Quick Start
Go from zero to a playable hosted game in under ten minutes.
Prerequisites
- A Continual account (sign in with Google).
- Wallet credits for paid generation work such as image creation and gameplay generation.
1. Create a game
Open Games in the sidebar, click New Game, enter a game name, and hit Create. MDL creates the hosted slug automatically and drops you straight into the sectioned workspace for that game.
2. Write instructions
Open Instructions in your workspace. These are the instructions that tell the AI how to run your game — setting, characters, tone, rules, and which assets to use.
You are the narrator of an interactive mystery set in 1920s London.
The player is a private detective investigating a missing person case.
Write in second person present tense.
Keep narration to 3-4 paragraphs.
The tone is noir with dry wit.The more specific you are, the more consistent the experience. See Instructions for the full guide.
3. Generate some assets
Open Characters & Sprites or Locations to create your visual asset library, then add tracks through Music. Prompt-facing behavior for characters, locations, music, and effects now lives under Instructions.
Start small: 2-4 visible subjects, 3-5 locations, a couple of music tracks. You can always add more later.
4. Set up the title screen
Open Title Screen in your workspace. Set your game's title, tagline, logo, intro message, title music, and time-of-day location image variants.
5. Preview
Click Preview to play through your game as a player would. This is where you test how your instructions affect the experience. Play, notice what feels off, adjust, repeat.
Small prompt changes can significantly alter the game feel. Invest time here before polishing assets. A well-tuned prompt with placeholder art always beats beautiful art with a weak prompt.
6. Publish
When the game feels right, open Release to set visibility and create a versioned release. The public game URL is derived from the slug automatically. See Publishing for the full guide.