--- key: mechanic/systemic-worlds--t260 type: mechanic id: systemic-worlds--t260 lang: en title: Systemic interactions and immersive sims summary: >- Shared object properties produce several solutions, allowing players to transfer known rules into unanticipated combinations. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/systemic-worlds--t260/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/systemic-worlds--t260.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/systemic-worlds--t260.md aliases: - Systemic interactions tags: - 'Systemic worlds, randomness and NPC behavior' - Mechanics and variants sourceIds: - source-3817d420df0baa92 - source-f32caf4ef72183bb 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-f32caf4ef72183bb title: Half-Life 2 url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/telekinesis' 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: systemic-worlds id: t260 title: 'Systemic worlds, randomness and NPC behavior' url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/systemic-worlds/#t260' categoryIds: - mechanics supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Systemic interactions description: >- Shared object properties produce several solutions, allowing players to transfer known rules into unanticipated combinations. image: src: images/mechanics/impact-telekinesis.webp width: 600 height: 332 game: Half-Life 2 sourceUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/telekinesis' originalUrl: 'https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/half_life_2_gravity_gun_saw.webm' sourceFrameSeconds: 6.1 credit: Valve; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: The Gravity Gun holds a saw blade at a distance alt: 'Half-Life 2: The Gravity Gun holds a saw blade at a distance.' markers: - x: 55 'y': 44 label: Object held in the air - x: 66 'y': 70 label: Device for remote manipulation tips: - Apply shared object properties across different problem contexts. examples: - title: Half-Life 2 url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/telekinesis' 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/systemic-worlds --- # Systemic interactions and immersive sims id: systemic-worlds--t260 type: mechanic key: mechanic/systemic-worlds--t260 lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/systemic-worlds--t260/ Shared object properties produce several solutions, allowing players to transfer known rules into unanticipated combinations. ## At a glance ![Half-Life 2: The Gravity Gun holds a saw blade at a distance.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/impact-telekinesis.webp) [Half-Life 2](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/telekinesis) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. [Source recording](https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/half_life_2_gravity_gun_saw.webm), 6.1 s 1. Object held in the air 2. Device for remote manipulation - Apply shared object properties across different problem contexts. - [Half-Life 2](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/telekinesis) ## How it works Shared object properties produce several solutions, allowing players to transfer known rules into unanticipated combinations. ## Variants ### Mechanic variants - Materials determine responses to effects. - Environments carry effects between objects. - Tools work beyond a scripted target. - Consequences persist after the player leaves. ## Design example A metal crate becomes a conductor, pressure-plate weight or movable cover under shared rules. Prototype check: Test one property across object classes so visually identical rules do not hide inconsistent exceptions. ## Context and limits A systemic world applies shared rules to multiple objects so players can predict new combinations from known interactions. 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) - [Half-Life 2](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/telekinesis) (id: source-f32caf4ef72183bb) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors