In this chapter, we will explore the parts that make up a contest of decision-making, otherwise called a strategy game. The three primary parts are the core mechanism, the goal, and supporting mechanisms. Some systems strictly conform to this design pattern—in this book, we shall call these systems “clockwork systems.” Many systems, including the majority of today’s popular digital games, do not conform to this pattern. To refer to those games, we’ll use the term “patchwork systems.”
This book advocates for the design of clockwork systems for a number of reasons, all of which will be made clear in this chapter. Primarily, this ...
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