Project planning · 8 minutes

Create and maintain a game design document

Give Aura a clear game and art direction, review it yourself, and keep it tied to the correct project.

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Use this guide with Aura

Open Aura, then keep this guide beside it while you follow the steps. Aura does not receive the page text, your account, your project, or anything you typed.

Open Aura

If nothing opens, start Aura normally. The written steps still work.

Before you start

  • Open or connect the correct project in Aura.
  • Know the basic goal, player action, and win or loss condition.
  • If the project already has art for this work, tell Aura what should be preserved.

Plan and model funding

Writing or revising the document with Aura uses the funding source shown before you send the request. Editing and saving it yourself does not use model funding.

Say this in ordinary language

Draft a short game design document for this project, including the visual direction. Mark anything you are assuming so I can review it. If I name another game, use it only to understand the quality and design principles I mean; keep my characters, world, interface, and assets original.

Steps

  1. 1
    Open Game Design Document for the selected project.

    What you should see: Aura names the current project and shows whether a document is already attached.

  2. 2
    If the document is empty, choose Draft starter GDD or send the prompt above.

    What you should see: Aura prepares a draft for review instead of silently treating its assumptions as approved.

  3. 3
    Read the gameplay sections, correct assumptions, and add anything that must remain out of scope.

    What you should see: Your edits remain visible before they become the project's design reference.

  4. 4
    Review the visual direction in ordinary language: the medium, palette, lighting, shapes, environments, animation, effects, interface, camera, and performance needs.

    What you should see: Aura turns a broad request such as beautiful pixel art or a named quality reference into a specific, original art plan instead of copying another game's characters, maps, interface, or assets.

  5. 5
    Confirm which suitable project assets should be reused and which genuinely missing or affected assets may be created or revised.

    What you should see: Aura preserves approved work and does not regenerate every asset during later changes.

  6. 6
    Choose Save.

    What you should see: Aura confirms GDD saved and keeps the document tied to this local project.

What Aura may change

Aura saves the reviewed design document and art direction for the selected project. It does not rewrite the game or regenerate assets simply because the document changed.

How to verify it worked

Close and reopen Game Design Document and confirm the approved gameplay, art direction, reference intent, and preserve-or-create choices return for the same project.

Undo or recover

Choose Discard before saving, or restore the wording you intended and save again.

Common problems

  • If Aura says no project is selected, connect the intended project first.
  • If a named reference produces copied characters, layouts, interface, or assets instead of original design principles, do not approve the draft.
  • If the document cannot be saved, keep your text open, check the Hub connection, and try again.