Allocation of Earnings

About this model

Some players have a preference for spending their earnings (e.g. gold) on one currency sink over others, based on things like interest, affordability, perceived pay-off, supply and demand, etc.

This diagram models a resource allocation and consumption system focusing on gold distribution among various sinks. In this setup, an infinite source generates a random amount of gold ("Gold Earned"), which is then sent to an allocation gate, determining how this gold is divided among three different pools. Each pool is reserved for a specific "Sink" (A, B, and C), representing different areas where resources can be spent or invested.

The allocation of gold to each pool is predetermined by fixed ratios, ensuring a structured distribution of resources. Subsequently, the gold in each pool is consumed by its respective sink, simulating expenditure or investment. Additionally, the accumulation of gold in each pool before spending is recorded in a "Total Gold Owned" pool, which increases by a unit each time gold is added to any of the three main pools. This system illustrates a basic economic model where resources are earned, allocated according to a set strategy, and then expended, with the total accumulation of resources being tracked throughout the process.

“Allocation of Earnings” is a public Machinations diagram by Harry Ashton, shared in the Machinations Community.

You can open the original diagram in the Machinations app, press Play to watch how resources move through it, and change its values to see how the system responds. Machinations is a visual tool for designing, simulating and balancing game economies and other systems, where resources flow through sources, pools, drains, converters and gates. In a diagram, a source creates resources, a pool stores them, a drain removes them, a converter changes one resource into another and a gate decides where they go next.