{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-device-puzzle","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-device-puzzle","lang":"en","title":"Device puzzle","summary":"The player changes a device’s connections, positions or settings. The puzzle is solved when the system reaches the required state.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-device-puzzle/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-device-puzzle.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-device-puzzle.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Game design techniques","Obstacles"],"sourceIds":["source-7f672280b12c723f","source-feb8f1a765e7ab86","source-e731112d2491d01e","source-53393dcd32498f31","source-05a93056689dc6a1"],"sources":[{"id":"source-7f672280b12c723f","title":"Game Mechanics: Device puzzle","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/device-puzzle","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-feb8f1a765e7ab86","title":"Dead Space (2008)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/device-puzzle/game/dead-space","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-e731112d2491d01e","title":"Alien: Isolation (2014)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/device-puzzle/game/alien-isolation","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-53393dcd32498f31","title":"SOMA (2015)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/device-puzzle/game/soma","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-05a93056689dc6a1","title":"System Shock (2023)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/device-puzzle/game/system-shock-2023","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player adjusts a device's settings or connections to reach a target state."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-device-puzzle-rule\"></a>\n\n- The player adjusts a device's settings or connections to reach a target state. <a id=\"gm-device-puzzle-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-device-puzzle","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-device-puzzle","categoryIds":["gm-category-obstacles"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Device puzzle","description":"The player changes a device’s connections, positions or settings. The puzzle is solved when the system reaches the required state.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/interaction-device-puzzle.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Dead Space","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/device-puzzle","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/dead_space_comm_puzzle.jpg","credit":"EA Redwood Shores / Electronic Arts; image via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A communications layout on a control panel","alt":"Isaac faces a Communication Control panel containing nodes and connections in Dead Space.","markers":[{"x":52,"y":40,"label":"Device nodes and connections"},{"x":56,"y":21,"label":"A section outside the central connection"}]},"tips":["Show state changes after each action.","Make the rule inferable from the device rather than requiring blind guesses."],"examples":[{"title":"Dead Space","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/device-puzzle"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}