Quick Start

Get up and running with EngineForge in under 5 minutes. Download the IDE, open a game project, and start building with AI.

1. Download and install

Download EngineForge for your platform from the download page. The IDE is a standalone application. No separate VS Code installation required.

  • macOS: Open the .dmg, drag to Applications
  • Windows: Run the .exe installer
  • Linux: Install the .deb or .rpm package

2. Open a game project

Open a folder containing a Unity or Godot project. The IDE auto-detects the engine:

  • Unity: Detected via ProjectSettings/ProjectVersion.txt
  • Godot 4: Detected via project.godot

Once detected, the Project Panel in the right sidebar shows your project name, engine version, and a breakdown of scenes, scripts, and assets.

3. Connect the engine bridge

The IDE auto-deploys a small plugin into your project that enables live communication with the running editor.

Unity

The plugin (Assets/Editor/GameDevIDEBridge.cs) is deployed automatically. Just open your project in Unity Editor and the bridge connects within seconds. Look for the green status indicator in the Project Panel.

Godot

The plugin is deployed to addons/gamedev_ide_bridge/. You need to enable it once:

  1. Open your project in Godot Editor
  2. Go to Project → Project Settings → Plugins
  3. Find “GameDev IDE Bridge” and check Enable

After enabling, the bridge connects automatically on every subsequent launch.

4. Start the AI chat

The AI Chat panel is in the right sidebar (auxiliary bar). It has two modes:

  • Ask mode: The AI responds with explanations and code blocks that have copy buttons. It doesn't modify your project.
  • Agent mode: The AI writes files directly to your project and executes bridge commands to create scenes, objects, and components in real-time.

Switch between modes using the toggle at the top of the chat panel.

5. Build something

Try these example prompts in Agent mode:

“Create a player character with movement using CharacterBody2D”

“Add a main menu scene with Play and Quit buttons”

“Create a health bar UI that decreases when the player takes damage”

“Set up a simple platformer level with ground, platforms, and a player”

Project context

On the first message of each conversation, the IDE automatically injects your project structure into the AI system prompt. This includes:

  • Engine type and version
  • List of scenes with root node types and node counts
  • Scripts with class names and inheritance
  • Resources and asset files
  • Bridge connection status

This context is sent once per conversation to keep subsequent messages fast and within token limits.

Connection status

The Project Panel shows the bridge connection state:

  • Green - Connected. Bridge commands execute in real-time.
  • Yellow - Connecting. The IDE is searching for the editor.
  • Red - Disconnected. Click to retry. Commands are queued as pending.