Developer interview · Part 3 of 12How to play
How do camera battles feel? Pentatonic hit sounds, a boxing boss, posters
In a Data2Dao battle, every hit plays a note, every five hits bring a new monster, and the five notes are exactly the Chinese pentatonic scale (gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu). This post covers the hit sounds, counting left and right separately, where to stand, how to fight the boxing boss, and the share posters after a battle.
Short answer
The orange cat calls out a Move and you do it facing the front camera; it counts as a hit only when you complete it fully. Every hit plays a note, every five hits bring a new monster, and the five notes are exactly the Chinese pentatonic scale (gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu), each one higher than the last. For movements with a left and a right side, the left and the right each count as one, and every one gets feedback. The boss fight at the end of each chapter is a boxing match.
Key points
- Hit sounds: the Chinese pentatonic scale, rising one note with every hit and cycling through five notes; each monster has its own sound when it is hit. Keeping the sound on, or wearing earphones, is recommended.
- New monster: five hits take one down, then the next one appears.
- Left and right separately: movements with a left and a right side are practiced separately, right side and left side, and every rep gets feedback.
- Where to stand: stand a little closer at first and learn the Moves; once you know them, stand farther back, and hearing the orange cat call the Move's name tells you what to do.
- Boss fight: a boxing match. Dodge left and right when the boss punches, squat to avoid its flying kick, then hit back with left hooks and right hooks.
- After the battle: the Path tab has share images, generated with code from your records, exercise and mood.
- Still in development: a boss that gets easier with each failed attempt; multiple aspect ratios for posters; moving posters and Live Photos.
Sound and responsiveness
Which moment in the app do you most want people to remember?
The sound in battle. Every attack has a sound effect, and every five hits bring a new monster. Those five hits map exactly onto five notes, using the traditional Chinese pentatonic scale (gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu), each one higher than the last.
So I strongly recommend using this app with the sound on. If that's awkward in the office, wear earphones.
Some friends have also told me that when they stand far away, they can't see the orange cat and the interface clearly. My advice is to stand a little closer at first and learn the Moves, which are all simple. Once you've more or less learned them, stand farther back. Much of the time, just hearing the orange cat call the name of the Move, for example "Side Stretch", is enough to know what to do.
In playtesting, were there times when the movement and the hit feedback didn't line up?
There is one detail. Some movements with a left and a right side, such as Up-and-Down and Standing Jump Clap, can be done smoothly by alternating left and right. For other movements, if you had to do one on each side before it counted as one, it would be very tiring, people would feel frustrated, and the hit feedback wouldn't feel responsive either.
So for this kind of movement we separate left and right: this way is one on the left, that way is one on the right, and every rep gets feedback.
The boss fight
What is the boss fight like?
Right now the boss fight is a boxing match. The boss punches and you dodge left and right; it throws a flying kick and you squat to avoid it; then you hit back with left hooks and right hooks.
Back when I played VR boxing games, I already found boxing really fun, and it fits well as the big stage at the end of each chapter. I'm looking forward to everyone's reaction the first time they meet the boss.
What if I keep losing?
If you lose, you can keep fighting, and the boss gets a little weaker each time.
After the battle: share images
After a battle, if I want to send something to friends, are there ready-made images?
Yes. I made a lot of share images, and you can see them in the Path tab. They are designed specifically for sharing and are generated automatically from your records, exercise and mood. They don't go through AI image generation; they are generated with code, so they're fast and also better at protecting privacy.
Have you thought about making the posters move?
Yes, and it won't be too long. In the future the posters will move, and you, as the main character in the poster, will move too, a bit like the newspapers in Harry Potter. When you save one, it will be a Live Photo or a short video.
FAQ
Do I have to turn the sound on?
It's strongly recommended. The hit sounds and the orange cat's Move calls both rely on sound. If that's awkward in the office, you can wear earphones.
What if I can't see the screen clearly from far away?
Stand a little closer at first and learn the Moves. Once you know them, stand farther back; hearing the orange cat call the Move's name tells you what to do.
What if I keep losing to the boss?
If you lose, you can keep fighting. The developer says the boss will get a little weaker each time; this attempt-by-attempt easing is still in development and is not in app version 1.6.
Are the share posters drawn by AI?
The posters are generated with code from your records and do not go through AI image generation.
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