| name | using-simulation-tactics |
| description | Use when implementing or debugging game simulation - deciding what to simulate vs fake (scrutiny-based LOD), designing in-engine systems (physics, AI agents, pathfinding, economy, ecosystem, crowds, weather/time), optimising simulation under frame budget, or tracing chaos/desyncs/explosions. Routes to 10 specialist sheets + 3 router-support sheets, 3 commands, 2 SME agents. For numerical-methods math and stability proofs use /simulation-foundations; for architecture-level record/replay use /determinism-and-replay; for game-feel and sandbox design use /systems-as-experience. |
Using Simulation Tactics: The Router Meta-Skill
Description
This is the PRIMARY ROUTER META-SKILL for the simulation-tactics skillpack. It teaches you how to:
- Analyze simulation requirements - Understand what the user actually needs
- Route to appropriate skills - Determine which of the 10 core skills apply
- Apply skills in correct order - Use the optimal workflow for the situation
- Combine multiple skills - Handle complex scenarios requiring several simulation types
This skill does NOT teach simulation implementation details. It teaches DECISION MAKING: which skill to use, when, and why.
When to Use This Meta-Skill
Use this meta-skill when:
- Starting ANY simulation-related game development task
- User asks about simulation but unclear which type
- Facing complex scenarios requiring multiple simulation types
- Need to determine implementation order for multi-system games
- Debugging simulation issues and unclear where to start
- Planning architecture for simulation-heavy games
How to Access Reference Sheets
IMPORTANT: All reference sheets are located in the SAME DIRECTORY as this SKILL.md file.
When this skill is loaded from:
skills/using-simulation-tactics/SKILL.md
Reference sheets like physics-simulation-patterns.md are at:
skills/using-simulation-tactics/physics-simulation-patterns.md
NOT at:
skills/physics-simulation-patterns.md ← WRONG PATH
The 10 Core Skills
Before routing, understand what each skill provides:
1. simulation-vs-faking (FOUNDATIONAL)
What it teaches: The fundamental trade-off between full simulation and approximation/faking
When to route: ALWAYS FIRST - determines if you even need simulation
Key question: "Do I simulate this, fake it, or use a hybrid approach?"
2. physics-simulation-patterns
What it teaches: Rigid bodies, vehicles, cloth, fluids, integration methods
When to route: Need realistic physics for vehicles, ragdolls, destructibles, or fluid dynamics
Key question: "Does this need real-time physics simulation?"
3. ai-and-agent-simulation
What it teaches: FSM, behavior trees, utility AI, GOAP, agent behaviors
When to route: Need intelligent agent behavior (enemies, NPCs, units)
Key question: "Do agents need to make decisions and act autonomously?"
4. traffic-and-pathfinding
What it teaches: A*, navmesh, flow fields, traffic simulation, congestion
When to route: Need agents to navigate environments or simulate traffic
Key question: "Do entities need to find paths or simulate traffic flow?"
5. economic-simulation-patterns
What it teaches: Supply/demand, markets, trade networks, price discovery
When to route: Need economic systems (trading, markets, resources)
Key question: "Does the game involve trade, economy, or resource markets?"
6. ecosystem-simulation
What it teaches: Predator-prey dynamics, food chains, population control
When to route: Need living ecosystems with wildlife populations
Key question: "Do I need animals/plants that breed, eat, and die naturally?"
7. crowd-simulation
What it teaches: Boids, formations, social forces, LOD for crowds
When to route: Need large groups moving together (crowds, flocks, armies)
Key question: "Do I need many entities moving as a coordinated group?"
8. weather-and-time
What it teaches: Day/night cycles, weather systems, seasonal effects
When to route: Need atmospheric effects or time-based gameplay
Key question: "Does the game need time progression or weather?"
9. performance-optimization-for-sims
What it teaches: Profiling, spatial partitioning, LOD, time-slicing, caching
When to route: Performance problems with existing simulation
Key question: "Is my simulation too slow?"
10. debugging-simulation-chaos
What it teaches: Systematic debugging, desync detection, determinism, chaos prevention
When to route: Simulation behaves incorrectly, chaotically, or unpredictably
Key question: "Is my simulation broken, desyncing, or chaotic?"
CORE ROUTING FRAMEWORK
The Decision Tree
Follow this decision tree for ALL simulation tasks:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 1: ALWAYS START HERE │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ Route to: simulation-vs-faking │
│ │
│ Questions to ask: │
│ • Do I need to simulate this at all? │
│ • What level of detail is required? │
│ • What can I fake or approximate? │
│ • Where is the player's attention focused? │
│ │
│ This prevents the #1 mistake: over-engineering systems │
│ that could be faked. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 2: ROUTE TO SPECIFIC SIMULATION TYPE(S) │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ Identify which simulation domains apply: │
│ │
│ Physics domain → physics-simulation-patterns │
│ AI domain → ai-and-agent-simulation │
│ Pathfinding domain → traffic-and-pathfinding │
│ Economy domain → economic-simulation-patterns │
│ Ecosystem domain → ecosystem-simulation │
│ Crowds domain → crowd-simulation │
│ Atmosphere domain → weather-and-time │
│ │
│ Multiple domains? Route to ALL applicable skills. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 3: IF PERFORMANCE ISSUES ARISE │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ Route to: performance-optimization-for-sims │
│ │
│ Triggers: │
│ • Frame rate drops below 60 FPS │
│ • Profiler shows simulation bottleneck │
│ • Agent count causes slowdown │
│ • Simulation gets expensive at scale │
│ │
│ WARNING: Don't route here prematurely! │
│ Premature optimization wastes time. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 4: IF BUGS/CHAOS OCCUR │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ Route to: debugging-simulation-chaos │
│ │
│ Triggers: │
│ • Simulation behaves chaotically/unpredictably │
│ • Multiplayer desyncs │
│ • Physics explosions or NaN values │
│ • Agents stuck or behaving erratically │
│ • Systems producing nonsensical results │
│ │
│ This is a REACTIVE skill - only use when broken. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Routing Principles
Principle 1: simulation-vs-faking is ALWAYS step 1
- Even if you "know" you need simulation, validate this assumption
- Prevents 90% of over-engineering disasters
- Takes 5 minutes, saves hours of wasted work
Principle 2: Multiple domains are common
Principle 3: Optimization comes AFTER implementation
- Don't route to performance-optimization-for-sims until you have a working simulation
- Profile first, optimize later
- Premature optimization is the root of all evil
Principle 4: Debugging is reactive, not proactive
- Only route to debugging-simulation-chaos when something is broken
- Don't use it as a preventative measure
- Fix the bug, THEN refactor to prevent recurrence
QUICK REFERENCE TABLE
| User Need | Primary Skill | Secondary Skills | Also Consider |
|---|
| Vehicle physics | physics-simulation-patterns | - | performance-optimization (if many vehicles) |
| City traffic | traffic-and-pathfinding | simulation-vs-faking | performance-optimization (scale to 10k) |
| NPC AI | ai-and-agent-simulation | simulation-vs-faking | traffic-and-pathfinding (if NPCs move) |
| RTS units | ai-and-agent-simulation, traffic-and-pathfinding | crowd-simulation (formations) | performance-optimization (1000+ units) |
| Trading system | economic-simulation-patterns | simulation-vs-faking | ai-and-agent-simulation (NPC traders) |
| Wildlife/hunting | ecosystem-simulation | ai-and-agent-simulation | simulation-vs-faking (detail level) |
| Crowds | crowd-simulation | simulation-vs-faking | performance-optimization (scale) |
| Day/night | weather-and-time | simulation-vs-faking | - |
| Weather effects | weather-and-time | physics-simulation-patterns (wind) | - |
| Pathfinding | traffic-and-pathfinding | simulation-vs-faking | performance-optimization (many agents) |
| Flocking birds | crowd-simulation | simulation-vs-faking | performance-optimization (LOD) |
| Ragdolls | physics-simulation-patterns | - | debugging-simulation-chaos (stability) |
| Performance issue | performance-optimization-for-sims | (original implementation skill) | debugging-simulation-chaos (if bug) |
| Physics explodes | debugging-simulation-chaos | physics-simulation-patterns | - |
| Ecosystem collapse | debugging-simulation-chaos | ecosystem-simulation | - |
| Multiplayer desync | debugging-simulation-chaos | (any affected skills) | - |
DECISION FLOWCHART
Use this flowchart for quick routing decisions:
START: User describes simulation need
↓
[Is this DEFINITELY about simulation?]
├─ No → Don't use simulation-tactics at all
└─ Yes → Continue
↓
[Route to: simulation-vs-faking]
"Do I simulate, fake, or hybrid?"
↓
[Identify domain(s)]
├─ Physics? → physics-simulation-patterns
├─ AI/Agents? → ai-and-agent-simulation
├─ Pathfinding? → traffic-and-pathfinding
├─ Economy? → economic-simulation-patterns
├─ Ecosystem? → ecosystem-simulation
├─ Crowds? → crowd-simulation
└─ Weather/Time? → weather-and-time
↓
[Is simulation ALREADY implemented?]
├─ No → Use identified skill(s) to implement
└─ Yes → Continue
↓
[Is there a PERFORMANCE problem?]
├─ Yes → performance-optimization-for-sims
└─ No → Continue
↓
[Is there a BUG/CHAOS problem?]
├─ Yes → debugging-simulation-chaos
└─ No → Implementation complete!
COMMON ROUTING MISTAKES
These are the mistakes that waste the most time. Learn to recognize them.
Mistake 1: Skipping simulation-vs-faking
Symptom: Over-engineered simulation that could have been faked
Example:
- Building full ecosystem for background birds that are never scrutinized
- Simulating NPC hunger/sleep when player never notices
- Full traffic simulation for distant cars player can't interact with
Fix: ALWAYS route to simulation-vs-faking first. Ask "Will player notice if I fake this?"
Cost of mistake: Weeks of wasted work, ongoing performance burden
Mistake 2: Premature optimization
Symptom: Routing to performance-optimization-for-sims before implementation is complete
Example:
- Implementing LOD systems before having working simulation
- Using spatial partitioning before knowing if it's needed
- Caching pathfinding before pathfinding exists
Fix: Profile first, optimize later. Only route to performance-optimization-for-sims when:
- You have working simulation
- You have measured performance problem
- Profiler shows bottleneck
Cost of mistake: Wasted time optimizing code that might change, or optimizing the wrong thing
Mistake 3: Not debugging systematically
Symptom: Trying to fix bugs by changing random things, routing to implementation skills instead of debugging-simulation-chaos
Example:
- "Physics explodes, let me try different integration method" (should debug first)
- "Ecosystem collapses, let me add more food" (should debug why it collapses)
- "Pathfinding breaks, let me rewrite the algorithm" (should debug the existing code)
Fix: When simulation is broken, ALWAYS route to debugging-simulation-chaos first. Identify root cause before attempting fixes.
Cost of mistake: Bug persists, or you "fix" symptom without addressing cause
Mistake 4: Wrong skill for the domain
Symptom: Using ai-and-agent-simulation when you need traffic-and-pathfinding, etc.
Example:
- Using ai-and-agent-simulation for pathfinding (use traffic-and-pathfinding instead)
- Using physics-simulation-patterns for kinematic movement (use ai-and-agent-simulation)
- Using crowd-simulation for trading (use economic-simulation-patterns)
Fix: Understand what each skill covers. Pathfinding is NOT AI. Physics is NOT movement. Crowds are NOT flocking AI.
Cost of mistake: Learning wrong techniques for your problem
Mistake 5: Implementing in wrong order
Symptom: Building dependent system before foundation
Example:
- Implementing AI behaviors before pathfinding exists (AI can't move)
- Building economy before resource sources exist (nothing to trade)
- Adding weather effects before day/night cycle (no time progression)
Fix: Follow the dependency order in multi-skill workflows. Foundation first, then dependent systems.
Cost of mistake: Rework when foundation changes breaks dependent systems
Mistake 6: Ignoring multiplayer determinism
Symptom: Building single-player simulation without considering multiplayer needs
Example:
- Using floating-point physics for multiplayer game (desyncs)
- Random number generation without shared seed (desyncs)
- Iterating unordered collections (desyncs)
Fix: If multiplayer is planned, route to debugging-simulation-chaos early to learn determinism requirements.
Cost of mistake: Complete rewrite to fix desyncs
Mistake 7: Over-combining skills
Symptom: Trying to use every skill when only 1-2 are needed
Example:
- Simple puzzle game doesn't need ecosystem-simulation
- Turn-based game doesn't need performance-optimization-for-sims
- Static world doesn't need weather-and-time
Fix: Route to ONLY the skills you actually need. More skills = more complexity.
Cost of mistake: Wasted time learning and implementing unnecessary systems
Additional Guidance
For detailed examples and workflows, see:
Simulation Tactics Specialist Skills Catalog
After routing, load the appropriate specialist skill for detailed guidance:
- simulation-vs-faking.md - FOUNDATIONAL: Trade-off between full simulation and approximation/faking
- physics-simulation-patterns.md - Rigid bodies, vehicles, cloth, fluids, integration methods
- ai-and-agent-simulation.md - FSM, behavior trees, utility AI, GOAP, agent behaviors
- traffic-and-pathfinding.md - A*, navmesh, flow fields, traffic simulation, congestion
- economic-simulation-patterns.md - Supply/demand, markets, trade networks, price discovery
- ecosystem-simulation.md - Predator-prey dynamics, food chains, population control
- crowd-simulation.md - Boids, formations, social forces, LOD for crowds
- weather-and-time.md - Day/night cycles, weather systems, seasonal effects
- performance-optimization-for-sims.md - Profiling, spatial partitioning, LOD, time-slicing
- debugging-simulation-chaos.md - Systematic debugging, desync detection, determinism
Now route confidently to the specific skills you need!
