Theater Chase (unstable=10)

Introduction

The Theater Chase effect (unstable=10) creates a classic marquee pattern: evenly spaced bright bands separated by dark gaps, with the pattern flipping between two positions every frame. This makes the lit sections appear to run along the blade like theater signage or chase lights.

Unlike most unstable effects, Theater Chase does not rely on heat simulation, scrolling counters, or combat-driven speed boosts. It is a simple alternating pattern that toggles back and forth at the effect refresh rate.

What Theater Chase Does

The blade is divided into repeating “teeth” or band units. Each band is shaped as a bump. Then the pattern flips by one tooth width every frame, creating the illusion of movement.

The shape of the lit band can be:

• Gaussian for soft glowing bulbs
• Triangle for pointed bands
• Square for sharp blocky lights

Enabling Theater Chase

In your blade profile section, set:

unstable=10

Parameter Reference

Note: spark and hcool are present in the code path but do not currently change the Theater Chase effect.

How the Chase Works

1. Tooth width is calculated from sparkd
2. A bump shape is selected from lcool
3. The whole pattern toggles between two offsets, one tooth apart
4. Each pixel reads a bump value based on its place in the repeating tooth pattern
5. mapb scales the bump intensity and mapc raises the minimum blend level
6. The result blends the Fx color into the base blade color

Because the toggle happens once per frame, the chase speed is directly tied to your effect refresh setting.

Band Density

sparkd — Tooth Size / Density

This uses an inverted scale: low values make very wide bands, high values make very narrow ones.

Tip: On a 144-pixel blade, the number of visible teeth is roughly blade_length / tooth_width. So wide teeth give only a few large bands, while narrow teeth create many stripes.

Band Shape

lcool — Shape Selection

Tip: Gaussian is the best place to start if you want a classic theater-sign look.

Direction

drift — Chase Direction

drift=1    Forward offset
drift=0    Reverse offset

This changes which side of the tooth the alternating offset moves toward. It affects the apparent chase direction.

Brightness & Floor Controls

mapb — Amplitude

This controls the strength of the lit bands.

mapc — Offset / Glow Floor

This raises the minimum blend level so the dark gaps are not fully dark.

Tip: Use higher mapc when you want the blade to stay tinted all over, with the chase bands only making some regions brighter.

Audio Reactivity

fxmap — Mapping Mode

fxmap=0    No audio response
fxmap=1    Audio-reactive Fx color overlay

With fxmap=1, the Fx color pulses in more strongly with sound volume on top of the chase pattern. This is useful for music-driven or more theatrical looks.

No Lockup / Clash Interaction

Unlike many other unstable effects, Theater Chase does not change behavior during clash or lockup. The chase runs at the same rhythm all the time. If you want it faster, lower your effect refresh interval.

Putting It All Together: Recipes

Recipe 1: Classic Marquee

Wide soft bands chasing like theater bulbs.

unstable=10
sparkd=15
lcool=0
drift=0
mapb=255
mapc=0

Recipe 2: Tight Neon Chase

Narrow square-wave bands for a sharp digital look.

unstable=10
sparkd=70
lcool=180
drift=0
mapb=255
mapc=0

Recipe 3: Gentle Pulse

Wide gaussian bumps with a raised floor so the whole blade still glows.

unstable=10
sparkd=10
lcool=0
drift=0
mapb=200
mapc=60

Recipe 4: Triangle Stripes

Pointed medium-density bands.

unstable=10
sparkd=40
lcool=100
drift=1
mapb=255
mapc=0

Recipe 5: Audio-Reactive Marquee

A classic chase with audio-pulsed Fx color added on top.

unstable=10
sparkd=25
lcool=0
drift=0
mapb=255
mapc=0
fxmap=1

Quick Reference Card

Tuning Tips

1. Chase speed is tied to refresh rate. Lower refreshfx values make the chase run faster.
2. Use Gaussian for classic signage. Use Square for hard digital stripes.
3. Wider teeth feel theatrical. Narrow teeth feel more like LED strip effects.
4. Raise mapc if you want glowing gaps.
5. Theater Chase ignores combat states. It looks the same during normal motion, clash, and lockup.
6. Audio overlay is optional icing. The base effect already works well on its own.

Crystal Focus X firmware guide · Unstable Effects Collection · Part 10 — Theater Chase (unstable=10)