By Rafael, WebTug creator · Updated September 7, 2026 · Source-linked learning
What the game helps you notice
Orb-web radial threads absorb much of an incoming insect’s energy. In this challenge, every impact excites a spring-and-damper: the web stretches, recoils, and loses energy. Holding increases damping, so oscillation settles sooner.
What changes when you damp an impact?
Less energy returns as rebound. A web needs both room to deform and ways to dissipate energy, not stiffness alone.
A game inspired by science—not a biological simulator.
Moving the entire web is a catching-game device, not spider behavior. The damping button and tear threshold are teaching controls; real webs distribute forces across many threads.
Try this experiment: Which web rebounds more?
Keep impact energy and web stiffness unchanged. Predict what happens when energy loss increases, then replay both versions.