Quality Gate

AUTOMATIC BEHAVIOR - Claude MUST do this before declaring work complete

Before telling the user a feature or game is "done", run the quality gate checklist.

This ensures Claude only presents high-quality, polished work - not broken prototypes.

Trigger Conditions (Auto-Apply)

Run quality gate before:

•Saying "done", "finished", "complete", "ready"
•Presenting a new feature to the user
•Before the user tests something
•Responding to "is it ready?"
•After completing a game design milestone
•Before recommending user playtest

The Quality Gate Checklist

Gate 1: Functional (MUST PASS)

All of these must be true before proceeding:

code

□ Game runs without errors
  → manage_console action="get" types=["error", "exception"]
  → Must return empty or only ignorable warnings

□ No compile errors
  → manage_console shows no CS#### errors

□ Core loop works
  → Player can perform main action
  → Win/lose conditions function
  → Game doesn't crash during play

□ 30-second play test passes
  → manage_editor action="play"
  → Wait 30 seconds
  → Check console clean
  → manage_editor action="stop"

If Gate 1 fails: Fix issues before continuing. Do not present to user.

Gate 2: Playability (SHOULD PASS)

These should be true for good user experience:

code

□ Controls are responsive
  → Input is processed without noticeable delay
  → Movement feels smooth

□ Collisions work correctly
  → Player doesn't fall through floor
  → Triggers fire appropriately
  → Physics behave as expected

□ Game state is clear
  → Player knows what to do
  → Objectives are apparent
  → Progress is visible

□ Difficulty is reasonable
  → Not impossible
  → Not trivially easy
  → Challenge feels fair

If Gate 2 fails: Note issues for improvement, but can present with caveats.

Gate 3: Visual Quality (SHOULD CHECK)

Take screenshot and verify:

code

□ Scene isn't empty/bare
  → Environment has substance
  → Not just floating objects in void

□ Colors are intentional
  → Not default Unity gray everywhere
  → Materials applied to objects
  → No pink (missing material) errors

□ UI is readable
  → Text is visible against background
  → Elements are appropriately sized
  → Nothing is cut off or overlapping

□ Camera shows the action
  → Player is visible
  → Important elements in frame
  → No clipping issues

□ Scale feels right
  → Objects are proportional
  → Player size appropriate to world

Visual check process:

code

1. mcp__unity-mcp__manage_menu_item action="execute" menu_path="Tools/Capture Screenshot"
2. sleep 1-2, then: ls -lt Assets/Screenshots/*.png | head -1
3. Read the newest screenshot PNG file
4. Evaluate against checklist
5. Note any visual issues

Gate 4: Polish (NICE TO HAVE)

For high-quality presentation:

code

□ Audio feedback exists
  → Actions have sound effects
  → Background music (if appropriate)

□ Visual feedback exists
  → Hit effects
  → Collection effects
  → UI responds to actions

□ Game feel is good
  → Screen shake on impacts
  → Particle effects where appropriate
  → Animations are smooth

□ Edge cases handled
  → Player can't get stuck
  → Enemies don't behave erratically
  → Game handles rapid inputs

Quality Gate Process

Before Presenting Work

code

1. Run Gate 1 (Functional)
   → If FAIL: Fix and re-test
   → If PASS: Continue

2. Run Gate 2 (Playability)
   → Note any issues
   → Fix critical playability issues

3. Run Gate 3 (Visual)
   → Take screenshot
   → Evaluate visuals
   → Fix glaring visual issues

4. Consider Gate 4 (Polish)
   → Note polish opportunities
   → Apply quick wins if time allows

5. Generate Quality Report

Quality Report Format

code

## Quality Gate: [PASS/PASS WITH NOTES/NEEDS WORK]

### Functional (Gate 1): ✓ PASS
- No errors in 30s test
- Core loop verified
- Stable performance

### Playability (Gate 2): ✓ PASS
- Controls responsive
- Collisions working
- Objectives clear

### Visual (Gate 3): ⚠️ NOTES
- Scene looks good
- UI readable
- Note: Could use more environment detail

### Polish (Gate 4): ℹ️ OPPORTUNITIES
- Sound effects: Not yet added
- Particles: Basic only
- Could add: screen shake on damage

### Ready for User: YES
[OR: NEEDS FIXES - see issues above]

Automatic Quality Improvements

If quality gate finds issues, attempt automatic fixes:

Visual Issues

code

Empty scene → Add environment basics
Missing materials → Create and apply simple materials
UI hard to read → Adjust text size/color

Playability Issues

code

Controls unresponsive → Check input script
Collisions not working → Verify physics setup
Unclear objectives → Add UI hints

Polish Quick Wins

code

No audio → Add placeholder sounds from free assets
No effects → Add basic particles (Unity built-in)
Stiff movement → Add smoothing/lerping

Integration with Other Skills

With verify-changes Skill

code

verify-changes: Ensures no errors (Gate 1 subset)
quality-gate: Full quality assessment

With scene-awareness Skill

code

scene-awareness: Provides current state data
quality-gate: Uses that data for evaluation

With adding-juice Skill

code

quality-gate identifies polish gaps
→ adding-juice skill applies polish
→ quality-gate re-evaluates

Quality Levels

Minimum Viable (Gate 1 only)

•Runs without errors
•Core loop works
•User can play
•For: Early prototypes, quick tests

Good Quality (Gates 1-2)

•All functional requirements
•Playable and fair
•Clear objectives
•For: Feature demos, milestone reviews

High Quality (Gates 1-3)

•Fully functional
•Great playability
•Visually polished
•For: User presentation, "done" status

Ship Quality (All Gates)

•Everything above
•Audio and effects
•Full polish
•For: Final builds, releases

Common Quality Issues & Fixes

Issue	Auto-Fix
Pink materials	Create basic colored materials
Empty environment	Add ground plane, skybox, lighting
UI too small	Scale up canvas elements
No feedback on actions	Add audio source, play clips
Floaty controls	Adjust Rigidbody drag/gravity
Objects in void	Add world boundaries

Output to User

High Quality Pass

code

"Enemy system complete! Ran quality checks:
✓ No errors in 30 second test
✓ Enemies chase and damage player correctly
✓ Visuals look good (screenshot verified)

Ready for you to play!"

Pass with Notes

code

"Enemy system is functional and ready to test!

Quality check notes:
- Works correctly, no errors
- Enemies could be a bit faster for more challenge
- Visual: enemies are basic cubes, can add models later

Want me to improve anything before you test?"

Needs Work

code

"I've built the enemy system but found some issues:
- Enemies sometimes get stuck on corners
- Collision detection misses fast-moving players

Working on fixes before you test..."

REMINDER: This is AUTOMATIC

Claude does NOT skip quality checks:

•✅ Feature complete → Run quality gate
•✅ Gate 1 fails → Fix before continuing
•✅ Visual issues → Screenshot and verify
•✅ Polish gaps → Note or quick-fix
•✅ Only then → Present to user as "done"

Never present broken or low-quality work. Quality gate ensures everything Claude delivers is worth the user's time to test.