---
key: mechanic/goals-feedback--t270
type: mechanic
id: goals-feedback--t270
lang: en
title: 'Victory, defeat and alternative success conditions'
summary: >-
  End conditions determine which actions advance success. An explicit result
  confirms the goal or explains why the attempt has ended.
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/goals-feedback--t270/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/goals-feedback--t270.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/goals-feedback--t270.md
aliases:
  - Victory and defeat
tags:
  - 'Goals, difficulty, learning and feedback'
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-d4c7409816f79db5
  - source-7f09c8a736762f4f
sources:
  - id: source-d4c7409816f79db5
    title: Game Accessibility Guidelines
    url: 'https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-7f09c8a736762f4f
    title: Slay the Spire
    url: 'https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: goals-feedback
    id: t270
    title: 'Goals, difficulty, learning and feedback'
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/goals-feedback/#t270'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
    title: Victory and defeat
    description: >-
      End conditions determine which actions advance success. An explicit result
      confirms the goal or explains why the attempt has ended.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/slay-the-spire-defeat.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Slay the Spire
      sourceUrl: 'https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/'
      originalUrl: 'https://www.megacrit.com/images/ss25.jpg'
      credit: Mega Crit
      rights: © Mega Crit. All rights reserved.
      caption: Zero health leads to defeat
      alt: >-
        Slay the Spire: zero player health and a Death screen clearly show the
        cause and result of the attempt’s end.
      markers:
        - x: 23
          'y': 3
          label: 'Defeat condition: health reaches zero'
        - x: 50
          'y': 25
          label: The attempt’s outcome is explicit
    tips:
      - Explain success and failure conditions before the challenge begins.
      - 'When several outcomes exist, confirm which one was reached.'
    examples:
      - title: Slay the Spire
        url: 'https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/'
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/goals-feedback
---
# Victory, defeat and alternative success conditions

id: goals-feedback--t270
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/goals-feedback--t270
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/goals-feedback--t270/

End conditions determine which actions advance success. An explicit result confirms the goal or explains why the attempt has ended.

## At a glance

![Slay the Spire: zero player health and a Death screen clearly show the cause and result of the attempt’s end.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/slay-the-spire-defeat.webp)

[Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/) · © Mega Crit. All rights reserved.

1. Defeat condition: health reaches zero
2. The attempt’s outcome is explicit

- Explain success and failure conditions before the challenge begins.
- When several outcomes exist, confirm which one was reached.

- [Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/)

## How it works

Completion conditions define action value; alternative successes fulfill an objective through different constrained approaches.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t270-variants"></a>

- Primary objectives set mandatory completion criteria. <a id="t270-v1"></a>
- Alternatives replace combat with negotiation or bypass. <a id="t270-v2"></a>
- Draws have distinct results and consequences. <a id="t270-v3"></a>
- Failure preserves some useful world changes. <a id="t270-v4"></a>

## Design example

A settlement can be defended through battle or by evacuating all residents in time.

Prototype check: Test simultaneous victory and defeat conditions with an explicit outcome priority.

## Context and limits

Goals and feedback explain the value of an action, the causes of its result and ways to improve the next attempt. 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.

- [Game Accessibility Guidelines](https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/) (id: source-d4c7409816f79db5)
- [Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/) (id: source-7f09c8a736762f4f)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors