--- key: mechanic/puzzle--family-topology type: mechanic id: puzzle--family-topology lang: en title: 'Space, dimensions and topology' summary: >- The player solves a puzzle through spatial structure and connections among its parts. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/puzzle--family-topology/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-topology.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-topology.md aliases: - Space and topology tags: - Puzzles - Mechanics catalog sourceIds: - source-ff5a122177898cd1 - source-10d1df6f36fd4358 sources: - id: source-ff5a122177898cd1 title: 'Patrick Traynor: Patrick''s Parabox' url: 'https://www.patricksparabox.com/' verifiedAt: null - id: source-10d1df6f36fd4358 title: Patrick's Parabox url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: puzzle id: family-topology title: Puzzles url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/puzzle/#family-topology' categoryIds: - section-1 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Space and topology description: >- The player solves a puzzle through spatial structure and connections among its parts. image: src: images/mechanics/adventure-patrick-parabox-00.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Patrick's Parabox sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1260520/ss_fc9994b3d063276aaaeacbc86c6d740dabeebdc0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1745611653 credit: Patrick Traynor rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: A nested box contains accessible space alt: A nested box contains accessible space markers: - x: 65 'y': 56 label: Space inside a movable box tips: - Show how entrances and exits link nested spaces. examples: - title: Patrick's Parabox url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/puzzle --- # Space, dimensions and topology id: puzzle--family-topology type: mechanic key: mechanic/puzzle--family-topology lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/puzzle--family-topology/ The player solves a puzzle through spatial structure and connections among its parts. ## At a glance ![A nested box contains accessible space](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/adventure-patrick-parabox-00.webp) [Patrick's Parabox](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Space inside a movable box - Show how entrances and exits link nested spaces. - [Patrick's Parabox](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/) ## How it works Solve problems through the arrangement of space and connections between its parts. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - Transition through portals. Definition: Create or select connections between remote areas. Conditional example: Connect two rooms with a pair of passages. - Closed field. Definition: Count going over the edge as a return on the other side. Conventional example: Go around an obstacle over the edge of the net. - Recursive rooms. Definition: Use nested spaces that can represent each other or themselves. Conventional example: Enter a box containing another version of a room. Terms: Patrick's Parabox. - Transition between scales. Definition: Change available paths and interactions when moving to another scale. Conditional example: Go through a gap after zooming out. - Transition between 2D and 3D. Definition: Use the differences between flat and volumetric representations. Conditional example: Avoid an obstacle after changing dimensions. - Switching world layers. Definition: Choose between consistent versions of a space with different geometries. Conditional example: Go through a missing wall in another layer. - Rearrangement of premises. Definition: Change the proximity of rooms and their entrances. Conditional example: Assemble a passage from module rooms. - Bending space. Definition: Combine remote areas by transforming the map itself. Conditional example: Fold the map so that two doors touch. - Connectivity inconsistent with conventional geometry. Definition: Derive rules for transitions where the neighborhood does not correspond to the usual spatial model. Conditional example: Use a corridor leading to different places from different sides. - Changing the node configuration. Definition: Convert loops and weaves while maintaining specified connections. Conditional example: Untie a virtual knot without cutting the thread. ## Context and limits A wide catalog of mechanics for digital puzzles, paper logic problems and physical puzzles. Each position contains an action or rule and a conditional example of application. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. - [Patrick Traynor: Patrick's Parabox](https://www.patricksparabox.com/) (id: source-ff5a122177898cd1) - [Patrick's Parabox](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/) (id: source-10d1df6f36fd4358) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors