Triggers
A Trigger is a State Connection whose Type is Trigger. Pick what fires it under Trigger on...: Any change, Chance, Gain, Loss or Failed action. A Trigger does not change a number; it activates the target Node.
They are commonly used in games to react to the redistribution of Resources.
A Trigger fires when all the inputs of its origin Node become satisfied: when each input brings in the number of Resources to the Node as indicated by its flow rate. A firing Trigger will, in turn, fire its target Node or Connection.
State Connections cannot act as triggers for Resource/State Connections (cannot point towards the Formula of a Resource Connection).
In Monopoly, players might transfer money to the bank in order to trigger the transfer of property from the bank into their possession. Below is an example diagram showcasing this simple exchange of goods, in which a player pays 3 Money Resources to the bank for 1 Property.
Triggers are commonly used to fire passive Nodes that do nothing until the Trigger fires them. This enables you to set up a passive Node that fires only when certain circumstances arise in the game.
Here’s a diagram showcasing possible scenarios for using triggers.
Reverse Triggers
Some games might require negative responses when the player doesn’t have the Resources needed by an automatic or randomly triggered element. For example, in Civilization when the player runs out of gold to pay the upkeep for his cities’ improvements, the game automatically sells some of them.
To simulate this type of event, Machinations includes Reverse Triggers.
A Reverse Trigger is a State Connection whose Trigger on... is Failed action: it fires its target when the origin tries to act but cannot.
If the source Node of the Reverse Trigger tries to move Resources but cannot pull all Resources as indicated by the Source’s input Connections, the Reverse Trigger will fire its target Node.
Reverse Triggers can also be used to trigger End Conditions to make a game stop. Please see the End Conditions article to learn more.
Selected models to Play and remix: Selected feedback loop models.