Energy as a session gate
Snapshot
~85 sec
Energy (or stamina) as a session gate caps how long one sitting can stay open. Used well, it protects a readable leftover and a clean exit. Used poorly, it starves the core decision mid-loop or sells hard currency as the only way to finish a thought.
You will learn
- Name what the gate is protecting: a sitting length, a decision budget, or a recoverability promise.
- Spot when energy empties before the player completes one honest loop beat.
- Adjust refill, cost, or sink reach so the gate ends a sitting choosable, not mid-sentence.
Target outcome
You can design an energy gate that bounds a sitting without turning the core loop into a paywall for finishing a thought.
Visual walkthrough
Visual walkthrough
~6 min
Four parts of an honest session gate
Cap
How much energy a full sitting can spend before exit is forced.
Action cost
How much energy one core-loop attempt removes.
Refill rule
Time, soft earn, or hard purchase that restores the cap, and which of those players can trust.
Exit promise
What the player can still finish when energy hits zero: a clean leftover, not a cut scene.
Gate that teaches versus gate that interrupts
Approach Loop completion Trust / recoverability Leftover signal Empty mid-beatEnergy hits zero during a core attempt; the only continue is a hard refill. The sitting ends before intent → action → result can close once. Hard refill feels like paying to finish a sentence, not to extend a session. There is no readable leftover; the wallet and the gate both feel hostile. Bound the sittingCap and action cost leave room for at least one full loop; zero energy ends the sitting cleanly. Players can complete the beat they started before the gate closes. Soft refill or time refill covers routine return; hard refill is optional extension. Exit leaves a known next sitting start, same as a budgeted leftover. One sitting under an energy gate
Read left to right. The gate should close after a complete loop, not inside the action that teaches the game.
Full cap
Sitting opens with a known energy pool sized for the intended length.
fundsCore attempts
Each attempt spends a readable cost and still completes its result.
revealsSpend or stop
Player chooses another attempt or accepts the sitting end.
or stopGate closes
Zero energy ends the sitting with a clean exit promise, not a mid-beat lock.
recoversRefill path
Time or soft earn restores the next sitting; hard refill is optional extension only.
Read left to right. The gate should close after a complete loop, not inside the action that teaches the game. Reading order
- Full cap
Sitting opens with a known energy pool sized for the intended length.
- Core attempts
Each attempt spends a readable cost and still completes its result.
- Spend or stop
Player chooses another attempt or accepts the sitting end.
- Gate closes
Zero energy ends the sitting with a clean exit promise, not a mid-beat lock.
- Refill path
Time or soft earn restores the next sitting; hard refill is optional extension only.
Connection explanations
- Full cap → Core attempts (funds)
The cap only funds attempts if action cost leaves room for a full beat.
- Core attempts → Spend or stop (reveals)
After a result, the player should still choose: continue or accept the gate.
- Spend or stop → Gate closes (or stop)
Closing the gate is a designed exit, not an accident inside an action.
- Gate closes → Refill path (recovers)
Refill rules must say what is soft-recoverable versus optional hard extension.
- Refill path → Full cap (next sitting)
A clean next sitting start is the leftover promise of an energy gate.
Judge a gate plan
An invented runner costs 20 energy per attempt. The cap is 50. Soft refill is one full bar overnight. A paid pack refills instantly. A player starts an attempt at 15 energy and the run ends when energy hits zero mid-attempt. Is this an honest session gate? Why or why not?
Expected reasoning
No. The attempt can start without enough energy to finish, so the gate interrupts a beat. An honest gate either blocks starting the attempt until cost is covered, or completes the started attempt and closes the sitting after. Soft overnight refill can still be fine for the next sitting; the mid-attempt cut is the failure.