Breaker Mode
Smash the spiral apart. Balls race down a spiral channel full of breakable glass, multiply at gates, and collapse the whole spiral when one reaches the centre. Every control in Spiral Breaker Settings, explained. (Creator)
What Breaker Mode Does
Breaker builds a spiral channel (a track with two rails) and fills it with glass panes. Balls enter at the outer mouth and travel down the channel toward the centre, cracking and shattering the glass as they hit it. Multiplier gates along the track clone every ball that passes, so a single ball can become a flood. When balls die, a new wave launches. When a ball finally reaches the centre, the whole spiral collapses into tumbling pieces, the camera shakes, and after a short pause the run starts again.
The arc of a Breaker clip is simple: every wave gets deeper and breaks more glass, until one gets through.
Tip
- With the default settings a ball dies the moment it touches glass (Instant Impact Death is on), so progress comes from waves of balls breaking the glass bit by bit.
Plans, Panels and Basics
Spiral Breaker Settings is one panel on the Engine tab and needs Creator. Sections inside it with a switch in their header (Power Runs, Glass Barriers, Multiplier Gates, Respawn Systems, Completion Sequence, Spiral Sounds) show their controls only while that switch is on.
Basics, the first item on the Studio rail, shows a short list of the settings that change the video the most, under Mode settings. Engine on the rail shows every control the mode has, in its own collapsible sections, and the mode's own sounds are in the Audio section. Both edit the same settings, so a change in one shows up in the other.
Technical parameters
- Basics shows: Spiral turns (1 to 10), Track width (20 to 100), Spiral size (100 to 500), Natural physics (on/off), Glass barriers (on/off), Glass toughness (5 to 500, only while Glass barriers is on), Multiplier gates (on/off).
- The glass, gate and finale sounds are in the Audio section, under Spiral Sounds.
Ball Entry Point and Geometry Engine
Where balls start, and the shape of the track. Changing any geometry value rebuilds the spiral and restarts the run.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement Mode | Center Origin, Outer Start (Spiral Entrance), or Manual Control. | Default Outer Start | Outer Start always enters the channel cleanly. |
| Auto Position Ball | Button. Resets the start to the outer mouth of the track. | ||
| Spiral Turns | Full turns from the mouth to the centre. | 1 to 10, default 4 | More turns: longer run and more glass, but a busier picture. |
| Outer Radius | How far out the mouth sits. This is the arena size. | 100 to 500, step 10, default 170 | |
| Channel Gap | Width of the lane the balls travel in. | 20 to 100, step 5, default 40 | Must comfortably clear the ball, or balls jam. |
| Spiral Rotation | Turns the whole spiral so the mouth faces another way. | 0 to 360, step 5, default 0 | |
| Wall Thickness | Line weight of the two rails. | 1 to 10, default 4 | |
| Wall Color | Rail colour. Also tints the finale collapse burst. | Default blue (#3B82F6) | Keep it clearly different from the Glass Tint. |
| Track Glow | Adds a bloom to the rails. | On/off, default on |
Physics Dynamics
How balls move along the track. Natural Physics is the master switch. Off (default): each ball's speed is held steady and the track steers it along the channel. On: gravity and Bounciness move the ball, so it can slow, rattle and fall.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radial Center Gravity | A constant pull toward the centre, on top of normal gravity. | 0.01 to 1.5, step 0.01, default 0 (off) | Small amounts help balls work inward. Large amounts pin them to the inner rail. |
| Natural Physics | Lets gravity and Bounciness drive the ball instead of locking its speed. | On/off, default off | Turn it on if the ball looks like it is sliding over the spiral. |
| Bounciness | The global bounce value. Shown only while Natural Physics is on. | 0 to 2, step 0.01 | |
| Bounce Randomness | Random variation in bounce angles. Shown only while Natural Physics is on. | 0 to 1, default 0.3 | |
| Wall Friction | Speed kept when sliding along a rail or unbroken glass. 1 is frictionless. | 0.8 to 1, step 0.005, default 0.98 | At 0.95 or below balls may stall partway down. |
| Constant Speed | Locks every ball at its starting speed so it never slows or rattles in place. Shows off while Natural Physics is on. | On/off, default on | |
| Track Drive | How hard the track steers a ball along the channel. Greyed out while Natural Physics is on. | 0 to 1, step 0.05, default 0.35 | Only active when gravity is on or Power Runs are enabled. |
Power Runs
Power Runs turns the clip into an escalating ladder. Each run the ball is powered along the track for a number of seconds, then the power fades out, the ball falls, and the next run gets a longer powered window. Turn the switch in the header on to use it.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Runs (switch) | Turns the ladder on. | On/off, default off | |
| Power Ladder | Increment (10s, 20s, 30s...) climbs by a fixed step. Custom List reads your own seconds. | Default Increment | |
| Seconds Per Run | Custom List only. Comma-separated seconds, one per run. After the list runs out, the last value repeats. | Default 10, 20, 30, 45 | |
| First Run (sec) | Increment only. Powered time of the first run. | 1 to 60, default 10 | Keep it short so the escalation has somewhere to go. |
| Added Per Run (sec) | Increment only. Seconds added each run. | 0 to 60, default 10 | |
| Longest Run (sec) | Increment only. The cap on the powered time. | 5 to 180, step 5, default 60 | Set it near the time that actually reaches the centre. |
| Power Fade (sec) | How long the boost takes to ease out at the end of a run. | 0.1 to 10, default 1.5 | |
| Free Fall Before Reset (sec) | How long a spent ball keeps falling before the next run starts. | 0.5 to 20, step 0.5, default 5 |
Glass Barriers
The glass is the heart of the mode, and also its biggest performance cost. Turn the switch in the header on to fill the channel with glass. The controls come in four groups: where the glass starts and how it breaks, how it looks, the flying shards, and extra burst effects.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass Barriers (switch) | Fills the channel with glass. | On/off, default on | |
| Glass Start | Where the glass begins, from the outer entrance (0%) to the centre. The section before it stays open. | 0 to 95%, default 8% | An open run-up lets the ball hit the first pane at speed. |
| Break Style | Realistic (Impact Shatter): only the glass the ball hits breaks, in a crack that grows with impact force. Panel (Full Width): the whole width of the channel breaks at once. | Default Realistic | Panel is lighter to run but far less satisfying. |
| Glass Layers (Depth) | Realistic only. How many cells of glass stack across the channel. | 2 to 8, default 5 | 3 or more is needed for Loose Glass Falls. |
| Shard Irregularity | Realistic only. How irregular the crack pattern is. | 0 to 1, default 0.7 | The same spiral always cracks along the same seams, so a seeded run repeats. |
| Crack Raggedness | Realistic only. How spidery the crack grows from the impact. | 0 to 1, default 0.85 | |
| Max Shatter Per Hit | Realistic only. The most glass cells one hit can remove. | 4 to 400, step 2, default 90 | Above about 150 one fast hit can end the run. |
| Impact Speed Loss | Realistic only. Speed the ball loses per cell it breaks. | 0 to 0.15, step 0.005, default 0.03 | |
| Loose Glass Falls | Realistic only. A piece cut off from the rest of the pane drops out of the track. | On/off, default on | |
| Hanging Support | Shown with Loose Glass Falls. How much weight wedged glass can carry. Below 1, whole slabs keep tearing away. | 0.4 to 6, default 0.7 | |
| Glass Opacity | How solid the panes look. | 0 to 1, default 0.3 | |
| Glass Thickness | Drawn thickness. Also widens the collision, so thick glass is hit slightly earlier. | 2 to 15, default 8 | |
| Glass Durability | How tough the glass is. Doubling it roughly halves the hole a hit makes. | 5 to 500, step 5, default 14 | High durability with slow balls can stall a run. |
| Crack Spread Width | How many cells a hit is worth. The biggest lever on hole size. | 0.05 to 1, default 0.26 | |
| Destruction Intensity | How much the ball's speed counts toward the break, and how hard shards are thrown. | 1 to 10, default 1 | |
| Glass Tint | Glass fill colour. | Default pale blue (#E0F2FE) | |
| Outline Highlight | Edge stroke around each pane and shard. | Default white | |
| Crack Overlay Color | Colour of cracks on damaged, unbroken glass. | Default light cyan (#A5F3FC) | Make it stand out, it is the only sign a pane is weakened. |
Glass: Specular, Shards and Burst FX
The rest of the Glass Barriers section. These change the look of the glass and the debris, not how it breaks.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specular Shine | White highlight along pane edges. | 0 to 1, default 0.6 | |
| Refraction Distortion | How much the glass bends what is behind it. | 0 to 1, default 0.1 | High values smear the track underneath. |
| Border Glow Brightness | Strength of the Outline Highlight. 0 hides it. | 0 to 1, default 0.8 | |
| Shards per Break | How many flying shards a shatter makes. | 5 to 50, default 24 | |
| Shard Lifetime (sec) | How long a shard lives before it fades. | 0.5 to 5, default 1.5 | |
| Shard Gravity Strength | Downward pull on shards. | 0 to 2, default 0.3 | 0 leaves debris floating in the channel. |
| Active Limit Count | The most shards alive at once. The oldest are recycled when full. | 50 to 500, step 10, default 150 | Lower it if the preview slows down during heavy breaking. |
| Shatter Burst | Extra animated burst at each strike point, on top of the shards. | None, or an effect from Shatter & Pieces, Explosive & Force, Cosmic & Gravity, Energy & Light, Abstract & Grid, VFX & Particles. Default None | It fires on every pane, so pick a small effect. |
| Impact Sparks | Fine sparks from the exact contact point. | On/off, default off | |
| Center Finale Burst | One burst when a ball reaches the centre, tinted with Wall Color. | None or an effect from the same groups. Default Supernova | It fires once per run, so a big effect is fine here. |
| Instant Impact Death | The ball is destroyed on any glass hit, even if the glass does not break. | On/off, default on | Turn it off to let one ball chew through several panes. |
Multiplier Gates
Gates are checkpoints along the track. A ball passing a gate is cloned by that gate's value, for example x3 turns one ball into three. Turn the switch in the header on to use them. The default track has five gates.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiplier Gates (switch) | Turns the gates on. | On/off, default on | |
| Gate Visual Size | Size of the gate and of its trigger zone, so a bigger gate is easier to catch. | 10 to 40, step 2, default 20 | |
| Pulse Wave Speed | How fast the gate's idle pulse breathes. Looks only. | 0.2 to 3, default 1.0 | |
| Sequential Spawn | Releases clones one by one once the gate is clear, so they never overlap. | On/off, default on | |
| Spawn Spacing (ball widths) | Gap kept between clones. Shown while Sequential Spawn is on. | 1 to 5, default 1.5 | |
| Gate Border color | Gate ring colour. | Default green (#22C55E) | It must stand out against both the rails and the glass. |
| Gate Placement: x value | Each gate's multiplier. | 1 to 50 | A big multiplier deep in the spiral floods a late run with balls. |
| Gate Placement: position slider | Where the gate sits, from the outer entrance (0%) to the centre (100%). | 0 to 100% | |
| Remove this gate (bin icon) | Deletes a gate. | ||
| Add Gate | Button. Adds an x2 gate at 50%. | ||
| Sound Per Gate | Lets each gate play its own sound, with a sound picker and a preview button under each gate. "Same as all gates" uses the shared Multiplier Gate sound. | On/off, default off |
Technical parameters
- Default gates: x2 at 6%, x2 at 22%, x3 at 40%, x3 at 60%, x4 at 80%. Changing a gate's value or position restarts the run, because the gates are part of the track.
Respawn Systems and Completion Sequence
Respawn Systems decides what happens after a wave of balls dies. Completion Sequence is the finale when a ball reaches the centre. Each has a switch in its header.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respawn Systems (switch) | Launches a new wave after the last ball dies. | On/off, default on | |
| Respawn Delay (sec) | Pause before the next wave. | 0.5 to 5 on the slider, default 0.2 | Too short and viewers do not see that the last wave ended. |
| Balls per Wave | Balls launched together each wave, including the very first launch. | 1 to 10, default 4 | More balls break glass faster, so pair with tougher glass. |
| Spawn Stagger (sec) | Delay between the balls of one wave, so they enter in single file. | 0 to 2, step 0.05, default 0.3 | |
| Infinite Respawns | Keeps launching waves until the centre is reached. | On/off, default on | |
| Max Spawns Count | How many waves you get. Shown only while Infinite Respawns is off. | 1 to 50, default 5 | |
| Completion Sequence (switch) | Collapses the spiral when a ball reaches the centre. | On/off, default on | |
| Collapse Blast Force | How hard the rail pieces are thrown outward. | 1 to 30, default 12 | |
| Total Collapse Pieces | How many pieces the spiral breaks into. | 50 to 300, step 10, default 150 | More pieces is a richer shatter and a heavier frame. |
| Piece Gravity Pull | Downward pull on the pieces. | 0 to 2, default 0.4 | |
| Sequence Time (sec) | How long the pieces stay on screen. This is your payoff shot. | 1 to 10, step 0.5, default 3 | |
| Post-Break Delay (sec) | How long the finished frame holds before the run restarts. Needs Respawn Systems on. | 0.5 to 5, step 0.5, default 1 | |
| Camera Shake | Screen shake on the centre break, multiplied by the global shake intensity. 0 turns it off. | 0 to 40, step 2, default 15 |
Spiral Sounds
Per-event sounds for Breaker. Turn the switch in the header on to use them. These sounds replace the global audio only in Breaker: switch to another mode and the global settings are used again.
| Setting | What it does | Options / default |
|---|---|---|
| Spiral Sounds (switch) | Uses the sounds below instead of the global audio. | On/off, default off |
| Bounce Source | What a wall bounce plays. | Sound Effect, Melody / MIDI, Sliced Song, Silent. Default Sound Effect |
| Bounce Effect | Sound Effect only. The bounce sound. Left blank, the global ball sound is used. | Default blank |
| Bounce Melody | Melody / MIDI only. Steps through a MIDI or built-in melody, one note per bounce. | Default: the global melody |
| Bounce Song | Sliced Song only. An uploaded song, cut into pieces. Songs you upload in the Audio tab appear here. | |
| Slice length (s), Auto-Slice, Whole Song | Shown once a song is picked. Auto-Slice cuts the whole song into even pieces of the chosen length. Whole Song clears the slices. The count of slices is shown. | Slice length 0.1 to 5, default 0.5 |
| Glass Crack | Glass damaged but not broken. | Default Pop |
| Glass Shatter | Glass breaks through. | Default Glass-Break |
| Multiplier Gate | A ball passes a gate. Also the sound for any gate left on "Same as all gates". | Default Digital-Beep |
| Center Break (Primary) | First of two sounds when a ball reaches the centre. | Default Thunder |
| Center Break (Secondary) | Layered on the primary at the same moment. | Default Explosion |
Tip
- Bounces are frequent. Silent is a real option here, so the glass breaks are what the viewer hears.
- Keep Glass Shatter louder and brighter than Glass Crack so the two events are easy to tell apart.
Recommended Setups
A good Breaker clip escalates: early waves chip the glass, later waves flood the track.
| Goal | Settings to use |
|---|---|
| Classic escalation | Defaults. Balls per Wave 4, Instant Impact Death on, Infinite Respawns on. |
| Satisfying big breaks | Instant Impact Death off, Glass Durability 30 to 60, Crack Spread Width 0.4, Destruction Intensity 3. |
| Ball flood | Multiplier Gates on, add an x5 to x10 gate at 70 to 85%, Sequential Spawn on. |
| Countable attempts | Infinite Respawns off, Max Spawns Count 5 to 8, Run Label or a counter from the Titles section. |
| Realistic bouncing | Natural Physics on, Bounciness 0.6 to 0.8, Wall Friction 0.99. |
Common Problems
What to check when Breaker misbehaves.
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Balls jam in the channel | Channel Gap is too narrow for the ball. | Raise Channel Gap or lower the ball size. |
| The ball looks like it slides over the spiral | Constant Speed with Track Drive steers it. | Turn Natural Physics on. |
| Balls stall partway down | Wall Friction too low, or glass too tough. | Raise Wall Friction toward 0.99, lower Glass Durability. |
| The run ends in one hit | Max Shatter Per Hit or Crack Spread Width too high. | Lower Max Shatter Per Hit below 100 and Crack Spread Width below 0.3. |
| Preview slows during heavy breaking | Too many shards or glass cells. | Lower Active Limit Count and Shards per Break, or use Break Style: Panel. |
| Track Drive is greyed out | Natural Physics is on. | Turn Natural Physics off to use it. |
| The gate I placed moved the whole run back to the start | Gates are part of the track, so changing one restarts the run. | Expected. Place gates first, then watch. |
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