Even steps, uneven difficulty#
SLOP2875 · Week 5
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Designers step numbers evenly#
because evenly is how a spreadsheet wants to be filled in.
The game is under no obligation to respond evenly.
The claim#
Some steps cost almost everything. Some cost nothing.
You cannot tell which from the numbers you typed.
You have to measure what came out.
Reaction time, six even steps, 51 runs a row#
| Reaction time | Wins out of 51 | Median survival |
|---|---|---|
| 50 ms | 38 | 120.0 s |
| 100 ms | 12 | 101.6 s |
| 150 ms | 2 | 78.2 s |
| 200 ms | 0 | 56.5 s |
| 250 ms | 0 | 56.1 s |
| 300 ms | 0 | 48.6 s |
The first step costs 26 wins#
The step from 200 ms to 250 ms#
costs 0.4 s of survival and no wins.
There were none left to lose.
The cliff has a cause#
The first boss has to be dead by 66 s.
Somewhere between 150 ms and 200 ms, the typical run stops reaching that wall alive.
Past that point, being slower barely matters. You were already not getting there.
A dial that does nothing#
The boss’s time limit, stepped evenly from 14 s to 34 s. The 100 ms player.
11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12 wins out of 51.
Twenty seconds of generosity bought one win.
You would not have guessed either of them#
That is why you measure.
Thursday#
One number of your own in the specimen’s rules, stepped evenly across six values.
Wins out of 51 and median survival at each.
Find the cliff, or show there is not one.
Week 5, in full#
The page for this week has the numbers and where they came from.