| name | team-level |
| description | Orchestrate level design team: level-designer + narrative-director + world-builder + art-director + systems-designer + qa-tester for complete area/level creation. |
Team Level
This is the Codex-adapted version of the original workflow. Use only .codex/ runtime assets when following it.
Arguments: [level name or area to design]
When this skill is invoked:
Decision Points: At each step transition, use request_user_input to present
the user with the subagent's proposals as selectable options. apply_patch the agent's
full analysis in conversation, then capture the decision with concise labels.
The user must approve before moving to the next step.
-
Read the argument for the target level or area (e.g., tutorial,
forest dungeon, hub town, final boss arena).
-
Gather context:
- Read the game concept at
design/gdd/game-concept.md
- Read game pillars at
design/gdd/game-pillars.md
- Read existing level docs in
design/levels/
- Read relevant narrative docs in
design/narrative/
- Read world-building docs for the area's region/faction
How to Delegate
Use the spawn_agent tool to spawn each team member as a subagent:
subagent_type: narrative-director — Narrative purpose, characters, emotional arc
subagent_type: world-builder — Lore context, environmental storytelling, world rules
subagent_type: level-designer — Spatial layout, pacing, encounters, navigation
subagent_type: systems-designer — Enemy compositions, loot tables, difficulty balance
subagent_type: art-director — Visual theme, color palette, lighting, asset requirements
subagent_type: qa-tester — Test cases, boundary testing, playtest checklist
Always provide full context in each agent's prompt (game concept, pillars, existing level docs, narrative docs).
- Orchestrate the level design team in sequence:
Step 1: Narrative Context (narrative-director + world-builder)
Spawn the narrative-director agent to:
- Define the narrative purpose of this area (what story beats happen here?)
- Identify key characters, dialogue triggers, and lore elements
- Specify emotional arc (how should the player feel entering, during, leaving?)
Spawn the world-builder agent to:
- Provide lore context for the area (history, faction presence, ecology)
- Define environmental storytelling opportunities
- Specify any world rules that affect gameplay in this area
Step 2: Layout and Encounter Design (level-designer)
Spawn the level-designer agent to:
- Design the spatial layout (critical path, optional paths, secrets)
- Define pacing curve (tension peaks, rest areas, exploration zones)
- Place encounters with difficulty progression
- Design environmental puzzles or navigation challenges
- Define points of interest and landmarks for wayfinding
- Specify entry/exit points and connections to adjacent areas
Step 3: Systems Integration (systems-designer)
Spawn the systems-designer agent to:
- Specify enemy compositions and encounter formulas
- Define loot tables and reward placement
- Balance difficulty relative to expected player level/gear
- Design any area-specific mechanics or environmental hazards
- Specify resource distribution (health pickups, save points, shops)
Step 4: Visual Direction (art-director)
Spawn the art-director agent to:
- Define the visual theme and color palette for the area
- Specify lighting mood and time-of-day settings
- List required art assets (environment props, unique assets)
- Define visual landmarks and sight lines
- Specify any special VFX needs (weather, particles, fog)
Step 5: QA Planning (qa-tester)
Spawn the qa-tester agent to:
- apply_patch test cases for the critical path
- Identify boundary and edge cases (sequence breaks, softlocks)
- Create a playtest checklist for the area
- Define acceptance criteria for level completion
-
Compile the level design document combining all team outputs into the
level design template format.
-
Save to design/levels/[level-name].md.
-
Output a summary with: area overview, encounter count, estimated asset
list, narrative beats, and any cross-team dependencies or open questions.