design-system

/design-system — Per-System GDD Creation

Delegate to: systems-designer (with game-designer for creative direction)

Prerequisites

• design/gdd/systems-index.md exists (run /map-systems if not)
• design/gdd/master-gdd.md exists (run /gdd if not)

Steps

1. Select the System

Present options from the systems-index:

• Systems without a GDD (prioritize these)
• Systems with outdated GDDs (mark for update)
• Or, ask the user for a new system name

2. Gather Design Intent

Work through each section via structured questions:

Overview & Purpose

• "What is this system in 2-3 sentences?"
• "What player need does it serve?"
• "How does it fit into the core loop?"

Core Mechanics

• "How does the player interact with this system?"
• "What are the key inputs and outputs?"
• "What makes it fun / engaging?"
• Walk through typical player interactions step-by-step

Data Schema

• "What needs to persist?"
• "What's ephemeral (per-session)?"
• "Who owns the data — server or client?"
• Design the DataStore schema (or delegate to datastore-architect)

Client-Server Split

• "What runs on the server?"
• "What runs on the client?"
• "What's server-authoritative (game state) vs. client-authoritative (visuals/input)?"

Remotes

• "What Client → Server calls are needed?"
• "What Server → Client updates?"
• "Anything high-frequency that should be UnreliableRemoteEvent?"
• Delegate detail to remotes-networking-specialist

Player-Facing UI

• "What does the player see?"
• "What UI elements exist (HUD, menus, modals)?"
• "ASCII wireframe or description?"

Edge Cases & Error States

• "What happens when:
  • Player has zero resources?
  • Player has max resources?
  • System is used rapidly in succession?
  • Player disconnects mid-action?
  • Server restarts during use?
  • DataStore is unavailable?
  • Network lag occurs?"

Balancing Parameters

• "What values should be tunable?"
• "What's the formula?" (write it explicitly, no "balanced appropriately")
• "Min / max / default for each parameter?"