- 01Read timed connections
- 02Prepare the route
- 03Trigger in order
- 04Pass before expiry
Timed switch chains
A switch remains active briefly. The next action must occur before expiry, coupling route choice with trigger order.
The player's decision
Prepare a shortcut before starting the timer or trigger now and arrange things on the run?
Original scenario
Original setup: a bridge lasts six seconds and a second button opens the exit. Preposition a crate before the timed run.
Start with this prototype
Build two switches, a temporary bridge and an exit with visible wiring and countdowns. Expiry restores a retryable state; allow free preparation and avoid hidden timers.
Change one variable
Verify the shortest route, add learning slack, then shorten one timer at a time.
What to observe in a playtest
Is passage at the expiry boundary consistent? Can a failed run be retried without reloading?
Take the full design card
Includes rules, scope, tuning questions and sources for further planning. It does not create a project automatically.
Original analysis · version 1
Common pitfall
Expiry trapping the player without reset access turns timing into a soft lock.
Observations and sources
Cases refer to public documentation. Developers and community wikis are credited separately; document review is not a claim of hands-on testing.
- Portal 2
Buttons can temporarily open doors or extend platforms; ticking communicates the temporary state.
- Twelve Minutes
Looped events offer a different time-window scale: learn the sequence before acting within limited time.
Brief for the studio
Opens the AI studio with the brief below in the input. You can edit it. Nothing starts automatically.
Build two switches, a temporary bridge and an exit with visible wiring and countdowns. Expiry restores a retryable state; allow free preparation and avoid hidden timers.
Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.