Siteswap
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Play to set a score, then submit it to the board.
About Siteswap
Siteswap borrows the notation real jugglers use to write down their patterns and turns it into a timing puzzle you play with one hand. Time moves in beats. Whenever a ball comes down into your hand, you have until the end of that beat to throw it again, and the number you choose is how many beats it stays in the air: a 3 lands three beats from now, a 5 lands five beats from now. The row of circles under the hand is the future, one column per beat, so a throw is really a choice of which empty column the ball will fill. Two balls can never come down on the same beat, a red bird sitting on a beat knocks away anything that lands there, and a magenta ball dropping in from above needs its beat kept clear. You start with two balls, and a new one joins every 16 to 20 beats until four are in play. The tempo starts at 66 BPM and climbs by 6 every 16 beats up to 150. Every beat you survive scores one point per ball in the air or in hand, and the heights you threw scroll past as your own siteswap pattern.
How to play
- When a ball lands in your hand, press 1–5 on the keyboard or tap one of the five buttons under the board to throw it. A throw of h lands exactly h beats later. Your first throw starts the run.
- The row of circles under the hand is the future, one column per beat. Cyan circles are balls already coming down, red birds block a beat, and a magenta +1 ball drops into your hand on its beat.
- The run ends if a throw lands on a beat that already holds a ball, a bird or the incoming ball, or if a beat ends while you are still holding a ball. A press that comes just before an empty-handed beat ends is saved for the next beat.
- Every beat you survive adds one point per ball in play. You start with two balls, a new one joins every 16 to 20 beats up to four, and the tempo rises from 66 BPM by 6 every 16 beats up to 150.
Strategy & tips
- Read only columns 1 to 5. Those are the only beats your throw can reach, and the faded columns beyond them tell you what is coming next.
- Keep a steady rhythm when you can. With two balls, throwing 2 every time works; with three, throwing 3 every time works. Then change height only to step around a bird or an incoming ball.
- Leave a high throw available. A 4 or 5 jumps over a crowded stretch, but it also fills a far beat that later throws will have to avoid.
- When the magenta ball appears, keep its beat empty and plan for one more ball. The next throws need to spread out across the whole window.
FAQ
What do the numbers in siteswap mean?
In juggling notation, each number is how many beats a throw stays in the air. The game shows the heights you threw as your own siteswap pattern, so a run of 3 3 3 is the classic three-ball cascade done with one hand.
Why did throwing a 1 end my first run?
At the start a second ball is already coming down on the very next beat, so a throw of 1 would land on top of it. Look at the bottom row before your first throw and pick a free column, such as 2.
Is every run survivable?
Yes. Birds never appear in the first 8 beats and are always at least 5 beats apart, and new balls arrive at least 16 beats apart, so at least one of the five reachable beats is always free while you are holding a ball. Pausing with P or Esc hides the board, and switching tabs pauses automatically.