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Levelwick guide

How to make a racing game with AI

Make a fun top-down or endless racing game with an AI game maker: handling numbers, laps and checkpoints, opponents, touch controls and bug fixes.

Steps

  1. Choose the racing style. Decide between a top-down lap racer, an endless lane dodger or a side-view hill climb. Each needs different controls and rules.
  2. Describe handling in numbers. Specify time to top speed, how fast the car slows down, how steering changes with speed, and what happens off-road.
  3. Add laps and checkpoints. Ask for invisible checkpoints so laps can't be skipped, and for a lap timer with a best lap.
  4. Add touch controls. Request on-screen buttons for steering and gas/brake, sized for thumbs.
  5. Add opponents. Ask for computer cars that follow a list of checkpoints with small speed differences.
  6. Polish the feel. Add skid marks, a speed effect, a countdown and a results screen with a rematch button.

Pick a racing style that fits one prompt

Racing covers very different games. Before writing your prompt, choose one:

  • Top-down lap racer: a looping track, laps, checkpoints and maybe rivals.
  • Endless lane dodger: the road scrolls, you switch lanes and avoid traffic.
  • Side-view hill climb: physics, terrain and balance in the air.

Trying to mix them in a first prompt usually produces a game that does none well.

Handling is the game

Words like "realistic" or "arcade" don't tell an AI much. Numbers do:

The car reaches top speed in about 2 seconds, coasts to a stop over 2 seconds, can't turn when stopped, and turns tightest at medium speed. Driving on grass halves top speed.

Speed-dependent steering is the detail that stops a car feeling like a mouse cursor. If the result still feels wrong, ask for a hidden tuning panel with sliders and copy the values you like into your next prompt.

Make laps fair

A finish line alone lets players drive backward across it. Ask for checkpoints: three or four invisible gates that must be passed in order before a lap counts. Add a lap timer and a best lap stored in the browser so players have something to beat even without rivals.

Simple rivals work best

"Smart" AI drivers are hard to get right in a generated game. Instead, ask for cars that steer toward the next checkpoint in a list, with each car given a slightly different top speed and a small random wobble. That produces believable races and is easy to tune.

Phones need their own controls

Tilt controls can be unreliable across devices and browsers, so start with buttons: left/right at the bottom left, gas/brake at the bottom right, each at least 64 px and supporting multi-touch so players can steer and accelerate at once.

Bugs you'll probably meet

  • The car goes through walls at speed: "Move the car in small steps each frame and check walls after each step."
  • Laps count twice: "A lap only counts after all checkpoints are passed in order; reset the checkpoint index when a lap completes."
  • Too fast on some screens: "Use delta time from requestAnimationFrame for all movement."

Finishing touches

A 3-2-1-GO countdown, skid marks while turning hard, a results screen with total time and a Rematch button make a small racer feel complete. Add a ghost car of your best lap later if you want a strong single-player hook.

FAQ

Should I ask for 3D?

Start in 2D or pseudo-3D. They're more reliable in generated games, and the handling matters more than the camera.

Why can I skip half the track?

The lap probably only checks the finish line. Ask for ordered checkpoints that must all be passed.

How do I make opponents feel fair?

Give them slightly different top speeds and keep them on a checkpoint path. Avoid rubber-banding that makes them suddenly faster.

Does tilt steering work?

It can, but support varies by device and browser and may need permission. Offer on-screen buttons as the default.

Browse the free prompts

Levelwick Pro

Ship a whole game, not just a first draft

30 fill-in master templates with worked examples, 12 multi-step build recipes (what to prompt, what to check after each step, and the fix prompt when it breaks), 40 bug-fix prompts by symptom, 20 art-direction briefs with upload tips, and a game-design + launch checklist. Markdown files, instant download.

One-time $12. Use and adapt the prompts in your own games, commercial ones included. 14-day fix-or-refund if it doesn't work as described. Secure checkout by Stripe.

Free sampler

T01 · Path defense master template (template)

Use it for: classic tower defense with a fixed route and placed towers. The most reliable starting point for the genre.

Variables

VariableWhat to writeExample
{{theme}}Setting in a few wordsbackyard garden
{{enemy}}Who walks the pathslugs
{{base}}What the player protectsthe garden gate
{{waypoints}}Path as a waypoint description6 waypoints snaking left to right
{{tower_1..3}}Name, price, rolePea Shooter, 25, single target
{{start_money}} / {{reward}}Economy100 / 5
{{lives}} / {{waves}}Lose and win conditions10 / 12
{{palette}}Visual styleflat bright greens and browns

Master prompt

Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game set in a {{theme}}.
PATH: {{enemy}} walk a fixed path through {{waypoints}} to {{base}}. Draw the path clearly. Enemies move from waypoint to waypoint and never leave the path.
BUILDING: The player clicks or taps an empty build tile beside the path to open a small menu of towers:
- {{tower_1}}
- {{tower_2}}
- {{tower_3}}
Greyed-out buttons when unaffordable. Tapping a built tower shows its range circle and a Sell button (refund 50%).
ECONOMY: Start with {{start_money}} coins. Each enemy defeated gives {{reward}} coins with a floating "+{{reward}}".
WIN/LOSE: {{base}} has {{lives}} lives; each enemy that reaches it costs 1. Survive {{waves}} waves to win.
WAVES: Waves start with a Start Wave button. Use a wave list: each wave adds enemies and +10% enemy health; every 4th wave adds a faster enemy type; the last wave has a boss with a health bar.
FEEDBACK: Enemies flash white when hit, pop into particles when defeated, and the screen shakes briefly when a life is lost.
HUD: coins, lives and wave number at the top; Start Wave and Pause buttons.
STYLE: {{palette}}, simple shapes drawn in code, no external images.
CONSTRAINTS: one HTML file, works with mouse and touch, all movement based on elapsed time, Restart button on the win and lose screens.

Worked example

Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game set in a backyard garden. PATH: slugs walk a fixed path through 6 waypoints snaking from the left edge to the garden gate on the right… Towers: Sprinkler, 10 coins, slows enemies 40% in range; Pea Shooter, 25 coins, single target; Bee Hive, 40 coins, small area damage. Start with 100 coins, 5 per slug. 10 lives, 12 waves. Flat bright greens and browns…

After the first generation, check: enemies stay on the path; towers only fire within the drawn range; selling refunds the right amount; the boss appears on the last wave.

Strong follow-ups

  • "Add a 2x speed button. Don't change anything else."
  • "Add upgrades: tap a tower to upgrade to level 2 (+50% damage) for 1.5x its price."
T13 · Classroom quiz engine template (template)

Use it for: any subject quiz you'll reuse with new questions every week.

Variables

VariableExample
{{subject}}Year 6 science: forces
{{questions}}your list, pasted in the format below
{{timer}}20 seconds, or "no timer"
{{teams}}2 to 4 teams, or "single player"
{{reward}}a star burst and a "Great thinking!" message

Master prompt

Make a quiz game for {{subject}}.
DATA: put all questions in an editable array at the very top of the code, clearly labelled QUESTIONS. Each item: question, four answers, index of the correct answer, optional explanation. Use exactly these questions:
{{questions}}
FLOW: shuffle questions and answer order; never repeat within a game. One question at a time with four large buttons (keys 1-4 also work).
TIMER: {{timer}}.
TEAMS: {{teams}}. If teams: show whose turn it is; correct = +10 to that team; turns rotate each question.
FEEDBACK: correct: {{reward}}. Wrong or timeout: chosen answer red, correct answer green, explanation shown for 3 seconds.
END: scoreboard, list of missed questions with correct answers, Play Again.
DESIGN: high contrast, at least 28 px answer text, readable on a projector and a phone.
CONSTRAINTS: one HTML file, works offline, no external fonts or images.

Question format to paste

Q: What force pulls objects toward Earth? | Friction | Gravity* | Magnetism | Air resistance | Gravity pulls everything with mass toward the Earth's centre.

(An asterisk marks the correct answer; the last field is the explanation.)

Check: the asterisk is removed from displayed text; explanations show for wrong answers only; teams rotate correctly after a timeout.

Ship a tower defense in 6 prompts · Step 1 of 6 (recipe-step)
Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game. Cartoon beetles walk a fixed path of 6 waypoints from the left edge to a tree stump on the right. The player clicks or taps a grass tile to place a Leaf Turret for 25 coins; it shoots the nearest beetle within 120 px once per second. Start with 100 coins; each beetle gives 5 coins. The stump has 10 lives; each beetle reaching it costs 1. A Start Wave button sends 8 beetles. Show coins, lives and wave at the top. Shapes drawn in code, flat greens and browns. Restart button on game over.

Check after:

  • Beetles follow the path exactly and never cut corners through grass.
  • Turrets can't be placed on the path or on top of each other.
  • Coins rise on each defeat; lives drop when a beetle reaches the stump.

If it breaks:

  • *Beetles leave the path:* "Move enemies from waypoint to waypoint in a straight line at constant speed; when within 2 px of a waypoint, snap to it and target the next one. Don't change anything else."
  • *Towers placed on the path:* "Mark path tiles as unbuildable using a grid; highlight buildable tiles on hover in green and unbuildable in red."
A cozy farm in 8 prompts · Step 1 of 8 (recipe-step)
Make a cozy farming game with a 6x4 grid of soil plots. Tap a plot to cycle: till, plant, water. Seeds: Turnip (2 coins, 2 days), Carrot (5, 3 days), Pumpkin (12, 5 days), chosen from a seed bar. A Sleep button advances the day. Watered plots grow one stage per day (3 visible stages); unwatered plots don't grow. Tap a ripe plant to harvest into a basket. Start with 20 coins. Show coins and day.

Check: crops only grow when watered; watering resets each morning.

Checklist · Core loop (checklist)
  • [ ] I can describe the game in one sentence: the player does X to achieve Y while avoiding Z.
  • [ ] The main action is fun on its own for 30 seconds, before any upgrades or levels.
  • [ ] Every action gives an immediate visible result.
  • [ ] There's a reason to do the action again (score, progress, story, collection).
  • [ ] The game has a clear end state for a session (game over, level complete, day end) or a natural stopping point for idle/cozy games.
  • [ ] I removed features that don't support the core loop.
Fix prompt: "Remove [feature]. It doesn't support the core loop. Don't change anything else."
Checklist · Mobile and touch (checklist)
  • [ ] The game works with touch only, without hover.
  • [ ] Touch targets are at least 48-64 px, with space between them.
  • [ ] Multi-touch works (move and jump at once).
  • [ ] The page doesn't scroll, zoom or pull-to-refresh during play.
  • [ ] The game fits portrait and landscape, or clearly asks to rotate.
  • [ ] HUD stays clear of notches and rounded corners.
  • [ ] Audio starts after the first tap.

Works well with

Propwren Creator Asset Pack848 upload-ready images + 168 game audio files from our own packs, licensed for AI game makers. $19 once.Shipfern Web Game Starter KitTurn a prototype into a game you own: HTML5 template with levels, daily challenge, share cards, PWA, Stripe unlock, portal adapters. $49 once.Game asset packsTilesets, monsters, icons, VFX, UI, shaders, 3D and textures with live demos and free samplers.