game-feel-feedback-camera-and-haptics

name	game-feel-feedback-camera-and-haptics
description	Use when tuning a game action through anticipation, response, impact, timing, animation, VFX, audio-visual coordination, camera, hit-stop, particles, haptics, reduced-motion, sensory alternatives, or intensity settings. Use micro-interactions-and-feedback for ordinary UI controls.
metadata	{"portable":true,"category":"15-game-visual-experience","compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]}

Game Feel, Feedback, Motion, Camera, and Haptics

Make player actions legible, responsive and satisfying through tunable, truthful feedback that preserves control, comfort and performance.

Use When

• A movement, combat, traversal, interaction, puzzle or learning verb feels weak, unclear, delayed or overwhelming.
• Animation, VFX, audio, camera, time effects, particles and haptics must coordinate around player action and consequence.
• Camera motion, shake, zoom, hit-stop, aim assist feedback or sensory-intensity settings need a system.

Do Not Use When

• The task is ordinary button/toggle feedback in a non-game UI; use micro-interactions-and-feedback.
• The task is product-wide non-game transition law; use motion-design.
• The task is HUD/menu information architecture; use game-ui-hud-and-diegetic-interfaces.
• The task is static visual pillars/assets; use game-art-direction-and-visual-development.
• The task is physics, animation, camera or VFX code; route the approved spec to software specialists.

Required Inputs

Artefact or context	Source	Required?	Why
Verb, input, state machine, authority, timing and failure model	Game design/engineering	yes	Prevents feedback from lying
Camera, animation, VFX, audio, haptic and performance constraints	Discipline owners	yes	Defines available channels and budgets
Cohorts, access needs, sensory risks and intensity policy	Product/accessibility	yes	Governs alternatives and comfort
Versioned prototype/build and target devices	Engineering/QA	required for tuning claims	Makes latency, frame and sensory evidence observable

Workflow

1. Select one verb and map anticipation, input recognition, start, continuous state, contact/commit, result, recovery, cancel and failure. Stop if the underlying rule or authority is ambiguous.
2. State the response target and feedback purpose for each phase: control confirmation, trajectory, danger, timing, impact, reward, error, recovery or learning explanation.
3. Allocate channels—pose/animation, VFX, world deformation, UI, audio, camera, time and haptic—by consequence. Keep at least one non-colour, non-audio and non-haptic path where meaning is critical.
4. Specify parameters rather than adjectives: delay, duration, curve, amplitude, frequency, falloff, radius, camera axis, shake envelope, time scale, particle count and cancel/recovery behaviour.
5. Provide intensity tiers and alternatives: off/reduced/default where appropriate, reduced motion, flash safety, stable horizon/reticle, camera-shake control, haptic-off, audio-caption and non-spatial feedback.
6. Test latency, control preservation, camera visibility, frame pacing, interruption, repeated exposure and interaction with HUD, narrative, learning, saving and stopping states on target devices.
7. Tune one variable set at a time, retain before/after build identity and failed variants, and use player-observed evidence for “satisfying,” “clear,” “comfortable,” or “fair” claims.

Decision Rules

Condition	Action	Wrong-choice failure
Feedback begins before authoritative result	Signal input/attempt, not success	The game lies about state or reward
Camera effect obscures aim, threat, landing or horizon	Reduce, relocate, stabilise or disable by setting	Spectacle removes control or causes discomfort
Many channels fire at once	Rank by gameplay consequence and remove redundant noise	Impact becomes sensory clutter
Meaning depends on motion, colour, sound or haptic alone	Add an equivalent channel and setting	Players miss critical state or cannot opt out
Build/device/player evidence is absent	Return a parameterised hypothesis and test plan	Taste is reported as measured game feel

Capability Contract

Read access to verb/state, build, device, access and discipline contracts is required. Editing is limited to authorised design/tuning artefacts. A runnable build and target-device capture are required for response/performance claims; participant testing, implementation and production mutation need separate authority.

Degraded Mode

Without a build, provide a channel-and-parameter specification marked unverified. Without stable frame pacing or authority semantics, disable timing-sensitive polish and use clear immediate state cues. Without sensory evidence, default to lower intensity and preserve off/reduced controls.

Anti-Patterns

• “Juice everything.” Fix: spend sensory intensity according to gameplay consequence and player choice.
• Camera shake as universal impact. Fix: protect targeting, horizon, navigation and an off/reduced setting.
• Success haptic or flourish before authority. Fix: distinguish attempt, pending, confirmed and rejected states.
• Hit-stop that steals control or breaks online authority. Fix: define scope, ownership, cancel and network-safe behaviour.
• Motion, colour, sound or haptic as the only critical cue. Fix: create redundant, configurable feedback.
• Tuning from memory across unlabelled builds. Fix: retain parameter sets, captures, devices, failures and player evidence.

Outputs

Artefact	Consumer	Evidence and acceptance condition
Verb feedback and channel map	Animation, VFX, audio, camera, UI and engineering	Each phase has truthful purpose, owner, priority and alternative
Parameter/intensity specification	Implementers and accessibility	Default, reduced/off, interruption, recovery and budget values are testable
Tuning evidence log	QA, product and SRS	Build/device, parameters, captures, player observations, failures and residual risk are retained

Examples

• examples/paddle-impact-feedback-spec.md — a worked action-feedback specification with camera, VFX, audio, haptic, reduced-intensity and evidence decisions.

References

• references/game-feel-tuning-contract.md — verb phases, channel priority, parameter schema and evidence method.
• ../../08-motion-and-interaction/motion-design/SKILL.md, ../../08-motion-and-interaction/micro-interactions-and-feedback/SKILL.md, and ../../07-mobile-ios-android-cross-platform/touch-gesture-and-haptics/SKILL.md — shared motion, feedback and haptic doctrine.
• ../../../doctrine/references/wcag-2.2-criteria.md — motion/flash/accessibility floor.