Economy and exchange
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.
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Mechanics and variants
1Resource extraction, transformation and consumptionOverview and example ↗Resources pass through extraction, transformation and consumption; players align stage rates and the cost of waste.4
Mechanic variants
- Deposits deplete after a stated total yield.
- Recipes transform several raw material types.
- Byproducts require a separate useful destination.
- Consumables sustain another production process.
Design example. A smelter makes metal and slag that fills storage until road production begins. Prototype check: Check quantity conservation at each stage, including canceled processing and full output storage.
2Trade and trade routesOverview and example ↗Trade moves goods between locations with different needs; routes connect margin to travel time and risk.4
Mechanic variants
- Price differences compensate a carrier's journey.
- Caravans need capacity and protection.
- Return cargo improves the value of a trip.
- Border closures change available trade routes.
Design example. Grain travels to a mining town and the same vehicle brings tools on its return trip. Prototype check: Check profit including time, upkeep and an empty return journey rather than price differences alone.
3Supply, demand and price formationOverview and example ↗Prices reflect availability and willingness to buy, creating feedback between supply and demand.4
Mechanic variants
- Surplus lowers the next selling price.
- Shortages increase the value of new supply.
- Substitutes reduce buyer dependence on one item.
- Delayed reactions create overproduction risk.
Design example. A large coal delivery lowers its price and encourages shifting some vehicles to timber. Prototype check: Test price bounds and adjustment speed after one unusually large transaction.
4Markets, auctions and biddingOverview and example ↗Auctions allocate scarce objects through competing offers while markets expose available exchange conditions.4
Mechanic variants
- Open bidding reveals the current best price.
- Sealed bids require valuation without observation.
- Reverse auctions choose the lowest service price.
- Limit orders wait for a matching offer.
Design example. Players secretly value a bridge-building right based on an expected freight flow. Prototype check: Test tied bids, closing time and returning reserved resources to losing participants.
5Barter, negotiation and deal evaluationOverview and example ↗Barter compares subjective item utility and improves offers through concessions and conditions.4
Mechanic variants
- Needs change the value of an individual item.
- Bundles connect several reciprocal concessions.
- Deferred payment moves part of the price forward.
- Walking away preserves another potential partner.
Design example. A smith trades a tool for rare ore and a promise to deliver fuel before winter. Prototype check: Test that immediate exchange, promises and unfulfilled conditions remain distinguishable.
6Budgets, debt and investment in a game worldOverview and example ↗An in-game budget limits current spending while debt and investment redistribute options between present and future turns.4
Mechanic variants
- Upkeep creates a recurring commitment.
- Borrowing adds funds and a future repayment.
- Projects delay income until completion.
- Reserves absorb a temporary revenue shortfall.
Design example. A city borrows for a bridge but must fund transport upkeep until the crossing opens. Prototype check: Check the cash-flow forecast, especially several in-game commitments falling due together.
7Contracts, orders and commitmentsOverview and example ↗A contract connects payment to delivery, quality and timing conditions, turning a promise into a resource plan.4
Mechanic variants
- Orders reserve limited production capacity.
- Partial deliveries use an explicit payment rule.
- Penalties limit the benefit of late completion.
- Negotiation changes the deadline and price together.
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.
8Ownership, rent and taxesOverview and example ↗Ownership grants usage rights, rent limits their duration and taxation connects holding an asset to recurring payment.4
Mechanic variants
- Purchases transfer long-term costs to an owner.
- Rent lowers the initial cost of production access.
- Taxes make an unused plot costly to hold.
- Easements permit a specific use of another plot.
Design example. A port rents seasonal storage and preserves money for vehicles instead of buying the building. Prototype check: Test lease expiry with cargo inside so the rules for clearing the space are known beforehand.
9Scarcity, inflation and resource sinksOverview and example ↗Supply limits and resource removal regulate value while currency growth changes access to in-game purchases.4
Mechanic variants
- Repair removes some currency from circulation.
- Spoilage limits indefinite inventory hoarding.
- Transaction fees raise the cost of repeated exchange.
- Source caps prevent unlimited extraction growth.
Design example. Cheap mass production raises income while machine maintenance grows with the installed fleet. Prototype check: Test many long economic cycles, measuring the creation and removal of each resource separately.
10Economic competition and interdependenceOverview and example ↗Competitors contest limited opportunities, while specialization and exchange can make them mutually dependent.4
Mechanic variants
- Shared sources limit total extraction.
- Specialization improves a chosen product's output.
- Supply agreements connect competitors' plans.
- Substitutes offer escape from monopoly dependence.
Design example. Two companies contest ore but one produces engines for the other's vehicles. Prototype check: Test whether a weaker participant can change niche or partner after a critical resource is captured.
Sources and examples
Sources support particular techniques or methodology, not every family variant. Design examples and mechanic combinations are illustrative.
- Factorio: Content
Developer overview of production, transport and circuit networks as connected gameplay systems.
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