patch-notes

name	patch-notes
description	Generate player-facing patch notes from git history, sprint data, and internal changelogs. Translates developer language into clear, engaging player communication.

Patch Notes

This is the Codex-adapted version of the original workflow. Use only .codex/ runtime assets when following it.

Arguments: [version] [--style brief|detailed|full]

When this skill is invoked:

1. Parse the arguments:

   • version: the release version to generate notes for (e.g., 1.2.0)
   • --style: output style — brief (bullet points), detailed (with context), full (with developer commentary). Default: detailed.

2. Gather change data from multiple sources:

   • Read the internal changelog at production/releases/[version]changelog.md if it exists
   • Run git log between the previous release tag and current tag/HEAD
   • Read sprint retrospectives in production/sprints/ for context
   • Read any balance change documents in design/balance/
   • Read bug fix records from QA if available

3. Categorize all changes into player-facing categories:

   • New Content: new features, maps, characters, items, modes
   • Gameplay Changes: balance adjustments, mechanic changes, progression changes
   • Quality of Life: UI improvements, convenience features, accessibility
   • Bug Fixes: grouped by system (combat, UI, networking, etc.)
   • Performance: optimization improvements players might notice
   • Known Issues: transparency about unresolved problems

4. Translate developer language to player language:

   • "Refactored damage calculation pipeline" → "Improved hit detection accuracy"
   • "Fixed null reference in inventory manager" → "Fixed a crash when opening inventory"
   • "Reduced GC allocations in combat loop" → "Improved combat performance"
   • Remove purely internal changes that don't affect players
   • Preserve specific numbers for balance changes (damage: 50 → 45)

5. Generate the patch notes using the appropriate style:

Brief Style

# Patch [Version] — [Title]

**New**
- [Feature 1]
- [Feature 2]

**Changes**
- [Balance/mechanic change with before → after values]

**Fixes**
- [Bug fix 1]
- [Bug fix 2]

**Known Issues**
- [Issue 1]

Detailed Style

# Patch [Version] — [Title]
*[Date]*

## Highlights
[1-2 sentence summary of the most exciting changes]

## New Content
### [Feature Name]
[2-3 sentences describing the feature and why players should be excited]

## Gameplay Changes
### Balance
| Change | Before | After | Reason |
| ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| [Item/ability] | [old value] | [new value] | [brief rationale] |

### Mechanics
- **[Change]**: [explanation of what changed and why]

## Quality of Life
- [Improvement with context]

## Bug Fixes
### Combat
- Fixed [description of what players experienced]

### UI
- Fixed [description]

### Networking
- Fixed [description]

## Performance
- [Improvement players will notice]

## Known Issues
- [Issue and workaround if available]

Full Style

Includes everything from Detailed, plus:

## Developer Commentary
### [Topic]
> [Developer insight into a major change — why it was made, what was considered,
> what the team learned. Written in first-person team voice.]

6. Review the output for:

   • No internal jargon (replace technical terms with player-friendly language)
   • No references to internal systems, tickets, or sprint numbers
   • Balance changes include before/after values
   • Bug fixes describe the player experience, not the technical cause
   • Tone matches the game's voice (adjust formality based on game style)

7. Save the patch notes to production/releases/[version]patch-notes.md, creating the directory if needed.

8. Output to the user: the complete patch notes, the file path, a count of changes by category, and any internal changes that were excluded (for review).