Visual Techniques

Screen shake is the single most recognisable juice technique - and the most commonly done wrong. A complete guide from basic implementation to trauma-based systems, with the four mistakes that break it.

Hit stop - the brief freeze at the moment of impact - is the secret behind why fighting game hits feel so satisfying. Here is the theory, the implementation, and how to combine it with other techniques for maximum effect.

Particles are the most visible tool in game juice - but most developers use them wrong. This practical system covers every particle category, the principles of good VFX design, and the permanence principle that separates good game feel from great.

Linear interpolation is the most violated principle in game development. Easing curves cost almost nothing and improve everything - here is a complete guide to every easing type, when to use each, and the frame-independent lerp pattern every developer should know.

Damage numbers turn invisible calculations into visible, emotionally resonant feedback. Done right, they make every hit feel meaningful and quantified. Done wrong, they clutter the screen into illegibility. Here is the complete system.

Chromatic aberration, vignette, bloom, motion blur, and color grading as feedback tools rather than decoration. When to apply each effect reactively to game events and how to avoid the over-processed look.

Every UI element is a feedback surface. Hover states, click animations, health bar drain curves, XP fill effects, and screen transition wipes - how to build UI that communicates state through motion and sound.

How to use color shift, saturation changes, and tinting to communicate game state without text. Low-health desaturation, danger-zone red wash, success-state warmth - building a coherent color grammar for your feedback system.