Game Economy & Balance Planning

Plan resource systems that create meaningful choices. Start simple, add complexity only when needed.

Quick Reference

Economy Complexity Decision

Decision rule: Start one level simpler than you think you need. Add complexity after playtesting proves the simple version lacks interesting choices.

MLP Economy Checklist

• At least one resource the player earns (tap exists)
• At least one meaningful way to spend it (sink exists)
• Spending involves a real choice (not obvious best option)
• Resource is visible and understandable to the player
• Economy supports ≥10 minutes of play without breaking (no infinite loops, no dead ends)

Taps & Sinks Core

MLP rule: One tap, one sink, one resource. Prove the decision is interesting before adding more.

Deep Dives

• (see economy-design/frameworks.md for Taps & Sinks detail, Economy Flow Mapping, Progression Curves, Loot & Reward Planning)
• (see economy-design/balance.md for Balance Heuristics, Design-Phase Validation, Economy Anti-Patterns)
• (see economy-design/genre-patterns.md for Roguelike, Idle, Tower Defense, RPG, Survival patterns + Dual→Full Economy Scaling)

See Also

• design-frameworks — Feedback loops, systems thinking, and progression system types (see design-frameworks → Core Loop Design)
• scoping — Cutting heuristics for economy features (see scoping → MLP Scoping Process)
• playtesting — Validate economy decisions with real players (see playtesting)
• antipatterns — Economy-related planning mistakes (see antipatterns)
• scenario-walkthrough — Narrate how the economy feels during play (see scenario-walkthrough → The 5-Beat Structure)
• difficulty-design — Economy difficulty curves and resource scarcity as challenge (see difficulty-design → Challenge Types)
• content-planning — Content as economy scope and production cost (see content-planning)
• mechanics-palette — Collection & resource mechanics that feed economy systems (see mechanics-palette)