Animation Lab & Motion Workbench
Nine interface moments, three options each, running on a mock of the real match screen built from the shipped card art, the shipped dice faces and the shipped palette. Every demo has a trigger, a Reset, and speeds of 1×, ½× and ¼×.
How to use this page. Watch a group at 1× first — that is the only speed a player ever sees, and the only one that answers "does this feel right". Then drop to ¼× to find out why: what is staggered, what overlaps, where the eye is being sent. Argue at ¼×, decide at 1×.
1 · The Reveal
The moment the whole game is designed around. Both sides have committed; four cards turn; the player has roughly one second to count quadrants and colours across a 2×2 cross-product. Everything here is a trade between drama and time-to-read.
Option A — Snap Reveal
Option B — Pitch, then Swing
Option C — Cross Sweep
| Option | Duration | Argues for | Argues against |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Snap | 0.36 s | Fastest read. The reveal is one event, matching the rule (all four flip simultaneously). | No dread. Nothing marks the pitcher's commitment as separate from yours. |
| B · Pitch/Swing | 1.05 s | Builds the beat the physical game has naturally. Names who did what. | Nearly 3× the latency, every play. Also technically misrepresents simultaneity. |
| C · Sweep | 0.70 s | Drags the eye across the whole mat; ends near the hand, where the next decision is. | The stagger implies an order the rules do not have. |
Decision — the reveal
Chosen: · Timing override:
2 · Counting combinations
The teaching moment. A new player does not yet know that quadrant and colour are counted independently, and this animation is where they find out — or never do.
Option A — Wire Tally
Option B — Stamp Ladder
Option C — Two Channels
| Option | Duration | Argues for | Argues against |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Wires | 1.55 s | The only one that shows which cards made each match. Genuinely teaches the rule. | Longest by far. |
| B · Stamps | 0.68 s | Fast, and the row length is the count. | Teaches nothing. |
| C · Channels | 1.35 s | Two beats named after the two rules. | Hides pair match specifics. |
Decision — combination counting
Chosen:
3 · The dice
Option A — Tray Tumble
Option B — Cascade
Option C — Slam & Read
| Option | Duration | Argues for | Argues against |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Tumble | 1.75 s | Physical boardgame feel. | Slowest. |
| B · Cascade | 1.15 s | Clear readability of 5-dice resolution. | Spreadsheet fill feel. |
| C · Slam | 1.20 s | Loud impact with trauma shake. | Hardest to read simultaneously. |
Decision — dice
Chosen:
4 · Runners advancing
Option A — Trail Slide
Option B — Hop Beat
Option C — Single Sweep
| Option | Duration | Argues for | Argues against |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Trails | 1.15 s | Trackable movers with visual trails. | Video-game feel. |
| B · Hops | 1.00 s | Physical piece rhythm. | Slower for 4 movers. |
| C · Sweep | 0.76 s | Fastest overall. | Harder to follow. |
Decision — base running
Chosen:
5 · Rally scoring roguelike
Option A — Formula Assembly
Option B — Odometer
Option C — Chain Slam
Decision — rally scoring
Chosen:
6 · Dealing the hand
Option A — Fan Deal
Option B — Strip, then Fan
Option C — Snap Fan
Decision — hand deal
Chosen:
7 · Camera choreography
Option A — Locked Table
Option B — Three-Pose Cut
Option C — One Slow Push
Decision — camera
Chosen:
8 · Strike & out feedback
Option A — Centre Stamp
Option B — Travel to the Count
Option C — Count First
Decision — strike and out
Chosen:
9 · The walk
Option A — The Called Walk
Option B — Quiet Advance
Option C — Cause, then Effect
Decision — the walk
Chosen: