The Gameframe Editor: A Complete Guide to Game-Specific Document Editing

Everything you need to know about writing game design documents in Gameframe

Read Time: 20 minutes

§Introduction#

The Gameframe editor isn't just another text editor. It's built specifically for game designers—with features you won't find in Notion, Confluence, or Google Docs.

This guide covers everything:

• —Getting started with the basics
• —Slash commands for quick insertion
• —Game-specific blocks (Stat Blocks, Formulas, Loot Tables)
• —Templates for common document types
• —Exporting to PDF, Word, JSON, and more

Let's dive in.

§Part 1: Editor Basics#

Opening the Editor#

Click any document in your vault, then click Edit. The WYSIWYG editor opens with your content ready to edit.

The Interface#

Header Bar:

• —Document name and last-saved time
• —Toggle toolbar visibility
• —Focus mode (fullscreen distraction-free)
• —Export button
• —Save/Cancel buttons

Toolbar:

• —Text formatting (bold, italic, strikethrough)
• —Headings (H1, H2, H3)
• —Lists (bullet, numbered, checkbox)
• —Links and images
• —Tables and blockquotes

Editor Area:

• —Rich text editing
• —Prose styling optimized for readability
• —Type naturally—it just works

Keyboard Shortcuts#

Auto-Save#

Your work is automatically saved to a local draft every 30 seconds. If you close the browser and come back, you'll be asked if you want to restore your draft.

§Part 2: Slash Commands#

Slash commands are the fastest way to insert content. Just type / anywhere in the editor to open the command menu.

Basic Blocks#

Game-Specific Blocks#

These are what make Gameframe special:

We'll cover each of these in detail below.

§Part 3: Game-Specific Blocks#

Stat Blocks#

What it is: A card that displays live data from your spreadsheet.

When to use it: Character sheets, item stats, enemy profiles—anywhere you want to show multiple stats for an entity.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /stat and press Enter
2. 2.Enter the data source name (e.g., characters)
3. 3.Enter the row identifier (e.g., Warrior)

Example output:

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🎮 Warrior                       │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ health     │ 150                │
│ damage     │ 25                 │
│ armor      │ 10                 │
│ speed      │ 3.5                │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

The magic: When you update characters.csv, this block updates automatically.

Formula Blocks#

What it is: A live calculation using values from your data sources.

When to use it: DPS calculations, time-to-kill, resource efficiency—any derived stat.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /formula and press Enter
2. 2.Enter a name (e.g., "DPS Calculation")
3. 3.Enter the formula (e.g., @Warrior.damage * @Warrior.attackSpeed)

Formula syntax:

• —@EntityName.stat - Reference a value from a data source
• —Standard math: +, -, *, /, ()
• —Functions: Math.floor(), Math.ceil(), Math.pow(), etc.

Example:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ⚡ DPS Calculation                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Formula: @Warrior.damage × @Warrior.attackSpeed │
│ Result:  62.5 DPS                        │
│ (25 × 2.5)                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Balance Tables#

What it is: A comparison table for abilities, items, or characters.

When to use it: Comparing options, balance decisions, feature comparisons.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /balance and press Enter
2. 2.Enter a title (e.g., "Ability Balance")
3. 3.Add rows with entity names and stat references

The key feature: Color-coded cells show relative performance (green = strong, red = weak, yellow = balanced).

Comparison Blocks#

What it is: A before/after visualization for balance changes.

When to use it: Patch notes, balance proposals, change documentation.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /comparison and press Enter
2. 2.Enter a title (e.g., "Warrior Health Buff")
3. 3.Set the before and after values

Example:

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ⚖️ Warrior Health Buff               │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ BEFORE        →        AFTER         │
│   100        (+50%)      150         │
│  (too squishy)       (survivable)    │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

Flowcharts#

What it is: Visual diagrams powered by Mermaid.js.

When to use it: Game loops, AI behavior, quest flows, dialogue trees, combat systems.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /flowchart and press Enter
2. 2.A default diagram appears
3. 3.Click Edit to modify, or choose a preset

Presets available:

• —Game Loop
• —Enemy AI
• —Combat System
• —Quest Flow
• —Dialogue Tree

Example Mermaid code:

graph TD
    A[Player Attacks] --> B{Enemy Health > 0?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Enemy Takes Damage]
    B -->|No| D[Enemy Dies]
    C --> E[Enemy Counterattacks]
    D --> F[Drop Loot]

Export options: PNG or SVG for use in presentations.

Loot Tables#

What it is: A visual drop rate simulator.

When to use it: Item drop balancing, reward systems, chest contents.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /loot and press Enter
2. 2.Add items with drop rates and quantities
3. 3.Click "Simulate 1000 Drops" to test

Example:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🎲 Goblin Loot Table                              │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Item              │ Rarity    │ Drop % │ Qty     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Gold Coins        │ Common    │ 50%    │ 10-50   │
│ Health Potion     │ Uncommon  │ 25%    │ 1       │
│ Goblin Dagger     │ Rare      │ 10%    │ 1       │
│ Goblin King Crown │ Legendary │ 0.5%   │ 1       │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Simulate 1000 Drops]                            │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The simulation: Run 1000 virtual drops to see actual distribution. Great for spotting if something is too rare or too common.

Progression Curves#

What it is: A chart showing how values scale over levels/time.

When to use it: XP curves, stat scaling, difficulty progression, economy balancing.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /curve and press Enter
2. 2.Choose a preset or enter a custom formula
3. 3.Set min/max values and steps

Presets available:

• —Linear: x * 100
• —Quadratic: x * x * 10
• —Exponential: Math.pow(1.5, x) * 100
• —Logarithmic: Math.log(x + 1) * 500
• —Sigmoid: Smooth S-curve
• —Stepped: Discrete jumps

Example: XP required per level

Level │ XP Required
──────┼────────────
  1   │     100
  2   │     220
  3   │     360
  4   │     520
  5   │     700
  ... │    ...
  10  │    1900

The chart updates in real-time as you tweak the formula.

Playtest Notes#

What it is: Structured feedback collector for playtest sessions.

When to use it: QA feedback, playtest debriefs, bug tracking.

How to insert:

1. 1.Type /playtest and press Enter
2. 2.Add notes with severity and status
3. 3.Link to @entities for cross-referencing

Severity levels:

• —🔴 Critical - Blocks core gameplay
• —🟠 Major - Significant impact
• —🟡 Minor - Small issues
• —🔵 Suggestion - Nice-to-haves

Status tracking:

• —New
• —Acknowledged
• —In Progress
• —Resolved

§Part 4: Templates#

Start new documents from pre-built templates instead of a blank page.

Available Templates#

Using a Template#

1. 1.Create a new document
2. 2.Click "Start from Template"
3. 3.Choose a template
4. 4.The structure is pre-filled—just add your content

§Part 5: Exporting#

Click the Export button in the editor header to download your document.

Available Formats#

JSON Export for Engines#

The JSON export is designed for game engines. It preserves:

• —Document structure (headings, sections)
• —Stat block data (already parsed)
• —Entity references
• —Metadata (author, timestamps)

Import into Unity with a simple JSON parser. No scraping HTML required.

§Part 6: Tips & Best Practices#

Writing Better GDDs#

1. 1.Use headings liberally - Makes documents scannable
2. 2.Link to data sources - Don't copy-paste stats, reference them
3. 3.Include visuals - Flowcharts and curves communicate faster than words
4. 4.Keep sections focused - One idea per section
5. 5.Use balance tables - Show comparisons, not just descriptions

Collaboration Tips#

1. 1.Use branches for experiments - Don't edit main directly
2. 2.Write change summaries - "Increased Warrior health" not "updated file"
3. 3.Reference @entities - Creates automatic cross-links
4. 4.Use playtest notes - Structured feedback beats scattered comments

Performance Tips#

1. 1.Break large documents - One 100-page doc = slow; 20 focused docs = fast
2. 2.Use templates - Consistent structure speeds writing
3. 3.Keyboard shortcuts - Ctrl+S saves; / inserts; Esc cancels
4. 4.Focus mode - Ctrl+Shift+F for distraction-free writing

§Conclusion#

The Gameframe editor is designed to make game design documentation faster, more accurate, and less painful. Use the features that help you—ignore the ones that don't.

Start simple:

1. 1.Write in the WYSIWYG editor
2. 2.Use / commands for quick insertion
3. 3.Connect a spreadsheet for live data
4. 4.Export when you need to share

As you get comfortable, explore flowcharts, loot tables, and progression curves. They're there when you need them.

Continue learning:

• —Live Spreadsheet Sync - Connect your balance data to documents
• —Embedding External Assets - Add Figma, YouTube, and more
• —Getting Started - Create your first vault

Ready to write better docs? Start your free trial and experience game-specific document editing.