Emotion Choreographer

Emotion Choreographer

You are an expert in designing emotion behaviors and particle choreography for the emotive-mascot animation engine.

When to Use This Skill

• Creating new emotion definitions in src/​config/​emotions.js
• Designing gesture sequences and particle formations
• Building semantic performances (multi-step emotion sequences)
• Troubleshooting emotion transitions and blending
• Optimizing particle physics and movement patterns
• Creating responsive animations that sync with user interactions

Core Concepts

Emotion Structure

Every emotion in the emotive-mascot engine has these components:

{
  name: 'joy',
  particleCount: 800,           // Number of particles
  speed: { min: 0.5, max: 2.0 }, // Movement speed range
  color: '#FFD700',              // Primary color
  colorVariation: 0.15,          // Color randomness (0-1)
  formation: 'circle',           // Shape: circle, spiral, wave, cluster, etc.
  energy: 0.8,                   // Overall intensity (0-1)
  bounce: 0.3,                   // Bounce intensity (0-1)
  glow: true,                    // Particle glow effect
  trailLength: 5,                // Motion trail (0-20)
  physics: {
    gravity: 0.0,
    friction: 0.95,
    repulsion: 0.5
  }
}

Semantic Performances

Multi-step choreographed sequences:

const welcomePerformance = {
    name: 'welcome',
    steps: [
        { emotion: 'anticipation', duration: 800 },
        { emotion: 'joy', duration: 1200, gesture: 'wave' },
        { emotion: 'calm', duration: 1000 },
    ],
    triggers: {
        onStart: mascot => {
            /​* optional callback */
        },
        onComplete: mascot => {
            /​* optional callback */
        },
    },
};

Available Gestures

Built-in gestures (50+ available):

• wave - Friendly wave motion
• bounce - Bouncy excitement
• pulse - Rhythmic pulsing
• spin - Spinning rotation
• explode - Particle burst
• contract - Gather inward
• shimmer - Sparkle effect
• float - Gentle floating
• dance - Rhythmic movement

Development Workflow

1. Define New Emotion

Read src/​config/​emotions.js to see existing emotions, then add:

export const emotions = {
    // ... existing emotions

    myNewEmotion: {
        name: 'myNewEmotion',
        particleCount: 600,
        speed: { min: 1.0, max: 3.0 },
        color: '#FF6B9D',
        colorVariation: 0.2,
        formation: 'spiral',
        energy: 0.7,
        bounce: 0.4,
        glow: true,
        trailLength: 8,
        physics: {
            gravity: 0.1,
            friction: 0.92,
            repulsion: 0.6,
        },
    },
};

2. Test Emotion

Create test file or add to demo:

// Test in browser console or demo page
const mascot = window.emotiveMascot;
await mascot.transitionTo('myNewEmotion', { duration: 1000 });

3. Build Performance

Create semantic performance in src/​core/​SemanticPerformanceEngine.js:

this.registerPerformance({
    name: 'celebration',
    steps: [
        { emotion: 'anticipation', duration: 500 },
        { emotion: 'joy', duration: 800, gesture: 'bounce' },
        { emotion: 'excitement', duration: 1000, gesture: 'explode' },
        { emotion: 'joy', duration: 600, gesture: 'shimmer' },
    ],
});

4. Integrate with LLM

Map to sentiment in src/​plugins/​LLMEmotionPlugin.js:

const emotionMapping = {
    celebration: ['celebrate', 'party', 'yay', 'woohoo', 'success'],
    // ... other mappings
};

Key Files

• Emotions: src/​config/​emotions.js - All emotion definitions
• Gestures: src/​core/​GestureEngine.js - Gesture system
• Performances: src/​core/​SemanticPerformanceEngine.js - Multi-step sequences
• Physics: src/​core/​PhysicsEngine.js - Particle physics
• Formations: src/​core/​FormationEngine.js - Particle formations
• LLM Integration: src/​plugins/​LLMEmotionPlugin.js - Sentiment mapping

Design Principles

1. Smooth Transitions - Use gradual speed/​color changes for natural blending
2. 60fps Target - Keep particle count under 1000 for smooth performance
3. Semantic Clarity - Each emotion should have distinct visual characteristics
4. Energy Conservation - Balance particle count with movement complexity
5. Color Psychology - Use appropriate colors for emotional context

Common Patterns

Excited Emotions

• High particle count (800-1000)
• Fast speed (2-4)
• Bright colors
• High energy (0.8-1.0)
• Bounce/​explode gestures

Calm Emotions

• Medium particle count (400-600)
• Slow speed (0.3-1.0)
• Soft colors
• Low energy (0.3-0.5)
• Float/​pulse gestures

Thinking Emotions

• Medium particle count (500-700)
• Variable speed (0.5-2.0)
• Cool colors (blue, purple)
• Medium energy (0.5-0.7)
• Spiral/​orbit formations

Testing Checklist

• Emotion renders at 60fps on desktop
• Emotion renders smoothly on mobile (test at 30fps)
• Transitions from/​to other emotions are smooth
• Colors are visually distinct from similar emotions
• Gesture completes within expected duration
• Performance sequence flows naturally
• No jarring jumps in particle count or speed

Example: Creating a "Confused" Emotion

// 1. Define in emotions.js
confused: {
  name: 'confused',
  particleCount: 600,
  speed: { min: 0.5, max: 2.5 },
  color: '#9B59B6',              // Purple
  colorVariation: 0.25,          // More randomness
  formation: 'scatter',          // Disorganized
  energy: 0.6,
  bounce: 0.2,
  glow: false,
  trailLength: 3,
  physics: {
    gravity: 0.05,
    friction: 0.88,              // Less smooth
    repulsion: 0.7               // More chaotic
  }
}

// 2. Create gesture in GestureEngine.js
registerGesture('questionMark', {
  duration: 1500,
  keyframes: [
    { time: 0, formation: 'scatter' },
    { time: 500, formation: 'arc', rotation: 180 },
    { time: 1000, formation: 'dot', scale: 0.3 },
    { time: 1500, formation: 'scatter' }
  ]
})

// 3. Use in performance
registerPerformance({
  name: 'thinking',
  steps: [
    { emotion: 'calm', duration: 500 },
    { emotion: 'confused', duration: 1200, gesture: 'questionMark' },
    { emotion: 'contemplation', duration: 800 }
  ]
})

// 4. Map in LLM integration
const emotionMapping = {
  confused: ['confused', 'unsure', 'unclear', 'what', 'huh', '?']
}

Troubleshooting

Emotion feels sluggish

• Reduce particle count
• Increase friction (0.9-0.95)
• Check for excessive trail length

Transition is jarring

• Ensure particle counts are similar
• Use blending duration > 500ms
• Check color difference isn't too extreme

Gesture not completing

• Verify duration matches keyframes
• Check formation names are valid
• Ensure gesture is registered before use

Performance doesn't flow

• Add transition emotions between extremes
• Use appropriate durations (500-1500ms)
• Test total performance time

Resources

• Emotion Config
• Gesture Engine
• Performance Engine
• Formation Types
• Color Psychology Guide