Finding the shape of the arena
A larger space made the game less readable. Pulling the camera in changed everything.
The arena did not begin as a tight circle. In fact, is started off as a fully visible square. That wasn't dynamic enough. Another version zoomed out far enough to always keep the hoop in the center and all bots in view, which sounded generous but made the important things feel far apart.
Closing the space made the pressure legible. The hoop, the bots, and the incoming path can all live in the same glance and parts of it are just out of reach, keeping you on your toes. It is a tight and small arena on purpose: every movement has a consequence.
And, it's based on your screen dimensions so should work on most 'normal' device screens regardless of size or aspect ratio.