{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/exploration-adventures--t047","type":"mechanic","id":"exploration-adventures--t047","lang":"en","title":"Treasure hunting and secrets","summary":"Secret hunting combines a clue, interpretation of a location and an action revealing a hidden reward.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/exploration-adventures--t047/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/exploration-adventures--t047.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/exploration-adventures--t047.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Exploration and adventures","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-8a492c292e237e0e","source-a4c131ce094457fb"],"sources":[{"id":"source-8a492c292e237e0e","title":"Godot: Ray-casting","url":"https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/physics/ray-casting.html","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-a4c131ce094457fb","title":"Paper Trail","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1889740/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Secret hunting combines a clue, interpretation of a location and an action revealing a hidden reward."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t047-variants\"></a>\n\n- A map gives relationships instead of coordinates. <a id=\"t047-v1\"></a>\n- Sound suggests the presence of a hidden passage. <a id=\"t047-v2\"></a>\n- A return visit uses a newly acquired tool. <a id=\"t047-v3\"></a>\n- A cache chain provides the next meaningful clue. <a id=\"t047-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A bell tower's shadow points at a slab only in the morning, as an old drawing suggests.\n\nPrototype check: Test whether an intentional clue can be distinguished from decoration before the reward is found."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Exploration connects route choices to observation, new knowledge and the cost of returning. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"exploration-adventures","id":"t047","title":"Exploration and adventures","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/exploration-adventures/#t047","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Treasure hunting and secrets","description":"Secret hunting combines a clue, interpretation of a location and an action revealing a hidden reward.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-paper-trail-00.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Paper Trail","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1889740/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1889740/ss_1469a801a268e771e65b1c58f2930a9b33614e5d.1920x1080.jpg?t=1750783735","credit":"Newfangled Games","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Paths on the paper map connect reachable areas","alt":"Paths on the paper map connect reachable areas","markers":[{"x":50,"y":49,"label":"The route follows connected areas"}]},"tips":["Connect hidden routes to clues that can be noticed in advance."],"examples":[{"title":"Paper Trail","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1889740/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/exploration-adventures"}}