The mini-game: taping a show

At each concert you can record a bootleg tape by playing a little skill game: a needle sweeps back and forth, and you tap to "lock" it, trying to land in a green sweet spot. Do it well and you get a great recording. This chapter follows how a few taps become a score — a nice, self-contained example of turning player actions into numbers.

Setup

The game builds a series of rounds ("stages"), each with a target zone. Harder recording spots (like the soundboard) have smaller zones and a faster needle, but pay off with better tapes. You need a blank tape to record on.

Grading each tap

When you lock the needle, the game measures how close you landed and grades it:

1811  function lockMini() {
1812    var m = S.mini; if (!m) return;
1813    if (m.raf) cancelAnimationFrame(m.raf);
1814    var st = m.stages[m.idx];
1815    var dist = Math.abs(m.pos - st.center);
1816    var inZone = dist <= st.half;
1817    var ratio = dist / st.half; // 0 = dead-center, 1 = edge of the sweet spot
1818    // Grade each lock: nailing the center is a PERFECT, and stringing perfects/greats
1819    // together builds a combo that pays off in the final tape quality.
1820    var rating = !inZone ? "miss" : (ratio <= 0.22 ? "perfect" : (ratio <= 0.6 ? "great" : "good"));
1821    var acc = inZone ? Math.round(100 - ratio * 25)
1822      : Math.max(0, Math.round(55 - (dist - st.half) * 1.3));
1823    if (rating === "perfect" || rating === "great") m.combo += 1;
1824    else if (rating === "miss") m.combo = 0;

Let's read the idea, not every symbol:

• It measures how far the needle is from the exact center.
• Dead-center is a perfect; close is a great; anywhere in the green is good; outside is a miss.
• Stringing perfects and greats together builds a combo — a bonus for a steady hand.
• It also records a precise "accuracy" number for each tap, which is what really decides the tape's quality.

Concept: turning actions into numbers. Games constantly convert something fuzzy ("you tapped roughly here") into something exact ("87% accurate"). Here, a distance becomes a grade and an accuracy score. Almost all game "feel" is just carefully chosen formulas like this.

From taps to a finished tape

At the end, the game averages your accuracy and turns it into a quality score — with bonuses:

1838  function finishMini() {
1839    var m = S.mini;
1840    var accs = m.results.map(function (r) { return r.acc; });
1841    var avg = accs.reduce(function (a, b) { return a + b; }, 0) / accs.length;
1842    var q;
1843    if (m.spot === "crowd") q = avg * 0.55;
1844    else if (m.spot === "section") q = avg * 0.82 + S.taper / 3 + S.cred / 8;
1845    else q = avg * 0.95 + 5 + S.taper / 2 + S.cred / 6;
1846    // Gear and perks: better deck, golden ears, the disputed sweet spot, a blessing.
1847    q += (S.buff.tapeQuality || 0) + (S.flags.goldenEars ? 8 : 0) + (S.flags.goodSpot ? 6 : 0) + (crewHas(S, "rita") ? 6 : 0);
1848    if (S.flags.goodSpot) S.flags.goodSpot = false;
1849    // Combo payoff: each link past the first adds quality and gets called out.
1850    var comboBonus = m.bestCombo >= 2 ? (m.bestCombo - 1) * 5 : 0;

So a great tape comes from several things stacking up: playing well (accuracy), picking a harder spot, having taping skill and reputation, owning good recording gear, having the right crew member aboard, and building a long combo. The very best tapes — "legendary" ones — also require being at a legendary show and recording from a good spot.

And every show, whether you record it or just watch, lifts everyone's spirits. Recording (or attending) the final show wins the game.