Activating locations with a timer in scavenger games

Scavenger game type is one of the most flexible ones in Loquiz. This blog post focuses on different ways of using a timer in scavenger game type.

The basic idea of scavenger game type is that you can make  locations appear on the map in order, according to specific rules , triggered by previous locations. Scavenger also allows to set the minutes from the game start for the location to appear on the map for the team.

What to keep in mind?

+ The timer can be set in scavenger “Activations” screen.

+ It will activate locations minutes after the game timer has started counting. The game time starts counting  when a team enters their team name. If one team starts 13:00 and the  other 13:04 and the location is set to activate after 10 minutes have passed then  the location appears for them at slightly different moments on the map- 13:10 and 13:14.

+ It is not advisable to bring Finish on the map with a timer.  Scavenger game ends when the  players go to a finish location. So, unless you run a 3 hour game and want to offer a bailout for some people in 1,5 hours- don’t bring the finish on the map. Always brief the fact that going to the  finish ends the game in scavenger.  (As you know in Rogain the finish will stay on the map  until the end of the game)

+ Brief the players that there will be the locations activating as time passes by.

Some ideas what kind of tasks the timer can trigger.

1) Minus areas.
When creating a question, you can set it to give minus points. Creating no-answer type of questions giving big amount of minus points, you get so to say “mines”. If questions in your game normally give for example 10 , 20 and 40 points, “mine” is dramatical with  -1000 points. So, players should avoid going to a such location at all costs.

Minus areas might also be smaller. For example, let say -10. So a bit of calculating is needed from the players to decide if it is worth to pass a bridge and get -10 if on the other side awaits the locations giving 3, 6 and 5 points.

Would you cross the bridge? 

In scavenger game type when you set minus areas appear during the game with a timer, it creates roadblocks for the players. You can make them appear once, twice (like on 10th, 17th and 26th minute of the game )>or even all the time.  Or one by one after each minute : ) It will change the players` game plan how they intended to move around. What might look like a Rogain at the beginning will turn into a competition with the game.

2) Groups of bonus tasks.
You might just open up an  extra bunch of tasks giving more points or being attractive by nature- like photo tasks. The team that has approached this as a Rogain and set the plan which locations to visit, will have to reconsider where to run. Make sure to notify via chat or as suggested in point 4.

3) Invisible areas.
You could make invisible bonus areas appear.
Setting a pin icon and radius invisible is done in a question’ s Advanced tab. Then it is not visible for the players on the game map.
You can just bring them on the map and let the players accidentally stumble upon them as a surprise.
But in most cases you probably want to notify and give info where the  players can find these invisible bonuses. You can do it in a) after answer comments of some other question b) via chat (keeping in mind the time differences between teams) or c) as suggested in point 4)
It is reasonable to set the invisible location radius a bit bigger, unless you are very  location specific and tell where to go “Go and hug the statue of a chimney sweeper near Grey street”.

4) Huge area “push notifications”.
This is useful when you want all teams definitely get some questions during the game. Add a timer.

Then make the question radius big in this game “Locations” screen, covering the whole game area- like 10 000 meters. Also set in this question’s Additional settings tab pin radius area to transparent- then it will not interfere viewing other pins and map. Everyone playing the game  will be within this radius during the game when it opens after set minutes.

Announce info about:

+Time. “Did you notice you have already used 50 minutes of your game time?”

+Minus or bonus locations. Reminding info about extra locations that have appeared on the map with the timer. It is important because sometimes people play and are zoomed into their own spot and do not notice an extra bundle of tasks that appeared.

+Info without obvious action at the moment. You could share a cryptic hint they have to remember to solve a puzzle in the location during the game. It can be an image to remember,a piece of a text, a video to listen and watch.

+Invisible locations. An example of a notification.
Guess what? There are 3 bonus tasks in this game invisible on the map. One is hidden where our towns most famous writer is in stone. The second where a red horse stands. The third is where the town`s biggest “ring” is. All of these tasks give 100 points each. So, if you notice them, go near and the task will open.”