{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/puzzle--family-topology","type":"mechanic","id":"puzzle--family-topology","lang":"en","title":"Space, dimensions and topology","summary":"The player solves a puzzle through spatial structure and connections among its parts.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/puzzle--family-topology/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-topology.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-topology.md","aliases":["Space and topology"],"tags":["Puzzles","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-ff5a122177898cd1","source-10d1df6f36fd4358"],"sources":[{"id":"source-ff5a122177898cd1","title":"Patrick Traynor: Patrick's Parabox","url":"https://www.patricksparabox.com/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-10d1df6f36fd4358","title":"Patrick's Parabox","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Solve problems through the arrangement of space and connections between its parts."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-topology-variants\"></a>\n\n- Transition through portals. Definition: Create or select connections between remote areas. Conditional example: Connect two rooms with a pair of passages. <a id=\"variant-portal-routing\"></a>\n- Closed field. Definition: Count going over the edge as a return on the other side. Conventional example: Go around an obstacle over the edge of the net. <a id=\"variant-wraparound\"></a>\n- Recursive rooms. Definition: Use nested spaces that can represent each other or themselves. Conventional example: Enter a box containing another version of a room. Terms: Patrick's Parabox. <a id=\"variant-recursive-space\"></a>\n- Transition between scales. Definition: Change available paths and interactions when moving to another scale. Conditional example: Go through a gap after zooming out. <a id=\"variant-scale-world\"></a>\n- Transition between 2D and 3D. Definition: Use the differences between flat and volumetric representations. Conditional example: Avoid an obstacle after changing dimensions. <a id=\"variant-dimension-shift\"></a>\n- Switching world layers. Definition: Choose between consistent versions of a space with different geometries. Conditional example: Go through a missing wall in another layer. <a id=\"variant-world-layers\"></a>\n- Rearrangement of premises. Definition: Change the proximity of rooms and their entrances. Conditional example: Assemble a passage from module rooms. <a id=\"variant-room-rearrangement\"></a>\n- Bending space. Definition: Combine remote areas by transforming the map itself. Conditional example: Fold the map so that two doors touch. <a id=\"variant-fold-space\"></a>\n- Connectivity inconsistent with conventional geometry. Definition: Derive rules for transitions where the neighborhood does not correspond to the usual spatial model. Conditional example: Use a corridor leading to different places from different sides. <a id=\"variant-non-euclidean\"></a>\n- Changing the node configuration. Definition: Convert loops and weaves while maintaining specified connections. Conditional example: Untie a virtual knot without cutting the thread. <a id=\"variant-knot-topology\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A wide catalog of mechanics for digital puzzles, paper logic problems and physical puzzles. Each position contains an action or rule and a conditional example of application."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"puzzle","id":"family-topology","title":"Puzzles","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/puzzle/#family-topology","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Space and topology","description":"The player solves a puzzle through spatial structure and connections among its parts.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-patrick-parabox-00.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Patrick's Parabox","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1260520/ss_fc9994b3d063276aaaeacbc86c6d740dabeebdc0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1745611653","credit":"Patrick Traynor","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A nested box contains accessible space","alt":"A nested box contains accessible space","markers":[{"x":65,"y":56,"label":"Space inside a movable box"}]},"tips":["Show how entrances and exits link nested spaces."],"examples":[{"title":"Patrick's Parabox","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/puzzle"}}