Game Build Strategy

Goal

Choose the right build strategy for the project.

Outputs

Follow the gsp-orchestrator output strategy:

• inline (default): present build strategy and quality target in conversation.
• minimal or full: write docs/game-studio/build-strategy.md and docs/game-studio/quality-target.md.

Use:

• ./shared/reference/development-modes.md
• ./shared/reference/quality-targets.md
• ./shared/templates/build-strategy.md
• ./shared/templates/quality-target.md

Development modes

• yolo-super
• guided-build
• refactor-open
• surgical-live

Quality targets

• first-playable
• polished-prototype
• production-feature
• live-patch

Selection rules

• greenfield + narrow mechanic spike -> yolo-super + first-playable
• greenfield + serious showcase build -> usually yolo-super or guided-build + polished-prototype
• existing product-facing feature work -> usually guided-build or refactor-open + production-feature
• shipped or live-risky -> surgical-live + live-patch

Planning policy

Match task size to the mode:

• aggressive modes can use large coherent implementation chunks
• production-feature work can use medium coherent chunks
• live work should use smaller changes with tighter verification

Choose the exploration budget explicitly:

• minimal when the task is narrow and already shape-locked
• standard for normal product work
• high for single-prompt showcase generation, benchmark runs, or any task where first-result quality matters more than token thrift

For high exploration budget work:

• spend more tokens up front on concept lock, UX shape, and visual anchor decisions
• prefer polished-prototype over first-playable unless the user explicitly wants only a spike
• add runtime verification and screenshot critique before claiming completion
• if the host supports subagents, default to builder + reviewer + verifier instead of a single uninterrupted build pass
• if the task splits cleanly, allow multiple builders in parallel with a shared reviewer / verifier gate

Guardrail

Do not let “safe” planning ruin the result on low-risk greenfield work. Do not let “fast” planning justify broad rewrites on live products. For benchmark or showcase builds, do not optimize for token thrift if that weakens the result.