Game Development Matrix (S4 — v2 capability-based)

Scenario S4. All asset-creation capabilities covered via the S3/S5 stacks; the structural gap is distribution (Steam/itch/console stores) and alternative engines (Unity/Unreal).

Schema: docs/cli-matrix/matrix_registry.schema.md. Matrix plan: docs/cli-matrix/cli-matrix-plan.md.

Install

cli-hub matrix install game-development
cli-hub matrix info    game-development
cli-hub matrix preflight game-development --json

Provider selection constraints

1. Use preflight as an availability report, not as a provider selector.
2. Treat provider order as documentation order only.
3. Choose from user requirements, output quality bar, offline needs, credential state, install cost, and provider notes.
4. Escalate to paid or metered APIs only when credentials are already present or the user explicitly consents.

Preflight

Run cli-hub matrix preflight game-development --json first. Use the manual block below for extra probes or older cli-hub versions.

cli-hub list --json
python - <<'PY'
import importlib.util
for m in ("pygame","arcade","panda3d","ursina","trimesh","pygltflib","PIL",
          "pydub","librosa","music21","mido","abjad","diffusers","replicate",
          "posthog","gymnasium"):
    print(m, importlib.util.find_spec(m) is not None)
PY
for b in godot blender aseprite butler steamcmd ffmpeg pyinstaller; do
  command -v "$b" >/dev/null && echo "$b: yes" || echo "$b: no"
done
for e in STEAM_USERNAME STEAM_PASSWORD ITCH_API_KEY EPIC_DEV_TOKEN \
         PLAY_CONSOLE_KEY APP_STORE_CONNECT_KEY \
         REPLICATE_API_TOKEN OPENAI_API_KEY STABILITY_API_KEY IDEOGRAM_API_KEY \
         POSTHOG_API_KEY GAMEANALYTICS_KEY PLAYFAB_TITLE_KEY SENTRY_DSN; do
  [ -n "${!e}" ] && echo "$e: set" || echo "$e: unset"
done

Suggest-to-user template

To enable <capability> via <provider>, please set <ENV_VAR>.
  Cost: <cost notes>
  Quality: <quality tier>
Reply 'skip' to fall back to <next provider>.

Example: To publish to Steam, please install steamcmd and set STEAM_USERNAME + STEAM_PASSWORD (use a dedicated build account to limit credential risk). Cost: one-time $100 Steamworks fee. Reply 'skip' to fall back to itch.io via butler which only needs ITCH_API_KEY.

Capabilities

game.engine — engine authoring / project manipulation

asset.3d — 3D game assets

See S3 matrix. Primary: cli-anything-blender, cli-anything-freecad, trimesh, pygltflib.

asset.2d — sprites, tiles, UI art

asset.audio — sfx and gameplay audio

asset.notation — music notation / score export

ai.gen-asset — AI-generated art/audio for games

playtest.agent — agent-driven play / testing

Distinctive capability — very few agent stacks can drive a live GUI game loop.

build.package — package a game binary / bundle

publish.store — upload a build to a store

Known gap — no harness-level abstraction; escalate via the suggest-to-user template with platform-specific preflight.

telemetry.ingest — gameplay analytics / crash reports

Recipes

• godot-jam-game — minimal end-to-end for a game jam. Uses: game.engine, asset.2d, asset.audio, build.package, (optional publish.store).

• agent-bot — train / evaluate an agent against an existing game. Uses: playtest.agent, telemetry.ingest.

• ai-indie-short — AI-generated art + simple engine loop. Uses: ai.gen-asset, asset.2d, game.engine, asset.audio, build.package.

• steam-release — ship to Steam with crash reporting. Uses: build.package, publish.store, telemetry.ingest.

• music-driven-game — composed score integrated with gameplay. Uses: asset.notation, asset.audio, game.engine.

• reality-to-game — photogrammetry asset → import → ship. Uses: (S3 photogrammetry.reconstruct), asset.3d, game.engine, build.package.

Known gaps

• publish.store — Steam/itch/console wrappers are native-only; escalate with explicit credentials.
• game.engine for Unity/Unreal — only Godot harness exists.
• telemetry.ingest — Sentry works; no first-party for GameAnalytics/PlayFab.
• asset.notation — uniquely strong (MuseScore) but rarely used in practice; keep as a differentiator.

Agent guidance

• Start in Godot unless the user has explicitly asked for Unity/Unreal — it's the only engine we harness.
• Keep asset pipelines deterministic — re-runnable seeds for ai.gen-asset, versioned source .aseprite/.krita files, scriptable Blender bakes.
• playtest.agent needs a bridge. Most commercial games lack API access; agents should ask the user if modding is permitted before attempting.
• Version builds immediately. build.package output goes into builds/<version>/ with a manifest so publish.store has deterministic uploads.
• Don't auto-publish. publish.store must always be gated behind explicit user confirmation — uploading a broken build is expensive to roll back.