Examples and Use Cases#

This guide provides complete examples of common game economy patterns. Use these as starting points for your own designs, or adapt them to fit your specific needs.

Example 1: Simple Quest Reward System#

A basic economy where players complete quests and earn gold.

Setup#

Currencies:

• Gold (start: 100, clamp: 0-1000)

Variables:

• None needed for basic version

Flow:

1. Start Node
2. Economy Source (Gold, +50, absolute)
3. End Node

Connections#

• Start → Economy Source (regular)
• Economy Source → End (regular)

Behavior#

Each step:

• Player earns 50 gold
• Gold increases by 50 each step
• Clamped at 1000 maximum

Variations#

Random Rewards:

• Change Economy Source to range mode
• Min: 30, Max: 70
• Adds randomness to rewards

Variable Rewards:

• Create variable questReward (int, value: 50)
• Use {{questReward}} in Economy Source amount
• Can adjust reward dynamically

Example 2: Purchase System#

Players earn gold and can spend it on items.

Setup#

Currencies:

• Gold (start: 200, clamp: 0-1000)

Variables:

• None needed for basic version

Flow:

1. Start Node
2. Economy Source (Gold, +25, absolute)
3. Economy Sink (Gold, -50, conditional)
4. Conditional Node (check if Gold >= 50)
5. End Node

Connections#

• Start → Economy Source (regular)
• Economy Source → Conditional (regular)
• Conditional → Economy Sink (success, green)
• Economy Sink → End (regular)
• Conditional → End (failure, red)

Behavior#

Each step:

1. Player earns 25 gold
2. System checks if player has >= 50 gold
3. If yes: Player buys item (loses 50 gold), routes to success
4. If no: Player keeps gold, routes to failure

Variations#

Multiple Items:

• Add more Economy Sink nodes
• Different prices (25, 50, 100 gold)
• Use conditional connections to check currency

Variable Prices:

• Create variable itemPrice (int, value: 50)
• Use {{itemPrice}} in Economy Sink amount
• Can adjust prices dynamically

Example 3: Level Progression System#

Track player level and experience points.

Setup#

Currencies:

• Experience Points (start: 0, clamp: 0-1000)

Variables:

• playerLevel (int, start: 1)
• experienceToNext (int, start: 100)

Flow:

1. Start Node
2. Economy Source (Experience, +10, absolute)
3. Conditional Node (check if Experience >= experienceToNext)
4. Adjust Variable (increase playerLevel by 1)
5. Adjust Variable (set experienceToNext to {{playerLevel}} * 100)
6. Economy Sink (set Experience to 0)
7. End Node

Connections#

• Start → Economy Source (regular)
• Economy Source → Conditional (regular)
• Conditional → Adjust Variable (level) (success)
• Adjust Variable (level) → Adjust Variable (threshold) (regular)
• Adjust Variable (threshold) → Economy Sink (regular)
• Economy Sink → End (regular)
• Conditional → End (failure)

Behavior#

Each step:

1. Player gains 10 experience
2. System checks if experience >= threshold
3. If yes:
   • Level increases by 1
   • Threshold increases (level * 100)
   • Experience resets to 0
4. If no: Continue accumulating experience

Variations#

Variable Experience Gain:

• Create variable expGain (int, value: 10)
• Use {{expGain}} in Economy Source
• Can adjust based on activities

Progressive Thresholds:

• Use expression in threshold: {{playerLevel}} * 100 + {{baseXP}}
• Creates progressive difficulty curve

Example 4: Random Loot System#

Players have a chance to get different quality items.

Setup#

Currencies:

• Gold (start: 0, clamp: 0-10000)

Variables:

• None needed for basic version

Flow:

1. Start Node
2. Chance Connection Hub (multiple Economy Sources)
3. Economy Source (Common, +10 gold, chance: 70)
4. Economy Source (Rare, +50 gold, chance: 25)
5. Economy Source (Epic, +200 gold, chance: 5)
6. End Node

Connections#

• Start → Economy Source (Common) (chance, weight: 70)
• Start → Economy Source (Rare) (chance, weight: 25)
• Start → Economy Source (Epic) (chance, weight: 5)
• All Economy Sources → End (regular)

Behavior#

Each step:

• Random roll selects one loot type
• 70% chance: Common (10 gold)
• 25% chance: Rare (50 gold)
• 5% chance: Epic (200 gold)
• Only one path executes

Variations#

Variable Loot Values:

• Create variables for each loot tier
• Use variables in Economy Source amounts
• Adjust values dynamically

Conditional Loot:

• Add Conditional Node before chance connections
• Check player level or other conditions
• Higher level = better loot chances

Example 5: Energy System#

Players have limited energy that regenerates over time.

Setup#

Currencies:

• Energy (start: 100, clamp: 0-100)

Variables:

• None needed for basic version

Flow:

1. Start Node
2. Economy Source (Energy, +5, absolute)
3. Conditional Node (check if Energy < 100)
4. Economy Sink (Energy, -20, conditional)
5. End Node

Connections#

• Start → Economy Source (regular)
• Economy Source → Conditional (regular)
• Conditional → Economy Sink (success, if Energy < 100)
• Economy Sink → End (regular)
• Conditional → End (failure, if Energy = 100)

Behavior#

Each step:

1. Energy regenerates by 5 (capped at 100)
2. System checks if energy < 100
3. If yes: Player can use action (costs 20 energy)
4. If no: Energy is full, no action available

Variations#

Variable Regeneration:

• Create variable regenRate (int, value: 5)
• Use {{regenRate}} in Economy Source
• Adjust based on upgrades or items

Multiple Actions:

• Add more Economy Sink nodes
• Different energy costs
• Use conditional connections to check energy

Example 6: Inventory System#

Track items in inventory slots using arrays.

Setup#

Currencies:

• Gold (start: 500, clamp: 0-10000)

Variables:

• inventory (array, start: [0, 0, 0, 0])
• currentSlot (int, start: 0)

Flow:

1. Start Node
2. Economy Source (Gold, -100, conditional)
3. Conditional Node (check if Gold >= 100)
4. Adjust Variable (set inventory[{{currentSlot}}] to 1)
5. Adjust Variable (increase currentSlot by 1)
6. End Node

Connections#

• Start → Conditional (regular)
• Conditional → Economy Sink (success)
• Economy Sink → Adjust Variable (inventory) (regular)
• Adjust Variable (inventory) → Adjust Variable (slot) (regular)
• Adjust Variable (slot) → End (regular)
• Conditional → End (failure)

Behavior#

Each step:

1. System checks if player has >= 100 gold
2. If yes:
   • Player spends 100 gold
   • Item added to current inventory slot
   • Current slot advances
3. If no: Purchase fails

Variations#

Multiple Item Types:

• Create multiple arrays for different item types
• Use different prices for each type
• Track quantities in each slot

Variable Slot Management:

• Create variable maxSlots (int, value: 10)
• Check if {{currentSlot}} < {{maxSlots}} before adding
• Prevents overflow

Example 7: Multi-Layer Economy#

Organize complex economy using layers.

Layer 1: Quest Rewards (Priority 0)#

• Start Node
• Economy Source (Gold, +50)
• End Node

Layer 2: Shop Purchases (Priority 1)#

• Start Node
• Conditional (check Gold >= 100)
• Economy Sink (Gold, -100, conditional)
• End Node

Layer 3: Crafting (Priority 2)#

• Start Node
• Conditional (check Gold >= 200)
• Economy Sink (Gold, -200, conditional)
• Economy Source (Materials, +1)
• End Node

Behavior#

Each step:

1. Layer 1 executes first: Player earns 50 gold
2. Layer 2 executes second: Player can buy item (if enough gold)
3. Layer 3 executes third: Player can craft (if enough gold)
4. All layers share the same currency state

Benefits#

• Organization: Separate systems into logical layers
• Priority Control: Execute in specific order
• Shared State: All layers affect same currencies
• Maintainability: Easier to manage complex economies

Example 8: Variable-Based Dynamic Economy#

Prices and rewards change based on player state.

Setup#

Currencies:

• Gold (start: 1000, clamp: 0-10000)

Variables:

• playerLevel (int, start: 1)
• basePrice (int, start: 100)
• priceMultiplier (int, start: 1)

Flow:

1. Start Node
2. Economy Source (Gold, {{playerLevel}} * 10, absolute)
3. Conditional Node (check if Gold >= {{basePrice}} * {{priceMultiplier}})
4. Economy Sink (Gold, {{basePrice}} * {{priceMultiplier}}, conditional)
5. Adjust Variable (increase priceMultiplier by 1)
6. End Node

Connections#

• Start → Economy Source (regular)
• Economy Source → Conditional (regular)
• Conditional → Economy Sink (success)
• Economy Sink → Adjust Variable (regular)
• Adjust Variable → End (regular)
• Conditional → End (failure)

Behavior#

Each step:

1. Player earns gold based on level (level * 10)
2. System checks if player can afford item
3. Price increases after each purchase (multiplier increases)
4. Creates dynamic economy that scales with player

Variations#

Level-Based Scaling:

• Rewards scale with level
• Prices scale with level
• Creates progressive economy

Supply and Demand:

• Adjust prices based on purchase frequency
• Increase multiplier if purchases frequent
• Decrease if purchases rare

Best Practices from Examples#

Start Simple#

• Begin with basic flows
• Add complexity gradually
• Test each addition

Use Variables Wisely#

• Variables for dynamic values
• Arrays for multi-slot systems
• Booleans for state flags

Organize with Layers#

• Separate systems into layers
• Use priorities for execution order
• Share currencies across layers

Test Incrementally#

• Run simulations frequently
• Check results at each step
• Adjust based on behavior

Balance Sources and Sinks#

• Ensure economy is balanced
• Use analysis tools
• Compare sources vs sinks

Next Steps#

• Try building these examples yourself
• Adapt them to your needs
• Combine patterns from multiple examples
• Experiment with variations
• Learn about Node Types for more options
• Explore Connections for flow control
• Read about Variables for dynamic behavior