Docs · Design Codex

217 modules of game-design memory

Every module is tagged, cross-linked, and written to be composed: anchor to a proven game, pick a genre skeleton, wire in systems and a verb, then twist. This is the library your agent designs from — browse it the way it does.

See how a design gets composed

FUN.md

The design/verification playbook — what proves a genre is fair.

JUICE.md

The game-feel cookbook — hit-stop, springs, screenshake, telegraphs.

JUDGE.md

The vision judge — how a headless render gets scored for looks.

Process 8

Intent → brief → pillars → spine → loop — how a design gets assembled.

Composition — Assembling the Design Intent → Brief Refine & Handoff — The Verification Contract The Core Loop Stack The Seed — atom-first design The Spine — tension-first design The Three Pillars The Twist — "X but Y"

Anchors 42

Reference-game DNA: what made a proven game work, stated so you can borrow it.

Systems 42

The organs: loops like economy, grace, mastery-curve, crafting.

Accessibility Achievements & Leaderboards Boss Design — the set-piece fight Build Diversity — many viable strategies Camera & Controls Co-op & Competition Collectibles — Sets, Completion & Optional Pull Combat Model — the shape of a hit Counter Systems — the duel matrix Crafting — Recipes & Combinatorial Depth Dialogue & Branching Difficulty & Dynamic Difficulty Economy — Faucets, Sinks & the Pacing Window Emergent Systems Encounter Design Enemy AI Enemy Archetypes Faction Asymmetry — different but fair Grace — forgiveness as a system Hazards & Environment Inventory & UI Live-Ops & Seasons Loot Tables Map & Navigation Mastery Curve — Easy to Learn, Hard to Master Meta-Progression — Persistent Unlocks Between Runs Onboarding Prestige & New Game+Procedural Generation Design Progression — XP, Levels, the Power Curve Quests & Objectives Resource Loops — Gather → Convert → Spend Reward Schedules — Drops, Chests & Ethical Compulsion Save & Checkpoint Session Structure Skill Trees — Branching Unlocks & Builds Spawn & AI Directors Status Effects — damage and change over time Tech Tree — Research Gating & the Ramp of Options Telegraphs — readable threat Unit Rosters — a legible roster Weather & Time-of-Day

Mechanics 30

The verb library — dash, parry, merge, rewind. A game feels like its verbs.

Worldbuilding 12

Setting, tone, and theme that pull mechanics into meaning.

Aesthetic Direction — briefing the Regalia look Character Design Faction Identity — making sides feel distinct in fiction Level as Story Mood & Atmosphere Motif & Symbol Naming & Tone — the house restraint Narrative Delivery — story with little text Soundscape & Audio Identity Theme Vectors — choosing a setting that recolours the mechanics Tonal Juxtaposition Worldbuilding Scaffold — the minimum viable world

Patterns 14

Cross-cutting moves that recur across good designs.

Anti-Frustration Emergence Escalation & Payoff Fairness & Trust Feedback Loops Juice as Choreography Mastery & Flow Meaningful Choice Pacing & Tension Readability Restraint & Negative Space Risk / Reward Surprise & Delight The Opening Hook

Antipatterns 23

The known traps — named so a design review can point at them.

Recipes 10

Worked “X but Y” designs, composed end-to-end from the shelves above.

Colony Nemesis Cozy Deckbuilder Detective Deduction Board Emberfall Merge Factory One-Button Boss Rush Rhythm Platformer Swipe Kingdom Tower-Defense Roguelite Waterline