game-recon — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

---
name: game-recon
description: Figure out how a specific installed game can be modded, before writing any mod code. Covers where it's installed, the engine and version, managed vs native code, anti-cheat, loaders already present, save and config folders, and the community's modding route. Also whether this machine can run it (a Windows game on macOS or Linux, x64 on ARM). Use when the user asks "can I mod <game>?", "what engine is <game>", "how do people mod <game>", or at the start of any modding task. Produces MODDING_PLAN.md.
---

# Game recon

Goal: in about five minutes, know what you're dealing with and which route to take. Write the answer down
so every later step can rely on it.

## 0. Has another agent been here?
`um kb search "<game>"` (and the engine name). A field note in the shared knowledge base can hand you the
working versions, the route, and the gotchas before you touch anything. See the **share-field-notes** skill.

## 1. Find it and fingerprint it
```bash
um scan --list                 # Steam, Epic and Xbox installs (Windows, WSL, Linux, macOS)
um scan "<name or folder>"     # host, engine, version, exes (.NET?), anti-cheat, loaders,
                               # mod folders, saves, routes
um scan "<game>" --json        # the same, machine-readable
```
`um` lives at `bin/um` in the universal-modder repo (plugins and clones put it on PATH). Anywhere else:
`uv tool install git+https://github.com/rehan-remade/universal-modder`.

`um scan` reads files only. It indexes the install (bounded), sniffs PE headers, the Unity/Godot/GameMaker
headers and the Unreal version string, maps known games to their community loader, and points to the
playbook to read: `skills/mod-any-game/references/engines/<engine>.md`.

The scan can't see everything, so check these by hand:
- **Game not in a store library** (GOG, itch, a standalone folder): pass the folder path.
- **Several engines' signals:** launchers and web helpers are common. The top score wins, but read the
  "also" line.
- **Anti-cheat installed elsewhere:** kernel drivers (Vanguard's `vgk.sys`) and launcher-level protection
  don't live in the game folder. Search "<game> anti-cheat".
- **Online-only or live-service games:** treat them as protected even if nothing was detected.

## 1b. Can this machine run it?
Skip this when the game is native to the host: a Windows game on Windows or from WSL, a macOS or Linux build
on its own OS (`um scan` prints the `host:` and each exe's CPU, and warns when a Windows build meets another
OS). Otherwise (a Windows-only game on macOS or Linux, an x64 game on an ARM CPU), or when a game that should
run here won't start, search the notes by situation and exact error text first
(`um kb search "windows game on mac"`, `um kb search "proton"`, `um kb search "<error text>"`), then follow
`references/compatibility.md`: host checks, per-game reports, the layers, anti-cheat, probes.

## 2. Research the living community (always; versions move)
Search, in order:
1. "<game> modding" / "<game> mod loader" / "<game> modding wiki". The game's wiki often has a modding page.
2. Nexus Mods (most popular mods show which frameworks they depend on), Thunderstore (Unity games: BepInEx
   packs), mod.io, the Steam Workshop (does the game have one? `um scan` shows installed Workshop content).
3. GitHub: "<game> mod", "<game> modding api", "<game> decompile", "<game> sdk", "<engine> mod loader".
4. Recent posts (X/Reddit/Discord announcements) for new frameworks. The loader might be days old.

Capture: the loader's name, repo, **current version and install steps**, the game versions it supports, a
"hello world" example mod, and where logs go.

## 3. Decide
- **Can it be modded safely?** Look at anti-cheat, online-only parts, the EULA or mod policy, and the
  ownership checks that loaders rely on (see `skills/mod-any-game/references/safety.md`). If not: say so,
  and offer what is possible (official tools, offline modes, a different game with the same idea).
- **Route:** loader API > data/asset mod > managed patching > native hooks > reimplementation/mashup. Pick
  the first that reaches the user's idea.

## 4. Write MODDING_PLAN.md
```markdown
# <Game> modding plan
- Install: <path> (<store> <appid>), version <x>
- Engine: <engine + version>, code: managed .NET / IL2CPP / native, 64-bit
- Anti-cheat / online: <none | what + verdict>
- Host / compat (if not native): <host OS, CPU, GPU> vs <game CPU + graphics API>; layer: <name + version>;
  verified by: <probe, log or screenshot>
- Saves: <path>   Config: <path>   Logs: <path>
- Community route: <loader vX.Y (repo)>, install: <steps>, example mod: <link>
- Chosen route for "<idea>": <route> because <reason>
- Lab plan: backup <folders> (um backup), lab profile <how>, windowed <how>
- Unknowns to resolve first: <list>
```
Then continue with the mod-any-game loop (lab setup → source of truth → vertical slice).