249 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
249 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: art-bible
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description: "Guided, section-by-section Art Bible authoring. Creates the visual identity specification that gates all asset production. Run after /brainstorm is approved and before /map-systems or any GDD authoring begins."
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argument-hint: "[--review full|lean|solo]"
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user-invocable: true
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allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Edit, Task, AskUserQuestion
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---
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## Phase 0: Parse Arguments and Context Check
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Resolve the review mode (once, store for all gate spawns this run):
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1. If `--review [full|lean|solo]` was passed → use that
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2. Else read `production/review-mode.txt` → use that value
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3. Else → default to `lean`
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See `.claude/docs/director-gates.md` for the full check pattern.
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Read `design/gdd/game-concept.md`. If it does not exist, fail with:
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> "No game concept found. Run `/brainstorm` first — the art bible is authored after the game concept is approved."
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Extract from game-concept.md:
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- Game title (working title)
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- Core fantasy and elevator pitch
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- Game pillars (all of them)
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- **Visual Identity Anchor** section if present (from brainstorm Phase 4 art-director output)
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- Target platform (if noted)
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**Retrofit mode detection**: Glob `design/art/art-bible.md`. If the file exists:
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- Read it in full
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- For each of the 9 sections, check whether the body contains real content (more than a `[To be designed]` placeholder or similar) vs. is empty/placeholder
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- Build a section status table:
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```
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Section | Status
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--------|--------
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1. Visual Identity Statement | [Complete / Empty / Placeholder]
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2. Color Palette | ...
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3. Lighting & Atmosphere | ...
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4. Character Art Direction | ...
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5. Environment & Level Art | ...
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6. UI Visual Language | ...
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7. VFX & Particle Style | ...
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8. Asset Standards | ...
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9. Style Prohibitions | ...
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```
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- Present this table to the user:
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> "Found existing art bible at `design/art/art-bible.md`. [N] sections are complete, [M] need content. I'll work on the incomplete sections only — existing content will not be touched."
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- Only work on sections with Status: Empty or Placeholder. Do not re-author sections that are already complete.
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If the file does not exist, this is a fresh authoring session — proceed normally.
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Read `.claude/docs/technical-preferences.md` if it exists — extract performance budgets and engine for asset standard constraints.
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---
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## Phase 1: Framing
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Present the session context and ask two questions before authoring anything:
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Use `AskUserQuestion` with two tabs:
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- Tab **"Scope"** — "Which sections need to be authored today?"
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Options: `Full bible — all 9 sections` / `Visual identity core (sections 1–4 only)` / `Asset standards only (section 8)` / `Resume — fill in missing sections`
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- Tab **"References"** — "Do you have reference games, films, or art that define the visual direction?"
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(Free text — let the user type specific titles. Do NOT preset options here.)
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If the game-concept.md has a Visual Identity Anchor section, note it:
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> "Found a visual identity anchor from brainstorm: '[anchor name] — [one-line rule]'. I'll use this as the foundation for the art bible."
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---
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## Phase 2: Visual Identity Foundation (Sections 1–4)
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These four sections define the core visual language. **All other sections flow from them.** Author and write each to file before moving to the next.
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### Section 1: Visual Identity Statement
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**Goal**: A one-line visual rule plus 2–3 supporting principles that resolve visual ambiguity.
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If a visual anchor exists from game-concept.md: present it and ask:
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- "Build directly from this anchor?"
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- "Revise it before expanding?"
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- "Start fresh with new options?"
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**Agent delegation (MANDATORY)**: Spawn `art-director` via Task:
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- Provide: game concept (elevator pitch, core fantasy), full pillar set, platform target, any reference games/art from Phase 1 framing, the visual anchor if it exists
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- Ask: "Draft a Visual Identity Statement for this game. Provide: (1) a one-line visual rule that could resolve any visual decision ambiguity, (2) 2–3 supporting visual principles, each with a one-sentence design test ('when X is ambiguous, this principle says choose Y'). Anchor all principles directly in the stated pillars — each principle must serve a specific pillar."
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Present the art-director's draft to the user. Use `AskUserQuestion`:
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- Options: `[A] Lock this in` / `[B] Revise the one-liner` / `[C] Revise a supporting principle` / `[D] Describe my own direction`
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Write the approved section to file immediately.
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### Section 2: Mood & Atmosphere
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**Goal**: Emotional targets by game state — specific enough for a lighting artist to work from.
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For each major game state (e.g., exploration, combat, victory, defeat, menus — adapt to this game's states), define:
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- Primary emotion/mood target
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- Lighting character (time of day, color temperature, contrast level)
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- Atmospheric descriptors (3–5 adjectives)
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- Energy level (frenetic / measured / contemplative / etc.)
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with the Visual Identity Statement and pillar set. Ask: "Define mood and atmosphere targets for each major game state in this game. Be specific — 'dark and foreboding' is not enough. Name the exact emotional target, the lighting character (warm/cool, high/low contrast, time of day direction), and at least one visual element that carries the mood. Each game state must feel visually distinct from the others."
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Write the approved section to file immediately.
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### Section 3: Shape Language
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**Goal**: The geometric vocabulary that makes this game's world visually coherent and distinguishable.
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Cover:
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- Character silhouette philosophy (how readable at thumbnail size? Distinguishing trait per archetype?)
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- Environment geometry (angular/curved/organic/geometric — which dominates and why?)
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- UI shape grammar (does UI echo the world aesthetic, or is it a distinct HUD language?)
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- Hero shapes vs. supporting shapes (what draws the eye, what recedes?)
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with Visual Identity Statement and mood targets. Ask: "Define the shape language for this game. Connect each shape principle back to the visual identity statement and a specific game pillar. Explain what these shape choices communicate to the player emotionally."
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Write the approved section to file immediately.
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### Section 4: Color System
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**Goal**: A complete, producible palette system that serves both aesthetic and communication needs.
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Cover:
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- Primary palette (5–7 colors with roles — not just hex codes, but what each color means in this world)
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- Semantic color usage (what does red communicate? Gold? Blue? White? Establish the color vocabulary)
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- Per-biome or per-area color temperature rules (if the game has distinct areas)
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- UI palette (may differ from world palette — define the divergence explicitly)
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- Colorblind safety: which semantic colors need shape/icon/sound backup
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with Visual Identity Statement and mood targets. Ask: "Design the color system for this game. Every semantic color assignment must be explained — why does this color mean danger/safety/reward in this world? Identify which color pairs might fail colorblind players and specify what backup cues are needed."
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Write the approved section to file immediately.
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---
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## Phase 3: Production Guides (Sections 5–8)
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These sections translate the visual identity into concrete production rules. They should be specific enough that an outsourcing team can follow them without additional briefing.
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### Section 5: Character Design Direction
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with sections 1–4. Ask: "Define character design direction for this game. Cover: visual archetype for the player character (if any), distinguishing feature rules per character type (how do players tell enemies/NPCs/allies apart at a glance?), expression/pose style targets (stiff/expressive/realistic/exaggerated), and LOD philosophy (how much detail is preserved at game camera distance?)."
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Write the approved section to file.
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### Section 6: Environment Design Language
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with sections 1–4. Ask: "Define the environment design language for this game. Cover: architectural style and its relationship to the world's culture/history, texture philosophy (painted vs. PBR vs. stylized — why this choice for this game?), prop density rules (sparse/dense — what drives the choice per area type?), and environmental storytelling guidelines (what visual details should tell the story without text?)."
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Write the approved section to file.
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### Section 7: UI/HUD Visual Direction
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn in parallel:
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- **`art-director`**: Visual style for UI — diegetic vs. screen-space HUD, typography direction (font personality, weight, size hierarchy), iconography style (flat/outlined/illustrated/photorealistic), animation feel for UI elements
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- **`ux-designer`**: UX alignment check — does the visual direction support the interaction patterns this game requires? Flag any conflicts between art direction and readability/accessibility needs.
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Collect both. If they conflict (e.g., art-director wants elaborate diegetic UI but ux-designer flags it would reduce combat readability), surface the conflict explicitly with both positions. Do NOT silently resolve — use `AskUserQuestion` to let the user decide.
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Write the approved section to file.
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### Section 8: Asset Standards
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn in parallel:
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- **`art-director`**: File format preferences, naming convention direction, texture resolution tiers, LOD level expectations, export settings philosophy
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- **`technical-artist`**: Engine-specific hard constraints — poly count budgets per asset category, texture memory limits, material slot counts, importer constraints, anything from the performance budgets in `.claude/docs/technical-preferences.md`
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If any art preference conflicts with a technical constraint (e.g., art-director wants 4K textures but performance budget requires 2K for mobile), resolve the conflict explicitly — note both the ideal and the constrained standard, and explain the tradeoff. Ambiguity in asset standards is where production costs are born.
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Write the approved section to file.
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---
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## Phase 4: Reference Direction (Section 9)
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**Goal**: A curated reference set that is specific about what to take and what to avoid from each source.
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**Agent delegation**: Spawn `art-director` via Task with the completed sections 1–8. Ask: "Compile a reference direction for this game. Provide 3–5 reference sources (games, films, art styles, or specific artists). For each: name it, specify exactly what visual element to draw from it (not 'the general aesthetic' — a specific technique, color choice, or compositional rule), and specify what to explicitly avoid or diverge from (to prevent the 'trying to copy X' reading). References should be additive — no two references should be pointing in exactly the same direction."
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Write the approved section to file.
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---
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## Phase 5: Art Director Sign-Off
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**Review mode check** — apply before spawning AD-ART-BIBLE:
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- `solo` → skip. Note: "AD-ART-BIBLE skipped — Solo mode." Proceed to Phase 6.
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- `lean` → skip (not a PHASE-GATE). Note: "AD-ART-BIBLE skipped — Lean mode." Proceed to Phase 6.
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- `full` → spawn as normal.
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After all sections are complete (or the scoped set from Phase 1 is complete), spawn `creative-director` via Task using gate **AD-ART-BIBLE** (`.claude/docs/director-gates.md`).
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Pass: art bible file path, game pillars, visual identity anchor.
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Handle verdict per standard rules in `director-gates.md`. Record the verdict in the art bible's status header:
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`> **Art Director Sign-Off (AD-ART-BIBLE)**: APPROVED [date] / CONCERNS (accepted) [date] / REVISED [date]`
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---
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## Phase 6: Close
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Before presenting next steps, check project state:
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- Does `design/gdd/systems-index.md` exist? → map-systems is done, skip that option
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- Does `.claude/docs/technical-preferences.md` contain a configured engine (not `[TO BE CONFIGURED]`)? → setup-engine is done, skip that option
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- Does `design/gdd/` contain any `*.md` files? → design-system has been run, skip that option
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- Does `design/gdd/gdd-cross-review-*.md` exist? → review-all-gdds is done
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- Do GDDs exist (check above)? → include /consistency-check option
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Use `AskUserQuestion` for next steps. Only include options that are genuinely next based on the state check above:
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**Option pool — include only if not already done:**
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- `[_] Run /map-systems — decompose the concept into systems before writing GDDs` (skip if systems-index.md exists)
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- `[_] Run /setup-engine — configure the engine (asset standards may need revisiting after engine is set)` (skip if engine configured)
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- `[_] Run /design-system — start the first GDD` (skip if any GDDs exist)
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- `[_] Run /review-all-gdds — cross-GDD consistency check (required before Technical Setup gate)` (skip if gdd-cross-review-*.md exists)
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- `[_] Run /asset-spec — generate per-asset visual specs and AI generation prompts from approved GDDs` (include if GDDs exist)
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- `[_] Run /consistency-check — scan existing GDDs against the art bible for visual direction conflicts` (include if GDDs exist)
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- `[_] Run /create-architecture — author the master architecture document (next Technical Setup step)`
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- `[_] Stop here`
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Assign letters A, B, C… only to the options actually included. Mark the most logical pipeline-advancing option as `(recommended)`.
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> **Always include** `/create-architecture` and Stop here as options — these are always valid next steps once the art bible is complete.
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---
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## Collaborative Protocol
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Every section follows: **Question → Options → Decision → Draft (from art-director agent) → Approval → Write to file**
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- Never draft a section without first spawning the relevant agent(s)
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- Write each section to file immediately after approval — do not batch
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- Surface all agent disagreements to the user — never silently resolve conflicts between art-director and technical-artist
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- The art bible is a constraint document: it restricts future decisions in exchange for visual coherence. Every section should feel like it narrows the solution space productively.
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---
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## Recommended Next Steps
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After the art bible is approved:
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- Run `/map-systems` to decompose the concept into game systems before authoring GDDs
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- Run `/setup-engine` if the engine is not yet configured (asset standards may need revisiting after engine selection)
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- Run `/design-system [first-system]` to start authoring per-system GDDs
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- Run `/consistency-check` once GDDs exist to validate them against the art bible's visual rules
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- Run `/create-architecture` to produce the master architecture document
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