{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/economy-exchange--t087","type":"mechanic","id":"economy-exchange--t087","lang":"en","title":"Resource extraction, transformation and consumption","summary":"Resources pass through extraction, conversion and consumption. The player balances each stage so inputs reach consumers without wasteful buildup.","updatedAt":"2026-10-21","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/economy-exchange--t087/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/economy-exchange--t087.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/economy-exchange--t087.md","aliases":["Resources and conversion"],"tags":["Economy and exchange","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-96be186d8ada50a0","source-fee3301bed8a96da"],"sources":[{"id":"source-96be186d8ada50a0","title":"Factorio: Content","url":"https://www.factorio.com/game/content","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-fee3301bed8a96da","title":"Factorio","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Resources pass through extraction, transformation and consumption; players align stage rates and the cost of waste."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t087-variants\"></a>\n\n- Deposits deplete after a stated total yield. <a id=\"t087-v1\"></a>\n- Recipes transform several raw material types. <a id=\"t087-v2\"></a>\n- Byproducts require a separate useful destination. <a id=\"t087-v3\"></a>\n- Consumables sustain another production process. <a id=\"t087-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A smelter makes metal and slag that fills storage until road production begins.\n\nPrototype check: Check quantity conservation at each stage, including canceled processing and full output storage."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Economic rules connect production, allocation, commitments and exchange; prices should communicate scarcity and available alternatives. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"economy-exchange","id":"t087","title":"Economy and exchange","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/economy-exchange/#t087","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-21","title":"Resources and conversion","description":"Resources pass through extraction, conversion and consumption. The player balances each stage so inputs reach consumers without wasteful buildup.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/factorio-copper-wire.webp","width":1224,"height":689,"game":"Factorio","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/427520/ss_37aa19e26e20e18a220fd8870dac6efb0e98b5f0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1787348817","credit":"Wube Software","rights":"© Wube Software. All rights reserved.","caption":"Copper plates become cable","alt":"Factorio: assembling machines take copper plates from one belt and deliver copper cable onto another.","markers":[{"x":29,"y":51,"label":"Input: copper plates on a belt"},{"x":53,"y":66,"label":"The machine converts its input"},{"x":74,"y":50,"label":"Output: cable for downstream consumers"}]},"tips":["Show which missing input has stopped a stage.","Balance the complete cycle, including consumption and losses."],"examples":[{"title":"Factorio","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/economy-exchange"}}