How to Use LM Arcade: Play the Standalone LM Games Catalog Inside LMOS

You will finish with a saved game project that explains what the player does, how the game progresses, what assets and mechanics are required, what playtests taught you, and what still has to be implemented before Arcade publication.

Before you start

Standalone LM Games is the canonical game system across computers, tablets and phones. LM Arcade mirrors that catalog inside LMOS. New creator projects belong in LM Game Creator, where the core loop, originality, safety, rights, preview and beta gates are handled before reviewed publication.

Step 1: Start with the player promise

Name the game, choose the genre and audience, and write what the player should feel or accomplish. A clear promise keeps later mechanics from becoming unrelated features.

Step 2: Define the repeatable core loop

Write the action cycle the player repeats, then define the win or finish condition and the fail or retry condition. Add mechanics only when they strengthen that loop.

Step 3: Map the world and progression

Create levels, rounds, chapters, environments or other game states and define what changes as the player advances. Add characters or playable pieces when the design needs them.

Step 4: Build the implementation plan

List art, audio, interface and other asset references plus technical notes such as scoring, state machines, controls, saves, physics and performance constraints. Keep large source assets on local or connected storage whenever practical.

Step 5: Playtest and record evidence

Capture the build/version, tester, what worked, what confused the player and the concrete change that should happen next. Every meaningful test should influence the next iteration.

Step 6: Prepare an LM Arcade release

Complete the readiness checks and Arcade description, then submit the eventual playable build through the reviewed runtime, rights, safety, performance and marketplace process. Publication is separate from creating the design project.

Make the workflow better

• Make the core loop fun before expanding the world.

• Prefer one understandable mechanic over several unclear ones.

• Record what testers actually did, not only what you hoped they would do.

• Keep source assets portable and avoid unnecessary hosted storage.

• Treat LM Arcade publication as a reviewed release gate, not an automatic consequence of saving the project.

Questions people ask

Does LM Games generate a playable game today?

The current creator beta builds a structured game specification, asset plan and playtest record. Executable runtime generation remains a separate reviewed capability and is not represented as complete before it exists.

What is the difference between LM Games and LM Arcade?

Standalone LM Games is the point of truth for the playable catalog. LM Arcade is its LMOS surface. LM Game Creator is the separate creator-side product for original game builds and beta preparation.