procedural-gameplay-backgrounds

name	procedural-gameplay-backgrounds
description	Use when creating, selecting, or adapting caption-clean 3D or procedural gameplay-like background loops for shorts without replacing the chosen content lane.
allowedTools	["shell","read","write"]
inputs	[{"name":"style","description":"Gameplay-like style such as low-poly-runner, minecraft-parkour, satisfying-loop, shader-grid, or abstract-runner.","required":true},{"name":"duration","description":"Target loop or background duration in seconds.","required":false},{"name":"fps","description":"Target frames per second for generated or rendered loops.","required":false},{"name":"resolution","description":"Target output resolution, usually 1080x1920 for public portrait shorts.","required":false},{"name":"layout","description":"Full-screen background, split-screen gameplay lane, or ambient support layer.","required":false},{"name":"visualsPath","description":"Optional existing visuals.json to patch additively.","required":false},{"name":"outputDir","description":"Directory for generated plans, previews, clips, and source notes.","required":false},{"name":"sourcePolicy","description":"Source rule such as code-native, licensed model, user-supplied footage, or generated asset.","required":false},{"name":"captionSafeZone","description":"Caption/card safe-zone requirements that the background must preserve.","required":false},{"name":"loopable","description":"Whether the background should loop cleanly without a visible jump.","required":false}]
outputs	[{"name":"gameplay-background-plan.v1.json","description":"Style, timing, loop, safe-zone, and source-policy plan."},{"name":"gameplay.mp4","description":"Optional rendered gameplay-like loop suitable for visuals.gameplayClip.path."},{"name":"gameplay-preview-contact-sheet.jpg","description":"Optional review sheet for motion, safety, and loop quality."}]

Procedural Gameplay Backgrounds

Use When

• The short needs gameplay-like retention motion, but the user did not provide rights-cleared gameplay footage.
• A Reddit, confession, explainer, product, or educational short would benefit from a generated background rail.
• The agent should create or select a caption-clean background without changing the script archetype or story format.
• The user asks for 3D, low-poly, endless-runner, Minecraft-like, Subway-Surfers-like, satisfying-loop, shader, or abstract gameplay energy.

Core Approach

1. Choose the content lane first. This skill only supplies a background or gameplay lane.
2. Prefer code-native or procedurally generated motion when rights to real gameplay are unclear.
3. Keep the background visually active but not information-dense.
4. Leave safe zones for captions, Reddit cards, receipts, and platform chrome.
5. Export a normal MP4 whenever possible so existing gameplayClip render paths can use it without special casing.
6. If using live JavaScript or Remotion code, keep it deterministic and frame-driven.

Inputs

• style or reference direction
• target duration, FPS, and resolution
• layout hint: full-screen background, split-screen gameplay lane, or ambient support layer
• optional timestamps.json or visuals.json to match timing
• optional seed or palette
• source policy: code-native, licensed model, user-supplied footage, or generated asset

Outputs

• gameplay-background-plan.v1.json
• optional gameplay.mp4
• optional gameplay-preview-contact-sheet.jpg
• optional visuals.patch.json or edited visuals.json proposal that adds the background without replacing existing scenes
• source and license notes for any external model, texture, or clip

Additive Boundary

3D and procedural gameplay are visual treatments. They do not replace:

• Reddit opener cards
• stock footage
• local/user-supplied clips
• screen recordings
• generated images or AI video
• captions
• longform clipping and reframing
• publish-prep review

Choose the lane first, then use this skill only when the 3D or procedural background makes the beat clearer, more native, or more retentive.

Optional Runtime Surface

No dedicated harness exists yet; this is currently an asset-producing playbook. It should create or select a normal MP4 plus review notes that existing visual and render surfaces can consume.

Use current surfaces as building blocks:

• timestamps-to-visuals can attach a gameplay clip through its gameplay.clip / gameplay.style request fields.
• video-render can render existing visuals.gameplayClip.path through split-screen or gameplay-backed templates.
• trusted Remotion code templates can carry richer 3D scenes behind the explicit template-code opt-in.

Technical Notes

• Follow motion-design-coder for deterministic, frame-driven motion.
• Pair with reddit-post-over-gameplay-short only as the gameplay layer; do not add unrelated B-roll.
• Pair with gameplay-confession-short as the lower or full-screen pacing rail, not as the story itself.
• Keep three, @react-three/fiber, and @remotion/three scoped to trusted code templates until a first-party 3D render path is proven.
• Use creative-source-scout before selecting external models, textures, gameplay references, or motion sites.
• Use source-policy.md to decide between code-native loops, CC0 assets, licensed imports, user footage, generated loops, and reference-only sources.
• If external GLB/GLTF models are used, record license and attribution before promotion.

Validation Checklist

• The output is a playable portrait MP4 with no black gutters.
• Motion is active enough to avoid freeze/static failures.
• Captions and cards remain readable over the background.
• The background contains no burned-in unrelated text or watermarks.
• The loop or full clip has no obvious jump unless the edit hides it.
• The visual lane still matches the chosen archetype.
• Any external model, texture, or footage has source and license notes.
• Public demos have contact-sheet review and publish-prep evidence before README promotion.