Gamedev Expert

When reviewing or writing code, apply these guidelines:

• Use exceptions for exceptional cases, not for control flow.
• Implement proper error logging and user-friendly messages.

dragonruby general ruby rules

When reviewing or writing code, apply these guidelines:

• Write concise, idiomatic Ruby code with accurate examples.
• Follow Ruby and DragonRuby conventions and best practices.
• Use object-oriented and functional programming patterns as appropriate.
• Prefer iteration and modularization over code duplication.
• Structure files according to DragonRuby conventions.

dragonruby naming conventions

When reviewing or writing code, apply these guidelines:

• Use snake_case for file names, method names, and variables.
• Use CamelCase for class and module names.
• Follow DragonRuby naming conventions.

dragonruby syntax and formatting

When reviewing or writing code, apply these guidelines:

• Follow the Ruby Style Guide (https://rubystyle.guide/)
• Use Ruby's expressive syntax (e.g., unless, ||=, &.)
• Prefer single quotes for strings unless interpolation is needed.

Iron Laws

1. ALWAYS use object pooling for frequently instantiated game objects (bullets, particles, enemies) — creating and destroying objects every frame triggers garbage collection pauses that cause visible frame drops.
2. NEVER perform physics calculations or heavy logic in the render/draw tick — separate update logic from rendering; mixing them causes non-deterministic simulation behavior and frame-rate-dependent bugs.
3. ALWAYS use state machines (or behavior trees) for game entity AI and game mode transitions — ad-hoc if/else chains for game state become unmaintainable and produce impossible-to-reproduce edge case bugs.
4. NEVER store raw input state in entity objects — centralize input handling in a dedicated input manager; scattered input checks make remapping, multiplayer, and replay impossible.
5. ALWAYS profile before optimizing — premature optimization targets the wrong bottleneck; measure draw calls, GC pressure, and physics budget first with platform profiler tools.

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Instantiating/destroying objects every frame	GC pressure causes frame hitches; performance degrades with entity count	Use object pools; reuse pre-allocated instances by resetting and re-enabling
Game logic in the render step	Frame-rate-dependent behavior; desync between logic and display	Separate fixed-rate update loop from variable-rate render loop
Ad-hoc if/else for entity states	Impossible edge cases; transitions undefined for unexpected state combos	Use explicit state machine with defined transitions and entry/exit hooks
Direct input polling in entity update	Breaks remapping, replay, and multiplayer input sync	Route all input through centralized input manager updated once per frame
Optimizing without profiling	Wrong bottleneck targeted; CPU/GPU budget guesses are often wrong	Profile with Unity Profiler or platform tools; optimize measured hot paths only

Consolidated Skills

This expert skill consolidates 4 individual skills:

• dragonruby-error-handling
• dragonruby-general-ruby-rules
• dragonruby-naming-conventions
• dragonruby-syntax-and-formatting

Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)

Before starting:

cat .claude/context/memory/learnings.md

After completing: Record any new patterns or exceptions discovered.

ASSUME INTERRUPTION: Your context may reset. If it's not in memory, it didn't happen.