Magi Quest - Technology of MagiQuest

Technology of MagiQuest

The MagiQuest wand is a battery-powered infrared (IR) remote control device with an LED at the tip. Motion sensors (a spring sensor and a ball-and-tube sensor) inside the wand detect movement and cause the LED to emit a brief series of flashes which is unique to that wand. (These flashes can be seen by pointing the wand at the lens of any digital video camera in a dark room). The wand's range is several meters. There is no on/off switch; when the wand is left motionless, the circuit is not energized, saving battery power.

The Compass Quest compass is a plastic housing containing an embedded RFID device (an unpowered microchip and antenna circuit.) No battery is required. Like the wand, every compass has a unique numeric code; this is transmitted when the compass is placed within range of a detector, approximately 1-2 centimeters (about 1 inch).

No information is stored in either the wand or the compass. The player's name, birthdate, and nickname are associated with the wand and/or compass ID number at the time of purchase. The exact names and date given are irrelevant. This association is stored in a central online database server, and can be transferred to a new wand if the original one is lost. The server tracks the current status (runes and gold acquired, current quest, etc.) of every player in the system.

The physical topography consists of a large set of objects throughout the hotel/mall/park complex with embedded IR sensors, plus a set of RFID panels shaped like the outline of the compass. Game objects can include pictures on the walls, statues, ceiling tiles, animatronic chests, and video kiosks and projection rooms. Most stations have lights and audio prompts which play briefly on activation and shut off automatically, but kiosks and projection rooms additionally contain touchscreen video displays which allow the player to interact with the system for a short session; no login is required other than the presence of the wand or compass.

Game play typically consists of using a kiosk to receive instructions for a quest or adventure, then finding and activating a series of game objects. The requirements for the initial quests are printed in an instruction booklet supplied with the wand, but some quests must be received from the kiosks and committed to memory. Informational kiosks throughout the complex can be used to find out what parts of the current quest have been completed and what is left to do, but these omit certain clues to the locations of the objects.

The database is nationwide. The player's status (current quest, number of gold pieces, etc.) for every location can be queried from any informational kiosk in the network. Within a complex, it is updated continuously—for instance, after activating one object, a time limit (e.g. 30 seconds) may be given to find and activate the next object in the series, and if the limit is exceeded by even a few seconds, the next object will instruct the player to return to the previous station.