Game Development Matrix (S4 — v2 capability-based)

Scenario S4. All asset-creation capabilities covered via the S3/S5 stacks; the structural gap is distribution (Steam/itch/console stores) and alternative engines (Unity/Unreal).

Schema: docs/cli-matrix/matrix_registry.schema.md. Matrix plan: docs/cli-matrix/cli-matrix-plan.md.

Install

cli-hub matrix install game-development
cli-hub matrix info    game-development
cli-hub matrix preflight game-development --json

---

Provider selection constraints

1. Use preflight as an availability report, not as a provider selector.
2. Treat provider order as documentation order only.
3. Choose from user requirements, output quality bar, offline needs, credential state, install cost, and provider notes.
4. Escalate to paid or metered APIs only when credentials are already present or the user explicitly consents.

---

Preflight

Run cli-hub matrix preflight game-development --json first. Use the manual block below for extra probes or older cli-hub versions.

cli-hub list --json
python - <<'PY'
import importlib.util
for m in ("pygame","arcade","panda3d","ursina","trimesh","pygltflib","PIL",
          "pydub","librosa","music21","mido","abjad","diffusers","replicate",
          "posthog","gymnasium"):
    print(m, importlib.util.find_spec(m) is not None)
PY
for b in godot blender aseprite butler steamcmd ffmpeg pyinstaller; do
  command -v "$b" >/dev/null && echo "$b: yes" || echo "$b: no"
done
for e in STEAM_USERNAME STEAM_PASSWORD ITCH_API_KEY EPIC_DEV_TOKEN \
         PLAY_CONSOLE_KEY APP_STORE_CONNECT_KEY \
         REPLICATE_API_TOKEN OPENAI_API_KEY STABILITY_API_KEY IDEOGRAM_API_KEY \
         POSTHOG_API_KEY GAMEANALYTICS_KEY PLAYFAB_TITLE_KEY SENTRY_DSN; do
  [ -n "${!e}" ] && echo "$e: set" || echo "$e: unset"
done

---

Suggest-to-user template

To enable <capability> via <provider>, please set <ENV_VAR>.
  Cost: <cost notes>
  Quality: <quality tier>
Reply 'skip' to fall back to <next provider>.

Example: To publish to Steam, please install steamcmd and set STEAM_USERNAME + STEAM_PASSWORD (use a dedicated build account to limit credential risk). Cost: one-time $100 Steamworks fee. Reply 'skip' to fall back to itch.io via butler which only needs ITCH_API_KEY.

---

Capabilities

game.engine — engine authoring / project manipulation

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
cli-anything-godot	harness-cli	Godot installed	free	sota	yes
pygame	python	pkg	free	good	yes
arcade	python	pkg	free	good	yes
panda3d	python	pkg	free	high	yes
ursina	python	pkg	free	good	yes
Unity / Unreal	—	—	—	—	—

asset.3d — 3D game assets

See S3 matrix. Primary: cli-anything-blender, cli-anything-freecad, trimesh, pygltflib.

asset.2d — sprites, tiles, UI art

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
cli-anything-krita	harness-cli	Krita installed	free	sota	yes
cli-anything-inkscape	harness-cli	Inkscape installed	free	sota	yes
Pillow	python	pkg	free	good	yes
aseprite	native	binary (commercial)	paid	sota	yes
pyxel	python	pkg	free	good	yes
OpenAI GPT-Image-1	api	OPENAI_API_KEY	metered	sota	no
Scenario GG	api	SCENARIO_API_KEY	paid	sota	no
Leonardo AI	api	LEONARDO_API_KEY	paid	high	no

asset.audio — sfx and gameplay audio

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
cli-anything-audacity	harness-cli	Audacity	free	high	yes
pydub / librosa / soundfile	python	pkg	free	good	yes
sfxr / jsfxr	native	binary	free	good	yes
ElevenLabs SFX	api	ELEVENLABS_API_KEY	paid	sota	no
Mubert	api	MUBERT_API_KEY	metered	high	no

asset.notation — music notation / score export

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
cli-anything-musescore	harness-cli	MuseScore installed	free	sota	yes
music21	python	pkg	free	high	yes
mido	python	pkg	free	good	yes
abjad	python	pkg	free	high	yes

ai.gen-asset — AI-generated art/audio for games

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
cli-anything-comfyui	harness-cli	ComfyUI installed	free	high	yes
jimeng	public-cli	bin	metered	high	no
diffusers	python	pkg + weights	free	good	yes
replicate	python	REPLICATE_API_TOKEN	metered	high	no
Scenario GG	api	SCENARIO_API_KEY	paid	sota	no
Leonardo AI	api	LEONARDO_API_KEY	paid	high	no
OpenAI GPT-Image-1	api	OPENAI_API_KEY	metered	sota	no
Stability	api	STABILITY_API_KEY	metered	high	no

playtest.agent — agent-driven play / testing

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
cli-anything-slay-the-spire-ii	harness-cli	StS II + bridge mod	free	sota	yes
gymnasium envs	python	pkg	free	high	yes
Headless game + scripted input (e.g. Godot --headless with GUT)	harness-cli	Godot	free	good	yes

Distinctive capability — very few agent stacks can drive a live GUI game loop.

build.package — package a game binary / bundle

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
cli-anything-godot (export presets)	harness-cli	Godot export templates	free	sota	yes
pyinstaller (pygame/arcade)	python	pkg	free	good	yes
butler (itch packager)	native	binary	free	high	yes

publish.store — upload a build to a store

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
steamcmd	native	binary + Steam account + app ID	paid (fee)	sota	no
butler (itch.io)	native	binary + ITCH_API_KEY	free	high	no
Epic Games Services	api	EPIC_DEV_TOKEN	paid	high	no
Google Play Developer	api	PLAY_CONSOLE_KEY + service account	paid	high	no
App Store Connect	api	APP_STORE_CONNECT_KEY	paid	high	no

Known gap — no harness-level abstraction; escalate via the suggest-to-user template with platform-specific preflight.

telemetry.ingest — gameplay analytics / crash reports

Provider	Kind	Requires	Cost	Quality	Offline
sentry	public-cli	bin + SENTRY_DSN	free-paid	high	no
posthog	python	pkg + POSTHOG_API_KEY	free-paid	high	no
GameAnalytics	api	GAMEANALYTICS_KEY	free	good	no
Unity Analytics	api	Unity project token	metered	high	no
PlayFab	api	PLAYFAB_TITLE_KEY	metered	high	no

---

Recipes

• godot-jam-game — minimal end-to-end for a game jam. Uses: game.engine, asset.2d, asset.audio, build.package, (optional publish.store).

• agent-bot — train / evaluate an agent against an existing game. Uses: playtest.agent, telemetry.ingest.

• ai-indie-short — AI-generated art + simple engine loop. Uses: ai.gen-asset, asset.2d, game.engine, asset.audio, build.package.

• steam-release — ship to Steam with crash reporting. Uses: build.package, publish.store, telemetry.ingest.

• music-driven-game — composed score integrated with gameplay. Uses: asset.notation, asset.audio, game.engine.

• reality-to-game — photogrammetry asset → import → ship. Uses: (S3 photogrammetry.reconstruct), asset.3d, game.engine, build.package.

---

Known gaps

• publish.store — Steam/itch/console wrappers are native-only; escalate with explicit credentials.
• game.engine for Unity/Unreal — only Godot harness exists.
• telemetry.ingest — Sentry works; no first-party for GameAnalytics/PlayFab.
• asset.notation — uniquely strong (MuseScore) but rarely used in practice; keep as a differentiator.

---

Agent guidance

• Start in Godot unless the user has explicitly asked for Unity/Unreal — it's the only engine we harness.
• Keep asset pipelines deterministic — re-runnable seeds for ai.gen-asset, versioned source .aseprite/.krita files, scriptable Blender bakes.
• playtest.agent needs a bridge. Most commercial games lack API access; agents should ask the user if modding is permitted before attempting.
• Version builds immediately. build.package output goes into builds/<version>/ with a manifest so publish.store has deterministic uploads.
• Don't auto-publish. publish.store must always be gated behind explicit user confirmation — uploading a broken build is expensive to roll back.