The number of triangles that appear below the player's score designate the speed of the player's ship. This allows players to customize the behavior of their ship at any time, trading off freedom of movement against ease of control: a faster ship is more agile, while a slower ship can be maneuvered more precisely.
The number of triangles below the player's score represents the speed of the player's ship. This allows players to customize their ship's behavior by adjusting its speed, trading off agility for control: a faster ship is more responsive but less precise, while a slower ship is easier to maneuver but less agile.