--- key: mechanic/activity-simulators--t128 type: mechanic id: activity-simulators--t128 lang: en title: 'Cooking, recipes and kitchen work' summary: >- Kitchens transform ingredients into orders through dependent steps, requiring aligned component readiness and workstation availability. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/activity-simulators--t128/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/activity-simulators--t128.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/activity-simulators--t128.md aliases: [] tags: - Activity and profession simulators - Mechanics and variants sourceIds: - source-3817d420df0baa92 - source-7912c3939a369c5f sources: - id: source-3817d420df0baa92 title: 'Robert Nystrom: State' url: >- https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown verifiedAt: null - id: source-7912c3939a369c5f title: Overcooked! 2 url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/' verifiedAt: null relations: - type: uses direction: outgoing label: Sources in the selection key: resource/state-pattern title: 'State: Game Programming Patterns' url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern' jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.json' markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.md' placements: - catalogId: activity-simulators id: t128 title: Activity and profession simulators url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/activity-simulators/#t128' categoryIds: - mechanics supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: 'Cooking, recipes and kitchen work' description: >- Kitchens transform ingredients into orders through dependent steps, requiring aligned component readiness and workstation availability. image: src: images/mechanics/strategy-overcooked2-08.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Overcooked! 2 sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/728880/ss_a87a245229d8196f25301685d991467412e9fef8.1920x1080.jpg?t=1789548883 credit: Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17 rights: © Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17. All rights reserved. caption: 'Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer' alt: 'Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer' markers: - x: 13 'y': 7 label: Orders show required dishes and ingredients - x: 48 'y': 34 label: Stoves and plates form a preparation chain tips: - >- Make recipe dependencies and workstation availability visible to the whole team. examples: - title: Overcooked! 2 url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/activity-simulators --- # Cooking, recipes and kitchen work id: activity-simulators--t128 type: mechanic key: mechanic/activity-simulators--t128 lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/activity-simulators--t128/ Kitchens transform ingredients into orders through dependent steps, requiring aligned component readiness and workstation availability. ## At a glance ![Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/strategy-overcooked2-08.webp) [Overcooked! 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/) · © Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17. All rights reserved. 1. Orders show required dishes and ingredients 2. Stoves and plates form a preparation chain - Make recipe dependencies and workstation availability visible to the whole team. - [Overcooked! 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/) ## How it works Kitchens transform ingredients into orders through dependent steps, requiring aligned component readiness and workstation availability. ## Variants ### Mechanic variants - Preparation reduces work after an order arrives. - Heating requires deciding when to stop. - Assembly combines components at suitable readiness. - Dirty stations create a cleaning task. ## Design example Side dishes are prepared while a limited stove cooks the next order's main dish. Prototype check: Test operation order and waiting-related quality loss with clear explanations for spoiled game dishes. ## Context and limits Activity simulators turn observation, operation sequences and limited tools into a testable work task. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map. ## Connected materials - Sources in the selection: [State: Game Programming Patterns](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern) (key: resource/state-pattern) ## Sources and provenance Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant. - [Robert Nystrom: State](https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown) (id: source-3817d420df0baa92) - [Overcooked! 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/) (id: source-7912c3939a369c5f) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors