/game-pipeline

name: game-pipeline
description: "Game lifecycle orchestrator: scaffold, assets, audio, QA, deploy."
user-invocable: false
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Bash
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - Edit
  - Task
routing:
  triggers:
    - make game
    - game pipeline
    - game audio
    - add audio game
    - game testing
    - game qa
    - playtest
    - deploy game
    - ship game
    - promo video
    - record gameplay
    - game polish
    - add juice
    - screen shake
    - capacitor ios
    - pixel art
    - tile pattern
    - palette quantize
    - matrix sprite
    - meshy
    - meshyai
    - generate 3d model
    - text to 3d
    - image to 3d
    - world labs
    - mocap
    - motion data
    - animation pipeline
    - BVH import
    - contact detection
    - IK solve
    - motion blend
    - bone trajectory
    - root extraction
    - FABRIK
    - skeletal animation data
  not_for: "AI-generated pixel art, illustration, or character art (use image-gen) — this skill is deterministic palette/matrix generation, not an AI backend; ad-hoc workflow composition (use workflow skill)"
  pairs_with:
    - threejs-builder
    - phaser-gamedev
    - game-sprite-pipeline
  complexity: Complex
  category: game-development

Game Pipeline Skill

Overview

This skill orchestrates the full game development lifecycle: SCAFFOLD → ASSETS → DESIGN → AUDIO → QA → DEPLOY. Each phase can be entered independently — you do not need to start from SCAFFOLD. The orchestrator never writes game code directly; it delegates each phase to the appropriate engine-specific skill or domain reference.

**Scope**: Use for any browser-based game (Three.js, Phaser, or vanilla canvas), cross-cutting concerns that span engines (audio, QA, promo, deploy), and iOS export via Capacitor. Skip Unity/Godot/native engines, non-game web apps, and server-side logic.

---

Reference Loading Table

| Signal | Load These Files | Why | |---|---|---| | `references/game-audio.md` | `game-audio.md` | AUDIO | | `references/game-qa.md` | `game-qa.md` | QA | | `references/game-designer.md` | `game-designer.md` | DESIGN | | `references/promo-video.md` | `promo-video.md` | DEPLOY | | `references/deploy.md` | `deploy.md` | DEPLOY | | `references/capacitor-ios.md` | `capacitor-ios.md` | DEPLOY | | "3D model", GLB, mesh, rig, meshy | `game-asset-generator.md`, `meshyai.md` | 3D model generation | | "environment", "gaussian splat", "world labs" | `game-asset-generator.md`, `worldlabs.md` | Environment generation | | "sprite", "pixel art", "tile", "palette quantize" | `game-asset-generator.md`, `pixel-art-sprites.md` | 2D sprite / pixel art | | "image", "texture", "concept art", fal.ai | `game-asset-generator.md`, `fal-ai-image.md` | Image / texture generation | | "free asset", "find model", "sketchfab" | `game-asset-generator.md`, `asset-sources.md` | Existing asset sources | | "mocap", "BVH", "motion data", "animation pipeline" | `motion-pipeline.md` | Motion data import / processing | | "contact detection", "IK solve", "FABRIK" | `motion-pipeline.md` | Contact / IK solving | | "motion blend", "bone trajectory", "root extraction" | `motion-pipeline.md` | Motion decomposition / blending |

Instructions

Entry Point Detection

**Before executing any phase**, determine which phase applies:

| User request | Entry phase | |---|---| | "make a game", "start a game", "new game" | SCAFFOLD | | "generate assets", "add sprites", "need art" | ASSETS | | "add juice", "game feels flat", "particles", "screen shake" | DESIGN | | "add audio", "background music", "sound effects" | AUDIO | | "test my game", "visual regression", "playwright", "game qa" | QA | | "deploy", "ship", "publish", "github pages", "promo video", "ios" | DEPLOY |

If the entry phase is not SCAFFOLD, skip to that phase. Phases are independently re-enterable.

---

Phase 1: SCAFFOLD

**Goal**: Initialize the project and delegate engine-specific setup.

**Step 1: Detect engine**

| Signal | Engine | Delegate to | |---|---|---| | `import * as THREE`, three.js in package.json | Three.js | `threejs-builder` skill | | `new Phaser.Game()`, phaser in package.json | Phaser | `phaser-gamedev` skill | | No engine signal | Ask user before proceeding | — |

**Step 2: Initialize project structure**

game/
├── index.html
├── src/
│   └── main.js
├── assets/
│   └── assets_index.json   # Asset manifest (required for Capacitor iOS)
└── dist/                   # Build output

`assets_index.json` format:

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "assets": {
    "player": "assets/player.png",
    "bgm": "assets/music.ogg"
  }
}

**Step 3: Wire EventBus**

Every game needs an EventBus before any feature — it is the integration contract that lets audio, effects, and analytics attach without touching game logic:

// src/EventBus.js
export const EventBus = new EventTarget();
export const emit = (name, detail = {}) =>
  EventBus.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(name, { detail }));
export const on = (name, fn) =>
  EventBus.addEventListener(name, (e) => fn(e.detail));

Pre-wire these event names so downstream phases attach immediately: `ENEMY_HIT`, `PLAYER_DEATH`, `LEVEL_UP`, `GAME_OVER`, `SCORE_CHANGE`, `SPECTACLE_*`

**Gate**: Engine chosen, project structure created, EventBus wired.

---

Phase 2: ASSETS

**Goal**: Source or generate game assets and register them in the asset manifest.

**Step 1: Audit what exists**

ls assets/
cat assets/assets_index.json

**Step 2: Delegate to game-asset-generator**

Dispatch a subagent with: asset list, art style, output format (PNG spritesheet for Phaser, GLB for Three.js), target path `assets/`.

**Step 3: Update asset manifest**

After generation, update `assets/assets_index.json`. This manifest is read by both the web game and the Capacitor iOS wrapper — use relative paths only.

**Gate**: All assets generated, manifest updated, assets load in-game without errors.

---

Phase 3: DESIGN

**Goal**: Add visual polish a