Your first verifiable prototype
One scene: from a question and input to feedback, measurement and reviewing agent work.
Before you start
Start with a prototype question. No existing game project is required.
Lesson sequence
Scope and a testable prototype
Choose one question, limit the work, and decide what to do after evaluating a prototype.
The game loop and time
Separate simulation speed from frame rate and verify pauses, frame drops, and focus changes.
Input and feedback
Turn button presses into gameplay intent and show whether an action was accepted, rejected, or completed.
Collision fundamentals
Separate overlap detection, physical response, and gameplay events; check boundaries, fast objects, and repeated damage.
States and transitions
Define legal character states, event priority, and transition checks without a growing tangle of flags.
Game feel: making actions readable
Tune response, emphasis, and effects so players understand an action while staying in control.
A performance budget
Set a measurable target, locate the bottleneck with a profiler, and compare changes under the same conditions.
Developing a game with an AI agent
Write testable tasks, preserve project context, and accept changes based on observable gameplay behavior.
Verifying gameplay behavior
Turn “the mechanic is done” into reproducible scenarios with initial conditions, an action and an observable result.
Put it into practice
Start with a paper test of the idea. Then use the lesson tasks to build one scene and check it against the conditions above.
Review through lenses
Lessons contain original teaching examples and primary-source links. Numbers and scenarios illustrate a principle; verify the result in your own game.
Outcome and verification
One playable scene with a single action, quick restart and a reproducible check.
- The prototype answers a recorded question and has a stopping criterion.
- The action, pause, restart and feedback are checked in the target environment.
- Agent changes are explained and supported by observable results.