Life Paths

Cinevva's analyzer read this game's design doc and its source, then wrote the brief below. "Make your own" hands it to the game creator as your opening message, so you start from a real spec rather than a one-line idea.

Create a responsive browser life-simulation choice game titled “Life Paths.” It is a single-player, turn-based life story where the player begins at age 0 and advances one year at a time by answering a choice event, then pressing “Live one year →.” Build the interface as a warm, polished dashboard rather than a 3D scene: cream/beige page background, off-white rounded cards, subtle borders and soft shadows, dark blue-gray typography, coral and teal accents, and a clean system sans-serif font. On mobile, stack the panels vertically; on desktop, use a two-column layout.

Header: show a small rounded-square peach logo tile with a sprouting plant emoji, the title “Life Paths,” subtitle “Grow up, make choices, and write your own story,” and a bordered “New life” button. “New life” resets the story with a randomly selected name from Avery, Milo, Sage, Nora, or Kai, age 0, $0, an Undecided career, no partner, no chosen path, initial stats, empty journal, and the “New beginning” milestone.

Main profile panel: show a large rounded avatar tile whose emoji changes by life stage: baby at age 0, child from ages 1–4, school-age person from 5–12, person from 13–19, working adult from 20–59, and elder at 60+. Display the generated name and stage text: Newborn at age 0, Child below 13, Teenager below 18, Adult below 60, and Elder at 60 or above, followed by “· X years old.” Show “LIFE STATS” with five horizontal percentage bars and numeric values, clamped from 0 to 100: Health (72 initially, coral fill), Smarts (50 initially, teal fill), Happiness (68 initially, purple fill), Confidence (42 initially, gold fill), and Kindness (55 initially, green fill). Below, show “LIFE DETAILS” pills for money ($0 initially) and career (Undecided initially), plus a path pill and partner pill once applicable. Show a status message: initially “Your life is just beginning.”; for a steady relationship path, “Your choices are pulling your life toward steady relationships.”; for the risky path, “Your choices are pulling your life toward risk and drama.”; after the story ends, “Your story has reached its final chapter.” Include the large pale-green “Live one year →” button, disabled until the current event has been answered or if the game is over.

Right choice panel: show a “YOUR NEXT CHOICE” heading and current “Year X.” Present one event card with a soft mint-to-peach gradient, rounded corners, event title, explanatory text, and exactly four stacked answer buttons. Once one answer is selected, disable all four buttons and apply that choice’s stat/money effects; only then enable the year button. Selecting the year button increments age, writes a “A new year begins. You are now X.” journal entry, applies the small ongoing changes (Health may randomly rise by 1 and falls by 1 after age 45; Happiness randomly rises by 1 or falls by 1), selects a new age-appropriate event, and makes its answers available. The player can continue until after age 90, at which point set game over, add a closing journal entry, and disable controls.

Use these exact age-based event pools and choices. At ages 0–3, event “A small choice”: “Your family gives you two routines. Which one becomes part of your early life?” Choices: “Lots of cuddles” (+7 Happiness, +3 Kindness; “You grow up feeling safe and loved.”), “A steady sleep routine” (+5 Health, +2 Confidence; “A calm routine helps you feel secure.”), “Books before bed” (+5 Smarts, +2 Happiness; “Stories become part of your world.”), and “Music and movement” (+3 Health, +5 Happiness; “You learn to enjoy trying new things.”). At ages 4–8, event “A new friendship”: “Someone at school wants to be your friend. How do you respond?” Choices: “Invite them to play” (+6 Happiness, +3 Confidence; “You make room for someone new.”), “Ask about their interests” (+5 Kindness, +2 Smarts; “Listening helps the friendship grow.”), “Stay with your usual group” (+2 Confidence, +1 Happiness; “You keep the friendships you already know.”), and “Help them feel welcome” (+8 Kindness, +3 Happiness; “They remember your kindness.”). At ages 7–12, event “A school decision”: “A big assignment is due and your friends want to hang out. What do you do?” Choices: “Finish the assignment first” (+8 Smarts, +2 Confidence, -1 Happiness; “You feel proud when the work is done.”), “Work on it together” (+5 Smarts, +4 Kindness, +2 Happiness; “Teamwork makes the assignment easier.”), “Put it off” (+3 Happiness, -3 Smarts, -2 Confidence; “The fun is real, but the deadline gets stressful.”), and “Ask a teacher for advice” (+6 Smarts, +4 Confidence; “You learn that asking for support is smart.”). At ages 13–17, event “Who are you becoming?”: “You are old enough to make more of your own choices. What matters most right now?” Choices: “Build a skill” (+6 Smarts, +6 Confidence; “Practice gives your future a direction.”), “Make time for friends” (+8 Happiness, +2 Kindness; “Your social life becomes an important part of you.”), “Take healthy risks” (+7 Confidence, +5 Happiness, -1 Health; “You discover what you can handle.”), and “Protect your peace” (+4 Health, +5 Happiness; “You learn not every invitation needs a yes.”). At ages 18–29, event “Your first big adult decision”: “You have bills, goals, and more freedom. Which direction do you choose?” Choices: “Study or train” (+9 Smarts, -$50, +3 Confidence; “You invest in skills for the future.”), “Work full time” (+
20, +5 Confidence, +1 Happiness; “You build experience and independence.”), “Move somewhere new” (+8 Happiness, +6 Confidence, -$60; “A new place pushes you to grow.”), and “Live simply and save” (+$90, +2 Health, -1 Happiness; “Small sacrifices create more options later.”). At ages 30–49, event “The shape of your life”: “Your choices now affect work, home, relationships, and time. What gets your attention?” Choices: “Ask for a promotion” (+
60, +8 Confidence, -2 Happiness; “You advocate for yourself and take on more.”), “Change careers” (+5 Smarts, +7 Happiness, -$40; “A new direction feels risky but meaningful.”), “Make time for family” (+8 Happiness, +8 Kindness, -
0; “You protect time for people who matter.”), and “Start a new hobby” (+7 Happiness, +3 Health, +3 Confidence; “Being a beginner feels refreshing.”). At ages 50–120, event “A new chapter”: “You still have time to choose what matters next.” Choices: “Help someone younger” (+10 Kindness, +4 Confidence; “Your experience becomes useful to someone else.”), “Focus on your health” (+10 Health, +3 Happiness; “You make your future self a priority.”), “Reconnect with a friend” (+9 Happiness, +4 Kindness; “Some friendships are worth returning to.”), and “Learn something new” (+6 Smarts, +4 Confidence, +5 Happiness; “Curiosity keeps life interesting.”).

There is a special dating event at ages 14–17, shown before normal events if the player has not made a dating choice: “Who do you want to date?” with text “Two people ask you out. You get to look at what they are like before choosing.” Choices: “The good boy” (+7 Happiness, +4 Confidence, +4 Kindness), “The bad boy” (+5 Happiness, +5 Confidence, -2 Health), “Neither yet” (+4 Confidence, +2 Smarts), and “Stay focused on yourself” (+3 Happiness, +4 Smarts, +4 Confidence). Choosing the good boy sets path to steady, partner “Eli,” and adds “Chose a goodboy” and “Dating choice” milestones. Choosing the bad boy sets path to risky, partner “Jax,” and adds “Chose a badboy” and “Dating choice.” The other two add “Waited to date” and “Dating choice” without setting a partner/path. Once a dating choice is made, age 14–45 can also include the path event. For the steady path, show “A steady relationship”: “Your good-hearted partner wants to talk about the future. What feels right?” Choices are “Communicate honestly” (+7 Happiness, +6 Kindness, +3 Confidence), “Take things slowly” (+2 Health, +4 Happiness, +3 Confidence), “Make time for your own goals” (+6 Confidence, +3 Smarts, +2 Happiness), and “Ignore a problem” (-5 Happiness, -2 Confidence). For the risky path, show “A risky relationship”: “Your rebellious partner is exciting, but some choices are starting to affect your life. What do you do?” Choices are “Set clear boundaries” (+8 Confidence, +3 Health, +2 Kindness), “Follow their risky crowd” (+7 Happiness, -8 Health, -
0, +4 Confidence), “Talk about the warning signs” (+5 Smarts, +6 Confidence, -1 Happiness), and “End the relationship” (-5 Happiness, +8 Confidence, +4 Health).

When the first adult choice is made at age 18 or later while career is still Undecided, assign career based on choice index: first choice “Learner,” second “Worker,” and any later choice “Explorer.” Maintain a journal of choice result text and age, displaying the latest ten entries in reverse chronological order with “Age X” labels; before any choice, show “Your journal is waiting for its first memory.” Display all milestone tags as small gold rounded pills, including “New beginning,” “Dating choice,” “Chose a goodboy,” “Chose a badboy,” “Waited to date,” and chapter tags automatically added at ages 13, 18, and 60: “Teen chapter,” “Adult chapter,” and “Elder chapter.” Keep money from going below $0. Avoid additional combat, inventory, maps, dialogue characters, or mechanics not described here.”,