Machinations

Trigger Modes

4 min read

A trigger mode decides when a Node acts during Play. Select a Node and use the Trigger row in its Properties panel: five buttons called Agentic, Auto, On enable, Passive and On click. Registers show only Auto, Passive and On click, and End Conditions have no Trigger at all.

Five trigger modes

When a Node acts, it can push or pull Resources along its Resource Connections. If a flow appears stuck or unexpectedly fast, inspect the trigger setting at both ends of the connection.

Choose when a Node actsThe names are the buttons of the Trigger row; the Agentic, Auto and On enable descriptions are the ones the app shows when you hover over the buttons.
Agentic

An agent decides when the node fires, from its traits. It may fire on some steps and skip others.

Auto

Fires on every Step. All Automatic nodes fire at the same time.

On enable

Fires once when the node is enabled, including when a Play starts, and again each time it is enabled again.

Passive

Fires only when another node triggers it.

On click

Fires only when you click the node during a Play, and never in a Forecast.

The Trigger row of a Pool with five buttons: Agentic, Auto, On enable, Passive and On click.The Trigger row of a Pool with five buttons: Agentic, Auto, On enable, Passive and On click.
The Trigger row
Open the diagram: Original Trigger Modes example diagram
Interactive example

How each mode works

The published guide illustrates these modes on Sources, Pools, Sinks, Gates, Converters, Traders and Delays. Select a Node to see the controls available to that Node in the current properties panel. The historical diagrams below remain available for their model examples.

Passive. The Node waits for another element to trigger it. In the original guide, its action follows on the next Step after that trigger.

On click (called Interactive in earlier guides). You click the Node during a Play to make it act on the next Step. An On click node is drawn as a raised key that you press, and it never fires in a Forecast.

Auto (called Automatic in earlier guides). The Node acts on every Step. Check both ends of a Resource Connection to avoid an unintentional push and pull in the same Step.

On enable (called On Enabling or Enabling in earlier guides). The Node acts once when it is enabled, including when a Play starts, and again each time it is enabled again.

Use cases for trigger modes

Automatic

Use Automatic for an action that should repeat at each Step, such as a steady inflow. In a larger model, choose which Nodes should drive each flow; making both ends of a connection automatic can produce a double trigger.

Automatic exampleA Source fires on every Step and the Converter turns collected XP into a Level.
Repeating sourceKill Enemies
Collected outputXP
Downstream actionLevel Up
A Source named Kill Enemies set to the Auto trigger feeds a Pool named XP, which feeds a Converter named Level Up and a Pool named Level, with a sticky note: Auto nodes fire every Step.A Source named Kill Enemies set to the Auto trigger feeds a Pool named XP, which feeds a Converter named Level Up and a Pool named Level, with a sticky note: Auto nodes fire every Step.
Automatic diagram

Passive

Use Passive when one action should wait for a trigger from another Node. A state connection can control that order: if the source event happens, it triggers the passive action.

Passive exampleA Gate with a 50% chance triggers the Passive Heal Source through a state connection.
ConditionHealing chance
Triggered actionHeal
ResultCurrent player health
A Gate named Healing chance at 50% leads, through a Heal Trigger Pool and a state connection, to a Passive Source named Heal that feeds a Pool named Current player health, with a sticky note: Passive nodes fire only when another node triggers them.A Gate named Healing chance at 50% leads, through a Heal Trigger Pool and a state connection, to a Passive Source named Heal that feeds a Pool named Current player health, with a sticky note: Passive nodes fire only when another node triggers them.
Passive diagram

Interactive

Use Interactive when a person should choose the moment an action happens during Play, for example approving a transaction or choosing which resource to collect. The published example offers separate Coal, Iron and Copper mining actions.

Interactive exampleEach Source fires when you click it.
First choiceMine Coal
Second choiceMine Iron
Third choiceMine Copper
Three Sources named Mine Coal, Mine Iron and Mine Copper, set to the On click trigger, each through a Converter into one Pool named Stockpile, with a sticky note: On click nodes fire when you click them.Three Sources named Mine Coal, Mine Iron and Mine Copper, set to the On click trigger, each through a Converter into one Pool named Stockpile, with a sticky note: On click nodes fire when you click them.
Interactive diagram

On Enabling

Use On Enabling for initialization or for an action that should happen when a Node becomes enabled. The published round-timer example starts a round, passes five Minutes through a timer, then reaches Round over.

On Enabling exampleThe model starts a round when the Play starts and again each time the timer enables it.
Start eventStart round
Timed stageRound timer
ResultRound over
A Source named Start round set to the On enable trigger feeds a Pool named Round timer and a Sink named Round over; a state connection from the timer enables Start round again.A Source named Start round set to the On enable trigger feeds a Pool named Round timer and a Sink named Round over; a state connection from the timer enables Start round again.
On Enabling diagram

Avoiding double triggers

A double trigger can happen when the origin Node pushes Resources and the destination Node pulls Resources through the same connection during one Step. For example, if a Source pushes one Resource and a Pool also pulls one, the connection can transfer two even though its label says one. Check both Nodes’ trigger settings and which side drives the flow.

One connection, two actionsThe published example explains why a flow can exceed its label.
OriginSource pushes 1
DestinationPool pulls 1
Possible total2 moved in one Step
A Source set to Auto and a Pool set to Auto, joined by one connection labeled 1 Coin: the Source pushes 1 and the Pool pulls 1, so the Pool grows by 2 each Step (8 after four Steps).A Source set to Auto and a Pool set to Auto, joined by one connection labeled 1 Coin: the Source pushes 1 and the Pool pulls 1, so the Pool grows by 2 each Step (8 after four Steps).
One connection triggered from both ends: the Pool grows by 2 each Step.
Five double-trigger examples, one above the other. In each, an Automatic Push origin sends 1 Points through one connection to an Automatic Pull destination: a Source to a Pool, a Pool holding 98 to a Pool, the same pair set to On enable, a Pool holding 98 to a Gate (Automatic Pull) that continues to a Destination Pool, and a Pool holding 98 to a Step Delay that continues to a Destination Pool.Five double-trigger examples, one above the other. In each, an Automatic Push origin sends 1 Points through one connection to an Automatic Pull destination: a Source to a Pool, a Pool holding 98 to a Pool, the same pair set to On enable, a Pool holding 98 to a Gate (Automatic Pull) that continues to a Destination Pool, and a Pool holding 98 to a Step Delay that continues to a Destination Pool.
Double-trigger examples

Double triggers are possible with combinations beyond Automatic Nodes. Follow each Resource Connection from origin to destination and decide which Node should initiate the transfer.

Pulling and pushing Resources · Resource Connections · Triggers and State Connections