◆ JavaScript

Specify game mechanics and storylines

This is real work, not a feature someone invented — it comes from real job ads and real questions people asked. Below are four ready AI prompts: get it done, make it easy for the next person to say yes to, work out the right move when you are stuck, and stop it coming back.

4prompts

The same task, four prompts

today's deadline · the next reviewer · the stuck moment · the pattern
AExecute — do the immediate taskWrite the core game loop for a turn-based strategy game where players manage resources, build…+
Write the core game loop for a turn-based strategy game where players manage resources, build units, and conquer territories on a hex grid. Include mechanics for unit movement, combat resolution, and resource generation. The first playable draft is due by end of day.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
BImprove — make it easier to acceptBefore I pitch this to the design team, refine the combat mechanics to make player decisions…+
Before I pitch this to the design team, refine the combat mechanics to make player decisions feel more impactful. Introduce a 'morale' system that affects unit performance, and add a tactical advantage for flanking maneuvers. Ensure these changes are easy to explain.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
CDecide — diagnose the stuck momentOur lead designer just shot down my latest game mechanic for feeling 'too generic,' but he…+
Our lead designer just rejected my latest game mechanic because it felt 'too generic,' but he didn't offer a clear alternative.
Our lead designer just shot down my latest game mechanic for feeling 'too generic,' but he didn't give me any specific direction on how to improve it, and we have a demo for the publisher next week. I'm worried about wasting time on another iteration that misses the mark. What's the best way to diagnose what he's really looking for, and what's my next move to get this back on track?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternI often get bogged down in endless balancing loops for game mechanics, tweaking numbers for…+
I frequently get stuck trying to balance game mechanics, leading to endless tweaking and delayed milestones.
I often get bogged down in endless balancing loops for game mechanics, tweaking numbers for weeks and delaying milestones. This makes me lose momentum and credibility with the team. What habit should I change to more effectively prototype and test game mechanics, so I can arrive at a fun and balanced design faster?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?

Questions people actually ask

honest answers, no sign-up

Every task here was seen in the real world. Someone doing the job named it, a real job ad asked for it, or a lot of people asked about it online.

If nothing real showed a task, it is not on the page. That is the whole rule.

They are the same job approached four ways, because what you need depends on where you are.

Get it done today. Make it easy for the next person to say yes to. Work out the right move when you are stuck. Learn the pattern so the job stops coming back.

For most of these jobs it can carry the heavy thinking - draft it, sort it, check it, rehearse it with you.

It cannot sit in your chair, take the blame when a number is wrong, or notice what nobody wrote down. Let it do the first 80%. Keep the last 20% that is truly yours.

No. Copy any prompt and paste it into the AI you already use. No account, no score, no wall in the way.

Any of them. The prompts describe the work rather than naming a product, so they are not tied to one assistant.

That is also why they keep working when you switch.

Change it freely. Every prompt is a starting line, not a rule.

Put in your real numbers, your real names and your real deadline. The more you make it yours, the better the answer comes back.

The tasks come from real job ads, published job data and the questions people ask in public forums.

The steps come from JavaScript's own documentation, with practitioner sources for the traps the manual does not mention.

Push once. Ask it to sharpen the weakest part and to say what it assumed.

Most wrong answers come from a missing detail rather than a bad prompt - tell it the thing it could not know.