cocos-level-content-design

Cocos Level Content Design

Overview

Use this skill to turn mechanics into paced, testable content. The output should define how levels teach, vary, combine, and pressure the player without relying on random content volume.

This skill coordinates with game design, balance, scene assembly, and QA.

Core Workflow

1. Identify the content unit.
   • Choose the level, wave, room, puzzle, mission, run segment, or encounter as the smallest authored unit.
2. Define level grammar.
   • List verbs, hazards, enemies, pickups, spaces, timers, objectives, and constraints.
   • Define which combinations are legal, teachable, and readable.
   • For procedural or randomized content, define the grammar before generation: allowed modules, banned combinations, spacing rules, difficulty budget, pacing beats, and fairness constraints.
3. Sequence learning.
   • Introduce one new idea at a time.
   • Provide a safe read, a basic use, a pressured use, and a combination use when possible.
4. Pace intensity.
   • Alternate learning, mastery, pressure, reward, and rest.
   • Control density, speed, timer pressure, enemy mix, and resource scarcity.
5. Build reusable data.
   • Represent levels as tables, JSON, prefabs, blueprints, or scene variants that Cocos can consume.
   • Use procedural rules, seedable generators, weighted pools, and validation passes when variation is required. Do not replace content design with unconstrained random placement.
6. Define acceptance tests.
   • State what the player should understand, feel, and accomplish in each content unit.

Content Deliverables

For substantial tasks, return:

• Content unit definition.
• Level grammar: verbs, objects, hazards, goals, constraints.
• Progression outline: introduction, variation, combination, mastery.
• Level table: id, goal, new idea, pressure, reward, difficulty, assets, data.
• Arcade wave table when relevant: timeStart, duration, spawnLane or xRange, fallSpeed, spawnInterval, hazardType, pickupType, telegraphMs, maxSimultaneous, and fairnessRule.
• Encounter or wave spec: spawn order, timing, composition, and escalation.
• Procedural spec when relevant: seed policy, module pool, weighted picks, generation steps, validation rules, failover/fallback content, and difficulty budget.
• Fairness constraints: minimum escape gap, warning time, overlap rules, pickup-after-risk timing, and rest beats.
• Cocos data handoff: scene/prefab/table format and required components.
• Playtest questions: comprehension, difficulty, pacing, and replay value.