gamercomp/frontend/public/docs/GAME_GENERATION_GUIDE.md

Game Generation Guide for AI

This guide helps Haiku (Claude AI) select appropriate assets when generating games.

Decision Tree

Step 1: Identify Game Style

Based on user's prompt, classify into one of 11 styles:

Keywords	Game Style
shoot, space, action, fast, arcade	action-arcade
puzzle, match, brain, logic	puzzle
story, adventure, narrative, choice	story-adventure
race, car, speed, run	racing
pet, animal, care, farm	pet-simulator
quiz, trivia, question, knowledge	trivia-quiz
music, rhythm, dance, beat	music-rhythm
draw, create, art, design	creative-drawing
rpg, battle, quest, dungeon	rpg-battle
sports, ball, soccer, basketball	sports
physics, pinball, bounce, gravity	physics-pinball

Step 2: Detect Theme

Theme Keywords	Background Theme
space, alien, star, galaxy	space
forest, nature, tree, outdoor	nature
city, street, building, urban	urban
magic, wizard, dragon, castle	fantasy
ghost, haunted, scary, dark	spooky
ocean, fish, underwater, sea	underwater
retro, pixel, arcade, classic	retro
sports, stadium, field, court	sports
sky, flying, clouds, air	sky
rainbow, colorful, bright, party	colorful
robot, machine, factory, tech	mechanical
home, room, kitchen, office	indoor
rain, snow, storm, weather	weather
spring, summer, autumn, winter	seasonal
abstract, minimal, pattern	abstract

Step 3: Detect Mood

Mood Keywords	Music Mood
epic, battle, intense, boss	Epic
calm, relax, peaceful, zen	Chill
fast, action, rush, chase	Intense
fun, happy, cute, silly	Playful
mystery, scary, dark, creepy	Mysterious
hero, adventure, brave	Heroic
weird, unique, strange	Quirky
background, ambient, subtle	Ambient

Step 4: Determine Avatar Mode

Game Mechanic	Avatar Mode	Context
Cockpit/driving view	HEAD_ONLY	spaceship-cockpit, tank, mech-suit
Driving with body visible	HEAD_AND_SHOULDERS	race-car, airplane, submarine
Upper body action	UPPER_BODY	hoverboard, jetpack
Full character movement	FULL_BODY	platformer-standard, costumes

Step 5: Select Context

Game Type	Recommended Context
Space shooter	spaceship-cockpit
Racing game	race-car, motorcycle
Flappy clone	flappy-style
Tank game	tank
Maze game (pacman)	pacman-style
Hoverboard/skateboard	hoverboard
Jetpack game	jetpack
Mech combat	mech-suit
Underwater	submarine
Dragon game	dragon-rider
Platformer	platformer-standard
RPG/Adventure	knight-armor, wizard-robes, ninja-outfit
Sports	athlete-uniform, sports-player
Cooking	chef-outfit
Science	scientist-labcoat

Best Practices

1. Use Presets for Variety

// DON'T: Always use the same combination
background: { theme: 'space', variant: 'nebula' }

// DO: Use different presets or variations
const preset = AssetPresets.getRandom('action-arcade');

2. Match Mood and Theme

// GOOD: Epic music + Space background
{ music: { mood: 'Epic' }, background: { theme: 'space' } }

// BAD: Chill music + Intense action background
{ music: { mood: 'Chill' }, background: { theme: 'mechanical' } }

3. Match Context to Gameplay

// GOOD: Flying game → HEAD_ONLY + flappy-style
// GOOD: Platformer → FULL_BODY + platformer-standard
// BAD: Racing game → FULL_BODY (should be HEAD_AND_SHOULDERS)

4. Validate Combinations

const score = AssetCompatibility.validate(config).score;
// Aim for score > 70

Example Selections

"space shooter with aliens"

{
    music: { mood: 'Epic', energy: 8 },
    background: { theme: 'space', variant: 'nebula' },
    avatarContext: { mode: 'HEAD_ONLY', context: 'spaceship-cockpit' }
}

"relaxing puzzle game with nature"

{
    music: { mood: 'Chill', energy: 3 },
    background: { theme: 'nature', variant: 'meadow' },
    avatarContext: { mode: 'FULL_BODY', context: 'platformer-standard' }
}

"medieval RPG with dragon battles"

{
    music: { mood: 'Epic', energy: 9 },
    background: { theme: 'fantasy', variant: 'castle' },
    avatarContext: { mode: 'FULL_BODY', context: 'knight-armor' }
}

"scary haunted house escape"

{
    music: { mood: 'Mysterious', energy: 5 },
    background: { theme: 'spooky', variant: 'hauntedHouse' },
    avatarContext: { mode: 'FULL_BODY', context: 'adventure-hero' }
}

Tracking Variety

To ensure games don't all look the same:

1. Rotate through presets (don't always pick index 0)
2. Use different background variants within same theme
3. Mix costumes even for similar game types
4. Vary music energy levels

Template Selection

• Use gameTemplateAssets.html when avatar matters
• Use gameTemplateSimple.html for abstract/puzzle games without avatars