Core Loop Design
Define the primary player activity loop and the support loops that sustain mastery, variety, and progression.
Install
$ agentstack add skill-mrcalderon3d-everything-game-dev-code-core-loop-design ✓ scanned · ✓ verified — works with Claude Code, Cursor, and more.
Security review
✓ PassedNo issues found. Passed automated security review. · v0.1.0 How review works →
- ✓ Prompt-injection patterns
- ✓ Secret / credential exfiltration
- ✓ Dangerous shell & filesystem operations
- ✓ Untrusted network calls
- ✓ Known-malicious package signatures
What it can access
- ✓ Network access No
- ✓ Filesystem access No
- ✓ Shell / process execution No
- ✓ Environment & secrets No
- ✓ Dynamic code execution No
From automated source analysis of v0.1.0. “Used” means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it’s unsafe.
About
Core Loop Design
Purpose
Define the primary player activity loop and the support loops that sustain mastery, variety, and progression.
Use When
- a concept needs gameplay structure
- the current loop feels unfocused
- new systems risk diluting the core fantasy
Inputs
- product pillars
- target audience
- competitive references
- session and progression goals
Process
- state what the player repeatedly does and why it is satisfying
- map supporting loops that reinforce the core loop
- identify inputs, feedback, rewards, and failure points
- test whether the loop fits the intended session length and mastery curve
- cut systems that do not serve the loop
Outputs
- core loop definition
- support loop map
- design constraints
- candidate tutorial beats
Quality Bar
- the loop is expressible as a closed cycle of player actions, rewards, and re-entry motivation
- each loop step names the player verb, the feedback, and a duration target
- supporting loops (session, progression, economy) are explicitly connected to the core loop
- the loop is testable in a gray-box build without final art
Common Failure Modes
- loops that depend on content volume instead of repeatable mechanics
- reward steps without a defined re-entry hook back into the loop
- a core loop tuned only on paper, never validated in a playable slice
- conflating the core loop with the meta progression that wraps it
Related Agents
- systems-designer
- gdd-designer
- level-designer
Related Commands
- gdd
- plan
- onboarding
Notes
- Keep this skill aligned with the relevant rules layer and current project documentation.
- If engine-specific constraints materially change the workflow, hand off to the matching engine skill or engine-specific reviewer.
Source & license
This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.
- Author: MRCalderon3D
- Source: MRCalderon3D/everything-game-dev-code
- License: MIT
Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.
Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first.
Write a review
Versions
- v0.1.0 Imported from the upstream source.