{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/rpg-grind--production-chains","type":"mechanic","id":"rpg-grind--production-chains","lang":"en","title":"Production chains","summary":"One recipe’s output becomes the next recipe’s input. The player supplies raw materials, intermediate components and enough capacity at every stage.","updatedAt":"2026-10-21","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/rpg-grind--production-chains/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/rpg-grind--production-chains.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/rpg-grind--production-chains.md","aliases":[],"tags":["RPG grinding","Gathering and production"],"sourceIds":["source-fee3301bed8a96da"],"sources":[{"id":"source-fee3301bed8a96da","title":"Factorio","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"A final item requires multiple processing stages. The player accumulates raw materials and intermediate components."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Action → reward\n\n<a id=\"production-chains-loop\"></a>\n\n- Gather raw materials, process them and assemble components → craft valuable items. <a id=\"production-chains-repeat\"></a>\n- Accumulate components for multiple stages in parallel. <a id=\"production-chains-option-2\"></a>\n- Replace a scarce component through an alternative recipe. <a id=\"production-chains-option-3\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"Ore becomes ingots, ingots become plates, and plates plus leather become armor."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A systematic RPG grind reference: 110 mechanics and 330 variants in 18 sections. Four layers answer different questions: what the player repeats, what develops, how rewards arrive and what constrains the loop. It covers single-player RPGs, ARPGs, MMORPGs and adjacent management and accumulation systems. Every mechanic has an explanation, variants and a hypothetical example; coverage, combinations and verified game observations follow the catalog."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"rpg-grind","id":"production-chains","title":"RPG grinding","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/rpg-grind/#production-chains","categoryIds":["resources-production"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-21","title":"Production chains","description":"One recipe’s output becomes the next recipe’s input. The player supplies raw materials, intermediate components and enough capacity at every stage.","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":"One link: plates into cable","alt":"Factorio: a row of assembling machines connects a copper-plate input belt to a copper-cable output belt.","markers":[{"x":27,"y":51,"label":"The previous stage supplies copper plates"},{"x":38,"y":69,"label":"This link makes an intermediate component"},{"x":74,"y":51,"label":"Cable moves downstream along the chain"}]},"tips":["Let players inspect recipe dependencies from the final product.","Distinguish missing inputs from insufficient production capacity."],"examples":[{"title":"Factorio","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial RPG grind taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and expanded to cover activities, progression goals, reward rules and constraints. All original thirty family/branch/variant identities are preserved. Official developer and publisher sources support only the specifically described released-game observations; design variants and scenarios are hypothetical.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/rpg-grind"}}