one dataset · paper, tables, graph, wiki
simgrammar the grammar of simulation

parts

13 mechanics, as Don't Starve does them

core · 3

environment & ecology

Day-night cycle

A day lasts 8 real minutes in sixteen 30-second segments of day, dusk, and night; sanity drains 5 per minute at dusk and 50 per minute in total darkness, where Charlie attacks unless the player has light.

resources & production

Hand crafting

Recipes combine gathered items into tools, light, shelter, and weapons; most must first be prototyped at a crafting station such as the science machine, though some characters bypass this.

biology & health

Survival meters

Hunger, health, and sanity meters; default maximum hunger is 150 and drains 75 per game day, and at empty hunger health drains 1.25 per second until the player eats or dies.

supporting · 10

risk & failure

Adaptive threat scaling

Hound attacks scale with days survived, from 2 hounds every 5-8 days early to 7-10 hounds every 11-16 days after day 100, with shorter warnings.

resources & production

Crop cultivation

control & automation

Direct avatar control

environment & ecology

Fire spread

Fire spreads across flammable plants and structures.

multiplayer & persistence

Modding API

Lua mods distributed through Steam Workshop.

risk & failure

Permadeath

Death deletes the world unless a rare resurrection item is available.

world generation

Procedural terrain

Each world is randomly generated.

resources & production

Renewable regrowth

Picked grass, saplings, and berry bushes regrow.

environment & ecology

Seasons

Winter shortens days and lengthens nights; seasons change hazards.

resources & production

Spoilage

Food spoils over time; spoiled food restores less hunger and costs health and sanity.

core loop

explore a generated world by day -> gather and craft tools, food, and light -> manage hunger, health, and sanity -> survive nights, hounds, and seasons -> build a base and stockpile for winter -> die and start a new world

design notes

Three meters interact: empty hunger drains health, and sanity falls at dusk and night and from unpleasant actions until, below 15% of maximum, shadow creatures attack, so the mind is a survival stock alongside the body. The 8-minute day is divided into day, dusk, and night segments whose split shifts with the season, and total darkness is lethal because Charlie attacks anyone without a light. Hound attacks escalate on a schedule tied to days survived, and death deletes the world except through rare resurrection items. Klei released it in beta in 2012 and fully on 23 April 2013.

appears in

the paper, 2 sections · 2 chapters
paper

5. The structure of the design space

linked in this section of the paper

paper
paper

Appendix A. Game catalog

linked in this section of the paper

paper
catalog

The catalog

listed with its year, developer, subgenre, and number of mechanics

book
ch 3

Chapter 3. Old parts

linked from the text

book
ch 4

Chapter 4. Families

linked from the text

book

sources

4
Wikipedia contributors (2026). Don't Starve. Wikipedia
Don't Starve Wiki contributors (2026). Hunger. Don't Starve Wiki (wiki.gg)
Don't Starve Wiki contributors (2026). Day-Night Cycle. Don't Starve Wiki (wiki.gg)
Don't Starve Wiki contributors (2026). Hound. Don't Starve Wiki (Fandom)

provenance

runs in log/runs
2026-10-24
created2026-10-24-catalog-gbcatalog
2026-10-25
reviewed2026-10-25-contributor-readinessmaintenance