TREASURE HUNT

A seasonal, mall‑wide game that turns exploration into story, rewards, and vendor spotlight—built to be lightweight, fair, and irresistibly replayable.

Core loop

• Entry point: Visitors pick up a digital “Mall Passport” from a prominent kiosk page.
• Discover: Clues guide them across zones, storefronts, and “outside” escapes.
• Interact: Players click small hotspots, solve micro‑puzzles, or trigger hidden panels.
• Stamp & progress: Each find adds a passport stamp, merit points, and a collectible.
• Redeem: Points unlock seasonal badges, Ava‑Store credits, vendor perks, and grand‑prize entries.

Game structure

• Seasons and acts: 4 main seasons, each with a 2–4 week “act” and a fresh storyline.
• Quest tiers:
  • Casual: 5 stamps, low‑effort, great for first‑timers.
  • Core: 12 stamps, introduces light puzzles and cross‑zone travel.
  • Legend: 20+ stamps, timed clues, secret doors, and “follow the lights” trails.
• Daily/weekly refreshers: 1 new micro‑clue drops each day; 1 rotating bonus on weekends.
• Top‑3 grand prizes: Seasonal finale with three hidden “crowns” or “keys” only visible to players who completed Core tier.

Clue and puzzle design

• Variety mix:
  • Visual hides: A pumpkin with a gold leaf vein, a cabana lantern that flickers in Morse, a garland bow slightly off‑color.
  • Audio hints: Short ambient stingers that point direction; toggleable for accessibility.
  • Wordplay & riddles: Short, poetic clues tied to décor, not vendor logos.
  • Pattern & pathing: “Follow five lanterns from café to atrium; the sixth hides your seal.”
  • Micro‑games: 10‑second slider puzzle, 3‑tile match, “feed the reindeer” click‑timing, beach shell sequence memory.
• Difficulty ramp: Early clues are landmark‑based; later ones require combining two hints across zones.
• Anti‑frustration: Optional “nudge” after 45–60 seconds; skip costs small merit but preserves flow.

Seasonal examples

Fall — Golden Harvest

• Riddle: “Where copper meets a whispering stair, a leaf with veins of gold waits mid‑air.”
• Micro‑game: Align three leaf silhouettes to match the railing pattern.
• Vendor tie‑in: Find three “Harvest Stamps” to unlock a caramel apple swag code.

Winter — Enchanted Frost

• Riddle: “Count the bows that face the north; the even one guides you forth.”
• Micro‑game: Feed reindeer gently in a 10‑second rhythm mini‑game to reveal a snowflake sigil.
• Kid path: “Gift Hunt” presents with soft jingle audio and larger hit‑areas.

Spring — Bloom & Glow

• Riddle: “At dusk, two tulips guard a glow; between their stems, your secrets grow.”
• Micro‑game: Tap bees in a calm sequence (non‑twitch) to pollinate a flower badge.

Summer — Sun & Sand

• Riddle: “Six stripes rest under shade; count from sea to cabana to find your trade.”
• Micro‑game: Beach “treasure sift”—drag the sand once to reveal a shell token.

Rewards and economy

• Merit points: Earned per stamp; scaled by tier and difficulty.
• Collectibles: Seasonal badges, wallpapers, emoji/sticker packs, soundtrack snippets.
• Ava‑Store credits: Modest, clearly capped; encourage micro‑purchases without paywalling fun.
• Vendor perks: Time‑boxed discount codes, swag (keychains, tees), limited giveaways.
• Grand prizes: Seasonal “Top‑3” trophies + featured avatar spotlight on the Wall of Legends.
• Gifting: Players can send virtual “presents” (non‑transferable outside VMOA) to friends.

Fair play, safety, and accessibility

• Anti‑cheat: Server‑validated clue solves, randomized instance IDs, rate‑limit stamp events, obfuscated DOM markers.
• Progress integrity: Cloud‑saved passports; device‑agnostic resume.
• Age modes: Kid mode with simplified clues, brighter icons, and content filtering.
• Accessibility:
  • Visual: High‑contrast toggles, scalable UI, captions on audio hints.
  • Motor: One‑tap alternatives for micro‑games; no forced timers in Kid/Casual tiers.
  • Audio: Text substitutes for sound‑based clues; volume independent of system.
• Content pace: Session timer suggests breaks after 20–30 minutes; calm mode removes strobe/twinkling.

Vendor and influencer integration

• Sponsored clues: “Brought to you by” frames near, not on, the puzzle; never blocks gameplay.
• Store missions: 1–2 clues per store per act; merchants can submit décor elements (approved kit) to host a clue.
• Reward bundles: Co‑branded badge + vendor code + small Ava‑credit = a satisfying “bundle open.”
• Influencer routes: Curated paths (5–7 stamps) that creators promote; unique badge and leaderboard.
• Food delivery tie‑ins: Seasonal merit thresholds unlock limited Grubhub/DoorDash/Instacart vouchers.

Lightweight implementation plan

• Phase 1: MVP (2–3 weeks)
  • Passport system: Account‑bound progress, 3 tiers, 12 total stamps.
  • Hotspots: JSON‑driven list with coordinates, hit radius, and season flags.
  • Clue UI: Modal with clue text, hint button, and stamp animation.
  • Rewards: Badges, basic merits, 1 vendor code pool.
  • Admin: Simple dashboard to toggle clues, upload text, set start/end dates.
• Phase 2: Depth (4–6 weeks)
  • Micro‑games: 3 reusable templates (sequence, slider, timing).
  • Time‑of‑day variants: Switch clue art/lighting via CSS/theme tokens.
  • Leaderboards: Per‑season and per‑tier; privacy‑friendly display names.
  • Gifting: Sendable virtual presents; inbox and thank‑you emotes.
• Phase 3: Scale (ongoing)
  • Story arcs: Narrative wrappers with seasonal postcards and NPC kiosk hosts.
  • Procedural variants: Shuffle clue orders, rotate decoys, add weekly extras.
  • Vendor self‑serve: Request a clue slot, upload approved assets, set reward quantities.

UX touchpoints

• Hero banner: “Treasure Hunt: Earn badges, discover secrets, win seasonal prizes.”
• Map overlay: Subtle fog‑of‑war; discovered zones lightly glow, undiscovered remain neutral.
• Progress meter: Passport page shows stamps, next reward milestone, and time to next drop.
• Celebrations: Tiny confetti + soft chime on stamp; seasonal animation on tier completion.
• Opt‑in notifications: Email or in‑mall pings for new clues, weekend bonuses, finale countdown.

Measurement and goals

• Key metrics: Weekly active hunters, average stamps/session, hint usage, completion rate by tier, vendor reward redemptions, re‑visit rate.
• Targets (Season 1):
  • Activation: 25–35% of visitors start the hunt.
  • Completion: 40–50% finish Casual, 15–25% finish Core, 3–5% reach Legend.
  • Return visits: +20–30% lift among hunters vs. non‑hunters.
• A/B levers: Hint delay (30s vs. 60s), stamp animations (quick vs. deluxe), reward cadence (every 3 stamps vs. 5).

FOLLOW THE CLUES... EXAMPLE 

The Fall Harvest Hunt – Riddle Clues 🍁🎃

1. “I stand by the stairs, my veins of gold aglow,where footsteps echo softly and autumn breezes blow.”  (Hint: Look along the stair rail for a golden‑veined leaf.)
2. “Round and orange, I’m the third in a row,nestled in leaves where the warm lights glow.”  (Hint: Count pumpkins in a planter — the third is special.)
3. “Follow the scent of cinnamon and steam,to a tiny cup where cider’s the dream.”  (Hint: Food court kiosk with a steaming cup icon.)
4. “Bright as a sunset, I drift to the ground,one leaf among many, but largest around.”  (Hint: Oversized red leaf in the kids’ plaza décor.)
5. “Count the ribbons tied in a line,the even one hides a harvest sign.”  (Hint: Balcony garland bows — tap an even‑numbered one.)
6. “Shining like copper in the autumn sun,I’m a poster that hides prize number one.”  (Hint: Metallic copper‑foil poster on the stage wall.)
7. “Three green giants stand side by side,at one’s base, an acorn tries to hide.”  (Hint: Topiary trio in the garden court.)
8. “Five lanterns guide you straight and true,but the sixth one holds a gift for you.”  (Hint: Hanging lanterns along the skylight walk.)
9. “Between the pages of maple and gold,a secret waits for hands that are bold.”  (Hint: Book with a maple leaf on its spine in the book nook.)
10. “When the clock strikes and leaves align,time itself will grant you a sign.”  (Hint: Atrium clock filigree with three leaf shapes.)
11. “A harvest mural tells a tale,but find the seam and lift the veil.”  (Hint: Hidden door in the west promenade mural.)
12. “Among the apples, one shines bright,golden as dawn in autumn light.”  (Hint: Golden apple in a vendor’s pop‑up crate.)