Genre: Party / Minigame Collection

Expert blueprint for party games balancing accessibility, variety, and social fun.

NEVER Do (Expert Anti-Patterns)

NEVER hardcode player inputs to specific joypad IDs (e.g., 0 or 1); strictly query dynamically via Input.get_connected_joypads().
NEVER bake player-IDs into the input map (e.g., "p1_jump"); strictly use a Dynamic Input Router to map physical controllers to players at runtime.
NEVER use Input.is_action_pressed() for assigning new player joins; strictly parse raw InputEventJoypadButton in _unhandled_input() for device metadata.
NEVER allow inconsistent controls between games; strictly standardize across all minigames (A = Accept/Action, B = Back/Cancel, Joystick = Move).
NEVER assume a disconnected joypad removes a player; strictly connect to the joy_connection_changed signal to pause and handle dropouts gracefully.
NEVER use boolean polling for analog sticks; strictly use Input.get_vector() for precision and deadzones.

NEVER use long text-based tutorials; strictly use a 3-second looping GIF + a single-sentence instruction overlay (e.g., "Mash A to fly!").
NEVER ignore "Asymmetric" balance in 1v3 games; strictly provide the "One" with unique abilities or increased HP/speed to offset the numerical disadvantage.
NEVER neglect Accessibility and Handicap systems; strictly implement optional support (e.g., speed boosts for lower-skilled players) to keep the competition social.
NEVER leave UI Control nodes with FOCUS_NONE for gamepad menus; strictly set to FOCUS_ALL with explicit focus neighbors for accessible navigation.