What one web hold actually changes.

THE FOUR VALUES THAT DEFINE A VERTICAL PATH

Canvas coordinates increase downward, so the negative held acceleration moves the spider up and the positive released acceleration pulls it down. Each animation step updates velocity, clamps it to the two limits, and then updates position. The forest moves left at the same time, creating the appearance of forward travel.

SPIDER PROFILES NEVER ENTER THIS EQUATION

WebTug’s species-inspired profiles change the rendered silhouette, palette, markings, and released-silk drawing only. They all keep the same eyes, normalized weight, collision box, held and released accelerations, speed caps, 0.12-second web travel, and spider-body movement clock. This keeps scores comparable and prevents an educational species fact from becoming a hidden advantage.

THE WEB STRAND AND THE LIFT ARE RELATED, BUT NOT IDENTICAL

When a hold starts, the visible strand takes about 0.12 seconds to extend toward its contact point. Upward acceleration begins immediately; the strand’s contact animation does not gate the force. That distinction matters when interpreting a micro-tap: it does create a small impulse even if the line never visibly finishes extending.

WORKED EXAMPLE: A 0.07-SECOND TAP FROM LEVEL

Using game simulation units, starting from rest, and treating upward displacement as negative, a 0.07-second hold changes velocity to roughly 80.5 pixels per second upward and moves the spider about 2.8 pixels up during the press. After release, the fixed downward acceleration needs about 0.0875 seconds to cancel that upward speed and adds roughly 3.5 more pixels of lift. The total rise before the path turns down is only about 6.3 pixels.

That can be an excellent fine correction near the center of a gap. It is rarely enough to rescue a developed fall. The phrase “too short” therefore describes the situation, not a universal ban on short taps.

WORKED EXAMPLE: 0.55 SECONDS WITHOUT LIFT

Using game simulation units, starting from rest, and taking downward displacement as positive, the fixed downward acceleration reaches the +440 pixel-per-second cap in about 0.478 seconds. By 0.55 seconds the spider has fallen roughly 137 pixels: about 105 pixels while accelerating and another 32 pixels at the capped speed. A hold at that point must first cancel the downward momentum before it produces a visible climb.

This is why recovery depends on horizontal room. Starting the correction while the opening is still ahead gives the curve time to flatten. Waiting until the trunk is beside the spider turns the same movement values into a much harder rescue.

WHY THERE IS NO PERFECT TAP LENGTH

A useful hold depends on current vertical speed, current height, the next gap’s center, and the gap after it. Two visually identical spider positions can need different inputs if one is rising and the other is falling. Use position plus momentum, not position alone.