Good uses
- Puzzle combos where one placement clears linked pieces
- Automation or workflow steps that trigger dependent tasks
- Teaching how a single change propagates through a system
01
Classification and repeated action
A stimulus engine is the axis of what invites another action. The visual world is chosen separately as an expression theme.
- Stimulus engine
- Chain amplification
- Repeated action
- Make one connecting move, such as turning a joint or placing a piece, and let the effect spread through linked elements.
- Core loop
- One move
- Connection
- Acceleration
- Big blast
- Typical feedback
- Combo count, Rising pitch of chained sounds, Bulk clearing of targets, Multiplier display
02
Build the sequence
Design the opening state, the input, the result, and the next actionable state as one sequence.
Opening state
Elements that could link sit on the board in their idle state, and one joint or piece that would start the chain is quietly marked.
Input
The user turns, places, or connects the starting piece, and it locks in on the exact frame its connection lines up.
Result and reward
The effect spreads 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 with tightening intervals, holds briefly when it reaches every target, and the result count fills.
Next actionable state
The lit path stays visible for review, and a larger board with a new starting joint appears so a longer chain can be planned.
03
Feedback across channels
Do not rely on motion or sound alone: every channel should make the change of state readable.
Visual
Visual: every link the effect passes through stays lit, so the whole route from the first move to the last target remains on screen.
Motion
Motion: the effect travels at a constant speed along shortening links, so acceleration comes from the layout rather than from a faster clock.
Text, sound, and haptics
Text, sound, and haptics: a step counter such as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, a pitch that rises one step per stage, and a final total.
Without motion or audio
Without motion or audio: the lit route, the filled step circles, and the final count such as 16 / 16 show how far the chain reached.
04
Production controls
Eight production controls decide the strength and order of the response.
Input
One deliberate connecting move: turn a joint, place a piece, or join two ends. The rest of the chain follows from that move.
Timing
Shorten the gap between stages, for example 0.50 to 0.17 seconds, so the chain visibly speeds up toward the final stage.
Hit stop
Hold for about 100 ms on the frame the effect reaches every final target at once, not at each intermediate link.
Amplification
Double the number of active elements per stage, raise brightness slightly each time, and spread a wide glow only at the end.
Text
Show the stage count and the final total, such as 16 / 16. Keep the multiplier next to the path, not floating over the board.
Camera
Frame the whole network during the chain so every branch is visible. Move the view only after the chain has finished.
Sound & haptics
Raise the pitch by one step per stage and land on a resolved chord at the end. Keep haptics to the start and the finish.
Next expectation
Reveal a larger network with its own unconnected starting point, so the user can plan a longer chain at their own pace.
05
Where it works—and where it fails
Good uses, failure modes, risk, accessibility, and the boundary that keeps the engine from being used to manipulate.
Failure modes
- Clearing pieces so fast that the user cannot tell what caused the chain
- Inflating multipliers without showing which links produced them
- Shaking the camera so hard that the branching path cannot be followed
Risk
If the user cannot see what started the chain or which links carried it, even a big success teaches nothing and feels like luck. Ever-growing multipliers then become noise that replaces learning with spectacle.
Accessibility
Keep the lit path and stage count readable without motion, offer a reduced-motion mode that shows each stage as a static step, and expose the chain length and final total as text.
Manipulation boundary
Let the chain come from the user's move and the visible layout. Do not sell multipliers or boosts that hide the cause, fake near-chains to prompt another try, or use random chain triggers as a stand-in for a paid draw.
06
Watch the interaction grammar
A 6-second vertical 1080×1920, 30 fps specimen with no audio, and a text alternative of what it shows.
The power grid of a residential district during a night blackout. At the top: "North district, block 3", "Blackout", "0 / 16 houses", and a chain record of circles 1, 2, 4, 8, 16. Sixteen dark houses sit at the ends of streets and wires that branch in an H shape. Below the root in the middle, the conductor of a joint (a turning dial) points sideways, so the power coming from the substation sparks just below the joint. A finger touches the dial grip and turns it counterclockwise along a circle; the joint turns exactly as far as the finger does, and on the frame the conductor stands upright it clicks into place. Power travels at the same speed to the relays, root (1) → 2 → 4 → 8; each branch is shorter than the one before, so the arrival interval tightens 0.50 → 0.33 → 0.23 → 0.17 seconds and the chain accelerates (the record circles fill at the positions of their arrival times). It reaches all 16 houses on the same frame and holds for 0.1 second; windows light up and warm light spreads from the root to the corners of the district ("16 / 16 houses", "Restored"). Every wire it passed stays lit to the end. Finally the view scrolls down to reveal the still-dark "North district, block 4" (32 houses, 0 / 32) and its next joint, still sideways, and the finger moves toward its grip.
Generated examples for this engine
No generated examples are recorded for this engine yet. The specimen is also listed in the gallery.
08
Creator-ready English prompt
A production brief you can hand directly to an AI model or a production team.
Written for this guide from the specimen and the classification; it is not the original generation prompt.
Produce a 6-second vertical UI motion sample that uses the Chain amplification stimulus engine.
Repeated action: One deliberate connecting move: turn a joint, place a piece, or join two ends. The rest of the chain follows from that move.
Opening state: Elements that could link sit on the board in their idle state, and one joint or piece that would start the chain is quietly marked.
Trigger and timing: Shorten the gap between stages, for example 0.50 to 0.17 seconds, so the chain visibly speeds up toward the final stage.
Hit stop: Hold for about 100 ms on the frame the effect reaches every final target at once, not at each intermediate link.
Amplification: Double the number of active elements per stage, raise brightness slightly each time, and spread a wide glow only at the end.
Text: Show the stage count and the final total, such as 16 / 16. Keep the multiplier next to the path, not floating over the board.
Camera: Frame the whole network during the chain so every branch is visible. Move the view only after the chain has finished.
Sound and haptics: Raise the pitch by one step per stage and land on a resolved chord at the end. Keep haptics to the start and the finish.
Next promise: Reveal a larger network with its own unconnected starting point, so the user can plan a longer chain at their own pace.
Without motion or audio: the lit route, the filled step circles, and the final count such as 16 / 16 show how far the chain reached.
Accessibility: Keep the lit path and stage count readable without motion, offer a reduced-motion mode that shows each stage as a static step, and expose the chain length and final total as text.
Ethical boundary: Let the chain come from the user's move and the visible layout. Do not sell multipliers or boosts that hide the cause, fake near-chains to prompt another try, or use random chain triggers as a stand-in for a paid draw.
Keep enough contrast for text and primary UI, and make the meaning clear in reduced-motion and no-audio settings.
Create original abstract subjects. Do not imitate existing works, characters, logos, brands, or proprietary UI.