---
key: mechanic/education--family-26
type: mechanic
id: education--family-26
lang: en
title: 'Planning, strategy and optimization'
summary: >-
  The learner plans several actions under constraints and compares ways to reach
  a goal using an explicit criterion.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-26/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-26.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-26.md
aliases:
  - Planning and optimization
tags:
  - Educational games
  - 'Quantity, investigation and systems'
sourceIds:
  - source-cdd68b3569df12cf
sources:
  - id: source-cdd68b3569df12cf
    title: Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: education
    id: family-26
    title: Educational games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#family-26'
    categoryIds:
      - systems
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Planning and optimization
    description: >-
      The learner plans several actions under constraints and compares ways to
      reach a goal using an explicit criterion.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/strategy-civilization6-02.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/289070/ss_b2bf12299c38214fe520af0f724a6349d17ed330.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792602288
      credit: >-
        Firaxis Games / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux) / 2K / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr
        (Linux)
      rights: >-
        © Firaxis Games / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux) / 2K / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr
        (Linux). All rights reserved.
      caption: Managing a city between turns
      alt: Managing a city between turns
      markers:
        - x: 9
          'y': 32
          label: City growth and amenities summary
        - x: 92
          'y': 4
          label: 'The counter shows the current turn: 118 of 330'
    tips:
      - Allow comparison of several successful solutions.
    examples:
      - title: Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the
  original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated
  2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire
  classification or its effectiveness.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/education
---
# Planning, strategy and optimization

id: education--family-26
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/education--family-26
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-26/

The learner plans several actions under constraints and compares ways to reach a goal using an explicit criterion.

## At a glance

![Managing a city between turns](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/strategy-civilization6-02.webp)

[Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI](https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/) · © Firaxis Games / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux) / 2K / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux). All rights reserved.

1. City growth and amenities summary
2. The counter shows the current turn: 118 of 330

- Allow comparison of several successful solutions.

- [Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI](https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/)

## How it works

Plan several moves ahead

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-26-branch-1"></a>

- Plan several moves ahead <a id="family-26-variant-1"></a>
- Find the shortest route <a id="family-26-variant-2"></a>
- Minimize actions <a id="family-26-variant-3"></a>
- Minimize resource use <a id="family-26-variant-4"></a>
- Maximize results <a id="family-26-variant-5"></a>
- Compare strategies <a id="family-26-variant-6"></a>
- Account for several goals <a id="family-26-variant-7"></a>
- Choose speed or robustness <a id="family-26-variant-8"></a>
- Respond to changing conditions <a id="family-26-variant-9"></a>
- Anticipate another player <a id="family-26-variant-10"></a>
- Solve with incomplete information <a id="family-26-variant-11"></a>
- Explain trade-offs <a id="family-26-variant-12"></a>

## Design example

Plan all deliveries with limited fuel.

## Context and limits

A mechanic map for games with explicit learning goals, from first encounters with a topic to professional practice. It covers children, teenagers and adults; choose subject, difficulty, context and controls for the learner. Player actions, subject content, instructional support and assessment are distinct layers. Scores and game completion alone do not establish mastery or skill transfer.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire classification or its effectiveness.

- [Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI](https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/) (id: source-cdd68b3569df12cf)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors