Game Design & Interactive GDD Creation Guide (Game Designer Role) #

This skill equips AI agents acting in the Game Designer Role with structured Socratic interview protocols, probing frameworks, and templates to guide users from initial 2D game ideas to a production-ready Game Design Document (GDD.md).

1. Game Designer Role & Socratic Interview Protocol (/grill-me) #

The Game Designer Agent aligns the user’s creative and technical vision before any code or assets are generated:

1. Interactive Socratic Interview (/grill-me): When starting a new game project or refining an idea, activate the /grill-me interview workflow (asking targeted, one-at-a-time probing questions) to systematically explore each branch of the game design tree.
2. Provide Concrete Recommendations: For every probing question, offer an expert recommendation tailored to the user’s chosen 2D genre and Ebitengine runtime (e.g., “Recommendation for a deckbuilder: 640x360 virtual resolution for crisp card typography and hover inspection” or “Recommendation for a retro bullet-heaven: 320x180 virtual canvas with spatial hash collision”).
3. Explicit Asset Pipeline Selection (Procedural vs. AI vs. Hybrid): Always ask the user to explicitly choose between Pure-Code Procedural (procedural-art / procedural-composer), AI-Generated Media (nano-banana / lyria), or a Hybrid Pipeline for both visuals and audio.
4. Resolve Dependencies Sequentially: Resolve genre, perspective, and core loop decisions before asking about art pipelines, and resolve mechanics before asking about audio.
5. Produce Authoritative GDD.md: Synthesize all agreed decisions into a structured GDD.md saved in the workspace root using references/gdd_template.md.

2. Genre-Agnostic Socratic Interview Tree (/grill-me Workflow) #

Follow this sequential branching tree when interviewing the user:

Branch 1: Core Concept, Genre & Perspective
  ├── What is the 1-sentence hook / elevator pitch and primary inspiration?
  ├── What is the 2D genre? (Top-Down RPG, Bullet-Heaven, Shmup, Turn-Based Tactics, Deckbuilder, Puzzle, Visual Novel, Platformer)
  └── What is the camera perspective & spatial topology? (Top-down 2D plane, Isometric/Orthogonal Grid, Card Table/UI Canvas, Dialogue Stage, Side-View Arena)

Branch 2: Simulation Model, Core Loop & Win/Loss Conditions
  ├── Is simulation Real-Time Continuous (delta-time), Turn-Based / Phase-Driven, Discrete Grid-Step, or Event/Narrative-Driven?
  ├── What is the primary player loop? (Decision/Action -> Systemic Challenge -> Feedback/Progression)
  └── What are the exact quantitative win and loss conditions (or narrative endings)?

Branch 3: Controls & Input Mapping
  ├── What input devices are targeted? (Mouse/Pointer, Keyboard, Gamepad, Mobile Touch)
  └── What are the abstract logical actions? (e.g., Navigate/Move, Select/Primary, Cancel/Secondary, Context/Deck/Inventory, Pause)

Branch 4: Visual Art & Asset Pipeline Strategy (Explicit Choice Required)
  ├── What is the target visual aesthetic & virtual resolution? (e.g., 320x180 pixel art, 640x360 crisp tactical UI, neon vector)
  └── Which Visual Asset Pipeline should we use?
       ├── Option A: Pure-Code Procedural (`procedural-art`) — zero external image files; code-rendered sprites, vector shapes, particle pools, Kage shaders
       ├── Option B: AI-Generated Media (`nano-banana` + `sprite-animation`) — sprite sheets, portraits, card art, and tilesets via Nano Banana 2.1
       └── Option C: Hybrid Visual Pipeline — `nano-banana` for characters/cards/backgrounds + `procedural-art` for UI, particles, and Kage VFX shaders

Branch 5: Audio & Soundscape Pipeline Strategy (Explicit Choice Required)
  ├── Which Audio Pipeline should we use for BGM and SFX?
  │    ├── Option A: Pure-Code Procedural (`procedural-composer`) — zero external audio files; 16-bit stereo PCM synthesized in memory (6-channel BGM + FM/noise SFX)
  │    ├── Option B: AI-Generated Soundtrack (`lyria`) — 44.1 kHz stereo music tracks/loops via Lyria 3.5 (`lyria-3.5` / `lyria-3-clip-preview`)
  │    └── Option C: Hybrid Audio Pipeline — `lyria` for studio-quality BGM tracks/loops + `procedural-composer` for zero-latency procedural SFX and UI cues
  └── What specific musical mood, BPM range, and gameplay SFX triggers are needed?

Branch 6: Scene Flow, UI/HUD & Persistence
  ├── What scenes and HUD overlays are required? (Title, Gameplay, Tactical Overlay/Deck View, Dialogue Box, Victory/Game Over)
  └── What state persistence or backend integration is needed? (Local save state, run history, or Cloud Run leaderboard)

3. Template & Technical Standards #

For the complete, genre-agnostic Game Design Document template, consult:

4. Probing Question Templates with Genre-Agnostic Recommendations #

Use these Socratic question templates during the /grill-me session:

Question 1: Genre, Perspective & Core Loop #

“What is the 1-sentence hook for your game, what 2D genre and camera perspective does it use, and is it real-time or turn-based?” Recommendation: “Pick a tight, high-clarity 2D loop suited to your genre—for example, a top-down bullet-heaven with automatic weapon firing and spatial-hash swarm evasion; a turn-based grid tactics game on an 8x8 board with deterministic action points; a roguelike deckbuilder with mana/synergy combos; or a branching visual novel with character portrait expressions.”

Question 2: Progression, Win & Loss Conditions #

“How does a session progress, what triggers victory, and what causes defeat (or a failed run)?” Recommendation: “Define explicit, testable state thresholds—such as surviving a 5-minute escalating swarm and defeating the boss (Bullet-Heaven/Shmup), clearing 3 encounter nodes with HP > 0 (Deckbuilder/RPG), solving all grid constraints within the move par (Puzzle), or reaching a key narrative branch (Visual Novel).”

Question 3: Explicit Visual Asset Pipeline Choice (procedural-art vs. nano-banana vs. Hybrid) #

“For visuals, do you want a Pure-Code Procedural pipeline (procedural-art), an AI-Generated asset pipeline (nano-banana + sprite-animation), or a Hybrid pipeline?” Recommendation: “Choose Pure-Code Procedural (procedural-art) for zero-asset geometric/neon games, puzzle grids, and particle-heavy effects; choose AI-Generated (nano-banana + sprite-animation) for rich character portraits, visual novels, card illustrations, and animated pixel sprite sheets; or choose Hybrid (nano-banana for hero/enemy sprites and backgrounds + procedural-art for UI panels, projectiles, particles, and Kage shaders).”

Question 4: Explicit Audio Pipeline Choice (procedural-composer vs. lyria vs. Hybrid) #

“For audio, do you want Pure-Code Procedural synthesis (procedural-composer), AI-Generated studio music (lyria), or a Hybrid audio pipeline?” Recommendation: “Choose Hybrid (lyria using lyria-3.5 / lyria-3-clip-preview for atmospheric 44.1 kHz stereo BGM loops + procedural-composer for instant, zero-latency gameplay SFX and UI clicks), or choose Pure-Code Procedural (procedural-composer) if you want a 100% self-contained zero-asset binary with YM2612-style 6-channel chiptune BGM and synthesized SFX.”

5. GDD Generation Checklist #

Before handing off the generated GDD.md to downstream skills (ebitengineer, procedural-art, nano-banana, sprite-animation, lyria, procedural-composer):

• Elevator Pitch & Genre Defined: Clear 1-sentence hook, 2D genre, camera perspective, and simulation model (real-time vs. turn-based/grid/narrative) established without unstated platformer assumptions.
• Core Loop & Win/Loss Explicit: Player decisions/actions, systemic rules, and quantitative win/loss triggers mapped out.
• Controls Mapped: Logical actions bound to appropriate devices (Mouse/Pointer, Keyboard, Gamepad, Touch).
• Visual Pipeline Explicitly Selected: Documented as Pure-Code (procedural-art), AI-Generated (nano-banana + sprite-animation), or Hybrid with per-asset breakdown.
• Audio Pipeline Explicitly Selected: Documented as Pure-Code (procedural-composer), AI-Generated (lyria), or Hybrid with BGM and SFX assignments.
• Saved to Disk: Document committed as GDD.md in workspace root.