AI Game Art Pipeline
Use this skill when a user wants to generate, plan, debug, or package game art that must run in an actual game runtime.
The skill is provider-neutral. It does not assume any specific API key or vendor SDK. If a model call is needed, use the user's available provider through an adapter or ask them to implement scripts/provider_stub.py.
Core Rule
Pick the pipeline by runtime job, not by model hype.
| Runtime job | Pipeline |
|---|
| Static props, items, FX icons | Image model + style refs + removable background |
| Existing/brand character | Reuse canonical sprite sheets before regenerating |
| Combat character animation | Keyframe-first + 2D grid + post-processing + curation |
| Walk/run/body mechanics | Prefer video motion reference; use 3D skeleton only when cleanup is acceptable |
| Ambient loops | Video model -> extracted frames |
| Cinematic ultimate / boss intro | Full-screen video-to-frames + code-driven hit logic |
| Runtime feel | Deterministic code: hit pause, shake, particles, trails, SFX |
Default Workflow
- Identify the runtime job and target engine.
- Check whether canonical assets already exist.
- Pick one scenario reference below.
- Generate the smallest useful vertical slice, not the full asset set.
- Post-process with deterministic scripts.
- Preview at target size and target device.
- Iterate surgically: rerun one animation, reprocess raw output, or repack frames.
Scenario References
Read only the relevant file:
references/static-assets.md — props, icons, items, simple monsters, canonical asset reuse.references/battle-sprites.md — keyframe-first combat sprite sheets, 2D grids, anchors, contact sheets.references/motion-video.md — 3D skeleton pitfalls, video motion references, Veo/Seedance-style video-to-frames, cinematic ultimates.references/backgrounds.md — level backgrounds, master-first parallax, outpaint chains, mobile texture limits.references/runtime-shipping.md — formats, compression, CDN layout, audio/SFX, runtime QA.
Bundled Scripts
Scripts are local utilities only. They do not call model APIs.
scripts/provider_stub.py — adapter interface the user can implement for their provider.scripts/chroma_key_magenta.py — remove magenta background from generated sheets/icons.scripts/sheet_contact.py — make numbered contact sheets for curation.scripts/extract_video_frames.py — extract/resize video frames for runtime texture sequences.
Provider Adapters
Do not write a full vendor SDK unless the user explicitly asks for one. Prefer a thin adapter around scripts/provider_stub.py so credentials, endpoints, retries, billing, and model choices stay in the user's project.
If the user wants examples, point them to examples/providers/README.md and adapt only the minimal file they need:
- fake/local provider for testing the pipeline without model calls.
- generic image HTTP provider for a user's image-generation proxy.
- generic async video HTTP provider for a user's video-generation proxy.
Output Standard
When using this skill, produce:
- A concise pipeline choice and why.
- The exact assets to generate or reuse.
- Prompt constraints if model generation is needed.
- Post-processing commands/scripts.
- Runtime packaging notes: dimensions, format, anchor, frame rate, texture limits.
- QA checklist for the target device.
Hard Warnings
- Do not regenerate a known character if a canonical sheet exists.
- Do not use 1xN horizontal strips for complex combat poses; use 2D grids.
- Do not let cinematic video own gameplay semantics. Damage, hitboxes, target tracking, cooldown, and SFX belong in code.
- Do not ship giant backgrounds because they look fine on desktop. Check mobile texture limits.
- Do not treat AI output as final. The production asset is the generated image plus cleanup, anchors, timing, compression, and runtime test.