level-design · pluginagentmarketplace — Claude Code skill: level structure and pacing
Walks through level structure, pacing, difficulty curve and storytelling through environment. Useful when you are still at the paper sketch or whitebox stage.
npx skills add pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-design -a claude-codeWhat level-design does
The skill lays out five pillars of level design: flow, pacing, discovery, clarity and challenge. It then compares common layouts — linear, hub and spoke, and metroidvania — with their trade-offs and the genres each one suits.
Two sections go deeper. Pacing gets an intensity graph that alternates build-up, peak and rest, plus a breakdown of what belongs in each phase. Environmental storytelling covers abandoned objects, lighting, sound and three layers of discovery: surface, hidden and deep.
The workflow starts on paper with a rough layout, key beats and the player path. Then comes the whitebox pass in the engine: blocking out with primitives and testing scale and timing. The skill takes two optional parameters, level_type and game_genre. If your level is already past greybox into detailed geometry, most of this is behind you.
What it helps with
- pick a level layout that fits the genre
- map intensity across build-up, peak and rest
- tell story through the environment instead of cutscenes
- plan the player path from start to finish
- move from a paper sketch to an engine whitebox
Example prompts for the agent
- plan a metroidvania layout: where to grant ability X and what it unlocks
- sketch an intensity curve for a linear FPS level
- spread the story of an abandoned station across props and lighting
How to install level-design
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-design -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/level-design/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/level-design/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-design -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/level-design/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-design -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/level-design/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer level-design2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/level-design/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-design -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --path skills/level-designManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/level-design/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-design -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about level-design
How do I install level-design in Claude?
Run npx skills add pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-design -a claude-code. The skill file then sits at ~/.claude/skills/level-design/SKILL.md.
What does level-design do?
It covers level structure patterns, the pacing curve, environmental storytelling and the workflow from concept to whitebox.
What parameters does the skill take?
level_type with linear, open_world, hub, procedural, puzzle, and game_genre with action, adventure, puzzle, platformer, fps, rpg. Both are optional.
Similar skills
Everything for Game dev and 3D: Unity, Unreal, Godot, Blender →level-design by other authors comes first.
