Game design, rhythm and audio technology
How to design a core loop, using Nintendo's rhythm games, Valve's work on visual clarity and pacing, and the original MDA paper. Covers cues, choices, input feedback, learning, tension and a 16-target comparison exercise.
How to write a playtest report, drawing on Valve's published methods and the Portal postmortem. Covers research questions, facilitator scripts, observation records, units of analysis and revision decisions, with five fictional sessions and a report template.
A two-bar example at 120 BPM shows how accents, rests and direction changes shape a chart. Includes a CSV and separates required inputs from the sounds played by each instrument.
How to calculate timing error and define inclusive hit-window boundaries, with a comparison of note-selection rules when two windows overlap.
Compare input density and minimum intervals at 120 BPM. Design examples separate direction changes, memory length and lead time.
Seven hypothetical inputs show how a 45 ms median differs from a 61 ms mean. Covers correction signs, audio output conditions and variation between attempts.
An 8-second, four-bar loop at 120 BPM explains boundaries and frame counts, followed by clicks, reverb tails and Web Audio loop settings.
