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

parts

14 mechanics, as Frostpunk does them

core · 4

governance & policy

Citizen satisfaction

Hope and Discontent meters respond to laws, events, and conditions; hope too low or discontent too high for too long ends the game in revolt.

time & pacing

Crisis countdown

Temperature falls on a schedule toward the Great Storm, which the main scenario must be survived through.

governance & policy

Policy toggles

The Book of Laws offers adaptation laws such as child labor, extended shifts, and prosthetics, plus Order or Faith paths whose later laws are harsher.

logistics & networks

Service coverage

The generator heats a circular area whose range and level the player raises; buildings outside heat need insulation or heaters.

supporting · 10

space & construction

Building placement

agents & behavior

Daily schedules

Citizens work daylight shifts; emergency shifts extend hours at a cost.

narrative & generation

Dilemma cards

Individual decisions, such as how to handle an injured child, offer choices that shift hope and discontent.

information & legibility

Fog of war

Scouts explore the frozen wasteland map for survivors and resources, the only way to grow the workforce.

economy & finance

Labor market

Workers, engineers, and children fill different job types.

resources & production

Resource extraction

Coal, wood, steel, and food come from thumpers, sawmills, mines, and hunters.

resources & production

Storage and buffers

progression & goals

Tech tree

Workshops research heat, extraction, and automaton technologies.

environment & ecology

Weather

core loop

keep the coal generator fueled -> heat districts and insulate buildings as temperatures fall -> assign workers to gather coal, wood, steel, and food -> sign laws that trade welfare for productivity -> balance hope and discontent -> survive the storm

design notes

The city is radial around one generator that heats a circular area, so layout is a function of heat range and fuel, and a coal shortage or overload can end the run. The Book of Laws sequences laws so that early compromises such as child labor or extended shifts open harsher later options, and Order or Faith paths lead toward totalitarian rule, turning policy into moral pressure tracked by hope and discontent. Building heat versus falling outside temperature has no exact taxonomy mechanic (see run proposal); 11 bit studios cites This War of Mine as the origin of its aim for meaningful entertainment, now applied to a whole society.

appears in

the paper, 2 sections · 4 chapters · 3 episodes
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 2

Chapter 2. Six layers

linked from the text

book
ch 4

Chapter 4. Families

linked from the text

book
ch 9

Chapter 9. Vacant lots

linked from the text

book
ch 10

Chapter 10. Bets

linked from the text

book
ep 3

Families across genres

on screen at 5:20 the sequel that moved, 6:53 limits

episode
ep 8

Vacant lots

on screen at 1:00 the missing story

episode

relations

1 stored edges
influenced by

sources

1
Wikipedia contributors (2026). Frostpunk. Wikipedia

provenance

runs in log/runs
2026-10-24
created2026-10-24-catalog-gacatalog
2026-10-24
reviewed2026-10-24-review-fixesmaintenance