{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"practice/signal-room","type":"practice","id":"signal-room","lang":"en","title":"The signal room","summary":"Build a puzzle around a consistent rule and a player discovery.","updatedAt":"2026-10-20","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/practice/signal-room/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/practice/signal-room.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/practice/signal-room.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Puzzles"],"sourceIds":["source-3e6c21889ae768e0","source-6f794a271cd60b9c"],"sources":[{"id":"source-3e6c21889ae768e0","title":"Challenges for Game Designers: author website","url":"https://designgames.wordpress.com/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-6f794a271cd60b9c","title":"Challenges for Game Designers: table of contents","url":"https://designgames.wordpress.com/toc/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"goal","title":"Goal","body":"Build a puzzle around a consistent rule and a player discovery."},{"id":"example","title":"Scenario and materials","body":"A control panel has four levers and three lamps. Invent a rule that connects lever positions to the lamps. The player must produce a target signal. Create three levels: discovering the rule, checking it and using it in an unexpected combination.\n\nPaper prototype"},{"id":"constraints","title":"Constraints","body":"- The same rule applies at every level.\n- Available information allows a solution without random trial and error.\n- The third level is harder because it combines conditions, not because it introduces a hidden rule."},{"id":"steps","title":"Steps","body":"1. List the panel states and confirm the target states are reachable.\n2. Prepare three levels and a solution for each.\n3. Give them to someone who has not seen the rule. Record where they get stuck and revise the clues."},{"id":"outcome","title":"Deliverable","body":"Three panel diagrams, the rule, solutions and a note from the new-player check."},{"id":"checks","title":"Check your work","body":"- Each level has at least one known solution.\n- Clues agree with the rule.\n- Identify the specific discovery the player needs to make."},{"id":"reflection","title":"Reflect","body":"Was the player struggling to understand the rule or to apply a rule they already understood?"}],"relations":[{"type":"practices","direction":"incoming","label":"What this helps you learn","key":"lesson/teaching-a-mechanic","title":"Teaching one mechanic through a level","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/teaching-a-mechanic/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/teaching-a-mechanic.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/teaching-a-mechanic.md"},{"type":"practices","direction":"incoming","label":"What this helps you learn","key":"path/level-design","title":"Level design","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/learn/level-design/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/path/level-design.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/path/level-design.md"},{"type":"uses","direction":"outgoing","label":"Sources in the selection","key":"resource/challenges-for-game-designers","title":"Challenges for Game Designers","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-challenges-for-game-designers","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/challenges-for-game-designers.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/challenges-for-game-designers.md"}],"placements":[{"title":"In the original collection","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/practice/#signal-room"}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"topic":"puzzles","level":"intermediate","minutes":60},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Thematic inspiration: Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber. These scenarios, constraints and checks are independently written around broad game-design learning topics. This is not a translation or a sequential retelling of the book exercises.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors"}}