Data-driven design

Hardcoding gameplay values (item stats, enemy configs, balance numbers, curves) makes iteration slow and risky. Move them into assets and config objects that designers can edit without recompiling. The choice of container drives every downstream workflow.

When to use this skill

• Defining sets of similar records (items, enemies, weapons, abilities, loot).
• One-off structured config objects (boss setup, game-mode tuning, single-character stats).
• Values that vary over an input (damage falloff, XP per level, camera ease curves).
• Replacing magic numbers with .ini-backed project settings editable in Project Settings.
• Layering or overriding rows across game modes, DLC, or platforms (composite tables).

Pick the right container