"energy":0.44,"weight":0.26,"warmth":0.5,"grain":0.66,"motion":"rise","why":"A stepped, slightly angular body makes marginal price visible as power climbs."},"plot":{"x":"Power","y":"Cost units","series":[{"name":"Linear C=P","item":"cost-linear","points":[[0,0],[1,1],[2,2],[3,3],[4,4],[5,5]]},{"name":"Quadratic C=P²","item":"cost-quadratic","points":[[0,0],[1,1],[2,4],[3,9],[4,16],[5,25]]},{"name":"Thresholded","item":"cost-threshold","points":[[0,0],[1,1],[2,2],[3,3],[4,8],[5,10]]}]}},{"term":"Transitive balance","aka":["better costs more"],"kind":"concept","plain":"In a transitive relationship, one option is stronger in the same role, so its cost must account for its greater benefit.","does":"Balances vertical upgrades and stronger versions of similar parts.","ask":"What complete cost offsets this option's extra benefit?","at":[0.62,-0.18,0.16],"sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"technically referred to as a transitive relationship","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","page":"transitive relationships and cost curves","quote":"In transitive games, some things are just flat out better than others in terms of their in-game effects, and we balance that by giving them different costs","flag":"author course post","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 3: Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/level-3-transitive-mechanics-and-cost-curves/","kind":"practitioner","page":"This Week’s Topic; Costs and Benefits; Cost Curves","quote":"In transitive games, some things are just flat out better than others in terms of their in-game effects, and we balance that by giving them different costs","work":"ian-schreiber-level-3-transitive-mechanics-and"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Three Ways to Balance Game Objects: transitive relationships and cost curves","quote":"technically referred to as a transitive relationship","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"}],"id":"transitive-balance","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.25,1],"material":"screen","color":"#273344","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Intransitive balance","aka":["counters in a cycle"],"kind":"concept","plain":"In an intransitive relationship, each option beats one option and loses to another, so no option is best in every matchup.","does":"Creates horizontal variety and counterplay that a single cost curve cannot order.","ask":"What does this option beat, and what beats it?","children":["counter-cycle"],"at":[-0.3,0.42,0.16],"sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"The second method is an intransitive relationship between game objects, better known as a rock-paper-scissors relationship.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"transitive/intransitive relationships and rock-paper-scissors","quote":"The second method is an intransitive relationship between game objects, better known as a rock-paper-scissors relationship.","flag":"author course post","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 9: Intransitive Mechanics","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/level-9-intransitive-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"This Week; Solutions to intransitive mechanics; Who Cares?","quote":"games where there is no single dominant strategy","work":"ian-schreiber-level-9-intransitive-mechanics"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Three Ways to Balance Game Objects: intransitive relationships and rock-paper-scissors","quote":"The second method is an intransitive relationship between game objects, better known as a rock-paper-scissors relationship.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"}],"id":"intransitive-balance","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.35,1],"material":"screen","color":"#202b3b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Counter cycle","aka":["A beats B, B beats C, C beats A","rock-paper-scissors relationship","RPS"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A counter cycle is a directed matchup graph: each unit has a favorable target, an unfavorable target and conditions such as damage type, range, terrain or support that determine whether the advantage appears.","does":"Makes counter strength, unit roles, matrix results and mirror matches explicit before stats are retuned; exposes dominant strategies and gives the designer a testable target.","ask":"Does each unit have a job beyond its preferred target, is every edge readable and reachable, and does the mirror reveal skill rather than a hidden stat or first-move advantage?","children":["counter-strength-scale","counter-unit-role","counter-matchup-matrix","counter-mirror-match"],"links":[{"to":"interaction-observation","rel":"measured by"},{"to":"hits-to-kill","rel":"see also"},{"to":"time-to-kill","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Three Ways to Balance Game Objects: intransitive relationships and rock-paper-scissors","quote":"The second method is an intransitive relationship between game objects, better known as a rock-paper-scissors relationship.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 9: Intransitive Mechanics","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/level-9-intransitive-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"This Week; Solutions to intransitive mechanics; Who Cares?","quote":"normal attacks are defeated by blocks, blocks are defeated by throws, and throws are defeated by attacks.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-9-intransitive-mechanics"},{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is a Hard Counter?; Soft Counters and the HP Problem; Attribute Design vs Bonuses and Penalties","quote":"In practical terms, in RTS games","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"},{"label":"Alex Jaffe, Metagame Balance","url":"https://media.gdcvault.com/gdc2015/presentations/Jaffe_Alexander_Metagame_Balance.pdf","kind":"practitioner","page":"pp. 29–31, Matchup Charts","quote":"a matchup chart for Street Fighter 4, depicting the chance that any character should beat any other, in a fair game between skilled players.","work":"alex-jaffe-metagame-balance"}],"id":"counter-cycle","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.6,0.95],"material":"screen","color":"#202b3b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Counter strength","aka":["soft counter","hard counter"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Counter strength is the advantage a designated counter has over its target under stated conditions, from a contestable efficiency edge to a near-invalidating interaction.","does":"Separates a soft counter from a hard counter before numbers are retuned, so the designer can state how much advantage the matchup is meant to buy.","ask":"How much cost efficiency, win probability, hits-to-kill or time-to-kill advantage should this counter have, and what can still overturn it?","range":"Soft counter: the advantage changes the odds but positioning, timing, support or execution can reverse it. Hard counter: the target cannot trade efficiently without changing composition or conditions. Record the assumptions for either label.","trouble":"A nominal soft counter with overwhelming cost efficiency behaves as a hard counter; a hard counter with no readable route to adaptation becomes a binary loss.","at":[0.42,-0.36,0.1],"links":[{"to":"interaction-observation","rel":"measured by"},{"to":"hits-to-kill","rel":"see also"},{"to":"time-to-kill","rel":"see also"}],"variants":[{"label":"Counter severity","items":[{"id":"soft-counter","name":"Soft counter","plain":"An advantage that changes the odds while positioning, timing, support or execution can still reverse the exchange.","sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 9: Intransitive Mechanics","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/level-9-intransitive-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Solutions to intransitive mechanics; Solving RPS with Incomplete Wins","quote":"Players may make certain choices in light of what they observe other players doing now","work":"ian-schreiber-level-9-intransitive-mechanics"},{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is a Hard Counter?; Soft Counters and the HP Problem","quote":"Marines and Banelings are a 'soft counter' to each other, since Marines can and do come out on top in this relationship based on the player's control over their units.","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}]},{"id":"hard-counter","name":"Hard counter","plain":"An interaction in which the target is practically unable to trade efficiently without changing composition or conditions.","sources":[{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is a Hard Counter?; Rock Paper Scissors?; It's All About The Proportion","quote":"a 'hard counter' is an interaction where it is practically or actually impossible for one unit or army composition to defeat another unit or army composition.","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}]}]}],"sources":[{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 9: Intransitive Mechanics","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/level-9-intransitive-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Solutions to intransitive mechanics; Solving RPS with Unequal Scoring; Solving RPS with Incomplete Wins","quote":"there will not be a single dominant strategy that invalidates all of the others, because it will be weak against at least one other counter-strategy.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-9-intransitive-mechanics"},{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is a Hard Counter?; Soft Counters and the HP Problem; Attribute Design vs Bonuses and Penalties","quote":"The harder the counter, the more cost efficient the trade will always be between 2 participants in combat.","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}],"id":"counter-strength-scale","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.32,0.62],"material":"screen","color":"#202b3b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Unit role","aka":["unit job","unit archetype"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A unit role is the job a unit performs—holding space, dealing damage, scouting, supporting, raiding or taking objectives—separate from the target type it counters.","does":"Gives each roster entry a primary job and bounded secondary jobs before stats are tuned, so an anti-cavalry bonus does not become the unit's entire identity.","ask":"What should this unit contribute when its preferred target is absent, unavailable or already answered?","range":"Choose one primary job and at most one or two secondary jobs; record preferred targets, bad targets, required conditions and the failure state before tuning numbers.","trouble":"If the only description is a target type such as anti-cavalry, the unit has a matchup bonus but no job; a generalist that owns too many jobs crowds out the roster.","at":[0.42,0.27,0.1],"links":[{"to":"parts-register","rel":"see also"},{"to":"interaction-observation","rel":"see also"}],"variants":[{"label":"Role focus","items":[{"id":"frontline-holder","name":"Frontliner / space holder","plain":"Absorbs pressure, holds a location or keeps threats away from a vulnerable ally.","sources":[{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"The ideal design of a unit performs some unique function","quote":"ideal design of a unit is that it performs some unique function for the player, which the player can exploit or use skillfully","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}]},{"id":"damage-dealer","name":"Damage dealer","plain":"Converts an opening into damage through burst, sustained fire, range or target access.","sources":[{"label":"Riot Jag, Quick Gameplay Thoughts 7/23","url":"https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/news/dev/quick-gameplay-thoughts-7-23/","kind":"practitioner","quote":"Strategic flanking and target access due to stealth and mobility from grappling hook. … Strong burst damage, particularly when snowballing. … Worst-in-Marksman-class sustained DPS. … Worst-in-Marksman-class attack range.","work":"riot-jag-quick-gameplay-thoughts-7-23"}]},{"id":"support-controller","name":"Support / controller","plain":"Improves allies or restricts enemy actions, space or timing rather than relying only on direct damage.","sources":[{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"non-damage based counters; The ideal design of a unit performs some unique function","quote":"ideal design of a unit is that it performs some unique function for the player, which the player can exploit or use skillfully","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}]},{"id":"scout-raider","name":"Scout / raider","plain":"Creates information or attacks exposed economy, objectives or support before the main fight.","sources":[{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"Rock Paper Scissors?; It's All About The Proportion","quote":"ideal design of a unit is that it performs some unique function for the player, which the player can exploit or use skillfully","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}]},{"id":"objective-specialist","name":"Objective specialist","plain":"Captures, builds, transports or defends the objective even when it is not the best direct combatant.","sources":[{"label":"Electronic Arts, Battlefield V’s The Company: Support Class and Combat Roles","url":"https://www.ea.com/en-au/games/battlefield/news/battlefield-5-support-class-and-combat-roles","kind":"maker","quote":"While others are playing with boards and nails, as Support you’re building advanced Fortifications and machine gun emplacements. … You can give your squad better firing positions, a safe spot to reload, and the best chance to capture a point","work":"electronic-arts-battlefield-vs-the-company"}]}]}],"sources":[{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"Attribute Design vs Bonuses and Penalties; The ideal design of a unit performs some unique function","quote":"ideal design of a unit is that it performs some unique function for the player, which the player can exploit or use skillfully","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}],"id":"counter-unit-role","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.36,0.78],"material":"screen","color":"#202b3b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Matchup matrix","aka":["matchup chart","victory table"],"kind":"measure","plain":"A matchup matrix puts every unit on both axes and records the result of each pairing under fixed conditions, making a proposed cycle visible instead of anecdotal.","does":"Tests whether each unit has a favorable edge, a meaningful answer and a useful mirror; it also exposes a dominant row, a dead column or an accidental linear hierarchy.","ask":"What does each cell say for equal value, equal skill, map and upgrades, and do the directed edges still form the intended cycle?","range":"Cells can use hard counter, normal fight, resistant or mirror labels, then add win probability, cost efficiency, hits-to-kill or time-to-kill when the test harness is stable.","trouble":"A matrix with no assumptions mixes duels, armies, maps and upgrades; a matrix whose rows all point one way reveals a hierarchy rather than an intransitive cycle.","at":[0.42,-0.03,0.1],"links":[{"to":"interaction-observation","rel":"measured by"},{"to":"parts-register","rel":"see also"}],"variants":[{"label":"Matchup label","items":[{"id":"matrix-hard-counter","name":"Hard counter","plain":"The row unit reliably wins under the stated test and the column unit has little efficient counterplay.","sources":[{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is a Hard Counter?; It's All About The Proportion","quote":"very bad at killing that target type.","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"}]},{"id":"matrix-normal-fight","name":"Normal fight","plain":"Neither side's type advantage decides the result; execution, timing, positioning and context remain meaningful.","sources":[{"label":"Ramses Jelsma, The Logic Behind Violence: a Primer on Combat System Design","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-logic-behind-violence-a-primer-on-combat-system-design","kind":"practitioner","quote":"The aspects that define how a player interacts with meaningful choice are the players’ knowledge and execution.","work":"ramses-jelsma-the-logic-behind-violence-a-primer"},{"label":"Alex Sulman, Improving the Battlefield 1 Weapon Balance","url":"https://www.ea.com/games/battlefield/news/improving-battlefield-1-weapon-balance","kind":"maker","quote":"These encounters remain mostly unchanged. These classes are opposite extremes; the winner of the engagement will usually come down to range.","work":"alex-sulman-improving-the-battlefield-1-weapon"}]},{"id":"matrix-resistant","name":"Resistant","plain":"The target blunts the listed counter and stays useful long enough to create value; the advantage is conditional rather than decisive.","sources":[{"label":"Brandon Casteel, In Defense of Hard Counters in Real Time Strategy Games","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/in-defense-of-hard-counters-in-real-time-strategy-games","kind":"practitioner","page":"Rock Paper Scissors?; Soft Counters and the HP Problem","quote":"non-damage based counters, like units which can prevent other units from attacking","work":"brandon-casteel-in-defense-of-hard-counters-in"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 9: Intransitive Mechanics","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/level-9-intransitive-mechanics/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Who Cares?; Solutions to intransitive mechanics","quote":"Players may make certain choices in light of what they observe other players doing now","work":"ian-schreiber-level-9-intransitive-mechanics"}]},{"id":"matrix-mirror","name":"Mirror","plain":"Both sides use the same unit or role, so compare execution, timing, positioning, information and first-move effects rather than a composition edge.","sources":[{"label":"Blizzard Entertainment, Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes - August 9, 2017","url":"https://news.blizzard.com/en-gb/article/20944073/heroes-of-the-storm-patch-notes-august-9-2017","kind":"maker","quote":"Quick Match will now prefer not to make mirror matches, the same hero on both teams, when other options are available.","work":"blizzard-entertainment-heroes-of-the-storm-patch"},{"label":"Ramses Jelsma, The Logic Behind Violence: a Primer on Combat System Design","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-logic-behind-violence-a-primer-on-combat-system-design","kind":"practitioner","quote":"The aspects that define how a player interacts with meaningful choice are the players’ knowledge and execution.","work":"ramses-jelsma-the-logic-behind-violence-a-primer"}]}]}],"sources":[{"label":"Alex Jaffe, Metagame Balance","url":"https://media.gdcvault.com/gdc2015/presentations/Jaffe_Alexander_Metagame_Balance.pdf","kind":"practitioner","page":"pp. 29–31, Matchup Charts","quote":"a matchup chart for Street Fighter 4, depicting the chance that any character should beat any other, in a fair game between skilled players.","work":"alex-jaffe-metagame-balance"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Game Design Concepts, Level 16: Game Balance","url":"https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/level-16-game-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Three Ways to Balance Game Objects; Learn to love Excel","quote":"Intransitive relationships can actually be solved, using matrices and some basic linear algebra.","work":"ian-schreiber-game-design-concepts-level-16-game"}],"unverified":"The exact hard counter / normal fight / resistant labels are a practical roster taxonomy; the opened sources describe the underlying matchup, counter-strength and matrix ideas rather than a universal three-label standard.","id":"counter-matchup-matrix","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.4,0.82],"material":"screen","color":"#202b3b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Mirror match","aka":["same-unit matchup","mirror"],"kind":"concept","plain":"A mirror match pits the same unit, role or roster against itself, removing the intended composition edge so the designer can see what execution, timing, positioning and information contribute.","does":"Checks that a unit remains interesting when its counter relationship disappears and reveals first-move, map or control advantages that can hide inside the matrix.","ask":"When both sides choose the same job, what decides the exchange, and is that decision legible and recoverable?","range":"Use equal resources, unit count, map, upgrades and information where possible; separately record first move, initiative, terrain and control assumptions.","trouble":"A mirror decided by an untelegraphed first move, spawn or hidden roster advantage is not measuring only skill; a perfectly static mirror may expose no meaningful decision.","at":[-0.18,-0.36,0.1],"links":[{"to":"interaction-observation","rel":"measured by"},{"to":"time-to-kill","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Blizzard Entertainment, Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes - August 9, 2017","url":"https://news.blizzard.com/en-gb/article/20944073/heroes-of-the-storm-patch-notes-august-9-2017","kind":"maker","quote":"Quick Match will now prefer not to make mirror matches, the same hero on both teams, when other options are available.","work":"blizzard-entertainment-heroes-of-the-storm-patch"},{"label":"Ramses Jelsma, The Logic Behind Violence: a Primer on Combat System Design","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-logic-behind-violence-a-primer-on-combat-system-design","kind":"practitioner","quote":"The aspects that define how a player interacts with meaningful choice are the players’ knowledge and execution.","work":"ramses-jelsma-the-logic-behind-violence-a-primer"}],"id":"counter-mirror-match","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.18,0.7],"material":"screen","color":"#202b3b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Hits-to-kill","aka":["HTK","shots to kill"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Hits-to-kill (HTK) is the number of successful damage events needed to remove a target’s health after mitigation. Apply the game’s damage formula, minimum-damage rule and rounding policy, then take ceil(health / damage); compare it per encounter condition.","does":"Turns a damage pipeline into a discrete pacing and survivability measure for a roster.","ask":"How many meaningful hits does this attacker need against this defender in each condition, and is the exchange playable?","range":"whole hits; attacker × defender × condition, including open ground, cover and flanked states","children":["htk-matrix","htk-breakpoints","htk-overkill-rounding","htk-effective-health"],"at":[0,-0.48,0.16],"sources":[{"label":"GameDesign.gg, Weapon Design: The Feel, Math, and Balance of Guns","url":"https://gamedesign.gg/articles/weapon-design/","kind":"practitioner","page":"The Core Numbers: Damage, Fire Rate, and Time-to-Kill; Tuning Weapons in a Live Game","quote":"Shots to kill is the enemy’s effective health divided by damage per shot, rounded up.","work":"gamedesign-gg-weapon-design-the-feel-math-and"},{"label":"Calc, Hits to Kill Calculator","url":"https://globalcalcs.com/en/gaming/hits-to-kill/","kind":"reference","page":"Formula; Frequently asked","quote":"Effective HP = HP ÷ (1 − reduction); avg damage = damage × (1 + crit × (critMult − 1)); hits = ⌈effective HP ÷ avg damage⌉ · Hit counts round up (ceil): the final hit only needs to remove the leftover HP to count as a kill.","work":"calc-hits-to-kill-calculator"},{"label":"StatGarden, Time to kill (TTK) calculator for shooters","url":"https://www.statgarden.com/gaming/time-to-kill.html","kind":"reference","page":"What this calculator does; Formula; Working out whether a damage buff matters","quote":"Formula shots to kill = ceil(effective health ÷ damage per shot); time to kill = (shots − 1) ÷ (rounds per minute ÷ 60)","work":"statgarden-time-to-kill-ttk-calculator-for"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 6: Situational Balance","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/level-6-situational-balance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"What’s the central resource?; Using the central resource to derive balance; Situational Balance","quote":"how many hit points you had (that is, how many times could you survive being hit, and how many times would you have to hit something else to kill it).","work":"ian-schreiber-level-6-situational-balance"}],"id":"hits-to-kill","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[2.5,1.45],"material":"screen","color":"#273243","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Hits-to-kill matrix","aka":["HTK matrix","shots-to-kill table","matchup matrix"],"kind":"measure","plain":"A hits-to-kill matrix puts attacker types across one axis and defender types down the other; each cell is the number of landed hits after the game’s damage formula, minimum-damage rule and rounding.","does":"Exposes roster-wide lethality and survivability under every tested condition instead of hiding balance in isolated duels.","ask":"Which attacker defeats which defender in open ground, cover and flanked states, and where do cells jump?","range":"attacker × defender × condition; include open ground, cover, flanked, and any armour or terrain modifiers","trouble":"Blank or extreme cells, one unit dominating every condition, or a terrain modifier that changes a cell without a meaningful tactical reason.","at":[-0.72,0.23,0.12],"links":[{"to":"interaction-formulas","rel":"see also"},{"to":"interaction-observation","rel":"see also"},{"to":"counter-cycle","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Joshue Labs, Time to Kill Calculator","url":"https://joshuelabs.com/tools/time-to-kill-calculator","kind":"maker","quote":"Estimate hits to kill and time to kill from target health, hit damage, attack rate, hit chance, mitigation and target regeneration.","flag":"anonymous calculator","work":"joshue-labs-time-to-kill-calculator"},{"label":"Alex Sulman, Improving the Battlefield 1 Weapon Balance","url":"https://www.ea.com/games/battlefield/news/improving-battlefield-1-weapon-balance","kind":"maker","quote":"All SMGs now require a maximum of 4 bullets to kill any target within 12 meters.","work":"alex-sulman-improving-the-battlefield-1-weapon"}],"deeper":"A next level would hold the row and column schema, condition snapshots, and a reproducible sheet or script that regenerates every cell from roster stats.","id":"htk-matrix","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.35,0.9],"material":"screen","color":"#202f40","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Damage breakpoints","aka":["damage breakpoint","HP breakpoint","shots-to-kill breakpoint","threshold"],"kind":"measure","plain":"A damage breakpoint is the minimum effective damage, attack, penetration or armour value that changes the required whole-hit count by one. For target health H and desired n hits, the post-mitigation damage must reach at least H/n before the game’s integer rounding is applied.","does":"Turns a smooth damage formula into explicit lethal thresholds and explains why small integer stats tune coarsely: ceil(H / damage) stays flat between thresholds, then jumps.","ask":"What is the smallest attack, armour, health or condition change that removes or adds one hit?","range":"for H health and n hits, minimum applied damage = ceil(H / n); solve the divisive formula backward, then verify the actual min-1 and rounding pipeline","trouble":"A +1 stat has no effect for many cells and then suddenly changes HTK; cover or flanking can move the same roster across several thresholds at once.","at":[0.63,0.23,0.12],"links":[{"to":"interaction-formulas","rel":"see also"},{"to":"time-to-kill","rel":"see also"},{"to":"htk-matrix","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"GameDesign.gg, Weapon Design: The Feel, Math, and Balance of Guns","url":"https://gamedesign.gg/articles/weapon-design/","kind":"practitioner","page":"The Core Numbers: Damage, Fire Rate, and Time-to-Kill; Damage Falloff and the Range Curve","quote":"This discontinuity is the single most important fact in weapon tuning. Damage does not scale smoothly; it scales in steps at every breakpoint where the shots-to-kill count flips.","work":"gamedesign-gg-weapon-design-the-feel-math-and"},{"label":"StatGarden, Time to kill (TTK) calculator for shooters","url":"https://www.statgarden.com/gaming/time-to-kill.html","kind":"reference","page":"What this calculator does; Working out whether a damage buff matters; Worked examples","quote":"The extra two damage per shot buys nothing at all until it crosses the threshold into five shots.","work":"statgarden-time-to-kill-ttk-calculator-for"},{"label":"Kernel_, R&D's manual to M1000 Classic (Haz 5+)","url":"https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3716951802","kind":"forum","page":"Introduction; Important thresholds; Vanilla Baseline","quote":"Determines how many shots are required to kill a target, factoring in effective HP with damage reduction taken into account (and separately armor). The ceiling function forces discretization.","work":"kernel-r-ds-manual-to-m1000-classic-haz-5"}],"deeper":"A next level would hold inverse breakpoint equations for attack, armour, health and penetration, with one-stat-at-a-time tables for every encounter condition.","id":"htk-breakpoints","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.25,0.82],"material":"screen","color":"#202f40","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Overkill and rounding","aka":["overkill","wasted damage","damage waste","final-hit waste"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Overkill is the final hit’s post-mitigation damage minus the target’s remaining health. The rounding policy—floor, ceil, nearest, hidden fractions or rounding only for display—decides whether that waste and the next breakpoint are real.","does":"Separates weapons with the same HTK, exposes wasted final-hit damage and makes the damage pipeline testable instead of assuming that displayed integers are the simulation’s integers.","ask":"How much final-hit damage is wasted, and exactly where does this implementation round?","range":"record pre-round damage, post-round damage, remaining health and final-hit overkill; specify whether rounding happens once or on every event","trouble":"Per-hit flooring silently accumulates loss, hidden fractional damage moves breakpoints, or a large final hit wastes ammo and cooldown time despite matching another weapon’s HTK.","at":[-0.58,-0.35,0.12],"links":[{"to":"time-to-kill","rel":"see also"},{"to":"interaction-formulas","rel":"see also"},{"to":"htk-breakpoints","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"Calc, Time to Kill (TTK) Calculator","url":"https://globalcalcs.com/en/gaming/time-to-kill/","kind":"reference","page":"Formula; Frequently asked: overkill and discrete TTK","quote":"overkill = hits to kill × damage per hit − target HP · Hits to kill is rounded up, because the last shot only needs to finish the remaining HP — there is no half shot.","work":"calc-time-to-kill-ttk-calculator"},{"label":"Calc, Hits to Kill Calculator","url":"https://globalcalcs.com/en/gaming/hits-to-kill/","kind":"reference","page":"Formula; Frequently asked: hit counts round up","quote":"Hit counts round up (ceil): the final hit only needs to remove the leftover HP to count as a kill.","work":"calc-hits-to-kill-calculator"},{"label":"StatGarden, Time to kill (TTK) calculator for shooters","url":"https://www.statgarden.com/gaming/time-to-kill.html","kind":"reference","page":"Formula; Term definitions; Worked examples: Overkill on the last shot","quote":"Overkill Damage on the final shot that was not needed.","work":"statgarden-time-to-kill-ttk-calculator-for"},{"label":"Kernel_, R&D's manual to M1000 Classic (Haz 5+)","url":"https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3716951802","kind":"forum","page":"Important thresholds; target table with Waste and Kill Time","quote":"Measures overkill inefficiency: how much damage is wasted beyond what is required to kill the target. Higher values indicate poorer ammo efficiency, especially relevant for breakpoint-sensitive builds.","work":"kernel-r-ds-manual-to-m1000-classic-haz-5"}],"unverified":"No universal rounding order applies across games; verify whether the implementation stores fractional damage, rounds each event or rounds only the displayed number.","deeper":"A next level would hold test vectors for floor, ceil, nearest and hidden-fraction implementations, plus overkill and ammo-efficiency comparisons for each roster matchup.","id":"htk-overkill-rounding","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.25,0.8],"material":"screen","color":"#202f40","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Effective health","aka":["EHP","effective HP","effective health pool","physical EHP"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Effective health is the unmitigated damage required to defeat a target after mitigation. For damage = attack × K/(K + armour), EHP = health × (1 + armour/K) before discrete minimum-damage and rounding caveats.","does":"Puts health and armour on one survivability scale for comparing defenders and checking whether the armour curve gives the intended durability.","ask":"How much raw damage does this defender survive, and does that prediction still match discrete HTK against each attacker?","range":"EHP = H/(K/(K + A)) = H(1 + A/K) for nonnegative divisive armour; recalculate per damage type and condition","trouble":"Treating EHP as universal despite flat reduction, minimum damage, rounding, shields, cover, flanking, penetration or mixed damage; EHP may not predict exact HTK.","at":[0.65,-0.35,0.12],"links":[{"to":"interaction-formulas","rel":"see also"},{"to":"time-to-kill","rel":"see also"},{"to":"htk-matrix","rel":"see also"}],"sources":[{"label":"League of Legends Wiki, Armor","url":"https://wiki.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/Armor","kind":"reference","page":"Armor formula; effective health; Stacking armor","quote":"The second formula proves that armor increases nominal health by a percentage against physical damage; this is called effective health.","work":"league-of-legends-wiki-armor"},{"label":"StatGarden, Effective HP calculator from armour rating","url":"https://www.statgarden.com/gaming/effective-hp.html","kind":"reference","page":"What this calculator does; Formula; Worked examples; Questions","quote":"Formula damage reduction = armour ÷ (armour + K); effective HP = health ÷ (1 − damage reduction) = health × (1 + armour ÷ K)","work":"statgarden-effective-hp-calculator-from-armour"},{"label":"Blizzard, Warcraft III Armor and Weapon Types","url":"https://classic.battle.net/war3/basics/armorandweapontypes.shtml","kind":"maker","page":"Damage Reduction or Increases for Armor","quote":"A unit with 20 armor basically has 55% extra hitpoints -- 100 would become effectively 155.","work":"blizzard-warcraft-iii-armor-and-weapon-types"},{"label":"Calc, Hits to Kill Calculator","url":"https://globalcalcs.com/en/gaming/hits-to-kill/","kind":"reference","page":"Formula; Effective HP; Frequently asked","quote":"Effective HP = HP ÷ (1 − reduction%); 50% reduction doubles the hits required.","work":"calc-hits-to-kill-calculator"},{"label":"GameDesign.gg, Weapon Design: The Feel, Math, and Balance of Guns","url":"https://gamedesign.gg/articles/weapon-design/","kind":"practitioner","page":"The Core Numbers: Damage, Fire Rate, and Time-to-Kill","quote":"Shots to kill is the enemy’s effective health divided by damage per shot, rounded up.","work":"gamedesign-gg-weapon-design-the-feel-math-and"}],"unverified":"The linear EHP expression is exact for this divisive ratio before minimum-damage and rounding; flat mitigation, shields and mixed damage require a specified incoming profile.","deeper":"A next level would compare EHP by damage type, shield layer and penetration order, then reconcile each EHP prediction with the discrete matrix cell.","id":"htk-effective-health","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[1.12,0.88],"material":"screen","color":"#202f40","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Time-to-kill","aka":["TTK"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Time-to-kill estimates elapsed time from the first valid attack to target defeat; a baseline is hits-to-kill times attack interval, but misses, cooldowns, travel, recovery and encounter context can change it.","does":"Connects combat maths to pacing, pressure and the time a player has to respond.","ask":"How long does this exchange occupy, and what can each side do during it?","range":"seconds from first valid hit to target defeat","at":[0.62,0.02,0.16],"sources":[{"label":"Daniel Cook, Building Tight Game Systems of Cause and Effect","url":"https://lostgarden.com/2012/07/01/building-tight-game-systems-of-cause-and-effect/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Pacing: short versus long lapses between cause and effect","quote":"Short time lapses between cause and effect.","flag":"author blog","work":"daniel-cook-building-tight-game-systems-of-cause"}],"unverified":"No opened source in this run defines a universal TTK convention; this is a practical derived measure using the cited mitigation formulas.","id":"time-to-kill","look":{"parts":[{"shape":"plane","size":[0.9,0.9],"material":"gloss","color":"#30384a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Level design","aka":["play-space design","map and level design"],"kind":"part","plain":"Level design plans and builds the playable spaces where a game's rules become movement, navigation and encounters.","does":"Turns mechanics and experience goals into spaces, routes, beats and readable affordances that shape what players do next.","ask":"What should this space make players feel, notice and do, and how will the geometry support it?","cues":["Playable spaces with movement and navigation","Routes, beats and readable affordances","Encounters in a built space"],"range":"From tightly scripted rooms and critical paths to open worlds, multiplayer lanes and player-made routes.","trouble":"The map feels like decoration or a maze: players miss goals, misread affordances, or fight the geometry instead of the intended challenge.","children":["level-experience-goal","level-layout","level-blockout","level-flow","level-critical-path","level-pacing","level-readability"],"sources":[{"label":"The Level Design Book, What is level design","url":"https://book.leveldesignbook.com/introduction","kind":"practitioner","page":"What is level design","quote":"Level designers focus on shaping player behavior.","work":"the-level-design-book-what-is-level-design"}],"id":"level-design","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"map","shape":"plane","size":[3.2,2.2],"material":"screen","color":"#162a3b","svg":""},{"slot":"blockout","shape":"box","size":[0.9,0.18,0.18],"pos":[-0.82,-0.7,0.14],"material":"matte","color":"#8aa6b8"},{"slot":"blockout","shape":"box","size":[0.6,0.18,0.18],"pos":[0.74,0.62,0.14],"material":"matte","color":"#d49a5a"}]}},{"term":"Experience goal","aka":["player experience goal","design goal"],"kind":"knob","plain":"An experience goal states what the player should learn, feel or do in a level.","does":"Gives layout, pacing and encounter choices a target instead of letting geometry dictate the experience.","ask":"What should the player learn, feel, or do here?","range":"Specific teaching or feeling goals are easier to design than broad aspirations; a goal may be concrete or abstract.","trouble":"A level has a pile of mechanics or rooms but no shared purpose, so playtest observations cannot tell which outcome is intended.","at":[-0.62,0.35,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"The Level Design Book, Layout","url":"https://book.leveldesignbook.com/process/layout","kind":"practitioner","page":"Layout, Pre-production plan","quote":"What should the player learn, feel, or do, in this level?","work":"the-level-design-book-layout"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold a target player, desired emotion, teach/test/twist beats and a pass/fail observation.","id":"level-experience-goal","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"brief","shape":"plane","size":[1.22,0.82],"material":"screen","color":"#374d63","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Layout","aka":["top-down layout","floor plan","map sketch"],"kind":"process","plain":"A layout is an initial visual plan of a level's structure, areas and key pacing beats.","does":"Makes spatial relationships and intended flow discussable before expensive geometry and art harden decisions.","ask":"What connects to what, and which route or beat should the plan make legible?","range":"A napkin scribble can grow through parti thumbnails, bubble diagrams, a floor plan and gameplay markup.","trouble":"The plan is polished but unplayable; players experience a maze or the team builds details that hide the core.","at":[0,0.25,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"The Level Design Book, Layout","url":"https://book.leveldesignbook.com/process/layout","kind":"practitioner","page":"Layout, Why design a layout?","quote":"A good layout drawing is any image that effectively communicates the core design.","work":"the-level-design-book-layout"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold parti thumbnails, bubble diagrams, floor plans, gameplay markup and the layout-to-blockout handoff.","id":"level-layout","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"plan","shape":"plane","size":[1.35,0.92],"material":"screen","color":"#30445a","svg":""},{"slot":"pencil","shape":"cylinder","radiusTop":0.035,"radiusBottom":0.035,"height":0.82,"rot":[0,0,28],"pos":[0.68,-0.38,0.14],"material":"matte","color":"#dca75b"}]}},{"term":"Blockout","aka":["greybox","whitebox","blockmesh prototype"],"kind":"process","plain":"A blockout is a low-detail playable version of a space made from simple shapes so movement, scale and encounters can be tested.","does":"Exposes whether the geometry supports intended play before art and detail harden decisions.","ask":"Can a player move, orient and solve the intended challenge in this rough space?","cues":["Simple shapes around a playable route","Movement through rough geometry","Encounters tested in the space"],"range":"Paper or primitive boxes to engine greybox; iterate with playtests before an art pass.","trouble":"The team polishes a route whose scale, sightlines or traversal fail once players move through it.","at":[0.62,-0.35,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"The Level Design Book, Layout","url":"https://book.leveldesignbook.com/process/layout","kind":"practitioner","page":"Layout, Why design a layout?","quote":"A layout drawing cannot tell you if your level works, only a blockout and playtest can begin answering that question.","work":"the-level-design-book-layout"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold movement metrics, primitives, traversal prototypes, encounter placeholders and blockout playtests.","id":"level-blockout","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"rough-space","shape":"box","size":[1.28,0.76,0.3],"material":"matte","color":"#8aa7ba"},{"slot":"rough-space","shape":"box","size":[0.34,0.5,0.42],"pos":[0.42,0.45,0.2],"material":"matte","color":"#d9a45c"},{"slot":"player","shape":"sphere","radius":0.1,"pos":[-0.38,0.15,0.48],"material":"glow","color":"#70d4ad"}]}},{"term":"Flow","aka":["movement flow","spatial flow"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Flow is how movement along paths and between areas feels: its speed, direction, continuity and tension.","does":"Tunes movement so geometry supports the intended experience rather than merely connecting rooms.","ask":"Does moving here feel safe or dangerous, simple or complex, fast or slow?","cues":["Movement along paths between areas","Fast or slow travel","Smooth or abrupt turns"],"range":"Straight or curved, fast or slow, smooth or abrupt, safe or dangerous; verify it in blockout and playtest.","trouble":"Players stall, overshoot, miss the intended turn, or find the route boring or confusing.","at":[0.85,0,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"The Level Design Book, Flow","url":"https://book.leveldesignbook.com/process/layout/flow","kind":"practitioner","page":"Flow","quote":"In level design, flow is how it generally feels to move along different paths / between different parts of a level.","work":"the-level-design-book-flow"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold desire lines, critical paths, circulation, speed, turns and verticality.","id":"level-flow","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"flow-chart","shape":"plane","size":[1.34,0.82],"material":"screen","color":"#273d50","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Critical path","aka":["golden path","main route"],"kind":"measure","plain":"The critical path is the main intended route or procedure for completing a single-player level while encountering its important beats.","does":"Communicates progression and helps scope optional spaces against must-see content.","ask":"What ideal route should carry the player through the level's key beats?","range":"A minimum route to complete a level through a golden path with numbered beats; it is an ideal, not a prediction of every player's route.","trouble":"The main route is unclear, optional content hides the required beats, or the map's scope exceeds the experience goal.","at":[0.28,0.72,0.08],"sources":[{"label":"The Level Design Book, Critical path","url":"https://book.leveldesignbook.com/process/layout/criticalpath","kind":"practitioner","page":"Critical path","quote":"The critical path (or golden path) is the main intended player path / procedure to complete the level and progress.","work":"the-level-design-book-critical-path"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold starts, exits, numbered beats, optional branches and scope cuts.","id":"level-critical-path","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"route-map","shape":"plane","size":[1.32,0.86],"material":"screen","color":"#304458","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Pacing","aka":["level rhythm","beat sequence"],"kind":"measure","plain":"Pacing is the order and rhythm of activities and events the player experiences across a level.","does":"Alternates intensity, information and rest so the player's attention and learning rise and recover at useful times.","ask":"Why does this activity happen before that one, and when does the player get to breathe?","range":"Beat sheet, flowchart or intensity graph; 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text, dialogue, image, sound, space and rules.","trouble":"Story arrives as disconnected exposition, choices promise change without consequences, or mechanics ask players to act against the stated fiction.","children":["narrative-structure","narrative-choice","narrative-state","narrative-worldbuilding","narrative-delivery","narrative-agency","ludonarrative-dissonance"],"sources":[{"label":"Bruno Dias, Introduction: A Discipline, if We Can Define It","url":"https://www.gamenarrativereader.org/articles/introduction/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Definition of narrative design","quote":"Narrative design is the discipline that concerns itself with how stories are structured, how they become known to the player, and how they respond to the player's actions.","work":"bruno-dias-introduction-a-discipline-if-we-can"}],"id":"narrative-design","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"story-board","shape":"plane","size":[3.2,2.18],"material":"screen","color":"#251d3b","svg":""},{"slot":"story-card","shape":"box","size":[0.42,0.64,0.08],"pos":[-0.9,0.38,0.14],"material":"matte","color":"#e4b45d"},{"slot":"story-card","shape":"box","size":[0.42,0.64,0.08],"pos":[0.9,-0.34,0.14],"material":"matte","color":"#6dcaa2"}]}},{"term":"Narrative structure","aka":["story architecture","branching structure","story flow"],"kind":"process","plain":"Narrative structure arranges scenes, conversations, quests or storylets into the order and conditions in which players can encounter them.","does":"Controls pacing, scope and how earlier actions shape later content.","ask":"Which pieces are linear, branch, rejoin, float or repeat, and what state carries between them?","cues":["Scenes, conversations or quests in sequence","A branch, rejoin or repeat in the story","Earlier actions shaping later content"],"range":"Linear outline, branching tree, branch-and-bottleneck, quest, open map, floating modules or loop-and-grow.","trouble":"Branches explode beyond production capacity, reconvergence erases choices, or players cannot tell what state they are in.","at":[-0.9,0.4,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"Bruno Dias, Introduction: A Discipline, if We Can Define It","url":"https://www.gamenarrativereader.org/articles/introduction/","kind":"practitioner","page":"How stories are structured","quote":"Sometimes a game story can be written down as a linear outline; sometimes it's a branching tree structure; sometimes chunks of narrative are free-floating, and can be encountered in different orders.","work":"bruno-dias-introduction-a-discipline-if-we-can"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold story nodes, links, state variables, branch and rejoin rules, and authoring-scope checks.","id":"narrative-structure","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"flowchart","shape":"plane","size":[1.3,0.84],"material":"screen","color":"#31254b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Narrative choice","aka":["player choice","branching choice"],"kind":"knob","plain":"A narrative choice offers alternatives whose selection changes the story state, what the player learns, or what can happen next.","does":"Turns agency into authored variation and gives players a reason to read, decide and replay.","ask":"What does each option reveal, change or commit the player to?","cues":["Alternatives in dialogue or story","Story state changing after selection","New content or outcome after the choice"],"range":"Reflective, tactical or strategic; local or downstream; direct branch, delayed branch or rejoin.","trouble":"Choices are cosmetic, all options converge without acknowledgement, or consequences arrive too late to understand.","at":[0.2,0.25,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"The EGG, Interactive Stories","url":"https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/gamebasedlearning/chapter/interactive-stories/","kind":"reference","page":"Interactive Stories, Overview","quote":"The choices made have a direct consequence on the course of the story and participants cannot usually reverse their decision.","work":"the-egg-interactive-stories"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold option wording, preconditions, state changes, consequences and the rejoin policy.","id":"narrative-choice","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"choice-card","shape":"plane","size":[1.24,0.82],"material":"screen","color":"#3b2c50","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Narrative state","aka":["story state","relationship state","state space"],"kind":"measure","plain":"A narrative state is the current combination of variables that determines which story content and outcomes are available.","does":"Makes reactive story legible to the designer so content covers intended possibilities without abrupt or impossible transitions.","ask":"Which variables and thresholds distinguish the story states the player can reach?","range":"Binary flags, counters, opposed stats, percentages or a few salient variables per scene; outcomes can be plotted.","trouble":"An action flips an outcome unexpectedly, a state has no content, or combinatorial branches become impossible to author.","at":[0.95,0,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"Emily Short, Narrative States","url":"https://emshort.blog/2019/11/23/narrative-states/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Narrative States, abrupt state transitions","quote":"At the corners between states, a single player action could flip the outcome to another suitor or to the solitude action. This can feel abrupt and confusing.","work":"emily-short-narrative-states"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold variables, thresholds, trajectories, a content-coverage matrix and player-facing signals.","id":"narrative-state","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"state-plot","shape":"plane","size":[1.36,0.88],"material":"screen","color":"#30244b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Worldbuilding","aka":["setting design","world model"],"kind":"process","plain":"Worldbuilding defines the social, historical, economic and physical context that makes the game's actions make sense.","does":"Gives mechanics consequences in the fiction and supplies motivations, constraints, conflicts and places for play.","ask":"What kind of world would make this player action common, costly or meaningful?","cues":["Social or historical context in play","Economic or physical context around actions","Places that make actions meaningful"],"range":"Mechanic-first or premise-first; local setting to whole culture; explicit lore to environmental implication.","trouble":"The setting is a database of facts unrelated to play, or the rules let players act in ways the fiction cannot explain.","at":[-0.6,-0.2,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"Emily Short, Not Exactly Mailbag: Worldbuilding from a Mechanic","url":"https://emshort.blog/2018/03/13/not-exactly-mailbag-worldbuilding-from-a-mechanic/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Worldbuilding from a Mechanic","quote":"If you've got mechanics, that typically means you've got an action/set of actions for the player to perform","work":"emily-short-not-exactly-mailbag-worldbuilding"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold the player action, affected state, institutions, resources, history, beliefs and contradictions.","id":"narrative-worldbuilding","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"world-map","shape":"plane","size":[1.36,0.86],"material":"screen","color":"#26384a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Narrative delivery","aka":["storytelling channel","exposition delivery"],"kind":"process","plain":"Narrative delivery chooses how a player learns story through dialogue, text, images, sound, space and systems.","does":"Controls legibility, pacing and attention by matching the medium to the information and the player's situation.","ask":"Which channel can carry this fact without interrupting or contradicting play?","cues":["Dialogue carrying story","Text or images carrying story","Sound, space or systems carrying story"],"range":"Linear narration, barks, dialogue, text, environmental clues, objects, voice-over or systems; explicit to implicit.","trouble":"Exposition blocks play, critical facts arrive in an unreadable channel, or redundant channels contradict each other.","at":[0.65,0.5,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"Bruno Dias, Introduction: A Discipline, if We Can Define It","url":"https://www.gamenarrativereader.org/articles/introduction/","kind":"practitioner","page":"How stories become known to the player","quote":"Video games are a composite art, made up of images, writing, and sound all put together.","work":"bruno-dias-introduction-a-discipline-if-we-can"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold channel, timing, diegetic status, redundancy, accessibility and localization constraints.","id":"narrative-delivery","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"channels","shape":"plane","size":[1.38,0.84],"material":"screen","color":"#33264b","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Agency contract","aka":["player agency","promise of consequence"],"kind":"knob","plain":"An agency contract is the set of expectations about which player actions can shape the story and how visibly they matter.","does":"Sets the boundary between authored focus and player freedom so choices feel intentional rather than arbitrary.","ask":"What kind of control does the game promise, and where will it honor or deliberately deny that promise?","cues":["Player action changing story state","An outcome visibly shaped by a choice"],"range":"No story response to local variation to persistent world-state changes; responses may be explicit, clued or hidden.","trouble":"The game promises freedom but funnels every action, or changes outcomes without giving the player a readable cause.","at":[-0.2,-0.65,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"Bruno Dias, Introduction: A Discipline, if We Can Define It","url":"https://www.gamenarrativereader.org/articles/introduction/","kind":"practitioner","page":"How stories respond to the player's actions","quote":"Often, we're somewhere between those two extremes, trying to balance questions of player agency against the needs of experiential focus and game scope.","work":"bruno-dias-introduction-a-discipline-if-we-can"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold the promise, action scope, response delay, feedback, exceptions and player expectations.","id":"narrative-agency","look":{"parts":[{"slot":"agency-meter","shape":"plane","size":[1.4,0.84],"material":"screen","color":"#32254a","svg":""}]}},{"term":"Ludonarrative dissonance","aka":["story–mechanics mismatch","ludo-narrative conflict"],"kind":"concept","plain":"Ludonarrative dissonance is a conflict between the story a game tells and the actions, incentives or values its mechanics require.","does":"Flags when narrative promises and play teach incompatible meanings, weakening trust and emotional alignment.","ask":"What is the player doing and being rewarded for, and does the fiction say that action means something else?","range":"A small continuity mismatch to a systemic contradiction; passive (irrelevant rules) or active (conflicting rules).","trouble":"Players call the protagonist out of character, treat the story as disposable, or optimize a behavior the fiction condemns.","at":[0.9,-0.65,0.1],"sources":[{"label":"GameDesign.gg, Ludonarrative Dissonance","url":"https://gamedesign.gg/glossary/ludonarrative-dissonance/","kind":"practitioner","page":"Ludonarrative Dissonance","quote":"The clash that occurs when a game's mechanics express one thing about its world or protagonist while its story insists on another.","work":"gamedesign-gg-ludonarrative-dissonance"}],"deeper":"The next level would hold the narrative claim, mechanic incentive, player action, reward and a mismatch test.","id":"ludonarrative-dissonance","feel":{"shape":0.9,"energy":0.62,"weight":0.24,"warmth":0.18,"grain":0.72,"motion":"jitter","why":"A sharp, jittering, cold clash fits two channels pulling the player's meaning in opposite directions."}},{"term":"Designer loop","aka":["playtest, observe, iterate"],"kind":"loop","plain":"The designer's loop sets an intended experience, puts a playable version in front of people, observes the gap and iterates.","does":"Reduces the distance between the designed experience and the one players actually have.","ask":"What did players actually experience, and what one change should we test next?","children":["design-intent","playtest","observed-experience","iterate"],"at":[0,0,-0.06],"loop":{"type":"balancing","through":["design-intent","playtest","observed-experience","iterate"]},"sources":[{"label":"Michael Sellers, Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach","url":"https://books.google.com/books?id=gLg7DwAAQBAJ","kind":"book","isbn":"9780134667607","page":"ch. 7, p. 232","quote":"The designer interacts with this overarching system by watching players experience the game and adjusting the game’s model to provide better engagement for the player.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Tracy Fullerton, Playcentric Design (ACM interactions, 2008)","url":"https://www.tracyfullerton.com/s/interactions20080304-dl.pdf","kind":"practitioner","page":"Playcentric Design, pp. 42–47: goals, prototypes, player tests, feedback and iteration","quote":"Called ‘playcentric’ design, it involves setting interesting player-experience goals, building a rough paper or digital prototype that attempts to achieve those goals, testing the prototype with players, evaluating the results and integrating feedback, and then doing it again.","work":"tracy-fullerton-playcentric-design-acm"},{"label":"Celia Hodent, Developing UX Practices at Epic Games","url":"https://celiahodent.com/ux-practices-epic-games/","kind":"practitioner","page":"slides 2–7 and 31–45: UX model, prototyping, playtesting and iteration","quote":"I needed to first establish a UX model for the studio, and then apply it in different ways (through prototyping and playtesting mainly).","flag":"author talk notes","work":"celia-hodent-developing-ux-practices-at-epic"},{"label":"Scott Rogers, IGDA Interview Series: Scott Rogers","url":"https://igda.org/news-archive/igda-interview-series-scott-rogers/","kind":"practitioner","page":"interview: brainstorming, paper maps/storyboards, iteration and honing gameplay","quote":"I always start with brainstorming and brainstorming always works better with others. 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In this balancing loop, resources are exchanged such that each part ultimately balances rather than reinforces the others.","copy":true,"work":"michael-sellers-advanced-game-design-a-systems"},{"label":"Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design","url":"https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321820273/samplepages/0321820274.pdf","kind":"book","isbn":"9780132946681","page":"ch. 4, pp. 66–71","quote":"Negative feedback creates equilibrium, while positive feed- back","work":"ernest-adams-and-joris-dormans-game-mechanics"},{"label":"Tynan Sylvester, The Simulation Dream","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/2013/06/the-simulation-dream/","kind":"practitioner","page":"opening ecology example; “Player Model Principle”; “Drowning in Complexity”","quote":"The simulation has to create situations that are worthy of being called stories.","work":"tynan-sylvester-the-simulation-dream"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 10: Final Boss","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/level-10-final-boss/","kind":"practitioner","page":"“Multiple resources”; “Trading”","quote":"you can also have multiple goods where the demand for one increases demand for the other","work":"ian-schreiber-level-10-final-boss"}],"id":"pattern-ecology","feel":{"shape":0.58,"energy":0.66,"weight":0.02,"warmth":0.68,"grain":0.8,"motion":"drift","why":"A textured cloud gives many interdependent parts room to move and push back."}},{"term":"Economy","kind":"pattern","plain":"An internal economy is a system in which resources are produced, exchanged and consumed. 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However, it’s sometimes best to just produce goods, then sell them for points, then produce again etc. This loop is too small, and nothing really causes the player to want to leave the loop.","work":"daniel-cook-resource-economies"},{"label":"Ian Schreiber, Level 10: Final Boss","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/level-10-final-boss/","kind":"practitioner","page":"“Economic Systems”; “Inflation”; “Trading”","quote":"Some games use trading and bartering mechanics extensively within their economies.","work":"ian-schreiber-level-10-final-boss"}],"id":"pattern-economy","feel":{"shape":0.42,"energy":0.58,"weight":0.08,"warmth":0.86,"grain":0.52,"motion":"orbit","why":"Warm rounded tokens circulate through exchanges and conversions."}}],"assembly":[{"title":"List the parts","text":"Name tokens, rules, attributes and behaviours, then keep them in a parts register.","adds":["token","rule","part-attributes","part-behaviours","parts-register"],"makes":"parts-list"},{"title":"Keep real alternatives","text":"Set action availability, then compare alternatives across reachable states and goals so each has a reason to be chosen.","adds":["choice-availability","choice-dominance-check"],"makes":"choice-options"},{"title":"Price the sacrifice","text":"Set shared time and resource demands, the forgone alternative, and the gains and losses exposed to uncertainty.","adds":["choice-opportunity-cost","choice-risk-stakes"],"makes":"choice-tradeoffs"},{"title":"Expose enough evidence","text":"Choose what is explicit, clued or concealed; set prediction depth and previews without removing the intended reasoning challenge.","adds":["choice-visibility","choice-prediction-depth"],"makes":"choice-information"},{"title":"Pace the decisions","text":"Set deliberation time and annotate a play trace for fresh dilemmas, empty stretches and overload; do not count button presses as decisions.","adds":["choice-time-pressure","choice-decision-density"],"makes":"choice-timing"},{"title":"Make outcomes matter","text":"Check whether players attribute the visible result to their action, set its effect on future play, and replay varied situations to test the choice.","adds":["choice-result-readability","choice-future-state","choice-context-test"],"makes":"choice-consequences"},{"title":"Assemble a choice point","text":"Join viable options, competing benefits, decision information, pacing and consequential outcomes. In the reload example, compare present firepower with future ammunition under an uncertain threat.","adds":["choice-options","choice-tradeoffs","choice-information","choice-timing","choice-consequences"],"makes":"choice-point"},{"title":"Make the core loop","text":"Join goal, choice, action resolution, feedback and the changed state into the repeatable play cycle.","adds":["goal-state","choice-point","action-resolution-step","feedback-step","state-change"],"makes":"core-gameplay-loop"},{"title":"Add engines, economy and ecology","text":"Layer investment, brakes, resource exchanges and counter-pressure over the core loop.","adds":["boosting-engine-instance","braking-engine-instance","economy-instance","ecology-instance","reinforcing-loop","balancing-loop"],"makes":"system-dynamics"},{"title":"Shape progression","text":"Choose a curve, place gates and add capabilities at moments the player can understand.","adds":["progression-curves","unlock-gates","capability-progression","level-measure"],"makes":"progression-system"},{"title":"Build the HTK ledger","text":"For every attacker × defender pair, run open-ground, cover and flanked conditions through the damage formula; mark breakpoints, final-hit overkill and effective health before comparing the roster.","adds":["htk-matrix","htk-breakpoints","htk-overkill-rounding","htk-effective-health"],"makes":"hits-to-kill"},{"title":"Test the counter cycle","text":"Define each unit's job, label counter strength, fill the matchup matrix and test mirror matches before retuning stats.","adds":["counter-strength-scale","counter-unit-role","counter-matchup-matrix","counter-mirror-match"],"makes":"counter-cycle"},{"title":"Balance interactions","text":"Choose interaction formulas, compare costs and counters, then measure hits-to-kill and time-to-kill.","adds":["part-interactions","cost-curves","transitive-balance","intransitive-balance","hits-to-kill","time-to-kill"],"makes":"balance-system"},{"title":"Aim at an experience","text":"Connect mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics to the player's mental model and felt target.","adds":["mental-model","mda-framework","felt-experience"],"makes":"player-experience"},{"title":"Close the designer loop","text":"State intent, playtest, observe the gap and iterate one change at a time.","adds":["design-intent","playtest","observed-experience","iterate"],"makes":"designer-loop"},{"title":"Put the system on screen","text":"Render state and feedback in a readable layout on the selected device.","adds":["screen-surface","feedback-signals","interface-layout"],"makes":"screen-presentation"},{"title":"Assemble the simultaneous-turn window","text":"Join the WEGO plan–commit–resolve cycle, the commitment rule, conflict adjudication, planning information and asynchronous deadline into one decision window.","adds":["wego-plan-resolve-cycle","order-commitment","simultaneous-conflict-adjudication","planning-information","async-turn-deadline"],"makes":"decision-window"},{"title":"Build the level-design branch","text":"Set the experience goal, sketch and block out the space, tune flow and pacing, then test readability along the critical path.","adds":["level-experience-goal","level-layout","level-blockout","level-flow","level-critical-path","level-pacing","level-readability"],"makes":"level-design"},{"title":"Build the narrative-design branch","text":"Choose structure, choices, state, world, delivery and agency, then inspect the story–mechanics fit.","adds":["narrative-structure","narrative-choice","narrative-state","narrative-worldbuilding","narrative-delivery","narrative-agency","ludonarrative-dissonance"],"makes":"narrative-design"},{"title":"Ship the whole game","text":"Join what the player sees and does to the parts, loops, systems, progression, balance, experience and designer practice.","adds":["screen-presentation","player-actions","parts-list","core-gameplay-loop","system-dynamics","progression-system","balance-system","player-experience","designer-loop"],"makes":"game-on-screen"}],"survey":{"lists":[{"id":"gd-7-books","label":"Game Developer: 7 Must-read Books for Game Designers","url":"https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-must-read-books-for-game-designers","kind":"practitioner"},{"id":"devtodev-20-books","label":"devtodev: 20 Best Books for Game Designers","url":"https://www.devtodev.com/resources/articles/20-best-books-for-game-designers","kind":"practitioner"},{"id":"gamedesigning-10-books","label":"GameDesigning.org: Our 10 Favorite Game Design Books","url":"https://gamedesigning.org/game-design-books/","kind":"practitioner"},{"id":"generalist-25-books","label":"Generalist Programmer: Best Game Development Books reading 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practitioners listen for evidence-based player experience.","links":[{"label":"Celia Hodent: Brains, UX & Games","url":"https://celiahodent.com/","kind":"blog"}]},{"name":"Daniel Cook","known":"Chief Creative Officer at Spry Fox and designer of games including Triple Town and Cozy Grove; practitioners listen for his long-running Lostgarden essays on systems and player experience.","links":[{"label":"Lostgarden About","url":"https://lostgarden.com/about/","kind":"site"},{"label":"Lostgarden Blog","url":"https://lostgarden.com/blog/","kind":"blog"}]},{"name":"Soren Johnson","known":"Designer of Civilization III, Civilization IV, Offworld Trading Company and Old World, and design director at Mohawk Games; practitioners listen through his interviews and strategy-design commentary.","links":[{"label":"Designer Notes","url":"https://www.designer-notes.com/","kind":"podcast"},{"label":"Soren Johnson on X (public mirror)","url":"https://nitter.tiekoetter.com/SorenJohnson","kind":"social"}]},{"name":"Emily Short","known":"Interactive-fiction writer and narrative designer of Mask of the Rose and Fallen London-world projects; practitioners listen for her work on choice, dialogue and procedural narrative.","links":[{"label":"Emily Short’s Interactive Storytelling","url":"https://emshort.blog/","kind":"blog"}]},{"name":"Steve Swink","known":"Independent game designer, author of Game Feel, conference speaker and instructor; practitioners listen for his analysis of responsiveness, timing and sensory control.","links":[{"label":"Steve Swink About","url":"https://redpantsgamedesign.com/about","kind":"site"},{"label":"Game Feel","url":"http://www.game-feel.com/","kind":"site"}]},{"name":"Scott Rogers","known":"Veteran designer on more than fifty AAA games and author of Level Up!; practitioners listen for his accessible, production-aware design teaching.","links":[{"label":"IGDA Interview Series: Scott Rogers","url":"https://igda.org/news-archive/igda-interview-series-scott-rogers/","kind":"site"}]},{"name":"Ian Schreiber","known":"Game designer and educator whose work includes Marvel Trading Card Game and Ghost Recon Commander; practitioners listen for his public course on balance, economies and progression.","links":[{"label":"A Course About Game Balance (GDC Vault)","url":"https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023349/A-Course-About-Game","kind":"talk"},{"label":"Game Balance Concepts","url":"https://gamebalanceconcepts.wordpress.com/","kind":"blog"}]},{"name":"Tynan Sylvester","known":"Designer of RimWorld and author of Designing Games; practitioners listen for his writing on engineering player experiences and emergent systems.","links":[{"label":"Tynan Sylvester","url":"https://tynansylvester.com/","kind":"site"}]},{"name":"Brenda Romero","known":"Known for Wizardry, Jagged Alliance, Train and other shipped games, and co-founder of Romero Games; practitioners listen for her long production career and design teaching.","links":[{"label":"Brenda Romero biography","url":"https://romero.com/bios","kind":"site"}]},{"name":"Mark Brown","known":"Creator of Game Maker’s Toolkit and designer of released games including Mind Over Magnet; practitioners listen for his clear video analyses of mechanics, levels and player experience.","links":[{"label":"Game Maker’s Toolkit","url":"https://gamemakerstoolkit.com/","kind":"site"},{"label":"Game Maker’s Toolkit YouTube","url":"https://www.youtube.com/@GMTK","kind":"video"}]},{"name":"Steve Lee","known":"Level and game designer with shipped AAA experience including Dishonored 2 and BioShock Infinite; practitioners listen for his public level-design breakdowns.","links":[{"label":"Steve Lee (Level and Game Design)","url":"https://www.youtube.com/@SteveLee_GameDev","kind":"video"}]},{"name":"Jonathan Blow","known":"Known for designing and programming Braid and The Witness; practitioners listen for his public arguments about authorship, systems and independent game development.","links":[{"label":"Jonathan Blow on X (public mirror)","url":"https://nitter.tiekoetter.com/Jonathan_Blow","kind":"social"}]},{"name":"Rami Ismail","known":"Vlambeer co-founder and developer of Super Crate Box, Ridiculous Fishing and Nuclear Throne; practitioners listen for his practical advice on design, production, business and making the industry more accessible.","links":[{"label":"Levelling The Playing Field newsletter","url":"https://ltpf.ramiismail.com/levelling-the-playing-field/","kind":"newsletter"}]}]}}