{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/point-and-click--family-26","type":"mechanic","id":"point-and-click--family-26","lang":"en","title":"Time, schedules and waiting","summary":"An action becomes available according to a schedule, duration or chosen moment.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/point-and-click--family-26/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-26.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-26.md","aliases":["Timing, schedules and waiting"],"tags":["Point-and-click adventures","Extended adventure systems"],"sourceIds":["source-d0f904004e312936"],"sources":[{"id":"source-d0f904004e312936","title":"Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967430/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"An action becomes available according to a schedule, duration or chosen moment."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-26-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Real time: the world changes while the player observes and decides. <a id=\"family-26-variant-1\"></a>\n- Action-driven time: turns, travel or dialogue advance the clock. <a id=\"family-26-variant-2\"></a>\n- Waiting: skip time until meetings, deliveries, growth or target states. <a id=\"family-26-variant-3\"></a>\n- NPC schedules: find characters and account for routines. <a id=\"family-26-variant-4\"></a>\n- Cycles: act during a phase of repeating mechanisms or behavior. <a id=\"family-26-variant-5\"></a>\n- Time windows: act before doors close, owners return or conditions change. <a id=\"family-26-variant-6\"></a>\n- Deadlines: allocate limited time among goals. <a id=\"family-26-variant-7\"></a>\n- Delayed consequences: start tasks, processes or events with future results. <a id=\"family-26-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":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"point-and-click","id":"family-26","title":"Point-and-click adventures","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/point-and-click/#family-26","categoryIds":["section-4"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Timing, schedules and waiting","description":"An action becomes available according to a schedule, duration or chosen moment.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-ghost-trick-04.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967430/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1967430/ss_efad45bc7110cc77e040b83196ebc6253fe7a525.1920x1080.jpg?t=1787717141","credit":"CAPCOM Co., Ltd.","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Actions are limited to the before-death sequence","alt":"Actions are limited to the before-death sequence","markers":[{"x":94,"y":52,"label":"Timed-sequence indicator"}]},"tips":["Show the available window and how time behaves during action selection."],"examples":[{"title":"Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967430/"}]}},"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"}}