Animation delay

Animation delay, commonly referred to by its two main subtypes, splash delay and explosion delay, is a game rule exclusive to Lynx and Chip's Challenge 2 that causes a splash in water or an explosion from a bomb to temporarily behave as an acting wall.

In CC2, animation delay always lasts for 5 ticks, or 1.25 moves. In Lynx, animation delay can last for either 10 or 11 ticks - either 2.5 moves or 2.75 moves. The length of the delay is actually dependent on the current step parity; if the player starts a level and pushes a block into water on the first move, the delay will last 10 ticks, but if the player either bumps into a wall for 1 tick or presses Shift+O to start in even+1 step, the delay will last 11 ticks. The delay will also last for 11 ticks if the level is started in even+3, odd+1, or odd+3 step.

Animation delay does not exist in MS, which is often seen as one of its strengths, as animation delay is usually more of a hindrance than a help, especially splash delay in long block pushing levels such as On the Rocks. One particularly interesting example of explosion delay can be seen in the level Sealed Doors in the Spacecraft, which features a Lynx-only bust involving a partial post using an explosion from a bomb. Combined with block slapping, animation delay is one of the things that makes optimization in Lynx and CC2 such a challenge, sometimes even more so than MS.