One game that I really enjoy is Harvest Moon, created by Yasuhiro Wada. At its core, Harvest Moon‘s architecture can be seen through its main interaction arc, which comes in the form of the game’s story of the protagonist attempting to revitalize the farm they have inherited. Within each day, the player goes through a mini interaction loop that guides their play. They need to create a mental model to evaluate the state of their farm: what crops you already have, how far along their growth is, how your animals are doing, etc. This prompts the player to make certain decisions about what they should do that day because there is only so much time in a single day, so a player may have to decide between taking care of their crops more or tending to their animals more. Once a player has decided on their plans for the day, they act, whether it be watering their plans and tilling the soil or checking on their chickens for eggs and making sure they are fed. To do so, the player has to follow certain rules, such as pressing certain buttons in order to water the crops or walking along a certain path to get to their barn. In most cases, the player receives visual feedback, whether an indicator that the plants have been watered by darker soil or a text box saying they have collected some eggs. As the day ends, they will need to update their mental model in order to prepare for the next day. Each new day brings new challenges and opportunities, which allows for a content treadmill that keeps gameplay fresh while never straying too far from its main formula. While it may just be a game about farming, it is a lot of fun!
