---
key: mechanic/economy-exchange--t093
type: mechanic
id: economy-exchange--t093
lang: en
title: 'Contracts, orders and commitments'
summary: >-
  A contract connects payment to delivery, quality and timing conditions,
  turning a promise into a resource plan.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/economy-exchange--t093/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/economy-exchange--t093.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/economy-exchange--t093.md
aliases:
  - Contracts and orders
tags:
  - Economy and exchange
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-96be186d8ada50a0
  - source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1
sources:
  - id: source-96be186d8ada50a0
    title: 'Factorio: Content'
    url: 'https://www.factorio.com/game/content'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1
    title: Borderlands 2
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: economy-exchange
    id: t093
    title: Economy and exchange
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/economy-exchange/#t093'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Contracts and orders
    description: >-
      A contract connects payment to delivery, quality and timing conditions,
      turning a promise into a resource plan.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/borderlands2-mission-log-manual.webp
      width: 499
      height: 281
      game: Borderlands 2
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/'
      originalUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/#page=11'
      credit: >-
        Gearbox Software / 2K; screenshot extracted from official PC manual, PDF
        page 11
      rights: >-
        Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Screenshot supplied in the
        official guide; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: The log shows a mission objective and reward
      alt: The log shows a mission objective and reward
      markers:
        - x: 31
          'y': 34
          label: Mission completion condition
        - x: 31
          'y': 80
          label: Reward for completion
    tips:
      - State conditions and rewards before the commitment is accepted.
    examples:
      - title: Borderlands 2
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/'
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/economy-exchange
---
# Contracts, orders and commitments

id: economy-exchange--t093
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/economy-exchange--t093
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/economy-exchange--t093/

A contract connects payment to delivery, quality and timing conditions, turning a promise into a resource plan.

## At a glance

![The log shows a mission objective and reward](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/borderlands2-mission-log-manual.webp)

[Borderlands 2](https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Screenshot supplied in the official guide; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. Mission completion condition
2. Reward for completion

- State conditions and rewards before the commitment is accepted.

- [Borderlands 2](https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/)

## How it works

A contract connects payment to delivery, quality and timing conditions, turning a promise into a resource plan.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t093-variants"></a>

- Orders reserve limited production capacity. <a id="t093-v1"></a>
- Partial deliveries use an explicit payment rule. <a id="t093-v2"></a>
- Penalties limit the benefit of late completion. <a id="t093-v3"></a>
- Negotiation changes the deadline and price together. <a id="t093-v4"></a>

## Design example

A workshop accepts twenty parts and declines another job to meet the deadline.

Prototype check: Test acceptance conditions before signing and correct settlement after partial or early delivery.

## Context and limits

Economic rules connect production, allocation, commitments and exchange; prices should communicate scarcity and available alternatives. 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 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.

- [Factorio: Content](https://www.factorio.com/game/content) (id: source-96be186d8ada50a0)
- [Borderlands 2](https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/) (id: source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors