router

Master Router — Game-Development Skill Dispatcher

The entry point for game-development work. It fingerprints the project to pick one engine, classifies the task from the request, names the minimal set of specialized skills, and tells you to read them before acting. It dispatches and composes — it does not re-teach engine APIs.

When to use

• Use at the start of any game-development request — building or debugging a game, level, player, enemy, shader, UI, save system, multiplayer, input, audio, AI, dialogue, or procedural content — to decide which skill(s) to load.
• Use when the user names an engine or genre, says "make a game", or asks "which skill should I use?".

When not to use: once the right skill is loaded and the task is squarely inside it, work from that skill — don't re-run the router every turn. Re-route only when the task pivots to a new engine or concern (router step 6).

Routing algorithm

1. Detect engine — project fingerprint → at most one engine skill set (or "unknown"). §1.
2. Classify task — phrasing → discipline(s) + at most one genre + workflow(s). §2.
3. Resolve — the minimal set: engine skill(s) + discipline(s) + genre + workflow(s). §3.
4. Read (disclosure) — open only the chosen SKILL.md bodies; references/ only on demand. §4.
5. Compose — order: engine fundamentals → discipline concept → genre glue → workflow. §5.
6. Fallback — engine unknown or no skill fits → ask or default to Godot; state any gap. §6.

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1. Engine detection (project fingerprint)

Scan for the highest-confidence signal; choose exactly one engine. Stop at the first match.

#	Engine	Primary signal	Skill set root
1	Godot	project.godot	skills/godot/
2	Unreal	*.uproject	skills/unreal/
3	Unity	Assets/ and ProjectSettings/ProjectVersion.txt	skills/unity/
4	Bevy	Cargo.toml with a bevy dependency	skills/other-engines/bevy-ecs/
5	Phaser	package.json dep phaser	skills/web-engines/phaser-*
6	PixiJS	package.json dep pixi.js	skills/web-engines/pixijs-rendering/
7	three.js	package.json dep three	skills/web-engines/threejs-*
8	LÖVE	conf.lua / main.lua calling love.*	skills/other-engines/love2d-core/
9	pygame	*.py with import pygame	skills/other-engines/pygame-core/
10	Roblox	*.rbxl(x) / *.project.json (Rojo)	skills/other-engines/roblox-*

For secondary signals, the Godot-C#/Unity/Bevy and multi-web disambiguation rules, monorepos, and plain-text engine mentions, read references/engine-detection.md.

2. Task classification (phrasing → category)

After the engine, read the request for task signals (three additive categories):

• disciplines (cross-engine concepts): game-ai, procedural-gen, dialogue-systems, save-systems, audio-design, shader-programming, physics-tuning, level-design, input-systems, game-feel, camera-systems, game-ui-ux, performance-optimization. Triggered by concept words ("pathfinding", "save slots", "fragment shader", "screen shake", "camera follow", "HUD/menu", "optimize/low FPS").
• genres (whole-game templates): platformer, roguelike, rpg, fps-shooter, tower-defense, card-game, visual-novel, survival-crafting, puzzle. Triggered by genre words ("make a roguelike", "deckbuilder").
• workflows (process/shipping): game-jam, prototype-fast, steam-publish, itch-publish. Triggered by process words ("publish on Steam", "vertical slice").

File signals sharpen this: *.yarn/*.ink → dialogue-systems/visual-novel; steam_appid.txt → steam-publish; *.inputactions → unity-input-system.

3. Routing table (task → category → skill)

3a. Engine skills — read the one matching the detected engine + sub-task

• Godot (skills/godot/): language godot-gdscript / godot-csharp; structure godot-nodes-scenes, godot-signals-groups; 2D godot-2d-movement, godot-tilemap; 3D godot-3d-essentials; physics godot-physics; UI godot-ui-control; animation godot-animation; shaders godot-shaders; data godot-resources; audio godot-audio; netcode godot-multiplayer; ship godot-export.
• Unity (skills/unity/): scripting unity-csharp-scripting; input unity-input-system; physics unity-physics; animation unity-animation; data unity-scriptableobjects; 2D unity-tilemap-2d; AI nav unity-navmesh; ship unity-build-pipeline.
• Unreal (skills/unreal/): visual scripting unreal-blueprints; C++ gameplay unreal-cpp-gameplay; input unreal-enhanced-input; AI unreal-behavior-trees; VFX unreal-niagara; ship unreal-packaging.
• Web (skills/web-engines/): phaser-core, phaser-arcade-physics; pixijs-rendering; threejs-scene-setup, threejs-gltf-loading, threejs-materials-lighting.
• Other (skills/other-engines/): bevy-ecs, pygame-core, love2d-core, roblox-luau, roblox-datastores.

3b. Disciplines — load with the engine skill (concept ↔ engine API)

Concept (says:)	Discipline skill	Pairs with (engine API)
enemy AI, behavior tree, pathfinding, steering	game-ai	unity-navmesh / unreal-behavior-trees / Godot nav
procedural, noise, seed, dungeon generator	procedural-gen	engine tilemap/grid skill
dialogue, Yarn, Ink, conversation tree	dialogue-systems	engine UI skill
save/load, slots, persistence	save-systems	roblox-datastores / engine IO
adaptive music, mixer, ducking, SFX	audio-design	godot-audio / Unity AudioMixer
shader, fragment, dissolve/outline	shader-programming	godot-shaders / engine material
jitter, tunneling, fixed timestep	physics-tuning	godot-physics / unity-physics
whitebox, blockout, tile layout, pacing	level-design	godot-tilemap / unity-tilemap-2d
rebind, gamepad, input buffering	input-systems	unity-input-system / unreal-enhanced-input / Godot InputMap
screen shake, hit-stop, juice, squash & stretch, "make it punchy"	game-feel	engine animation/tween + camera-systems (shake)
camera follow, deadzone, look-ahead, orbit, first-person	camera-systems	godot-2d-movement / godot-3d-essentials / Cinemachine
HUD, menu, UI layout, scaling, safe area, focus nav	game-ui-ux	godot-ui-control / Unity UI (UGUI/UI Toolkit)
low FPS, optimize, draw calls, GC spike, pooling, profiler	performance-optimization	engine profiler + physics-tuning

3c. Genres — compose engine + disciplines (bind * to the detected engine)

Genre (says:)	composes
platformer, jump, double jump	godot-2d-movement (or engine physics) + godot-tilemap/unity-tilemap-2d + level-design + camera-systems + game-feel
roguelike, procedural dungeon, permadeath	procedural-gen + godot-tilemap/unity-tilemap-2d + game-ai + save-systems + game-feel
RPG, stats, inventory, quests	godot-resources/unity-scriptableobjects + dialogue-systems + save-systems + game-ui-ux
FPS, first-person, hitscan	godot-3d-essentials/unreal-cpp-gameplay + input-systems + game-ai + camera-systems + game-feel
tower defense, waves, lanes	game-ai + engine movement + level-design + game-ui-ux
card game, deckbuilder, TCG	godot-resources/unity-scriptableobjects + game-ui-ux (+ engine UI)
visual novel, branching story	dialogue-systems + save-systems + game-ui-ux
survival, crafting, gathering	save-systems + godot-resources/unity-scriptableobjects + procedural-gen + game-ui-ux
puzzle, match-3, grid logic	godot-tilemap/unity-tilemap-2d + level-design + game-feel

3d. Workflows — engine-independent process & shipping

game-jam (jam, 48-hour, Ludum Dare/GMTK) · prototype-fast (vertical slice, MVP, greybox) · steam-publish (Steam, Steamworks, depot; steam_appid.txt) · itch-publish (itch.io, butler; .itch.toml).

For the exhaustive per-skill trigger list and every engine binding, read references/routing-table.md.

4. Read protocol (progressive disclosure)

1. Preloaded: only each skill's name + description are in context. Decide from those plus the fingerprint — do not pre-read bodies.
2. On selection: read the body of each chosen skills/<category>/<name>/SKILL.md — and only those. Never bulk-load a whole category.
3. On demand: read a skill's bundled references/ files only when the subtask needs that depth (the skill body says when).
4. Re-route on pivot: if the task changes (movement → saving), select and read the newly relevant skill instead of keeping everything loaded.

Announce what you load and why, e.g.: "Detected Godot (project.godot). Loading godot-2d-movement for the controller and platformer for jump feel; will open the platformer skill's feel-tuning.md reference if you want coyote-time/buffering."

5. Composition rules

• One engine set, additive concepts. Exactly one engine skill set; add the disciplines the task needs and usually at most one genre. Workflows attach independently.
• Order: engine fundamentals → discipline concept → genre orchestration → workflow.
• Ownership on overlap: the engine skill owns API/syntax; the discipline skill owns the portable concept/algorithm and defers to the engine skill for code; the genre skill owns structure/glue and links out instead of re-teaching a primitive.
• Hand-offs: when a genre's composes names a slot like *-2d-movement, bind it to the detected engine. If that engine lacks the exact skill, see §6 and references/routing-table.md ("Binding gaps").

6. Unknown-engine & no-skill fallback

Engine unknown (no fingerprint, no engine named):

1. Check the request for a plain-text engine name ("in Unity", "using Phaser"). If found, adopt it.
2. If the task is a pure concept/genre/workflow question, route straight to the engine-agnostic discipline/genre/workflow skill — no engine needed ("what's a good save format?" → save-systems).
3. Only if engine choice actually blocks the answer, ask one targeted question ("Which engine — Godot, Unity, Unreal, or a web/other engine?"). If the user has no preference and one is needed, default to Godot (the most fully covered engine here) and say so.
4. Never invent an engine or load an engine skill on a guess.

Engine known but no skill covers the subtask: load the closest engine skill plus the relevant discipline and state the gap plainly (e.g. "no dedicated Unity 2D-movement skill; using unity-csharp-scripting + unity-physics"). Never fabricate a skill name.

Conflicting/multiple genres: pick the dominant genre from the phrasing; mention the secondary and offer to load it if the user confirms.

Worked examples

Request	Detected engine	Skills loaded (in order)
"add a double jump to my Godot player"	Godot (project.godot)	godot-2d-movement → platformer
"make an inventory for my Unity RPG"	Unity (Assets/+ProjectSettings/)	unity-scriptableobjects → rpg → save-systems
"procedural dungeon roguelike in Godot"	Godot	godot-tilemap → procedural-gen → roguelike
"branching dialogue from a .yarn file"	(none required)	dialogue-systems (+ engine UI skill if an engine is detected)
"how do I design save slots with migration?"	(none)	save-systems only
"publish my game on itch with butler"	(any/none)	itch-publish only
"I want to make a game but don't know what to use"	unknown → ask, default Godot	router asks once; then e.g. godot-nodes-scenes
"make hits feel punchy in my Godot game"	Godot (project.godot)	game-feel (+ camera-systems for shake)
"the camera should follow my player smoothly"	(detected engine)	camera-systems (+ engine movement skill)
"my Unity game drops to 30 FPS, optimize it"	Unity (Assets/+ProjectSettings/)	performance-optimization (profile first) → engine skill

References

• Full engine fingerprints, secondary signals, and disambiguation: references/engine-detection.md.
• Exhaustive per-skill trigger words, engine bindings, and binding gaps: references/routing-table.md.