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ATLAS / IDEAS

Game design atlas

Find a mechanism, understand its tradeoffs and smallest useful scope, then build your game with a design card and sample project.

192 Mechanisms32 Mechanism domain48 Art styles12 Genre guides

Art styles My research shelf Rain Canopy Workshop · Try the complete prototype Pixel toolkit

Core loop

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

Time and echoesLinked states

Selective rewind

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

Reference gamesBraid · The Entropy Centre

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Core loop

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

Time and echoesLinked states

Recorded-self cooperation

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

Reference gamesThe Last Clockwinder · Super Time Force Ultra

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Core loop

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

Time and echoesOne rule

Plan, then execute

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

Reference gamesTransistor · Frozen Synapse

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Core loop

01Read sight and awareness
02Choose a crossing moment
03Accumulate or cool down
04Reach cover within the window

Stealth and scoutingOne rule

Accumulating awareness

Cross the short gap now or wait for awareness to fall before the next crossing?

Reference gamesMark of the Ninja · Desperados III

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Core loop

01Inspect hearing range
02Choose a landing point
03Make sound and read response
04Cross the redirected route

Stealth and scoutingOne rule

Sound decoys

Lure the guard farther away or merely turn them, avoiding other listeners?

Reference gamesMark of the Ninja · Desperados III

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Core loop

01Read access rules
02Choose an identity
03Avoid detection and illegal acts
04Enter and leave the target area

Stealth and scoutingOne rule

Disguise and access

Adopt warehouse access or keep lobby access and seek another entrance?

Reference gamesHITMAN World of Assassination · Desperados III

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Core loop

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

Matching and mergingOne rule

Adjacent swaps and cascades

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

Reference gamesBejeweled 3 · PuzzleQuest: Challenge of the Warlords

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Core loop

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

Matching and mergingOne rule

Chain drawing and endpoints

Extend for more value or stop at a safer endpoint?

Reference gamesGrindstone · Two Dots

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Core loop

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

Matching and mergingOne rule

Merging with a space budget

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

Reference games2048 · Triple Town

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Core loop

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

Observation and deductionOne rule

Evidence and elimination

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

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

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Core loop

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

Observation and deductionOne rule

Memory pairs and reuse

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

Reference gamesOriginal MEMORY Game · Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

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Core loop

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

Observation and deductionOne rule

Constraint-based reveals

Reveal a plausible cell or combine two constraints for certainty?

Reference gamesTametsi · 14 Minesweeper Variants

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Core loop

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

Language and rule manipulationLinked states

Rules as manipulable objects

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

Reference gamesBaba Is You · Scribblenauts Unlimited

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Core loop

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

Language and rule manipulationOne rule

Decoding an unknown language

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

Reference gamesChants of Sennaar · Heaven's Vault

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Core loop

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

Language and rule manipulationOne rule

Programming and debugging

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

Reference gamesHuman Resource Machine · Opus Magnum

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Core loop

01Read committed attacks
02Compare threatened targets
03Choose limited counters
04End the turn and verify

Turns and tacticsOne rule

Visible enemy intent

Save the most threatened unit or use one move to invalidate two attacks?

Reference gamesInto the Breach · Phantom Brigade

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Core loop

01Read positions and terrain
02Predict displacement
03Push, pull or swap
04Resolve collisions and threats

Turns and tacticsOne rule

Displacement and terrain

Deal direct damage or move the enemy off its attack line or into a hazard?

Reference gamesInto the Breach · Fights in Tight Spaces

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Core loop

01Assess possible routes
02Lock visible or hidden orders
03Execute and resolve conflicts
04Update predictions

Turns and tacticsLinked states

Simultaneous orders

Rush the shortest route or detour around a likely contested crossing?

Reference gamesFrozen Synapse · Phantom Brigade

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Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.