3. Improving and Refining Your Game
Congratulations on successfully creating your first game! Ready to perfect it? Read on!
Haven't created one yet? We recommend you read 1. Getting Started to learn more about the tools you'll be mastering, and 2. Creating Your First Game, which will cover all the basics to get your first game up and running by the next hour!
Your first build is just the starting point. The real creative control comes from what you do next. Here, we'll cover how to improve your game through follow-up prompts, commonly-used prompts based off different game genres, and why or how to build your game in layers.
How Improving Your Game Works
Once your game is playable in the preview, you improve it by sending follow-up details and information (aka prompts) in the chat. Each message you send triggers Cipher to analyse your existing game, make the changes you asked for, and update the preview.
Cipher remembers everything from your conversation so you don't need to repeat yourself or re-explain your game. Just describe what you want to change!
Writing Good Follow-Up Prompts
Follow-up prompts work differently from your first prompt. You're no longer describing a game from scratch anymore - You're telling Cipher what to change about a game that already exists!
1. Be specific about what you want
Vague: "Make it harder." Specific: "Increase the cat spawn rate so the game gets harder faster."
Vague: "Fix the enemies." Specific: "The enemies are getting stuck on the corners of obstacles. Make them navigate around obstacles instead of stopping when they hit one."
Vague: "Make it look nicer." Specific: "Turn the three colored blocks into furniture. One of the three colored blocks should look like a couch, one like a table, and one like a cardboard box."
2. Make one change at a time
Cipher handles single, focused changes much better than a list of five things at once! Send one change, wait for the build to finish, test it and ensure that's what you're happy with, then send the next one.
Good sequence:
"Add cat noises whenever the laser shifts away"
(wait for build to complete, test it)
"Can we turn the three static blocks into furniture?"
(wait, test)
"Make the obstacles explode after 5 seconds if the laser is hiding behind them"
Quick-tip: Making sure each improvement is ready before moving on to the next, helps you see how your game is evolving clearer and reduces missing out on any details.
3. If Cipher asks you a question...
Sometimes Cipher describes what it's planning and checks if that's what you want. For example:
"Right now the couch, table, and box are just flat colored rectangles. I can update them so each one is drawn with recognizable furniture details. The shapes and collision stay the same, but the look will clearly read as furniture. Want me to go ahead?"
This means Cipher is double-checking before it writes code. Just respond clearly with "Yes please" or "Go ahead."
4. If changes don't work...
If you ever find yourself asking for something and the game won't change, or it has changed it the wrong way, don't start over. Just tell Cipher what went wrong! For example:
"The 3 blocks I asked to be turned into furniture weren't changed. They still look like colored blocks."
"Let's return to the version where the 3 blocks are just colored cubes! I don't want them to look like furniture anymore."
Be direct and don't worry about hurting Cipher's feelings! Specific feedback about what did not work helps it to fix things on the next attempt.
Choosing the Right AI Model
When creating your game, a wide variety of popular AI models are available to meet different needs and depths you require. In the chat panel on your project workspace, simply click the model name to see all the available AI models Cipher can work with to create your game. Each one has different strengths.
GPT-5.3 Codex
GPT-5.3 Codex Extra High
Opus 4.6
Sonnet 4.6
Gemini 3.1 Pro
Composer 1.5
Not too sure which model you should choose? Easy peasy! This breakdown will help you decide.
Remember: You can always switch models any time! The new model you select will pick up the full context of everything you've already discussed with Cipher. So relax, have fun and enjoy the game creation process~
Game Building in Layers
We recommend game creators to build your game in phases or layers, starting with the most basic version and adding complexity one layer at a time. Each layer should be tested before you move on.
If something breaks, you know exactly which layer caused it because you only changed one thing at a time. Think of it like drawing. You sketch the shapes first, then add detail, then color, then shading!
Click ">" to expand each layer below.
LAYER 1: THE CORE LOOP
Your first prompt should produce the absolute simplest version of your game that makes it playable. For example, one player action, one challenge, one win or lose condition. Nothing else.
For a platform game, that could be... A character that moves and jumps on platforms. No enemies, no collectibles, no levels. Just movement and platforms.
For a survival game, that could be... Something the player controls, one type of hazard, and a way to lose. No score, no power-ups, no difficulty curve yet.
For a fighting game, that could be... Two characters, basic attacks, health bars, and a game over when health hits zero. No combos, no special moves, no round system.
If the core loop or gameplay doesn't feel right, nothing you add on top will fix it! Test this layer thoroughly:
Does movement feel good?
Is the basic challenge fun?
Is the win/lose condition satisfying?
If not, fix it first before moving on! Tell Cipher to adjust the speed, change the controls or tweak the base difficulty.
Remember: Your game may first look like its made up by colored shapes or blocks. This is normal - every game you've ever played started as a bunch of basic shapes used to test whether the gameplay worked before making it look good. Same goes for Cipher!
LAYER 2: GAME FEEL AND EFFECTS
Once the core loop works, make it feel better to play.
This layer is about the small things that make a game feel responsive instead of floaty! You're not focused on adding new features yet, just polishing what's already there!
For example:
"Make the player movement snappier. Reduce the acceleration time so the character responds immediately when I press a key."
"Add a small screen shake when the player takes damage."
"Show a brief flash effect when an enemy is hit."
"Add a short freeze frame (like 100ms) when the player lands a big attack."
LAYER 3: PROGRESSION AND CHALLENGE
This time, add the systems and rules that give players a reason to keep playing. Difficulty curves, scoring, levels, or wave systems.
For example:
"Enemies should spawn faster over time. Start with one every 3 seconds and gradually decrease to one every 1 second by the 2-minute mark."
"Add a score counter. Each enemy defeated is worth 10 points. Display the score in the top right corner."
"After the player clears 10 enemies, start a new wave. Each wave should have 2 more enemies than the last one."
"Add 3 levels. Level 1 has basic platforms. Level 2 adds moving platforms. Level 3 adds platforms that disappear after you step on them."
LAYER 4: VISUAL TRANSFORMATION
This is the moment you and Cipher work on replacing all those placeholder (temporary) shapes or backgrounds with actual visuals.
A lot of creators want to jump straight to this layer. We get it, it's tempting because the results are so visual and immediate.
But if you do this before the gameplay is solid, you end up constantly rebuilding art every time you change a mechanic - So get Layers 1-3 locked in first!
Example prompts:
"Change the background to a dark purple gradient. Add subtle star particles that drift slowly across the screen."
"Replace the plain colored rectangles for the player and enemies with more detailed sprites. The player should look like a small knight and the enemies should look like slimes."
"Add a background with clouds in the front layer and mountains in the back."
"Make the health bar pulse gently when there is only one life left."
LAYER 5: ADDING AUDIO
Audio is one of the last things to add because it depends on everything else being stable. Sound effects that trigger on events (or certain actions) only work if those events fire correctly.
Example prompts:
"Add a jump sound effect when the player jumps."
"Add a hit sound when an enemy takes damage and a different sound when they're destroyed."
"Add cute, catchy background music that loops during gameplay."
"Add a victory jingle that plays on the win screen."
If the audio doesn't land on the first try, try rephrasing or adding more details! (Copyrighted music will not be generated)
LAYER 6: MENUS, UI AND FINAL TOUCHES
The last layer is everything else around the game. From start screens, game over screens, pause menus, settings, and instructions!
Example prompts:
"Add a title screen that shows the game name and a Play button. Clicking Play starts the game."
"On the game over screen, show the final score, the number of enemies defeated, and a Restart button."
"Add a pause menu when the player presses Escape. Show Resume and Quit options."
"Add a brief instructions overlay that shows controls when the game starts for the first time. The player clicks to dismiss it."
Quick-tip: If you're unsure how to build your game in layers, give our recommended layers above a shot! You can always improve your game building style later.
Commonly Used Improvements by Game Genre
Need some suggestions on how to improve and refine your game?
Here are some prompts which highlight certain uniqueness often found in different game genres.
You can use them, tweak them or simply be inspired by them!
Click ">" to expand each layer below.
PLATFORM GAMES
Platformers live or die on how movement feels. Most of your early iteration will be tweaking jump height, gravity, speed, and how the character interacts with platforms.
"The jump feels too floaty. Increase gravity so the player falls faster after reaching peak height."
"Add coyote time. The player should be able to jump for a short window after walking off a platform edge."
"Add wall jumping. When the player is against a wall and presses jump, they should bounce off the wall in the opposite direction."
"The player clips through thin platforms sometimes. Make collision detection more reliable."
"Add moving platforms that travel back and forth horizontally. Place them over a gap between two static platforms."
"Add collectible coins on the platforms. Each coin adds 1 to the score and disappears when touched."
SURVIVAL AND DODGE GAMES
These games are about tension that builds over time. Your iteration focus is the difficulty curve: how fast does it get hard, and does the player always feel like they almost survived?
"Increase enemy spawn rate over time. Start with one every 4 seconds and ramp down to one every 0.5 seconds over 3 minutes."
"Add a safe zone that appears randomly for 3 seconds every 30 seconds. The player can't be hurt inside it."
"Make enemies that are about to spawn flash a warning on the ground for 1 second before they appear."
"Add a dash ability on Shift. The player moves quickly in the direction they're facing and is invincible during the dash. 2-second cooldown."
"Add a combo system. Dodging enemies within 1 second of each other builds a combo multiplier on the score."
"Display a ghost trail showing where the player was 2 seconds ago, so they can see their own movement pattern."
FIGHTING AND COMBAT GAMES
Combat games need attacks that feel impactful. Focus on timing, feedback, and making each hit land with weight.
"Add a heavy attack on the D key. It's slower than the normal attack but does 3x damage and pushes the enemy back."
"When the player lands a hit, freeze the game for 50 milliseconds to make the impact feel heavier."
"Add a block ability on S. While holding S, the player takes half damage from attacks."
"The AI opponent just stands still. Make it walk toward the player and attack when in range, then back off and circle before attacking again."
"Add a health bar that turns from green to yellow to red as health drops."
"When a round ends, show a results screen with damage dealt by each player and a 'Next Round' button."
PUZZLE AND CASUAL GAMES
Puzzle games need clear rules and satisfying feedback when the player does something right. Your iteration is about making the logic airtight and the interactions obvious.
"When the player matches 3 tiles in a row, make the tiles flash before disappearing and slide new ones in from the top."
"Add a move counter. The player has 20 moves to reach the target score. Show remaining moves on screen."
"Add a hint system. After 10 seconds of no input, highlight one valid move with a subtle pulse."
"The game should get progressively harder. Level 1 has a 4x4 grid with 3 tile colors. Level 2 has a 5x5 grid with 4 colors. Level 3 has a 6x6 grid with 5 colors."
"Add a star rating at the end of each level. 1 star for completing it, 2 stars for fewer than 15 moves, 3 stars for fewer than 10."
"Add a gentle particle burst when tiles are cleared. Different color particles for different tile colors."
WAVE AND ARENA GAMES
Arena games are about escalation. Each wave should feel meaningfully different from the last. Your iteration focus is variety and pacing.
"After wave 5, introduce enemies that shoot projectiles at the player instead of chasing directly."
"Every 3 waves, spawn a boss enemy that's larger, has more health, and drops a health pickup when defeated."
"Add a power-up that spawns randomly every 2 waves. Picking it up gives double damage for 10 seconds."
"Between waves, give the player a 5-second break with a banner showing which wave is coming next."
"Add environmental hazards. After wave 7, lava patches appear on the arena floor that damage both the player and enemies."
"Track and display the player's highest wave reached across sessions with a 'Best' counter on the game over screen."
AUDIO AND VISUAL POLISH (ANY GENRE)
These changes can apply to any type of game once your gameplay is solid.
"Add a screen shake effect when the player takes damage. Small shake, nothing too intense."
"Add particle effects when enemies are destroyed. Small explosion of colored dots."
"Change the font for all text to something that feels more like an arcade game."
"Add a smooth camera follow so the view gently tracks the player instead of snapping."
"Darken the background slightly and add a vignette effect around the edges of the screen."
"Add a simple animation to the main menu title. It should slowly pulse or glow."
"Add footstep sounds when the player walks and a landing thud when they hit the ground after a jump."
"Add a low, ambient background track that loops. Keep it subtle so it doesn't overpower the sound effects."
When to Iterate, Rebuild or Start Fresh?
Keep iterating... when your game is mostly working and each change lands properly.
Rebuild... when the game feels unstable, the preview is broken, or changes keep conflicting with each other. Rebuild re-reads your whole conversation and generates a clean version.
Start a new project... when your conversation has gotten really long and too confusing for you to start building a game on (it happens!), or when you've learned enough from this attempt to start over with a much better first prompt. Sometimes a fresh start is the fastest path forward.
Tips from Our Alpha Game Creators (Like you!)
Play your game after every single change. Don't stack up three changes without testing. Catching a problem early saves a lot of time.
Use Fullscreen to test properly. The small preview panel can hide bugs that only show up at full size.
If Cipher keeps failing on a change, try saying it differently. Sometimes the exact same request phrased another way works on the first try.
Sound and music requires trial and error! Cipher can add audio, but results will vary depending on your requests. Keep your expectations realistic on this one!
This is an Alpha version
You're one of our pioneering creators witnessing this tech! When you build games and provide feedback, we'll be able to work even faster in improving every creator's experience. Use the Feedback button or visit Discord to tell us what's working and what isn't - we're all ears!
Last updated