Sections (sub-sections)

About this model

Sections refer to distinct parts or stages of the game that are separated by significant events or milestones, providing structure, variety, and challenge to the gameplay experience.

This diagram represents a game level system where a player progresses through a series of interconnected rooms, with the objective of finding an exit. The system consists of source nodes to initiate the level, pool nodes representing different rooms (e.g., Room 1, Room 2, Room 3, etc.), gates to simulate decision points or challenges within each room, and a final pool node labeled "Exit" which is the player's goal.

As the player navigates from the start level through the various rooms, automatic gates, likely simulating the outcomes of player choices or random events, dictate the flow of progression. These gates can direct the player along different paths, back to previous rooms, or closer to the exit depending on their design. The systematic layout suggests a non-linear progression where choices or random events (as indicated by dice distribution modes for gates) significantly affect the path taken. This non-linear design introduces variability and replayability to the game level, encouraging players to explore different strategies or enduring the whims of chance to reach the exit.

“Sections (sub-sections)” is a public Machinations diagram by Cezar Cocias, 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.