zriptic/roclicks-skills

Roblox game pipeline

One game, start to finish, with the developer approving each gate. This skill is the conductor: each phase names the skill or tool that does the work, what that phase must produce, and how to know it is done. Do not rewrite what those skills already say; load them when their phase starts.

SK = this skill folder. PB = an optional playbook of your own: a folder (<playbook>/) of generic lessons sorted into topic folders such as game-design/, building/, engineering/ and thumbnails/. If you don't have one yet, skip the PB pointers below and start one as lessons come up.

Companion skills named below (studify, roblox-ui-maker, roblox-vfx, roblox-game-score, claude-music, a design-advice skill, jest-luau, scrapling, agent-browser) and the meshlab toolkit (github.com/zriptic/roclicks-skills, folder meshlab/) are optional. If one isn't installed, do that phase directly with the same "produces" and gate.

Before anything

1. Find or create the game folder: <projects>/<slug>/. Copy SK/templates/GAME.md into it as GAME.md. That file is the single source of truth: phase status, decisions, place and universe ids, asset ids, open questions. Update it at the end of every phase and whenever a decision lands. A new session on this game starts by reading GAME.md.
2. Read memory for this game and the developer's standing rules. The rules summary is in SK/references/rules.md; the measured engine and tool facts are in SK/references/gotchas.md. Read both before the first Studio call.
3. Find the Studio: use one Studio MCP server for all edits (this skill was written against the community robloxstudio MCP server; the official built-in Roblox_Studio server is used only for upload_image). Check which place is open before every write: there are often several open places with the same default name.
4. Plan the phases you will run for this request and say them in one message: phase, what it produces, which skill. Skip phases the request does not need. A remake of an existing game starts at phase 0 with "study"; a brand-new idea starts at phase 0 with "concept".

The phases

#	Phase	Produces	Skill / tool
0	Concept / study	GAME.md pitch + reference breakdown	a design-advice skill, SK/references/study-a-game.md, scrapling / agent-browser for research
1	Design + economy	PLAN.md: core loop, progression, monetization, numbers; a pacing sim	design-advice skill, PB/game-design/*, a sim/ script (Python or luau)
2	World	Map in Studio, stud style, every visible piece a meshlab model	meshlab (SK/references/meshlab.md); layout code places baked models; PB/building/* for layout ideas
3	Models	Every prop, building, vehicle and piece of character gear as meshlab models, baked to MeshData	meshlab (SK/references/meshlab.md, parallel modelling agents); SDF sculpt for creatures; Meshy/Blender only if the developer asks (SK/references/models.md)
4	Systems	Server/client Luau: data, remotes, loop, products	PB/engineering/*, jest-luau for tests, luau CLI for pure logic
5	UI	Every screen, HTML first, then a real ScreenGui	roblox-ui-maker (always; read its LESSONS.md)
6	VFX	Particle effects for every key moment	roblox-vfx (read its LESSONS.md)
7	Audio	Music cues + SFX, SoundGroups	roblox-game-score, claude-music*; keep your verified reusable UI sound ids as described in SK/references/rules.md
8	QA	Defect list fixed; screenshots; loop timings	SK/references/qa.md
9	Launch	Thumbnails, icon, products, published place, analytics	SK/references/launch.md
10	Live ops	Analytics read, next update planned	SK/references/launch.md (analytics), design-advice skill

Phases 2-7 can overlap once phase 1 is approved: a world and its UI do not wait for each other. Systems (4) gate QA (8).

Phase gates (what "done" means)

• 0 → 1: the developer agrees the pitch and the core loop in one sentence each.
• 1 → build: PLAN.md approved by the developer; the sim shows the pacing they want (first upgrade under a minute, first rebirth in the target window, no dead stretch). Numbers come from the sim, not from vibes.
• Each build phase: verified by measurement and screenshots, not by "it compiled" (see qa.md). Show the developer screenshots, ask, and write the feedback into the owning skill's LESSONS.md (UI, VFX) or into memory.
• 8 → 9: the loop plays start to finish in a playtest with no errors in get_runtime_logs, mobile layout checked, 12+ player-height screenshots reviewed.
• 9: nothing goes public without the developer's explicit yes (publishing, uploads, dev products, price changes).

Running phases in parallel (lanes)

For a big push, use background subagents as lanes (Agent tool), one per independent phase: world, UI, VFX, audio. Rules and ready-made lane prompts are in SK/references/lanes.md. Studio is a single shared resource: only one lane writes to a given place at a time; the others prepare files (HTML UI, textures, models, music) and hand them back for import.

Always

• Stud style by default unless the brief or reference says otherwise.
• Particles, not 3D objects, for effects.
• HTML-first UI, icons only from the project's chosen icon pack, never emojis.
• meshlab builds everything visible (the developer's rule): world, props, vehicles, gear. Parts only for invisible colliders, triggers, seats and spawns. Bake to MeshData, and the client rebuilds + ApplyMeshes (SK/references/meshlab.md). No free models.
• Verify yourself with screenshots and measurements before showing the developer.
• Ask before spending (Meshy credits, uploads, Robux-priced products) and before anything public.
• Push Luau through .rbxmx + import_rbxm, never set_script_source for anything with \n in strings (gotchas.md).
• Record every decision, id and lesson: GAME.md for this game, memory for cross-game facts, PB for generic lessons (no game names or secrets there).