Volumetric Digging
Dig out and fill in the ground freely; gathering is also sculpting.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Spatial · Creativity · Precision
No.053No Man's Sky01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Pick a dig spot
- 02Carve and collect
- 03Store or refill
- 04Use the new terrain
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
A vein lies 10 m down; the player has 4 pack slots, each holding one canister of soil.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
They dig a sloped tunnel and dump excess soil outside the entrance.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
The tunnel forms, a mound builds at the entrance, and 3 slots stay free for ore.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
The player plans to use that mound to level ground near the base.
How it plays
Terrain is volumetric; tools remove or add material by volume. Digging yields resources and also carves tunnels, ramps and flat ground for building. Storage and tool power cap how much you shift, and the tactile terrain response is the main joy.
What the player weighs
- Fast rough digging vs. careful shaping
- Carry soil and fill your pack vs. drop it and stay light
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
No Man's Sky
The Terrain Manipulator digs, fills and flattens ground, often used for underground bases or reaching buried resources.
ASTRONEER
Whole planets can be sculpted; dug soil goes into canisters for later filling or shaping, and augments change the tool's behavior.
The difference worth noticing
No Man's Sky uses digging to support exploration; ASTRONEER makes terrain sculpting the heart of play.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
Mix with scene deduction: layers bury an old camp's remains, and digging through strata reconstructs the order of a disaster.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Snap-Together Building
Pieces snap into place so players think about what to build, not pixel alignment.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Pick a piece
- 02Bring it to a snap point
- 03Confirm placement
- 04Continue from the new edge
Reshaping the Land
The ground is no longer a backdrop; digging, filling and leveling become part of building.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Read the terrain
- 02Dig down or raise up
- 03Build on the new ground
- 04Handle the side effects
Building Upward
When the ground runs out, build up; height becomes a new dimension to plan.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Run out of floor space
- 02Raise a platform or floor
- 03Solve vertical access
- 04Expand on the new level