Perhaps you'll need some basic understandings of a flow beforehand, but since this post will mainly handle "Linear Flow", I hope I can go through it directly.
Everyone will know that there is a "flow" between a slider and a circle, circle and a slider, or even between a slider and a slider.
Since flow is a broad notion that generally state one's cursor movement, it is possible to have diverse flows per player even the pattern being completely the same. That is, there is an area where flows function as a subjective concept.
Unlike such situation, there are also cases when a pattern contains only one fixed flow which can normally done by "linear flow". It is an effective way to express sliders that flows smoothly while being played the same as how it should.
Everyone will know that there is a "flow" between a slider and a circle, circle and a slider, or even between a slider and a slider.
Since flow is a broad notion that generally state one's cursor movement, it is possible to have diverse flows per player even the pattern being completely the same. That is, there is an area where flows function as a subjective concept.
Curved Flow
So, a curve flow allows people to generate their own flow by using one's imagination.Mainly "curved flow" are the ones with a subjective concept I'd say.
Take the following pattern for example.
When playing this kind of a rotation pattern, most people will move their cursor in a circular form with no pause momentum that causes any flow break.
Although the sliders are only a fragment of a circle, the way the pattern is mapped quite requires player to take an imaginary "circular flow", even though the actual placement isn't done like that.
This is how AutoPlay flows, and how the pattern is actually placed. But people don't play that way.
Take the following pattern for example.
When playing this kind of a rotation pattern, most people will move their cursor in a circular form with no pause momentum that causes any flow break.
Although the sliders are only a fragment of a circle, the way the pattern is mapped quite requires player to take an imaginary "circular flow", even though the actual placement isn't done like that.
This is how AutoPlay flows, and how the pattern is actually placed. But people don't play that way.
Unlike such situation, there are also cases when a pattern contains only one fixed flow which can normally done by "linear flow". It is an effective way to express sliders that flows smoothly while being played the same as how it should.
Linear Flow
So what is a linear flow? Pretty straightforward; the ideal flow between the slider end and the following object being 0 transition in the flow. Refer to the following image to get the concrete idea.Even the provided example was a pretty obvious linear flow combined with a linear slider, remember that it is also possible for curved sliders too.
The ideal flow is exactly the same as how the pattern is meant to be played according to the AutoPlay. It is an effective way to express a visually stable pattern when there wasn't much musical difference between (1) and (2) I'd say.
Slider Blanket + Linear Flow + Square
Since we've took a look on the basic concepts of a linear flow, we can move on to something more interesting along some other techiniques.Provided we have a slider blanket, 1) adding an additional note the forms a linear flow with the slider 2) and then placing an additional circle that fits the distance snapping between those 2 notes form a regular square.
To prove the relation, I will explain once again.
We've got a circle, and an 1/2 slider that is blanketing that circle. (For convenience, I've used a bezier slider which the end is heading vertically downwards.)
With the same spacing of the current (1,2), I've placed an additional note below (1) while following the linear flow. Since I've made the slider shape convenient, we just have to place it only vertically down.
If you followed the steps properly, you would get (1), (2) and (4) mapped. According to the above image, placing an equally spaced object between those will lead to a square automatically.
This means, if the blanket is perfect, rotating the slider end and the circle by 90 degree will found the perfect linear flow after the slider.
Sample Usage
There are 2 blankets, 2 regular squares, and 2 linear flows.
Founding a perfect blanket also lead you founding the perfect linear flow after the slider. Hope you feel founding a perfect blanket wasn't meaningless last time.
Linear Flow in a slider | Slider Blanket + Linear Flow + Square