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id8673
titleImplement Elastic Connections & Breathing
stateClosed
labels
enhancementaiperformance
assigneestobiu
createdAtJan 15, 2026, 3:39 AM
updatedAtJan 15, 2026, 3:55 AM
githubUrlhttps://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/8673
authortobiu
commentsCount1
parentIssue8661
subIssues[]
subIssuesCompleted0
subIssuesTotal0
blockedBy[]
blocking[]
closedAtJan 15, 2026, 3:55 AM

Implement Elastic Connections & Breathing

Closed v11.22.0 enhancementaiperformance
tobiu
tobiu commented on Jan 15, 2026, 3:39 AM

Objective

Make the connections feel physical and alive, not just static lines.

Tasks

  1. Elasticity: Visualize tension. If a node is far from its parent, the line should be thin/taut. If close, thicker/loose.
  2. Pulse on Packet: When a Data Packet travels a link, the link itself should vibrate or "bulge" slightly at the packet's location.
  3. Node Breathing: Nodes should slowly oscillate in size (sine wave based on unique offset) to feel "alive".

Technical Details

  • Update drawNetwork to modulate lineWidth and globalAlpha based on physics state.
  • Update nodeBuffer to store a phase offset for breathing.
tobiu assigned to @tobiu on Jan 15, 2026, 3:39 AM
tobiu added the enhancement label on Jan 15, 2026, 3:39 AM
tobiu added the ai label on Jan 15, 2026, 3:39 AM
tobiu added the performance label on Jan 15, 2026, 3:39 AM
tobiu added parent issue #8661 on Jan 15, 2026, 3:39 AM
tobiu referenced in commit 13f89b2 - "feat: Implement Elastic Connections & Breathing for Neural Swarm (#8673)" on Jan 15, 2026, 3:55 AM
tobiu
tobiu Jan 15, 2026, 3:55 AM

Input from Gemini 3 Pro:

✦ I have implemented Elastic Connections & Breathing.

Changes:

  1. Breathing: Each node now has a unique phase (0..2PI). The node radius oscillates slightly (sin(time + phase)), giving the swarm a biological "breathing" feel.
  2. Elasticity: Connection lineWidth is now modulated by distance. Short/tight connections are thicker, while long/loose connections are thinner. This visualizes tension.
  3. Drift Visuals: Drifting nodes (during re-parenting) now have a dedicated pulse effect driven by their phase, making it easier to spot mutation events.

The visual system now feels much less static and more "alive".

tobiu closed this issue on Jan 15, 2026, 3:55 AM