GameDesignValueChains_v1
Created: 5/9/2026
Models a game's economy as a Value Chain graph per Daniel Cook, 'Value Chains' (Lostgarden, December 2021). Each node has Cook's canonical 3-element structure (action + inputs marked with '-' + outputs marked with '+', with & for AND and , for OR). Production nodes are classified into Cook's closed five-source taxonomy (capped, trickle, grind, investment, random). Consumption nodes are classified into the closed four-sink taxonomy (fixed x^0, repeatable x^1, exponential x^1+, competitive). Chains terminate in psychological anchors drawn from Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, competence, relatedness) or Quantic Foundry's twelve motivations (Destruction, Excitement, Competition, Community, Challenge, Strategy, Completion, Power, Fantasy, Story, Design, Discovery). Enforces Cook's master pairing rule (lower-power sources feed equal-or-higher-power sinks: capped -> fixed; trickle -> repeatable; grind/investment -> exponential or competitive). Detects break_in_chain, dead nodes, undiffer