Game Concept Design

Determine what kind of game to create; do not write code, numerical tables, or level-by-level stage scripts.

Read concept-method.md. Input must include

SOURCE_BIBLE.md

and

PRODUCT_BRIEF.md

; if either is missing, stop and indicate the gap, do not supplement content on behalf of upstream teams.

The language of the output is locked by

PRODUCT_BRIEF.md

; if not locked, follow the language of the conversation, do not default to Chinese output.

Decision Boundaries

Directly inherit the locked platform, input methods, audience, rating, duration, target market and non-target market from the brief; if obvious conflicts with the original work are found, return to the main entry for revision, do not silently modify values during the concept phase. The original work's language, cultural context, target market and interface language are handled separately, and none should be automatically derived from another.

Precedents are only used to explain why gameplay is recognizable: select a main gameplay precedent that is closest to the core verbs and loops, and supplement an auxiliary precedent to solve independent problems if necessary. Clearly state the verbs/loops/structures borrowed and the content explicitly not borrowed; sales figures, fixed lists or repeated market research for each direction are not required. External facts are only verified if they will change the decision and may vary.

Interactive storytelling is a mature gameplay; do not lower standards just because it is carried by reading and dialogue. Its verbs can include reading situations, questioning, comparing information, expressing attitudes, concealing, surrendering, and bearing consequences. Precedents provide the grammar, while the original work's rules are responsible for changing the action objects, order, costs and world responses; do not merely do IP skinning.

The concept must also determine the verification form: when it can be expressed using mature interaction grammar, explain "existing grammar + how the original work modifies it"; when the core relies on real-time feel, space, line of sight, physics or unique operations, clearly state to use a custom gray box. Do not treat text prototypes as a unified front layer for all experiences, nor let templates decide gameplay on behalf of the original work just because templates are available.

Three Directions

First list the locked dimensions and still open dimensions of the brief. The three directions must be genuinely different in at least three open dimensions, such as player identity, subgenre, core loop, source of pressure, selected segments from the original work, space/camera, growth relationship or art direction; the locked main gameplay cannot be secretly replaced, and the unlocked core loops can be directly compared.

Each concept card only answers:

```
player_job
```
: What identity the player holds long-term, what job they do, and what unique fantasy they want to achieve;
```
recurring_job_loop
```
: What the player repeatedly does in each cycle of this job;
Main genre,
```
experienceProfile
```
, main gameplay precedent, and what this work borrows/does not borrow;
3–5 core verbs, loops, pressures, failures and world responses;
```
signature_command
```
: Only write
```
id
```
,
```
label
```
and candidate
```
intents
```
if natural language expression itself can reflect this identity; clearly mark
```
N/A
```
if inappropriate, do not add a chat box uniformly for all games;
```
resistance_chain
```
: Who or what will block, reject, distort or leak the player's arrangements;
```
advancement_ladder
```
: What the player newly learns and can newly combine during the exploration, growth and maturity stages;
How the unique rules or emotional/ethical tensions of the original work are personally enacted by the player, rather than being left in cutscenes;
A signature image that shows the identity, actions and world characteristics at the same time;
Minimum verification slice, maximum risk, and what observation results will veto this direction.

Selection

First eliminate directions one by one according to the hard veto rules in concept-method, do not calculate total scores. Then compare adaptation to the original work, player agency, readability, cultural accuracy, communicable visuals and completion risk.

quick

automatically selects the direction with the strongest evidence;

director

provides a recommendation and waits for the user's decision.

Output

Generate a

concepts/CONCEPT.md

containing only:

Locked values and open dimensions from the brief;
Three experience pillars, each paired with observable phenomena and failure phenomena;
Concise precedent explanation;
Three concept cards;
Hard veto results, key trade-offs, recommendations and selection status;
```
experienceProfile
```
of the selected direction, player agency contract, non-negotiable experience commitments, and five independent handover fields:
```
player_job
```
,
```
recurring_job_loop
```
,
```
signature_command
```
(or
```
N/A
```
),
```
resistance_chain
```
,
```
advancement_ladder
```
;
Minimum verification questions and open questions.

For the narrative layer of

narrative-led

hybrid

, a branching structure syntax must also be selected and the content budget explained. Concepts must not include damage formulas, specific percentages, enemy health, code structures or scene-by-scene scripts; confirm that the selected direction can be made into a complete slice within the scope of the brief before handover.

game-concept

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content (Chinese)

Game Concept Design

Decision Boundaries

Three Directions

Selection

Output