Advanced mechanics

The exact numbers behind the guide: timings, thresholds, drain, event scheduling and draw weights. All of it comes straight from the game, so it stays up to date.

Speed

The base step time depends only on how many nodes you have eaten:

The multiplier adds +5% at ×2 up to +30% at ×8 (see the table), and SURGE another +14%. The step never gets shorter than 84 ms.

"About N s" on this page assumes a typical early step of 150 ms.

Growth and node placement

After the 10th node every node adds 2 cells.

• A node is never closer than 4 cells (in steps) to the head.
• Cells right next to your body and at middle distance (up to 11 cells) are weighted up.

Swipe controls fire once the finger has moved about 16 dp (the flick distance). Without lifting, the first two turns of a touch are plain flicks (the second one at 1.2× the flick distance); every turn after them needs a nearly straight stroke of 1.5× the flick distance within 25° of the axis, or 40° for a stroke of 3× and more. A stroke straight back does nothing until it is 1.5× the flick distance, so it can still lean into a U-turn (20–31° off the axis). A finger that stays still for 300 ms starts afresh, as if lifted. A third turn the same way within 250 ms of a U-turn is held: it is the stroke's follow-through, a 270° hook into your own tail. Settings › Controls › TURNS PER TOUCH: UP TO 2 brings back the old touch, two turns and then lift.

Multiplier thresholds

Charge is a number from 0 to 2,450.

• Charge from — charge needed for that multiplier.
• Close-call charge kept — the share of charge from close calls, skims and tight steps you get at that level (maneuvers and events are not reduced; inside a hot zone close calls always charge in full).
• Drain — charge lost per step once the hold is over: the lower value while your head is within 2 cells of a conductor, the higher one in open space.

Charge per source

During SURGE every gain is ×1.40.

Hold and drain

• After a gain the meter holds for 16 steps (about 2.4 s). A gain from close calls buys a hold shortened by the same close-call share; a maneuver or an event buys the full hold.
• After dropping a level there is a 10-step breather before the next level starts draining.
• Hunger: close play against your own body pays in full for 200 steps (about 30 s) after the last node, then fades linearly to zero over the next 200 steps (about 30 s).

Close-call and maneuver detection

• The 5 body cells right behind the head never count as a close call.
• A board cell that just produced a close call can't produce another for 60 steps.
• A close call within 3 steps of the previous one is a SKIM.
• An insulator re-arms 40 steps after it paid.
• Gap length: SQUEEZE 2–5 tight steps, NEEDLE 6+, THREAD 1–4 with no way round shorter than 10 cells.
• A maneuver continues the chain if it comes less than 30 steps after the previous one.

Circuit Event schedule

• The first event starts after 95 steps (about 14.2 s) of free play.
• Between events: 95–140 steps, 6 fewer for every event you complete, never below 70. An event that ended while you were at ×5 or more adds 18 calm steps.
• New structures appear at least 4 cells from your head.
• The kinds come from a shuffled bag with no repeats in a row; LIVE WIRE joins after the first 2 events.
• Intensity = events completed so far, +1 while you are at ×5 or more. It unlocks the harder variants below; the weight is the variant's share in the draw.

Variants: unlock and weight

GATE

RELAY

HOT ZONE

LIVE WIRE

Modifiers

Event timings and placement