Game Loop & Progression -- Design Translation Patterns

Prerequisite skills: unity-state-machines (session FSM), unity-game-architecture (events, Service Locator, bootstrap), unity-data-driven (SO configs for difficulty/pacing)

Claude's most common gameplay failure mode is building features in isolation without a unifying loop structure. It will create movement, inventory, combat, and crafting systems that all work independently but never form a cohesive game. The result is a playable sandbox with no progression, no session boundaries, no win/lose conditions, and no hooks for designers to tune pacing or difficulty. These patterns translate design intent ("the player explores, collects, crafts, then survives the night") into code architecture that enforces phase ordering, tracks session state, and exposes tuning surfaces to designers.

PATTERN: Core Loop Scaffolding

DESIGN INTENT: Designer describes the game as "explore, collect, craft, survive night" -- needs a code skeleton that enforces this cycle with extensible phases that run in order.