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

parts

12 mechanics, as shapez 2 does them

core · 5

control & automation

Blueprints

Copying and pasting factory sections costs Blueprint Points earned from goals, making repeated modules the intended way to scale.

space & construction

Building placement

Space platforms in 20x20 chunks are the limited building surface, capped by Platform Units, with notches at chunk edges as the only connection points between platforms.

logistics & networks

Conveyor transport

Belts, splitters, mergers, and lifts move shapes across three building levels per platform, and space belts carry them between platforms.

resources & production

Production chains

Cutters, rotators, stackers, swappers, painters, pin pushers, and crystal generators each transform shapes by fixed rules; a target shape code implies a processing sequence the player must lay out.

progression & goals

Tech tree

Delivering each milestone's required shapes to the Vortex unlocks the next buildings and mechanics, such as fluids, painting, crystals, and trains; afterwards, operator goal lines with exponentially rising shape costs reward platform units, blueprint points, and research points.

supporting · 7

logistics & networks

Fluid pipe networks

Pipes and space pipes carry fluids such as paint from asteroid pumps to painters, and fluid launchers move them across notches.

progression & goals

Megaproject sink

After the fixed milestones, operator goal lines at the Vortex demand shapes in quantities that grow exponentially per level (for example 15,000 shapes at 18% growth), absorbing late-game output.

multiplayer & persistence

Modding API

Mods load natively through the ShapezShifter API and are distributed on Steam Workshop.

resources & production

Resource extraction

Asteroid miners and pumps on platforms extract raw shape fields and fluid deposits from a procedurally generated world.

control & automation

Signal circuits

Wire machines carry signals that read and control machines, and wireless senders and receivers pass signals across platform notches.

logistics & networks

Vehicle routes and schedules

Space trains load fixed-size packages at loader stations and unload at stops; each rail carries trains of several colors that take their own color's branch at splitters, and wagons hold one package per machine level.

space & construction

Vertical layers

Each platform has three stacked building levels, and shapes carry up to four or five vertical layers that must be supported from below.

core loop

read the requested shape code -> extract raw shapes from asteroids -> cut, rotate, stack, and paint on belts across levels -> deliver to the Vortex -> earn platform units and research -> build bigger platforms and train networks

design notes

shapez 2 removes enemies, money, and building costs (all buildings are free) and keeps only the throughput puzzle: the product is an abstract shape of up to four layers of four quadrants, each part with a type and one of nine colors, written as a shape code. Parts obey a support rule (no floating pieces) and crystals shatter when cut from or stacked onto other crystals, so processing order is part of the puzzle. Space is the scarce resource: machines sit on space platforms whose count is limited by Platform Units earned from goals, and platforms connect through edge notches, space belts, and colored train lines whose routing is set per color at splitters. After the fixed milestones, operator goal lines grow exponentially in cost per level (for example 15,000 shapes at 18% growth), turning the endgame into scaling a design rather than designing a new one.

appears in

the paper, 2 sections · 3 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 1

Chapter 1. Same parts

linked from the text

book
ch 3

Chapter 3. Old parts

linked from the text

book
ch 4

Chapter 4. Families

linked from the text

book

claims

2 with sources
c01high

shapez 2 is the sequel to Shapez (2020, also known as shapez.io), which has no entry in this dataset, so the lineage is recorded here rather than as an influenced_by edge.

src-wikipedia-shapez-2

c02high

Early access began on 2024-08-15 and version 1.0 released on 2026-04-23.

src-wikipedia-shapez-2, src-steam-2026-shapez-2

sources

7
Wikipedia contributors (2026). Shapez 2. Wikipedia
(2026). shapez 2. Steam
shapez 2 Wiki contributors (2026). Shapes. shapez 2 Wiki
shapez 2 Wiki contributors (2026). Trains. shapez 2 Wiki
shapez 2 Wiki contributors (2026). Operator Level. shapez 2 Wiki
shapez 2 Wiki contributors (2026). Space Platforms. shapez 2 Wiki
shapez 2 Wiki contributors (2026). Modding. shapez 2 Wiki

provenance

runs in log/runs
2026-10-24
created2026-10-24-catalog-ghcatalog