NEVER Do (Expert Anti-Patterns)

NEVER use Time.get_ticks_msec() / Time.get_ticks_usec() as the song clock; strictly use AudioStreamPlayer.get_playback_position() + AudioServer.get_time_since_last_mix() - AudioServer.get_output_latency() (see rhythm_conductor.gd).
NEVER process song logic in _process(); strictly use _physics_process() or a conductor loop to ensure deterministic timing regardless of render frames.
NEVER use _process() to capture hit inputs; strictly use _input(event) to record the exact timestamp of the button press event.
NEVER scale engine time_scale for song speed; strictly use AudioStreamPlayer.pitch_scale to adjust speed and avoid globally breaking physics logic.
NEVER neglect Audio Latency calibration; strictly provide a tool for players to adjust for hardware/Bluetooth delays (~30-100ms) to prevent "unplayable" sync issues.
NEVER use _process delta as the song clock; strictly read the conductor's get_song_time() (playback + mix − output latency).
NEVER move thousands of note sprites on the CPU; strictly use a Shader-Based Highway (UV scrolling) to offload track movement to the GPU.
NEVER use yield or await for beat timing; strictly use a sample-accurate Delta Accumulator tied to the audio clock.
NEVER assume a constant BPM; strictly build your conductor to handle a Tempo Map for complex track changes.

godot-genre-rhythm