Use Case: Game Designer Using AI to Create a Roadmap & PRD
A Game Designer can use an AI coding agent to brainstorm features, write a detailed PRD, and create a design spec -- without knowing how to code.
Context
You're a PM/Game Designer developing a mobile MOBA game called "The Ended World." You need to design a Daily Fortune Spin mini game (spin-to-win wheel) with the goal of keeping players coming back every day.
Tools:
- AI coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, or similar)
- Superpowers framework installed
What You'll Learn
In this tutorial, you'll see how to apply:
- Brainstorming skill -- AI asks questions one at a time to explore requirements, doesn't dump everything at once
- Visual companion -- AI displays wireframes/mockups directly in the browser
- Structured spec -- Turns ideas into a clearly structured design spec
Step 1: Brainstorming -- Exploring Requirements
You tell the AI:
"I need to design a spin-to-win mini game for the game The Ended World."
AI activates the brainstorming skill and asks one question at a time:
Question 1 -- Primary objective:
AI: "What's the primary objective of this spin-to-win mini game?
- A. Monetization -- generate revenue from players (buy spins with real money/gems)
- B. Retention -- keep players coming back daily (free spin every day)
- C. Engagement booster -- increase play time (spin after completing quests)
- D. Combination of multiple objectives"
You: "B"
Question 2 -- Spin frequency:
AI: "What spin frequency and mechanics do you have in mind?
- A. 1 free spin per day (simple, classic)
- B. Spin based on login streak
- C. Spin after completing daily quests
- D. Combination: free + extra spins from quests"
You: "A"
Question 3 -- Reward types:
AI: "What rewards go on the wheel?
- A. In-game resources (gold, gems, exp...)
- B. Combat items (runes, buffs...)
- C. Cosmetics (skins, avatar frames, emotes...)
- D. Mix of all -- tiered by rarity"
You: "D"
Question 4 -- Probability mechanics:
AI: "Rarity mechanics?
- A. Fixed probabilities (Common 60%, Rare 25%, Epic 12%, Legendary 3%)
- B. Pity system -- guaranteed after X spins (like Genshin Impact)
- C. Progressive wheel -- changes based on player level"
You: "A"
Question 5 -- Number of slots and Mystery:
AI: "How many slots on the wheel?
- A. 6-8 slots, rewards clearly shown
- B. 8-10 slots, rewards clearly shown
- C. 6-8 slots, some hidden as "Mystery Reward" (adds a surprise element)
- D. You have a specific number or different idea?"
You: "C"
Question 6 -- Interface theme:
AI: "Theme for the wheel?
- A. Post-apocalyptic / Sci-fi -- hologram, digital, ruined futuristic style
- B. Fantasy dark -- ancient wheel, glowing runes
- C. Military / Tactical -- military radar
- D. You already have art direction for the game, I'll follow that style"
You: "A"
Question 7 -- Animation:
AI: "Animation level?
- A. Simple -- spin and stop
- B. Medium -- deceleration, glow, light shake, popup
- C. Grand -- slow-motion, particle effects, Legendary special effects"
You: "B"
Question 8 -- Desired output:
AI: "Platform and tech stack?
- A. Unity (C#)
- B. Unreal Engine (C++)
- C. Cocos Creator (TypeScript)
- D. No codebase yet, just need the PRD/Roadmap documentation
- E. Other engine/framework"
You: "D"
Why this step matters:
Without Superpowers, AI would immediately dump a 5-page PRD without understanding the context. With the brainstorming skill, AI is forced to ask one question at a time -- helping the PM make intentional decisions at each step, rather than being overwhelmed by a massive document.
Step 2: AI Summarizes & Proposes Approaches
After collecting enough information, AI summarizes and proposes 3 directions:
| Factor | Decision |
|---|---|
| Objective | Retention -- keep players coming back |
| Frequency | 1 free spin per day |
| Rewards | Mix of all (resources, items, cosmetics) by rarity |
| Probabilities | Fixed (Common -> Legendary) |
| Slots | 6-8 slots, with Mystery Rewards |
| Theme | Post-apocalyptic / Hologram sci-fi |
| Animation | Medium (deceleration, glow, shake, popup) |
| Output | PRD/Roadmap documentation |
3 proposed approaches:
Approach A: Simple "Daily Spin" A standalone spin wheel, 1 free spin per day, fixed rewards. Simple, suitable for MVP.
Approach B: "Daily Spin + Seasonal Rotation" (AI recommended) Same as A but the reward table changes by season/event. AI recommends this because it balances simplicity with long-term retention -- seasonal rotation keeps the wheel fresh without over-complicating things.
Approach C: "Daily Spin + Collection System" Tied to a collection system -- collect pieces to assemble bigger rewards. Extremely strong retention but complex.
You choose: "A" -- focus on MVP, keep it simple first. Although AI recommended Approach B, you decide to start with the simplest option.
Nice touch: AI gives a reasoned recommendation but respects your final decision. Seasonal rotation can be added later once the MVP is running smoothly.
Step 3: AI Writes the Design Spec Section by Section
AI doesn't dump everything at once. Instead, it presents each section and waits for your confirmation before moving on.
Section 1: Player Flow
Feature name: Daily Fortune Spin
1. Open game -> see spin wheel icon (red badge if spins available)
2. Tap -> opens hologram wheel screen with 8 slots (6 visible + 2 Mystery)
3. Press "SPIN" -> wheel spins, gradually decelerates, light shake near stop
4. Stops -> winning slot highlights, popup shows reward
5. Press "Claim" -> reward goes to inventory
6. SPIN button -> "Come back tomorrow", resets at 00:00 UTC
Conditions:
- Spins don't accumulate (miss a day = lose the spin)
- Can't buy extra spins (staying true to retention goal)
You: "OK" -> AI moves to section 2.
Section 2: Reward Table & Probabilities
| Slot | Type | Rarity | Example Reward | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resource | Common | 500 Gold | 25% |
| 2 | Resource | Common | 200 EXP | 25% |
| 3 | Item | Rare | Random Rune | 15% |
| 4 | Resource | Rare | 20 Gems | 13% |
| 5 | Item | Epic | 24h Combat Buff | 8% |
| 6 | Cosmetic | Epic | Avatar Frame | 7% |
| 7 | Mystery | Rare-Epic | Random from hidden pool | 5% |
| 8 | Mystery | Epic-Legendary | Random from hidden pool | 2% |
Total: 100%
Mystery Pool details:
- Mystery Rare-Epic: could drop hero fragments, skin fragments, or 2x gems
- Mystery Epic-Legendary: could drop rare skins, special recall effects, or new heroes
Rules:
- Probabilities calculated server-side, client only receives the result and plays the animation
- Result determined the moment SPIN is pressed, animation is purely visual
You: "OK" -> AI moves to section 3.
Section 3: Visual Wireframe
AI pushes the wireframe to the visual companion -- a local server that displays mockups directly in the browser.
Practical note: During this work session, the visual companion server needed to restart 3 times before running smoothly (port changed from 49983 -> 59628 -> 57802). This is still a fairly new feature -- if you don't see the web page loading, ask AI to restart the server.
After the server is running, you open the link and see:
- Dark background (#0a0e17), cyan hologram (#00f0ff) as the primary color
- Circular wheel with 8 slots, glowing cyan border
- 2 Mystery slots showing orange/red question mark icons
- SPIN button with cyan border, glow effect
- Rarity legend at the bottom
Visual companion feature allows AI to display mockups/wireframes directly in the browser, helping PMs visualize the interface during brainstorming.
You: "OK" -> AI moves to section 4.
Section 4: States & Edge Cases
| State | Display | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Spin available | SPIN button glows cyan, red badge | Allow spin |
| Already spun today | "COME BACK TOMORROW" + countdown | Disabled |
| Currently spinning | Button disabled, spin animation | Wait for result |
| Claiming reward | Popup + "CLAIM" button | Tap claim -> inventory |
| Connection lost | "Connection lost, retrying..." | Auto retry 3 times |
Edge cases:
- App closed before Claim -> Server already recorded, reopening shows claim popup
- Time manipulation -> Reset based on server time (UTC)
- Spinning at exactly 00:00 -> Server locks request, completes before resetting
- Inventory full -> Reward sent to in-game mailbox
- Mystery pool empty -> Falls back to a fixed Epic reward
Step 4: Roadmap & Milestones
AI creates a 3-phase roadmap:
Phase 1 -- MVP (Weeks 1-2):
|-- Design UI for 8-slot hologram-style wheel
|-- Spin logic: fixed probabilities, server-side random
|-- 1 spin/day, reset at 00:00 UTC
|-- Medium animation (deceleration, highlight, popup)
+-- Integrate into main screen (icon + badge)
Phase 2 -- Polish (Week 3):
|-- Mystery Reward reveal animation
|-- Sound effects by rarity
|-- Countdown timer to next spin
+-- Handle edge cases (connection loss, app close, full inventory)
Phase 3 -- Analytics & Tuning (Week 4):
|-- Tracking: DAU opening wheel, daily spin rate, D1-D7 retention
|-- A/B test reward tables
+-- Internal dashboard for reward distribution
KPIs:
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Daily spin rate | > 80% DAU |
| D7 retention lift | +5-10% compared to before the feature |
| Time to open wheel | < 30 seconds (smooth UX) |
Step 5: AI Writes Spec Document & Reviews
AI automatically:
- Writes the complete spec document to
docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-19-daily-fortune-spin-design.md - Dispatches a reviewer -- a separate agent checks spec quality
Review result: Approved with a few minor recommendations (advisory):
- Mystery Pool needs more specific config at implementation time
- Should clarify which edge cases are handled in Phase 1 vs Phase 2
- Confirm whether "2-3 seconds" is total duration or just the deceleration phase
AI asks about next steps:
After the spec is approved, AI doesn't take initiative. Instead, it asks:
AI: "What would you like me to do next?
- Write a detailed implementation plan -- break down into specific code tasks (requires knowing the tech stack)
- Complete here -- the PRD/Roadmap is sufficient, you take the documentation to implement with your team
- Add more -- more detailed wireframes, API spec, database schema..."
You: "2" -- complete here.
Superpowers principle: AI doesn't expand scope on its own. After completing the original goal, AI asks the user instead of doing more unprompted.
Final Results
After ~15 minutes working with AI, the PM has:
| Deliverable | Status |
|---|---|
| Complete design spec | Completed & Approved |
| Reward table & probabilities | Completed |
| Visual wireframe (hologram style) | Completed (viewable in browser) |
| States & edge cases | Completed |
| 3-phase roadmap (4 weeks) | Completed |
| KPIs for measurement | Completed |
Superpowers Principles Applied
| Principle | How Applied |
|---|---|
| Brainstorming first | AI asks one question at a time (8 questions) to understand context before writing |
| YAGNI | Chose "Simple Daily Spin" instead of the complex Collection System |
| Present section by section | Spec divided into 5 sections, each awaiting confirmation before continuing |
| Visual companion | Wireframe displayed directly in browser, not just described in text |
| Auto review | AI automatically dispatches a reviewer to check spec quality |
Takeaway: You don't need to know how to code to use Superpowers effectively. The framework helps PMs and AI collaborate with discipline -- ask before doing, break into sections for confirmation, and automatically review output quality.