Weapons in Tao Baryon are represented by two things:
Both live in ss_bullets.png. Each weapon also has an impact frame — a small burst that plays on contact.
This guide covers all 8 player weapons plus the complete 9-type bullet vocabulary.
File: ss_bullets.png
Canvas: 288 × 192 px
Grid: 9 columns × 3 rows
Cell: 32 × 64 px
Row 0: Player projectiles (cool colors — blue, teal, lime)
Row 1: Enemy projectiles (warm colors — magenta, gold, orange)
Row 2: Impact frames (one impact per weapon type, same column)Each cell is 32px wide × 64px tall. The projectile sprite sits in the center of the cell, surrounded by transparent space.
#0a0c10Physics reference: Magnetically confined plasma. Short, bright, discrete.
Player (Row 0):
Shape: Circle, 4×4 px
Core: 2×2 px #c8f542 (lime) — center 4 pixels
Glow: 1px ring of #42A5F5 (blue) surrounding the core
Total: 4×4 px with transparent corners (it's a circle, not a square)
Position in cell: centered at (16, 32)Enemy (Row 1):
Shape: Circle, 4×4 px
Core: 2×2 px #ff9eb5 (light magenta)
Glow: 1px ring of #d4548a (telos magenta)
Position: centered at (16, 32)Impact (Row 2):
Small 4-point starburst: 4 single pixels at N/S/E/W of impact point
Center: 1×1 px white #ffffff
Compass points: 1×1 px each at 1px distance from center
Player impact: lime/blue | Enemy impact: magentaPhysics reference: Plasma with oscillating magnetic field — it curves as it travels.
Player (Row 0):
Shape: Curved/arc, 3 pixels wide × 8 pixels tall
Draw as a gentle S-curve or sine shape:
Row by row (y from top):
y=28: x=15 — 1px #42A5F5
y=29: x=15, x=16 — 2px
y=30: x=16 — 1px
y=31: x=16, x=17 — 2px
y=32: x=17 — 1px
y=33: x=16, x=17 — 2px
y=34: x=16 — 1px
y=35: x=15, x=16 — 2px
Core color: #42A5F5
Glow hint: adjacent transparent pixels are actually 1px #1565C0 at key curve pointsEnemy (Row 1):
Same S-curve shape
Core color: #ff9eb5 (light magenta)
Glow: #d4548aImpact (Row 2): Arc fragment — a 5px partial circle outline
Physics reference: Fan of plasma pellets from a spread emitter.
Player (Row 0):
Three 2×2 px dots arranged in a fan:
Center dot: (16, 30) — #e8eaf0 (white)
Left dot: (13, 33) — #8b8fa8 (gray-blue)
Right dot: (19, 33) — #8b8fa8 (gray-blue)
The fan opens downward (bullets spreading as they travel upward)Enemy (Row 1):
Same fan layout
Center: #e8b84b (gold)
Side dots: #c47040 (warm orange)Impact (Row 2): Three tiny 1×1 px sparks matching the fan spread direction
Physics reference: Targeting-system-guided plasma — aimed at where the player will be.
Player (Row 0):
Shape: Elongated capsule, 3 wide × 10 tall
Body (3×8 px): #e8eaf0 fill with #8b8fa8 1px shadow on left edge
Tip (chevron): At the bottom of the capsule (tip = front of travel direction):
y=38: x=15, x=16, x=17 — 3px
y=39: x=16 — 1px (point)
This creates a small arrowhead at the leading tip
Total visual: 3×10 pxEnemy (Row 1):
Same capsule shape
Body: #FFD600 (gold, bright)
Tip chevron: #FF8F00 (darker gold)
The gold color signals "this one knows where you're going"Impact (Row 2): Diamond 4-point burst, 5×5 px
Physics reference: Rotating magnetic field creates spiral trajectory.
Player (Row 0):
Shape: Arc segment, 4 wide × 12 tall
Represents one segment of a spiral path.
Draw as a curved band:
Upper section (y=26-32): curves right (x=14-17)
Lower section (y=32-38): curves back left (x=16-13)
Creates a gentle S-arc in 4×12 px space
Color: #2dd4bf (veiled teal) — this is a Veiled-designed weapon
Glow: 1px #1a8a7a on outer curve edgeEnemy (Row 1):
Same arc shape
Color: #d4548a bright (full magenta, very vivid)
Glow: #a03060
Telos spiral patterns are their most beautiful bulletsImpact (Row 2): Circular swirl — 1px ring, 5px diameter
Physics reference: Sacred geometry formation — Telos liturgical mathematics.
Player (Row 0):
Shape: Diamond, 6×6 px
Core: 2×2 px #c8f542 (lime)
Inner ring: 1px #42A5F5 around core
Outer points: 4 single pixels at N/S/E/W at 3px from center
Cross detail inside diamond: 1px vertical + 1px horizontal #e8eaf0
Pixel map (6×6, . = transparent, L = lime, B = blue, W = white):
. . W . . .
. B B B . .
W B L L B W
. B L L B .
. . B B . .
. . W . . .Enemy (Row 1):
Same diamond with inner cross
Core: #e8b84b (gold)
Ring: #c47040 (warm orange)
Cross: #ffffff (white, bright)
Enemy mandala patterns are their most recognizable "Telos" visualImpact (Row 2): Diamond outline burst expanding 1px outward
Physics reference: Boltzmann random statistics — bullets that spawn sub-projectiles.
Player (Row 0):
One large dot + two smaller dots:
Main dot: 3×3 px #42A5F5, centered at (16, 28)
Sub-dot 1: 2×2 px #42A5F5 at (13, 34)
Sub-dot 2: 2×2 px #2dd4bf at (19, 34)
The three together suggest "one becomes many" — the cascadeEnemy (Row 1):
Main dot: 3×3 px #c47040 (warm orange)
Sub-dot 1: 2×2 px #e8b84b (gold) at (13, 34)
Sub-dot 2: 2×2 px #d4548a (magenta) at (19, 34)
Mixed warm colors — chaos made visibleImpact (Row 2): Three separate 1px sparks spreading in different directions
Physics reference: Bullet path bends around gravitational lensing zones.
Player (Row 0):
Shape: Elongated oval, 2 wide × 12 tall, with a subtle curve
Draw as 2px wide column, but at y=30 shift 1px right, at y=34 shift back:
y=26-29: x=15-16
y=30-32: x=16-17 ← slight bend
y=33-37: x=15-16
Color: #90CAF9 (light blue/shield blue)
Glow: 1px #42A5F5 on outer curved edge
The slight bend in the projectile visualizes gravitational lensingEnemy (Row 1):
Same bent shape
Color: #FFD600 (bright gold)
Glow: #FF8F00
Enemy lensed bullets bend toward the player — dangerous to readImpact (Row 2): Curved line fragment, 6px arc
Physics reference: Simulated cosmic string — 1D topological defect, infinite piercing.
Player (Row 0):
Shape: Perfectly straight vertical line, 1 pixel wide × 24 pixels tall
Color: #e8eaf0 (near white, slightly warm)
Glow: None — threading bullets have NO glow. They are pure and thin.
Center: x=16, y=20–44
This is the thinnest projectile in the game — almost invisible but devastating.
The lack of glow makes it distinctive among all other projectiles.Enemy (Row 1):
Same 1px × 24px straight line
Color: #ffffff (pure white — enemy threading is slightly brighter)
No glow
The enemy version is the most frightening: invisible until it's already through you.Impact (Row 2):
A brief straight line at impact point:
Horizontal line: 1×6 px #ffffff (the string "snapping")
This is the ONLY moment the threading projectile shows any widthFile: ss_weapon_icons.png
Canvas: 256 × 32 px
Grid: 8 columns × 1 row
Cell: 32 × 32 px
One icon per weapon (W1–W8)Each icon is a 16×16 px pixel art symbol centered in its 32×32 cell.
| Col | Weapon | Icon design |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Pulse Cannon | Simple circle, 4×4 px, lime core |
| 1 | Inertial Lance | Horizontal 3-line stack (kinetic slug cross-section) |
| 2 | Coherence Beam | Vertical 1px line with converging lines on each side (laser beam) |
| 3 | Hawking Bolt | Circle shrinking toward a point (evaporation) — 3 concentric circles |
| 4 | Penrose Lance | Beam that widens toward far end (distance scaling) |
| 5 | Anomaly Field | Hexagon with distorted inner geometry |
| 6 | Cosmic String | Single 1px vertical line, full cell height |
| 7 | Boltzmann Cascade | 5 dots of different sizes scattered randomly |
Color: All icons use #e8eaf0 on #1c2030 background. Active weapon icon uses #c8f542 (lime).
File: ss_special_icons.png
Canvas: 256 × 32 px
Grid: 8 columns × 1 row
Cell: 32 × 32 px
16×16 px icon centered in each cell| Col | Special | Icon |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Singularity Pull | Black dot center with gravity-arc lines around it |
| 1 | Phase Shift | Outline of ship with dashed/dotted edges |
| 2 | Time Dilation Field | Circle with horizontal slow-motion lines inside |
| 3 | Cherenkov Burst | Chevron/speed lines (like a sonic boom shape) |
| 4 | Vacuum Pulse | Expanding concentric rings from center |
| 5 | Penrose Charge | Beam with energy charging lines converging |
| 6 | Coherence Field | Hexagon outline (shield geometry) |
| 7 | Vacuum Bloom | Small explosion/bloom shape (risky power symbol) |
Color rules: Same as weapon icons. #e8eaf0 inactive, #c8f542 when charged/available.
The heat system is critical UI. These small visual elements are part of the weapon identity.
Heat indicator stages (for ss_ui_icons.png Row 1):
Cold (0-50%): Small #42A5F5 flame icon, 6×8 px
Warm (50-75%): Medium #FFA726 flame, 7×9 px
Hot (75-90%): Large #FF7043 flame with flicker spike, 7×10 px
Critical (90%): Full red #F44336 flame with crown/spikes, 8×11 px
Locked: Padlock shape, 8×10 px, #F44336ss_bullets.pngFrom smallest to largest player projectile:
Threading: 1 × 24 px (thinnest, longest)
Pulse: 4 × 4 px (smallest dot)
Wave: 3 × 8 px
Spread: clusters (3× 2×2 px)
Lensed: 2 × 12 px
Spiral: 4 × 12 px
Predictive: 3 × 10 px
Cascading: cluster (3+2+2 px)
Mandala: 6 × 6 px (widest)Memory aid: Cool = player, Warm = enemy. Always.