Ramp

The ramp is Wall-X's first and most used tool. The ball rolls along it and launches off the end. Because it barely bounces, you use it to redirect the ball's speed, not to add height on its own.

How the ramp behaves

A ramp is a freehand line: whatever shape you drag becomes the surface. When the ball hits it, it keeps only a tiny part of its speed as bounce (the physics engine uses a restitution of 0.12 for ramps, against 0.92 for springs). So the ball hugs the surface and keeps rolling along it. At the ramp's last point the surface ends and the ball takes off in the direction of the slope at that point.

That means the last few centimetres of the ramp decide the launch angle. A ramp with a wavy middle but a flat end gives a flat flight. A short ramp with an upturned tip throws the ball steeply.

Angle, length and power

• Angle: a tip angled 30–45 degrees sends the ball furthest. A steeper tip gains height but falls short horizontally.
• Length: a long ramp slows the ball down, because gravity and friction eat its speed on the way up. A short ramp with a raised tip often works better than a long gentle one, and costs less ink.
• Power: the further you pull the ball back, the faster it leaves; a full pull is about 13.5 metres per second. A fast ball gets plenty of height from a short ramp.

Common mistakes

• Starting the ramp with a sharp corner. The ball arrives rolling along the floor; if the ramp meets the floor at a steep angle, the ball slams into that corner and, because ramps barely bounce, loses most of its speed there. Join the ramp to the floor with a gentle, low curve.
• Leaving a step between floor and ramp. If the bottom of the ramp floats above the ground, the ball hits its underside. Start the ramp flush with the floor.
• Curling the tip. A shaky hand at the end of the stroke changes the tip angle and sends the ball somewhere else entirely. Draw the last part straight and steady.

Ramps on a budget

Stars depend on ink: use at most 45% of the limit for 3 stars. With ramps, you save ink by letting shot power do the ramp's job. Clear the stage first with a comfortable ramp, then shorten it and pull harder to get the same flight. On most stages a 40–60 centimetre "launch tip" is all the ball needs.

When a ramp isn't enough, for example when the ball has to go high and then come back, see Spring. To add speed rather than redirect it, use a Booster.

More in this section

• SpringChanges direction by bouncing. The angle is everything.
• BoosterSpeeds the ball up in the direction you draw. Direction and length work together.
• WindAn invisible strip that pushes the ball in flight. Steering without touching.