Search
Players hunt down something hidden or hard to spot and answer what they found. A text-style type, great with access codes and QR gates.
Search challenges ask teams to find something: a hidden marker, a small sign, an object tucked out of the obvious sightline. Mechanically it is a text-style type — it shares the exact answer flow described on the Riddle page; only the "Search Challenge" label and map icon differ.
What players experience
The shared challenge screen: dark header with the name and "Search Challenge", the Clue as rich text, difficulty badge, {points} pts chip, optional audio, speed-bonus line when configured. Input follows the Answer Type: multiline "Your Answer" box (Text), single-line "Fill in the blank", True / False buttons, or a "Select your answer" choice list.
Search challenges often use gates: an Access Code prompt ("Access Code Required", with an "Enter code" input, Unlock and Scan QR code buttons) replaces the form until the team enters the code they found — a wrong code shakes with "That access code is incorrect." Hints (Need a hint? (-{cost} pts)), the confetti "Challenge Complete!" modal, the "Not Quite!" retry modal, and unlimited retries behave as on all text-style types.
Scoring & answers
- Valid answer types: Text (default), True / False, Multiple Choice, Fill in the Blank.
- Text answers compare case-insensitively against Answer plus comma-separated Alternate Answers; the match is exact text, so add variants.
- Hint Cost is deducted at solve time if the hint was revealed (award floors at 0); Speed Bonus tiers pay the first non-staff finishers; Max Completing Teams retires the challenge after N distinct teams.
- Retries: unlimited until the first correct submission.
Configuring in the admin
| Section | Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Challenge Details | Name, Type (Search), Difficulty, Points, Answer Type | Points default 100 |
| Content | Clue, Answer, Alternate Answers, Hint, Hint Cost | The clue should say where to look, not what they'll find |
| Location | Zone, Latitude / Longitude, map picker | Pin the search area, not the exact hiding spot, if you want the hunt to stay a hunt |
| Media | Challenge Image, Challenge Video | A photo of the general area helps teams confirm they're searching the right place |
| Access Code | Code (with Generate), Prompt message, Access Code QR | The classic search payoff: the hidden thing is the code. Print the Access Code QR and hide it |
| Gameplay (event only) | Activation, Max Completing Teams, Speed Bonus | "QR scan — team scans the printed QR to start" also works as a find-this-first gate; see Activation & Beacons |
Tips
- Make the hidden object the access code. Print the Access Code QR (or write the code on the object); finding it unlocks the challenge — codes are case-insensitive, so weatherproof lettering works fine.
- Use the Hint as a search-radius shrinker ("check the north wall") with a meaningful Hint Cost, so giving up ground costs points.
- Set Max Completing Teams for removable finds. If the searched-for object can be taken or degraded, cap completions so late teams aren't hunting for something that's gone.