In this introductory tutorial to Machinations, we will show you how to build a basic economy model for a resource management/crafting game.

This tutorial is broken up into stages that introduce new components and add complexity over time. We recommend you follow the tutorial in order, though you can always return to specific pages later.

We’ve created a resource management game specially for this tutorial, but the fundamentals are applicable to all crafting mechanics.

Create a new diagram

If you have another diagram open already, click the Machinations logo.

If you are in the Diagram Management window, click the +New diagram button.

Name your diagram and hit Save. This will create a blank canvas.

01 – Diagram Basics

One of the core actions the player performs in our game is chopping trees and harvesting wood:

This simple setup simulates this action. It says “for each time the Player Loots from a tree, they earn 1 Wood.”

success

The triangular component is called a Source. Sources are resource generators. In this case, the resource generated is wood.

The circular component is called a Pool. Pools are resource holders. In this case, the Wood Pool holds all the Wood the player has looted thus far.

The arrow connecting the Source to the Pool is a Resource Connection. This tells the Source where to send the resources it generates and how many to send. The Formula box defines the amount sent, which is 1 by default.

Placing components

To build the setup above, look for the Components Panel and hover over one of the symbols.

First, add a Source to the canvas by single-clicking on the Source icon (upwards triangle) in the Components Panel or use the shortcut “s”.
Click on the canvas to place the Source. You can move the Source by dragging and dropping it.

info

Best Practice: You can also use keyboard shortcuts to create components. A list of shortcuts can be found by pressing F1, or by hovering over each component in the Components Panel.

Once placed, the Properties Panel on the right will allow you to edit the Source. Changes are committed automatically.

Type “Player Loots” into the Label field to give the Source a name.
The Style section allows you to format the component, including changing its Stroke Color.

info

Best Practice: Labeling and coloring components is essential for clarity, especially on larger diagrams.

Continue by adding the Pool.

Now add a Pool (circle) from the Components Panel to the Canvas (keyboard shortcut “p”).
Type “Wood” into the Label field.

Finally, connect the Source and Pool by drawing a Resource Connection between them.

Click on the Resource Connection in the Components tab or use the shortcut “c”.
Click on the Source to define it as the Origin node.
Click on the Pool to define it as the Target node.

This will create a connection leading from the Source to the Pool.

info

The component that a connection is pointing to is called the target node. The component at its tail end is the origin node.

Run your diagram

Locate the Playbar at the bottom of the screen and hit Play.

If done correctly, you’ll see resources (in this case wood) flowing from the Source into the Pool.

warning

If you’re seeing something similar to the following, it may be because the Resource Connection isn’t attached properly. To reattach it, drag the circular nodes on the connection and make sure the component you want to attach it to has an orange outline before releasing.

Defining a Step

Machinations is a moving flowchart, and everything happens in Steps. After deciding what you want to model, the next thing you should consider is what a Step means in your diagram.

A step could represent:

A unit of time – e.g. minutes, hours, or days of gameplay
A game action – e.g. opening a card pack, performing an attack, or completing a mission

For our diagram, a step will represent a minute of gameplay.

info

Best Practice: Pick a time that works best for your game and for your purposes. If the player only loots something every ten minutes or so, there’s no point having a step represent anything shorter than ten minutes.

You can change the number of Steps the diagram will run for before ending. You can also change the Speed of the animations.

Farming Example

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