promo-video
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Record a high-FPS autonomous promo video of a Phaser game using Playwright. Triggers on: promo video, gameplay recording, marketing video, game capture.
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NPX Install
npx skill4agent add opusgamelabs/game-creator promo-videoTags
Translated version includes tags in frontmatterSKILL.md Content
View Translation Comparison →Promo Video Recording
Record smooth, autonomous promo footage of a Phaser game for marketing / social media. The output is a 50 FPS MP4 in mobile portrait (9:16) — ready for TikTok, Reels, Moltbook, or X.
Technique
Playwright's caps at 25 FPS with no config option. We work around it:
recordVideo- Slow the game to 0.5× by patching all 5 Phaser time subsystems
- Record for 2× the desired duration at Playwright's native 25 FPS
- FFmpeg speed-up 2× → effective 50 FPS output
| Parameter | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| | Game runs at half speed → 50 FPS output |
| | Record for 2× to get correct game-time |
| | 9:16 mobile portrait (always default unless user specifies otherwise) |
| | ~13s of game-time → ~6.5s promo clip |
Prerequisites
- Playwright — must be installed ()
npm install -D @playwright/test && npx playwright install chromium - FFmpeg — must be available on PATH (on macOS)
brew install ffmpeg - Dev server running — game must be served on localhost
Check both before starting:
bash
npx playwright --version
ffmpeg -version | head -1If FFmpeg is not found, warn the user and skip the promo video step (it's non-blocking — the game still works without it).
Capture Script — Game-Specific Adaptation
Every game gets a custom . The subagent must read the game's source files to determine:
scripts/capture-promo.mjs1. Death/Failure Patching (CRITICAL)
The video must show continuous gameplay — never game over. Read (or equivalent) to find the death/failure method and monkey-patch it out.
GameScene.jsHow to find it: Search for the method called on collision/death. Common patterns:
- — dodge games
this.triggerGameOver() - →
this.takeDamage()— multi-life gamesthis.lives <= 0 - — direct call
this.gameOver() - /
eventBus.emit(Events.PLAYER_HIT)— event-driveneventBus.emit(Events.GAME_OVER)
Patch template (adapt per game):
js
await page.evaluate(() => {
const scene = window.__GAME__.scene.getScene('GameScene');
if (scene) {
// Patch ALL paths to game over
scene.triggerGameOver = () => {};
scene.onPlayerHit = () => {};
// For multi-life games, also prevent damage:
// scene.takeDamage = () => {};
// scene.playerDied = () => {};
}
});2. Input Sequence Generation
The video must show dynamic, natural-looking gameplay. Read the game's input handling to determine:
- Which keys — ArrowLeft/ArrowRight? Space? WASD? Mouse clicks?
- Input style — continuous hold (movement), tap (jump/shoot), or both?
- Movement pattern — should the player sweep across the screen, dodge reactively, jump rhythmically?
Input patterns by game type:
| Game Type | Input Keys | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Side dodger | ArrowLeft, ArrowRight | Alternating holds (150-600ms) with variable pauses, occasional double-taps |
| Platformer / Flappy | Space | Rhythmic taps (80-150ms hold) with variable gaps (200-800ms) |
| Top-down | WASD / Arrows | Mixed directional holds, figure-eight patterns |
| Shooter | ArrowLeft/Right + Space | Movement interleaved with rapid fire |
| Clicker/Tapper | Mouse click / Space | Rapid bursts separated by brief pauses |
Randomize timing to avoid robotic-looking movement:
js
const holdMs = 150 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 450);
const pauseMs = 50 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 250);Add a pause at the start (1-2s) to let the entrance animation play — this is the hook.
3. Game Boot Detection
All games built with the make-game pipeline expose these globals:
- — Phaser.Game instance
window.__GAME__ - — GameState singleton
window.__GAME_STATE__ - — EventBus singleton
window.__EVENT_BUS__
Wait for both boot and active gameplay:
js
await page.waitForFunction(() => window.__GAME__?.isBooted, { timeout: 15000 });
await page.waitForFunction(() => window.__GAME_STATE__?.started, { timeout: 10000 });4. Time Scaling Injection
Slow all 5 Phaser time subsystems for the recording:
js
await page.evaluate(({ factor }) => {
const game = window.__GAME__;
const scene = game.scene.getScene('GameScene');
// 1. Update delta — slows frame-delta-dependent logic
const originalUpdate = scene.update.bind(scene);
scene.update = function(time, delta) {
originalUpdate(time, delta * factor);
};
// 2. Tweens — slows all tween animations
scene.tweens.timeScale = factor;
// 3. Scene timers — slows scene.time.addEvent() timers
scene.time.timeScale = factor;
// 4. Physics — slows Arcade/Matter physics
// NOTE: Arcade physics timeScale is INVERSE (higher = slower)
if (scene.physics?.world) {
scene.physics.world.timeScale = 1 / factor;
}
// 5. Animations — slows sprite animation playback
if (scene.anims) {
scene.anims.globalTimeScale = factor;
}
}, { factor: SLOW_MO_FACTOR });The 5 subsystems:
- Update delta — slows frame-delta-dependent logic
scene.update(time, delta * factor) - Tweens — slows all tween animations
scene.tweens.timeScale - Scene timers — slows
scene.time.timeScaletimersscene.time.addEvent() - Physics — slows Arcade/Matter physics (uses inverse:
scene.physics.world.timeScale)1/factor - Animations — slows sprite animation playback
scene.anims.globalTimeScale
5. Video Finalization
js
const video = page.video();
await context.close(); // MUST close context to finalize the video file
const videoPath = await video.path();Full Capture Script Template
js
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
import path from 'path';
import fs from 'fs';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
const __dirname = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
const PROJECT_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, '..');
// --- Config ---
const args = process.argv.slice(2);
function getArg(name, fallback) {
const i = args.indexOf(`--${name}`);
return i !== -1 && args[i + 1] ? args[i + 1] : fallback;
}
const PORT = getArg('port', '3000');
const GAME_URL = `http://localhost:${PORT}/`;
const VIEWPORT = { width: 1080, height: 1920 }; // 9:16 mobile portrait
const SLOW_MO_FACTOR = 0.5;
const DESIRED_GAME_DURATION = parseInt(getArg('duration', '13000'), 10);
const WALL_CLOCK_DURATION = DESIRED_GAME_DURATION / SLOW_MO_FACTOR;
const OUTPUT_DIR = path.resolve(PROJECT_DIR, getArg('output-dir', 'output'));
const OUTPUT_FILE = path.join(OUTPUT_DIR, 'promo-raw.webm');
// <ADAPT: Generate game-specific input sequence>
function generateInputSequence(totalMs) {
const sequence = [];
let elapsed = 0;
// Pause for entrance animation
sequence.push({ key: null, holdMs: 0, pauseMs: 1500 });
elapsed += 1500;
// <ADAPT: Replace with game-specific keys and timing>
const keys = ['ArrowLeft', 'ArrowRight'];
let keyIdx = 0;
while (elapsed < totalMs) {
const holdMs = 150 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 450);
const pauseMs = 50 + Math.floor(Math.random() * 250);
// Occasional double-tap for variety
if (Math.random() < 0.15) {
sequence.push({ key: keys[keyIdx], holdMs: 100, pauseMs: 60 });
elapsed += 160;
}
sequence.push({ key: keys[keyIdx], holdMs, pauseMs });
elapsed += holdMs + pauseMs;
// Alternate direction (with occasional same-direction repeats)
if (Math.random() < 0.75) keyIdx = 1 - keyIdx;
}
return sequence;
}
async function captureGameplay() {
console.log('Capturing promo video...');
console.log(` URL: ${GAME_URL} | Viewport: ${VIEWPORT.width}x${VIEWPORT.height}`);
console.log(` Game duration: ${DESIRED_GAME_DURATION}ms | Wall clock: ${WALL_CLOCK_DURATION}ms`);
fs.mkdirSync(OUTPUT_DIR, { recursive: true });
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
const context = await browser.newContext({
viewport: VIEWPORT,
recordVideo: { dir: OUTPUT_DIR, size: VIEWPORT },
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto(GAME_URL, { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });
// Wait for game boot + gameplay active
await page.waitForFunction(() => window.__GAME__?.isBooted, { timeout: 15000 });
await page.waitForFunction(() => window.__GAME_STATE__?.started, { timeout: 10000 });
await page.waitForTimeout(300);
console.log(' Game active.');
// <ADAPT: Patch out death — find the actual methods from GameScene.js>
await page.evaluate(() => {
const scene = window.__GAME__.scene.getScene('GameScene');
if (scene) {
scene.triggerGameOver = () => {};
scene.onPlayerHit = () => {};
}
});
console.log(' Death patched.');
// Slow all 5 Phaser time subsystems
await page.evaluate(({ factor }) => {
const game = window.__GAME__;
const scene = game.scene.getScene('GameScene');
const originalUpdate = scene.update.bind(scene);
scene.update = function(time, delta) { originalUpdate(time, delta * factor); };
scene.tweens.timeScale = factor;
scene.time.timeScale = factor;
if (scene.physics?.world) scene.physics.world.timeScale = 1 / factor;
if (scene.anims) scene.anims.globalTimeScale = factor;
}, { factor: SLOW_MO_FACTOR });
console.log(` Slowed to ${SLOW_MO_FACTOR}x.`);
// Execute input sequence
const sequence = generateInputSequence(WALL_CLOCK_DURATION);
console.log(` Playing ${sequence.length} inputs over ${WALL_CLOCK_DURATION}ms...`);
for (const seg of sequence) {
if (!seg.key) { await page.waitForTimeout(seg.pauseMs); continue; }
await page.keyboard.down(seg.key);
await page.waitForTimeout(seg.holdMs);
await page.keyboard.up(seg.key);
if (seg.pauseMs > 0) await page.waitForTimeout(seg.pauseMs);
}
console.log(' Input complete.');
// Finalize video
const video = page.video();
await context.close();
const videoPath = await video.path();
if (videoPath !== OUTPUT_FILE) {
fs.renameSync(videoPath, OUTPUT_FILE);
}
await browser.close();
console.log(` Raw recording: ${OUTPUT_FILE}`);
console.log('Done.');
}
captureGameplay().catch(err => { console.error('Capture failed:', err); process.exit(1); });FFmpeg Conversion
After recording, convert the raw slow-mo WebM to a high-FPS MP4. The script is bundled with this skill at .
convert-highfps.shskills/promo-video/scripts/convert-highfps.shbash
# Copy to project (orchestrator does this)
cp <plugin-root>/skills/promo-video/scripts/convert-highfps.sh <project-dir>/scripts/
# Run conversion
bash scripts/convert-highfps.sh output/promo-raw.webm output/promo.mp4 0.5The script:
- Applies to speed up the video by
setpts1/factor - Sets output framerate to (= 50 FPS for 0.5× slow-mo)
25 / factor - Encodes H.264 with ,
crf 23,yuv420pfaststart - Verifies output duration, frame rate, and file size
Viewport Defaults
Always record in mobile portrait (9:16) unless the user explicitly requests otherwise. Rationale:
- Games are played on phones — promo footage should show the real mobile experience
- 9:16 is native for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts
- 1080×1920 is the standard resolution
| Aspect Ratio | Viewport | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16 (default) | | Mobile portrait — TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Moltbook |
| 1:1 | | Square — Instagram feed, X posts |
| 16:9 | | Landscape — YouTube, trailers, desktop games |
Duration Guidelines
| Game Type | Recommended Duration | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Arcade / dodger | 10-15s | Fast action, multiple dodge cycles |
| Platformer | 15-20s | Show jump timing, level progression |
| Shooter | 12-18s | Show targeting, enemy waves |
| Puzzle | 8-12s | Show one solve sequence |
Checklist
Before running the capture:
- Dev server is running and responding
- FFmpeg is installed on the system
- Playwright is installed with Chromium
- Game boots directly into gameplay (no menu blocking)
- Death/failure method identified and patched
- Input keys match the game's actual controls
- Entrance animation pause is included (1-2s)
- Output directory exists
After capture:
- Raw WebM exists in output/
- FFmpeg conversion produces valid MP4
- Duration is ~half the raw recording (speed-up worked)
- Frame rate is 50 FPS
- Video shows gameplay (not a black screen)