gavinmcfall/scope-guardian

scope-guardian

The game you ship beats the game you imagine. Ruthlessly.

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Capsule: CoreTest

Invariant Every feature must answer: "Can this be cut without ruining the game?" If yes, it's not core.

Example A roguelike needs: procedural levels, combat, permadeath. A roguelike does NOT need: crafting, base building, multiplayer, leaderboards, achievements, cutscenes. Those are all nice. None are the game. //BOUNDARY: "Core" means the game doesn't exist without it. Not "the game is worse without it" — that's "important," not "core."

Depth

• Core features for a solo dev first game: aim for 3-5. If your core list has 10 items, you haven't been ruthless enough.
• The test works recursively. Within each core feature, apply it again: what's the minimum viable version of this feature?
• This is the hardest discipline in game dev. Everything feels core when you're excited about it. Time is the revealer — if you still think it's core after a week, it might be.

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Capsule: ScopeLevels

Invariant Every feature, asset, and piece of content belongs to exactly one level. The levels determine what gets built and in what order.

Example For a 2D roguelike:

• Core: Player movement, combat, procedural dungeon, permadeath, 3 enemy types
• Important: Sound effects, 5 more enemy types, item system, boss fights
• Nice to have: Achievements, leaderboards, daily challenges, character customization
• Out of scope: Multiplayer, 3D, mobile port, modding support //BOUNDARY: Moving a feature UP a level requires removing something else at that level or cutting from the level below.

Depth

• "Out of scope" is the most important level. It's an explicit "no" that prevents future re-evaluation. Record it in the decision-journal with a revisit trigger.
• Important features are the negotiation space. When behind schedule, cut from here first.
• Nice-to-have is the ideas backlog. Review during planning, never during building.
• The levels should be written down and visible. When someone (including you) suggests a feature, check which level it belongs to.

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Capsule: ContentBudget

Invariant Scope isn't just features. It's also how much content each feature requires. A "simple inventory system" with 200 items is not simple.

Example "The game has enemies" is a feature. "The game has 50 unique enemies each with distinct sprites, animations, behaviors, and sound effects" is a content commitment. One is a week of work. The other is months. //BOUNDARY: Budget content in the same way you budget features. Ask: what's the minimum number of [enemies/levels/items/etc.] needed for the game to feel complete?

Depth

• Solo dev content budgets should shock you with how small they are. Vampire Survivors launched with ~20 weapons. Undertale has ~20 unique enemies. Celeste has ~8 mechanics.
• Content scales linearly with time. 10 enemies takes 10x longer than 1 enemy. There are no shortcuts except reducing the count.
• Art assets are the most expensive content. Each unique sprite, each animation frame, each UI element takes time. Budget accordingly.
• Audio is cheaper per unit but adds up. Budget sound effects per interaction type, not per entity.

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Capsule: ShipDate

Invariant A game without a target ship date will expand to fill all available time. Set one, even if it moves.

Example "I'll ship when it's ready" → never ships. "I'll ship a playable demo by December" → makes scope decisions concrete. Every new feature competes against the date. //BOUNDARY: The date can move. That's fine. The point is that it EXISTS, creating pressure that forces scope decisions. Without it, every feature is "eventually."

Depth

• A target date is a scope enforcement tool, not a commitment. It answers: "Given this date, can I afford this feature?"
• ADHD responds to deadlines — but only real ones. A self-imposed date you don't believe is meaningless. Tie it to something external: a game jam submission, a store page going live, showing a friend.
• The date doesn't have to be the final release. It can be: playable prototype, demo, alpha, beta. Intermediate milestones are more useful than a distant launch date.
• SeeAlso: DecisionClosure (adhd-coach) — a date forces decisions that would otherwise loop forever

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Scope Evaluation Process

When a new feature or idea appears:

1. Apply the Core Test

"Can this be cut without ruining the game?"

• Yes → It's not core. Move to step 2.
• No → It's core. It stays. But apply the test to its sub-features too.

2. Assign a Level

| Level | Criteria | Action | |-------|----------|--------| | Important | Makes the game notably better | Add to backlog with scope level label | | Nice to have | Would be cool | Add to ideas backlog | | Out of scope | Doesn't fit, too expensive, or wrong game | Record in decision-journal with "out of scope" |

3. Check the Budget

If Important:

• What does this feature cost in time? (Rough: S/M/L/XL)
• What content does it require? (sprites, levels, sounds, etc.)
• Does adding this push past the target date?
• If yes: what gets cut to make room?

4. Record the Decision

• If kept: scope level label in Plane
• If cut: decision-journal entry with revisit trigger ("revisit if the game feels empty without it after playtesting")
• If out of scope: decision-journal entry with firm "no" and rationale

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Scope Review Cadence

Monthly: Scope Check (30 min)

1. Core list: Is it still 3-5 features? Has anything crept in?
2. Important list: Is it growing? Anything that should be cut or moved to Nice-to-have?
3. Content budget: Are art/content commitments realistic for the target date?
4. Target date: Still realistic? If not, what scope reduces to make it realistic?

Per-Sprint: Quick Check

During sprint planning (sprint-manager):

• Are sprint tickets aligned with Core and Important features?
• Is anyone working on Nice-to-have while Core is incomplete?
• Has anything been added without something being removed?

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For AI Assistants

When the user proposes a new feature:

1. Apply the Core Test: "Can the game ship without this?"
2. Assign a level: "This sounds like [Important/Nice-to-have]. Want to add it to the [backlog/ideas list]?"
3. Check the budget: "Adding this would mean [X more sprites/levels/etc.]. Is that worth it given your timeline?"
4. Enforce scope-in/scope-out: "If this goes in, what comes out?"

When the game's scope feels too big:

1. List the Core features: "Let's check — what are the 3-5 things that make this game this game?"
2. Challenge each one: "Is [X] truly core, or is it Important?"
3. Count content: "How many unique [enemies/levels/items] are you committed to? What's the minimum that feels right?"

Tone: Direct but not dismissive. The user's ideas are good — the question is timing, not quality. "Great idea. Is it for v1.0 or post-launch?"

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Constraints

• Core features: 3-5 maximum. If your list is longer, you haven't been ruthless.
• Every "in" requires an "out" (or a date extension acknowledged)
• Out-of-scope decisions are recorded in decision-journal, not just forgotten
• Content budgets are explicit: count the assets, don't estimate them
• Never work on Nice-to-have while Core is incomplete

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Deeper

• The adhd-coach skill — ShinyObjectFilter for in-the-moment capture
• The sprint-manager skill — Sprint-level scope enforcement
• The decision-journal skill — Recording scope decisions with revisit triggers
• The game-research skill — Research on what's realistic for solo devs

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The game you ship beats the game you imagine. Cut until it hurts, then ship.