Pranesh0805-S/Game-Dev-Skills

Game Rules Core

Genre-agnostic rules that every game needs. Genre quirks go on top of these, never replace them.

Workflow

1. Identify dimension (2D/3D), genre, camera, and input scheme.
2. Define the rule set BEFORE code: entities, states, rules, win/lose, edge cases.
3. Implement using the patterns below.
4. Read references/collision.md for collision/physics specifics.
5. Output a RULES.md in the project listing every game-specific rule so it can be tested later.

Universal structure

• Game loop: input -> update(fixed dt) -> collision -> state resolve -> render. Use a fixed timestep for physics, variable for rendering.
• Game states: Boot -> Menu -> Playing <-> Paused -> GameOver/Win -> Menu. Every transition must be explicit; no silent state changes.
• Entities: each has position, size/collider, velocity, state, and owner of its own rules.
• Rules table: for every rule write Trigger -> Condition -> Effect -> Edge case.

Rules every game must define

• Win condition, lose condition, and what happens on restart (what resets, what persists).
• Score/progress: how it increases, caps, and is saved.
• Player health/lives: damage source, invulnerability window, death handling.
• Spawn/despawn: where, when, limits, and cleanup (no leaks).
• Difficulty curve: what scales and how fast.
• Input: simultaneous inputs, buffering, rebinding, pause behavior.

Genre add-ons (pick what applies)

• Platformer: gravity, jump height/variable jump, coyote time (~100ms), jump buffer (~100ms), one-way platforms, moving-platform carry, fall-death plane.
• Runner/endless: speed ramp, procedural spawn spacing guaranteed passable, seed for reproducibility.
• Shooter: fire rate, projectile lifetime, hit registration, ammo/reload.
• Puzzle: deterministic state, undo, solvability check.
• Racing/3D: checkpoints, lap validation, anti-shortcut rules, camera collision.

Hard rules

• Never tie gameplay logic to frame rate.
• Never let an entity leave the playable bounds without a defined outcome.
• Every rule gets a number (no "fast", use units/sec).
• Randomness must be seedable.