GDD Reading
Read the Game Design Document to understand design requirements.
Essential Files
Always read these before implementing:
Main GDD
- •
docs/design/gdd/index.md- Design overview - •
docs/design/gdd/game-loop.md- Core gameplay loop
Feature Specifications
- •
docs/design/gdd/{feature}.md- Feature-specific specs
Decision Log
- •
docs/design/decision_log.md- Design rationale
Open Questions
- •
docs/design/open_questions.md- Check for unresolved issues
Reading Strategy
- •Start with overview - Get big picture context
- •Find relevant sections - Focus on feature being implemented
- •Check decisions - Understand why design choices were made
- •Look for constraints - Technical or design limitations
Key Information to Extract
Requirements
- •What is being built?
- •What are the acceptance criteria?
- •What are the edge cases?
Constraints
- •Performance requirements?
- •Platform limitations?
- •Design constraints?
Patterns
- •Similar features already implemented?
- •Shared patterns to follow?
If Requirements Are Unclear
- •Check
open_questions.mdfor existing discussions - •Look at related features for patterns
- •Ask Game Designer via
design_questionmessage - •Document assumptions and verify
GDD-First Workflow
code
Task Assigned → Read GDD → Check Decisions → Identify Patterns → Implement
Never implement without understanding the design intent.
Anti-Patterns
❌ DON'T:
- •Skip the GDD and implement from PRD only - Missing design context causes rework
- •Ignore the decision log - Reimplementing rejected decisions wastes time
- •Assume requirements are complete - Open questions may affect your task
- •Start coding before understanding the "why" - Design intent guides implementation choices
- •Forget to check open questions - Unresolved issues may block your work
✅ DO:
- •Read GDD before writing any code - Design context prevents mistakes
- •Check decision log for relevant decisions - Learn from past design discussions
- •Review open questions - Unclear requirements need clarification first
- •Ask Game Designer when uncertain - Better to ask than to implement wrong
- •Reference GDD sections in commits - Links design to implementation