{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/point-and-click--family-20","type":"mechanic","id":"point-and-click--family-20","lang":"en","title":"Physics, environmental properties and experiment","summary":"The player experiments with material and environmental properties and observes the consequences.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/point-and-click--family-20/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-20.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-20.md","aliases":["Physics and experimentation"],"tags":["Point-and-click adventures","Devices and spatial puzzles"],"sourceIds":["source-8a3a7e105b6c798e"],"sources":[{"id":"source-8a3a7e105b6c798e","title":"Portal","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player experiments with material and environmental properties and observes the consequences."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-20-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Mass and equilibrium: use scales, weights, levers and counterweights. <a id=\"family-20-variant-1\"></a>\n- Volume and pressure: measure fluids, displace contents and control sealed systems. <a id=\"family-20-variant-2\"></a>\n- Buoyancy and currents: float, sink, drift or move with flow. <a id=\"family-20-variant-3\"></a>\n- Friction and grip: lubricate, secure, enable sliding or prevent motion. <a id=\"family-20-variant-4\"></a>\n- Magnetism and conductivity: attract, repel, conduct and exploit material properties. <a id=\"family-20-variant-5\"></a>\n- Heat and reactions: heat, cool, burn or combine substances. <a id=\"family-20-variant-6\"></a>\n- Impulses and chain reactions: trigger falls, collisions, pendulums or sequences. <a id=\"family-20-variant-7\"></a>\n- Experimental laws: compare responses, infer rules and apply them to new tasks. <a id=\"family-20-variant-8\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A working classification with 44 families and 355 variants. Families overlap: one puzzle can combine items, dialogue, deduction and a character schedule. Core actions, progression architecture and assistance are separate layers. Sources identify examples from neighboring adventure genres."}],"relations":[{"type":"explains","direction":"incoming","label":"Understand the principle","key":"lesson/collision-basics","title":"Collision fundamentals","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/collision-basics/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/collision-basics.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/collision-basics.md"}],"placements":[{"catalogId":"point-and-click","id":"family-20","title":"Point-and-click adventures","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/point-and-click/#family-20","categoryIds":["section-3"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Physics and experimentation","description":"The player experiments with material and environmental properties and observes the consequences.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-portal-04.webp","width":640,"height":360,"game":"Portal","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/400/0000002586.1920x1080.jpg?t=1745368554","credit":"Valve","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Cubes hold down floor buttons","alt":"Cubes hold down floor buttons","markers":[{"x":80,"y":53,"label":"The cube’s weight holds the button down"},{"x":42,"y":25,"label":"Passage state is linked to the buttons"}]},"tips":["Show the force’s effect and let players safely test an assumption."],"examples":[{"title":"Portal","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original taxonomy adapted from user-selected design discussions; linked sources support specific examples, not the whole classification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/point-and-click"}}