Developer uses AI coding assistant to optimize game performance by replacing inefficient timer spawning with a single timer approach

A developer revisited their game, Plight of the Wizard, after a one-and-a-half year break and used an AI coding assistant to identify and fix performance issues preventing stable 30 FPS operation.

The assistant identified inefficient timer usage—the developer was spawning multiple timers with `playdate.timer.performAfterDelay` for sprite flashing effects (up to 9 separate timers for a single flash sequence). The suggested fix was to create a single timer and use the Playdate's current time as a reference to calculate sprite visibility.

The developer found AI coding assistants most valuable when applied to areas they already understood well, rather than as a shortcut past learning obstacles—in this case, the assistant extended their existing knowledge of the Playdate SDK rather than replacing the learning process.