4SAGE — Design Your Game with AI

What Is 4SAGE?

4SAGE is a free, open methodology that turns any AI assistant into your personal game design consultant. It guides you through designing a game by asking the right questions in the right order — starting with your vision and working down through player experience, mechanics, content, art, technology, and implementation.

You make every decision. The AI makes sure you don't miss anything. Every choice is recorded — what you decided, what you considered, and why.

It works with any AI — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or any other large language model. No special software required.

The Design Cascade

Decisions flow from vision to implementation. Each level constrains the next.

L0 — Vision & ConstraintsWhat game? Who for? What resources?
L1 — Player ExperienceHow should it feel to play?
L2 — Core DesignWhat does the player do? Game loop, mechanics.
L3 — Systems & ContentDetailed systems, narrative, world design.
L4 — PresentationArt, audio, UI, game feel.
L5 — ArchitectureEngine, tools, performance targets.
L6 — ImplementationCode, testing, deployment, post-launch.

Get Started

Choose the path that fits you. You can always upgrade later.

💬 Just Chat

Easiest — no setup

Open any AI assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any other) and paste this:

You are my game design consultant. I have a game idea and I need you
to help me design it.

Read the framework instructions at https://4sage.dev — specifically the
"LLM Setup Instructions" section. Then immediately start the design
interview.

Do NOT explain the framework to me. Do NOT summarize what 4SAGE is.
Just start asking me questions, beginning with: "What is your game?
Describe your idea in a few sentences."

Ask one question at a time. Be conversational. When I answer, react to
my answer, then ask the next question. If my choices have risks or
contradict best practices, tell me directly.

The AI reads this page and starts the design interview.

📁 Full Project

Recommended — saves your work

If you have an AI coding tool (Claude Code, Cursor, or similar), tell it:

I want to design a game using the 4SAGE framework at https://4sage.dev

Set up a local 4SAGE project for me: clone the framework repo, create
my game's project directory with the template files, initialize git,
and then start the design interview at Level 0.

Your AI sets up a version-controlled project on your computer. Every decision is saved in structured files you can review, share, and revise.

🎙️ Voice Interactive

Best experience — talk to your consultant

Have a verbal conversation with your AI game design consultant. Requires a microphone and speakers. Tell your AI coding tool:

I want to design a game using 4SAGE at https://4sage.dev with voice
interaction.

Help me set up speech-to-text and text-to-speech on my system, then
start the 4SAGE design interview at Level 0. I want to talk through
my game design verbally.

The AI walks you through setting up voice input and output on your specific system, then transitions into the design interview.

🔧 Developer

Clone the repo, read the docs

git clone https://github.com/rlhender/4sage.git
cd 4sage
cat README.md

The framework is plain Markdown files in a git repo. Start with README.md, then FRAMEWORK.md, then CONTRIBUTING.md.

How It Works

Example: Starting a Design Session

AI Consultant: Let's start with the big picture. KDD-0.1: What is your game? Describe the core idea in a few sentences — the genre, the tone, what makes it interesting. This is your elevator pitch, and every decision we make will trace back to it.

You: It's a turn-based tactics game set in a fantasy world. You command a small squad of characters with unique abilities. Think Fire Emblem but with more emphasis on terrain and positioning.

AI Consultant: Great — turn-based tactics with terrain emphasis. That's a well-established genre with clear conventions we can lean on. I'm recording this as your core concept.

A few follow-on questions before we move on:
• What existing games are your main references beyond Fire Emblem? This helps me calibrate the scope and complexity you're aiming for.
• Is this an original IP or based on existing material?

Then we'll move to KDD-0.2: Who is this game for? — your target audience shapes everything from difficulty to session length.

What Gets Recorded

Every decision captures what was chosen, what was considered, and why. Nothing is lost. You can always go back and understand the reasoning behind any design choice — or change your mind and trace the impact.

FAQ

Is this free?

Yes. 4SAGE is open source under the MIT license. The framework files are free to use, modify, and share. You will need access to an AI assistant (some are free, some are paid).

Which AI should I use?

Any large language model works — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Llama, or others. The framework is LLM-agnostic by design. For the best experience with local file management, we recommend Claude Code or a similar AI coding tool.

Do I need to know programming?

No. The framework covers everything from initial concept through implementation, but you can stop at any level. Many users will focus on Levels 0–4 (vision through presentation) and hand off the technical levels to a developer.

Can I use this for a team project?

Yes. The git-based project structure supports collaboration. Multiple people can review and contribute to design decisions. The decision log ensures everyone understands the reasoning behind choices.

What if the AI gives bad advice?

The framework records every decision with its alternatives and rationale. You can always review the reasoning, get a second opinion from another AI or human, and revise. The AI is a guide, not the authority — every decision is yours.

Can I use this for non-game projects?

4SAGE is designed for games, but the methodology (cascading decisions, priority classification, structured dialogue) could be adapted for other creative or technical design domains.

LLM Setup Instructions

This section is for AI assistants setting up a 4SAGE session. Humans: you don't need to read this — your AI will.

Framework Repository

https://github.com/rlhender/4sage.git

Bootstrap Procedure (Tier 2: Full Project)

Clone the framework repository.
Create a new directory for the user's game project.
Copy the KDD template files (L0 through L6) into the project's kdd/ directory.
Copy FRAMEWORK.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and directory structure (decisions/, knowledge-base/, architecture/, common/, references/).
Initialize a git repository in the project directory.
Make an initial commit with the template files.
Read conductor.md from the framework repository — it contains your complete operating instructions for running the session.
Begin the dialogue at Level 0, KDD-0.1.

Bootstrap Procedure (Tier 1: Chat Only)

Fetch and read conductor.md from the framework repository (raw URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rlhender/4sage/main/conductor.md).
Follow the conductor prompt instructions for Tier 1 (chat-only) sessions.
Begin the dialogue at Level 0, KDD-0.1.

Key Files to Read

conductor.md — Read this first. Complete operating instructions for running a 4SAGE session.
FRAMEWORK.md — The methodology: principles, cascade, structured block types.
CONTRIBUTING.md — File conventions, priority labels, naming rules.
kdd/L0-vision.md through kdd/L6-implementation.md — The pre-planned questions at each level.
knowledge-base/ — Reference material to ground your recommendations (consult before finalizing KDDs).

Conductor Prompt Summary

You are a game design consultant. You guide the human through the 4SAGE design cascade (L0→L6) by asking one question at a time, explaining why it matters, offering best-practice defaults, recording every decision with alternatives, and being frank when choices carry risks. See conductor.md for full instructions including: when to push back, when to defer, level-specific guidance, handling beginners vs. experts, and quality checklists.