Learning paths

Economy foundations

From a clear decision goal through flow, rates, one-session budget, trust, pacing, and readable feedback - the full beginner foundation graph.

10 steps~61 minBeginner → Intermediate

See the roadmap

StartEconomy Design
Define a system goal
State the decision the model should support before adding resources.
Beginner~5 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersA clear goal gives every later resource a reason to exist.
Step 2 of 10Economy Design
Game economy flow: from goal to feedback
Trace one invented resource from goal through choice to a readable signal.
Beginner~6 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersOnce the loop is visible, you can isolate rates inside it.
Step 3 of 10Economy Design
Source and sink balance
Compare the rate resources enter against the rate legitimate choices remove them.
Beginner~7 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersRates only matter if one sitting still leaves a readable leftover.
Step 4 of 10Economy Design
Design a one-session economy budget
Plan earn and spend for one sitting so leftover and starvation stay readable.
Beginner~6 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersA sitting budget often needs a gate that closes the sitting without cutting a loop mid-beat.
Step 5 of 10Economy Design
Energy as a session gate
Bound a sitting with energy or stamina without cutting a core loop mid-beat.
Intermediate~6 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersWhen sittings end cleanly, leftover piles across weeks become inflation you can diagnose.
Step 6 of 10Economy Design
Diagnose economy inflation
See what unchecked source rates do across many weeks of play.
Intermediate~5 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersBefore you correct a rate, know which currency players trust.
Step 7 of 10Economy Design
Soft and hard currency
Draw the trust boundary between earned and paid currency.
Beginner~7 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersCurrency trust only matters once you decide exactly which things each currency is allowed to buy.
Step 8 of 10Economy Design
Currency sink catalog
Sort a purchase into cosmetic, convenience, power, or time-skip, then match it to the currency whose trust boundary can carry it.
Intermediate~6 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersWith the catalog sorted by currency, the last piece is how fast that catalog's rewards should pace out.
Step 9 of 10Economy Design
Progression pacing curves
Read a reward curve's shape, not just its total.
Intermediate~6 min
Open topic
Why this connection mattersA shaped curve still fails if the next choice stays opaque.
Step 10 of 10Game Design
Check the feedback loop
Ask how one choice changes the next visible decision.
Intermediate~7 min
Open topic