Game Development
Five modes: Design (diagnosis, auditing, improvement), Pipeline (full lifecycle orchestration), Sprite (AI sprite generation), Phaser (2D engine builds), GM (large multi-system implementations). Cross-cutting concerns (audio, QA, deploy) load as needed. Classify the request and follow the matching section.
Mode Selection
| Mode | Signals |
|---|---|
| Design | game design, improve game, retention, churn, core loop, audit, game feel, balance, economy |
| Pipeline | make game, scaffold, game lifecycle, game audio, deploy game, game QA |
| Sprite | AI sprite, generate character, portrait, spritesheet, animated sheet, pixel art |
| Phaser | Phaser, 2D game, platformer, arcade physics, tilemap, side scroller |
| GM | large GM implementation, multi-system GM, CPU systems, multi-wave overhaul |
If the request spans modes, load both primary references. Design + Pipeline is common (design an improvement then implement it). Sprite + Phaser is common (generate assets then wire into a Phaser game).
Design Mode
Evidence-led game design diagnosis with 61 runnable capabilities. Start from repository evidence; never guess when the repo can answer.
Workflow
- Intake. Read target repository's governing files. Search for game, product, UI, analytics, and research guidance. Use file search to find design docs, player copy, rules, UI, config, tests, analytics, issues. Separate facts into: observed, documented, measured, inferred.
- Ask only what the repo cannot answer. Which player moment matters? What external evidence exists (playtests, telemetry, reviews)? Which constraints bind (platform, phase, team, time)?
- Load references. Route greedily -- load every module that could change the recommendation:
| Signal | Load |
|---|---|
| Promise, fantasy, loops, goals | references/core-loop-and-pillars.md |
| Ideation, novelty, removal, reuse | references/creative-and-options.md |
| Player motives, personas, values | references/player-and-social.md |
| Information, bias, randomness | references/cognition-and-choice.md |
| Failure, difficulty, fairness | references/fairness-and-failure.md |
| FTUE, flow, friction, session | references/pacing-and-return.md |
| Co-op, competition, social | references/social-and-competitive.md |
| Rewards, currencies, passes | references/progression-and-economy.md |
| Pitch, mood, prototype | references/emotion-and-presentation.md |
| Scope, sequence, estimates | references/planning-and-production.md |
| Full health report | All modules + references/full-diagnostic.md |
- Diagnose. Trace the player path: cue -> interpretation -> choice -> response -> cost/reward -> feedback -> next intention. State player consequence, evidence, competing explanations, confidence, severity.
- Decide. Offer 2-5 distinct options. For each: player-visible change, pillar fit, scope, dependencies, effort, reversibility, success metric, stop rule. Prefer reversible experiments. Reject dark patterns.
- Completion gate. Every finding has evidence or is marked as inference. Every recommendation has a validation plan.
Discovery Mode
When request is bare "game design" or "what reviews are available": load references/capability-catalog.md and present the full domain-organized catalog of 61 capabilities.
Autonomous Improvement
When asked to improve a game's retention, churn, or engagement: load references/autonomous-improvement.md. Inspect the real game, run relevant capabilities, make the smallest safe reversible improvement, verify, leave a measurement plan.
Pipeline Mode
Full lifecycle orchestration: SCAFFOLD -> ASSETS -> DESIGN -> AUDIO -> QA -> DEPLOY. Each phase can be entered independently.
Entry Detection
| Request | Entry Phase |
|---|---|
| make a game, new game | SCAFFOLD |
| generate assets, add sprites | ASSETS |
| add juice, particles, screen shake | DESIGN |
| add audio, background music | AUDIO |
| test game, visual regression | QA |
| deploy, ship, publish, iOS | DEPLOY |
Phase 1: SCAFFOLD
Detect engine (Three.js, Phaser, or vanilla canvas). Delegate to the appropriate engine skill or scaffold from template.
Phase 2: ASSETS
Route by asset type:
| Asset | Reference |
|---|---|
| 3D model, GLB, mesh | references/game-asset-generator.md + references/meshyai.md |
| Sprite, pixel art, tile | Load Sprite mode below |
| Image, texture, concept art | references/fal-ai-image.md |
| Environment, gaussian splat | references/worldlabs.md |
| Free assets, Sketchfab | references/asset-sources.md |
| Motion data, BVH, mocap | references/motion-pipeline.md |
Phase 3: DESIGN
Add game feel: screen shake, particles, hit-stop, juice. Load references/game-feel-patterns.md.
Phase 4: AUDIO
Web Audio API patterns, AudioManager, AudioBridge. Load references/game-audio.md.
Phase 5: QA
Automated testing, visual regression, Playwright, canvas seams. Load references/game-qa.md.
Phase 6: DEPLOY
| Target | Reference |
|---|---|
| GitHub Pages, Vercel, general | references/deploy.md |
| iOS via Capacitor | references/capacitor-ios.md |
| Promo video | references/promo-video.md |
Sprite Mode
AI sprite generation: portrait, portrait-loop, spritesheet, per-row animated
sheets. Load references/game-sprite-pipeline.md for the full pipeline.
Quick Steps
- Detect format. Portrait (single image), portrait-loop (idle animation), spritesheet (action set), per-row (multiple animations in rows).
- Select backend. Load
references/backend-chain.mdfor dispatch: Codex CLI primary, Gemini fallback. - Select style. Load
references/style-presets.mdfor 9 era/hardware presets. - Generate. Follow the pipeline for the detected format.
- Post-process. Background removal, palette quantization, sheet assembly.
- Validate. Check dimensions, frame counts, transparency, color consistency.
Phaser Mode
Phaser 3 2D game engine builds. Load references/phaser-gamedev.md for the
full methodology.
Core Patterns
Load references/core-patterns.md for scene lifecycle, transitions, and input handling.
| Task | Reference |
|---|---|
| Scene lifecycle, transitions | references/core-patterns.md |
| TypeScript entry, Boot/Game skeletons | references/build-scaffolds.md |
| Arcade physics, collision | references/arcade-physics.md |
| Tilemaps, tile layers | references/tilemaps.md, references/tilemaps-and-physics.md |
| Screen shake, particles, hit-stop | references/game-feel-patterns.md |
| Polish scaffolds | references/polish-scaffolds.md |
| Animate scaffolds | references/animate-scaffolds.md |
GM Mode
Evidence-to-live implementation for large GM programs (multi-system, multi-wave,
CPU-intensive). Load references/gm-brilliant-implementation.md for the full
methodology.
Applicability Gate
GM mode applies only when: multiple interconnected game systems change, CPU performance is a concern, or the implementation spans multiple deployment waves. If the gate fails, route to quick, workflow, or the target project's skill.
Key References
| Signal | Reference |
|---|---|
| Stage contracts, checkpoints | references/stage-contracts.md |
| CPU systems harmony | references/cpu-systems-harmony.md |
| Quality gates | references/quality-gates.md |
| Workflow DAG (34 stages) | references/workflow-dag.md |
Deep References
Load when the task needs detailed patterns, catalogs, or specifications.
Design
| Signal | Reference |
|---|---|
| 61 runnable capabilities | references/capability-catalog.md |
| Capability coverage matrix | references/capability-matrix.md |
| Full diagnostic report format | references/full-diagnostic.md |
| Individual capability specs | references/capabilities/*.md (61 files) |
| VFX containment rules | references/vfx-containment.md |
| Menus, HUD, shop, settings, or other screen UI (load first) | skills/shared-patterns/ui-design-judgment.md (game genre conventions win over web defaults), then skills/frontend/frontend/references/distinctive-frontend-design-refs/game-ui-polish.md |
Pipeline
| Signal | Reference |
|---|---|
| Game asset generator | references/game-asset-generator.md |
| Meshy AI 3D models | references/meshyai.md |
| Fal.ai image generation | references/fal-ai-image.md |
| WorldLabs environments | references/worldlabs.md |
| Asset sources catalog | references/asset-sources.md |
| Motion pipeline | references/motion-pipeline.md |
| Game audio | references/game-audio.md |
| Game QA | references/game-qa.md |
| Deploy targets | references/deploy.md |
| Capacitor iOS | references/capacitor-ios.md |
Sprite
| Signal | Reference |
|---|---|
| Full sprite pipeline | references/game-sprite-pipeline.md |
| Backend dispatch | references/backend-chain.md |
| Style presets | references/style-presets.md |
| Pixel art patterns | references/pixel-art-sprites.md |
| Output formats | references/output-formats.md |
| Prompt rules | references/prompt-rules.md |
| Background removal | references/bg-removal-local.md |
| Frame detection | references/frame-detection.md |
| Error catalog | references/error-catalog.md |
Phaser
| Signal | Reference |
|---|---|
| Full Phaser methodology | references/phaser-gamedev.md |
| Core patterns, scene lifecycle | references/core-patterns.md |
| Arcade physics | references/arcade-physics.md |
| Tilemaps and physics | references/tilemaps-and-physics.md |
| Game feel patterns | references/game-feel-patterns.md |
| Performance patterns | references/performance.md |
GM
| Signal | Reference |
|---|---|
| Full GM methodology | references/gm-brilliant-implementation.md |
| Stage contracts | references/stage-contracts.md |
| CPU systems harmony | references/cpu-systems-harmony.md |
| Quality gates | references/quality-gates.md |
| Workflow DAG | references/workflow-dag.md |
| Anchor alignment | references/anchor-alignment.md |
