← All posts

Eli Mercer

Eli Mercer writes for Build Games With AI about building games with AI.

9 articles

Test the Camera Before You Add More Rooms
AI Game Workflow·8 min read

Test the Camera Before You Add More Rooms

A camera can make a small AI prototype feel readable or broken. Test framing, look-ahead, dead zones, and room bounds before you ask for more rooms.

July 31, 2026
Test Three Scoring Systems Before You Build More Levels
AI Game Workflow·8 min read

Test Three Scoring Systems Before You Build More Levels

Before you ask AI for more levels, test whether the scoring system changes how players behave. Three small variants can tell you more than another batch of generated rooms.

July 24, 2026
Test Input Forgiveness Before You Polish the AI Prototype
AI Game Workflow·8 min read

Test Input Forgiveness Before You Polish the AI Prototype

Before you polish an AI game prototype, test whether the controls forgive normal human timing mistakes. Coyote time and input buffering tell you more than another art pass.

July 17, 2026
Use AI to Generate Three Failure States Before More Features
AI Game Workflow·8 min read

Use AI to Generate Three Failure States Before More Features

A playable prototype needs a way to fail before it needs more features. Test three failure states, then keep the one that makes the second attempt better.

July 10, 2026
Write a Prototype Contract Before You Prompt the AI
AI Game Workflow·8 min read

Write a Prototype Contract Before You Prompt the AI

Most bad AI prototypes start as vague requests. A prototype contract makes the prompt smaller, the test clearer, and the first playable easier to judge.

July 3, 2026
Your Weekend AI Game Tool Stack Should Stay Small
AI Game Workflow·8 min read

Your Weekend AI Game Tool Stack Should Stay Small

A weekend prototype does not need twelve tools. It needs one way to make the game playable, one way to make assets, and one way to judge the loop.

June 30, 2026
Move the AI Prototype Into an Engine Only After It Wins a Test
Production Decisions·7 min read

Move the AI Prototype Into an Engine Only After It Wins a Test

Do not move a prototype into a full engine because it exists. Move it because a specific playtest proved the loop deserves deeper control.

June 30, 2026
Test the Rule Change Before You Add Content
AI Game Workflow·8 min read

Test the Rule Change Before You Add Content

AI makes it easy to add more. Better builders use that speed to compare rule changes before the prototype turns into a content pile.

June 30, 2026
🛠️
AI Game Development·7 min read

Build Games With AI Without Losing the Game Part

AI can make game creation faster, but speed only helps when the core loop is clear. Start with the playable part before expanding the world.

June 29, 2026