Gain Architecture

Hapbeat vibration intensity is determined by multiplying multiple gain values together. This is an intentional design that separates the responsibilities of the Kit author (content side) from the SDK developer (application side).

Formula

Actual vibration intensity = manifest intensity × EventMap gain × SDK gain

manifest intensity — the baseline intensity written into the Kit in Studio (0.0 to 1.0)
EventMap gain — an offset configured in the EventMap entry of the Unity SDK or equivalent
SDK gain — a multiplier applied dynamically at runtime via code or ParameterBinding

Why Multiplication?

Division of Responsibilities

Role	Gain they control	Perspective
Kit author (haptic artist)	manifest intensity	”Gunshots loud, footsteps soft”
SDK developer (game developer)	EventMap gain / code gain	”Let the artist handle gunshot vs. footstep balance; I just implement ‘half intensity when the enemy is far away’”

Because the two parties don’t compete for the same parameter, changes remain independent:

An artist updating the Kit requires no changes to game code
Adding distance attenuation in game code does not break the Kit’s baseline values

What `gain = 1.0` Means

In the SDK, gain = 1.0 is the default. It means “play at the standard intensity the Kit author defined.”

0.5 → half intensity
2.0 → double intensity (e.g., when manifest is 0.5 and you want it to play at full)
0.0 → silent (temporary mute)

Concrete Example

Suppose a gunshot clip (my-game.gunshot) with intensity: 0.8 set in Studio:

Case	EventMap gain	SDK gain	Final intensity
Normal fire	1.0	1.0	0.8
”Quieter” (adjusted in EventMap)	0.5	1.0	0.4
Distance attenuation (Parameter Binding)	1.0	0.3 (enemy far away)	0.24
Dramatic peak (temporary code boost)	1.0	1.5	1.2 (clipped)

The final intensity is clipped to 0.0–1.0 on the device side.

Combining with ParameterBinding

The Unity SDK’s HapbeatParameterBinding dynamically maps in-game values (velocity, distance, health, etc.) to the SDK gain layer. This acts on the “SDK gain” layer described above.

manifest 0.8  (Kit author's baseline)
   × EventMap 1.0  (per-event offset)
   × Binding output 0.3  (derived from distance to enemy)
   = actual intensity 0.24

You can dynamically vary intensity based on runtime conditions without touching the Kit itself.

What to Modify

When in doubt, use this guidance:

Goal	Where to change it
”This clip is too strong overall”	Lower manifest intensity in Studio
”Just this Event a bit quieter”	Lower the EventMap gain
”Vary strength based on in-game state”	Code or ParameterBinding for SDK gain
”Temporarily mute all Events”	`HapbeatManager.SetGlobalGain(0)` equivalent (SDK-dependent)