| name | game-improver |
| description | Implement bug fixes, features, balance adjustments, and performance optimizations for NEUROTOXIC.
Trigger when: asked to fix bugs (state corruption, crashes, logic errors), add features (new items, upgrades, mechanics), tune balance (costs, rewards, difficulty), optimize performance (render loops, memory leaks, bundle size), refactor code (clean up tech debt, improve readability), fix UI inconsistencies (broken layouts, color mismatches), or test new systems.
Routes to specialists: balance→game-balancing-assistant, audio→audio-debugger-ambient-vs-gig or webaudio-reliability-fixer, UI design→convention-keeper-brutalist-ui, state bugs→state-safety-action-creator-guard.
Use for: core game logic, feature implementation, bug fixes, performance wins, refactoring, testing. Covers reducer changes, hook logic, data transformations, asset loading, persistence, and end-to-end testing.
|
Game Improver
Implement production-ready improvements—bug fixes, features, optimizations, and refactoring—for NEUROTOXIC.
Quick Routing Decision Tree
Is the issue primarily...?
| Issue Type | Use This Skill | Else Use |
|---|
| Gameplay balance (costs, rewards, difficulty) | ❌ | game-balancing-assistant |
| Audio playback (music fails, stutters, wrong track) | ❌ | audio-debugger-ambient-vs-gig or webaudio-reliability-fixer |
| UI design (colors, borders, layout, typography) | ❌ | convention-keeper-brutalist-ui |
| State bugs (reducer errors, invalid transitions) | ✅ | state-safety-action-creator-guard |
| Core logic bug (game loop, travel cost calc) | ✅ | — |
| New feature (upgrade, item, system) | ✅ | — |
| Performance (render loops, memory, bundle) | ✅ | — |
| Testing (regression, integration, edge cases) | ✅ | — |
| Refactoring (extract components, reduce duplication) | ✅ | — |
Unsure? Proceed here. If we need a specialist, we'll delegate mid-workflow.
Core Workflow
1. Understand the Request
- What problem are we solving? (user pain, crash, balance, performance)
- What's the affected game system? (economy, progression, audio, UI, state)
- What's the success metric? (no crashes, +X DPS, faster load time, clarity)
2. Research & Map Dependencies
- State: Which reducers, actions, selectors are involved?
- UI: Which components render the feature? Do they need updates?
- Data: Which data files (upgrades.js, hqItems.js, events) are affected?
- Audio: Does this touch AudioContext or Tone.js?
- Pixi: Any scene rendering, animations, or dynamic assets?
- Localization: User-facing text? Add i18n keys.
- Tests: What should pass/fail after this change?
Use references/improvement-patterns.md to find a similar change.
3. Plan Implementation
Define:
- Files to modify: List top 3-5 files.
- Changes: Brief 1–2 sentence summary per file.
- State mutations: Any new
ActionTypes or reducer cases?
- Tests to add/update: Which tests validate the fix?
- Localization: New i18n keys needed?
4. Implement
State changes: Use ActionTypes, reducers, action creators (together, not separately).
UI changes: Follow Tailwind v4 syntax (@import "tailwindcss", color tokens with --color- prefix).
Localization: All user text via t('key'). Namespaced keys (ui:, events:, etc.). Both en and de.
Performance: Memoize expensive calcs, watch for per-frame allocations, destroy Pixi on unmount.
Pixi cleanup: Always use app.destroy({ removeView: true }, { children: true, texture: true, textureSource: true }).
See references/state-mutations.md, references/improvement-patterns.md, references/performance-guardrails.md.
5. Verify & Test
Run full test suite (takes ~3-5 min):
pnpm run test:all
Run targeted tests (faster, for iteration):
node --test --import tsx --experimental-test-module-mocks --import ./tests/setup.mjs tests/path/to/file.test.js
pnpm run test:ui:file -- tests/path/to/file.test.jsx
pnpm run test
Build check (catches import errors, bundle issues):
pnpm run build
All verification in one command:
pnpm run lint && pnpm run test && pnpm run test:ui && pnpm run build
See references/verification-checklist.md for detailed criteria.
Core Constraints
Stack: React 19.2.6, Vite 8.0.10, Tailwind 4.2.4, Framer Motion 12.38.0, Tone.js 15.5.11. Node 22.13+.
State Limits: player.money >= 0, band.harmony ∈ [1, 100], van.fuel ∈ [0, 100]. Clamp via gameStateUtils.js.
Audio: Use audioEngine.getGigTimeMs() as single clock. Don't access Tone.js directly. Handle suspended AudioContext.
Pixi: Destroy on unmount. No memory leaks. Pre-compute, don't allocate per-frame.
I18n: ALL user text via t('key'). Namespaced (ui:, events:, etc.). Both en and de.
Commits: Conventional Commits (feat:, fix:, refactor:, etc.).
Examples
Example 1: Bug Fix (State Corruption)
Input: "Fix: traveling doesn't deduct fuel correctly"
Workflow:
- Find travel logic:
src/hooks/useOverworldLogic.ts (or economyEngine.ts)
- Check reducer: Does
UPDATE_PLAYER subtract fuel? Check gameReducer.ts
- Find test:
tests/travel.test.js — what's the failing assertion?
- Fix: Add fuel deduction to travel action payload
- Test with the matching single-file command from
AGENTS.md.
- Verify bounds: Is fuel clamped to [0, 100]? Check
gameStateUtils.ts
Example 2: New Feature (Upgrade System)
Input: "Add meditation pod upgrade: +1 harmony/day, costs 500"
Workflow:
- Data: Edit
src/data/hqItems.ts — add item with effect: 'harmony_regen'
- Economy: Check
economyEngine.ts — does it handle harmony_regen effect?
- Hook:
useGameLoop.ts — apply effect each day via ADVANCE_DAY
- Tests: Add to
tests/economyEngine.test.js — verify cost, effect, clamping
- Localization: Add keys to
public/locales/en.json and public/locales/de.json
Example 3: Performance (Memory Leak)
Input: "Fix: memory grows when switching gigs"
Workflow:
- Suspect: Pixi scene, audio context, event listeners not cleaned up
- Find scene:
src/scenes/Gig.tsx or src/components/PixiStageController.ts
- Check cleanup: Does
useEffect clean up? Pixi destroyed on unmount?
- Fix: Add
app.destroy({...}) in cleanup function
- Test: Monitor memory in DevTools; watch for growing heap
See references/improvement-patterns.md for more complete examples.
Skill sync: compatible with React 19.2.6 / Vite 8.0.10 / Tailwind 4.2.4 baseline as of 2026-05-20.
