{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09","type":"mechanic","id":"phone-magnetometer--family-09","lang":"en","title":"Search and interaction with space","summary":"The player can locate a magnetic-field source by moving the phone and comparing readings. Signal changes guide further searching.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09.md","aliases":["Searching through field changes"],"tags":["Phone magnetometer interactions","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-603978442e60360e"],"sources":[{"id":"source-603978442e60360e","title":"Physics Toolbox Magnetometer","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Changes in the magnetic environment become a condition for searching or orienting in the surveyed area."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-09-variants\"></a>\n\n- Magnetic “hot-cold”. Action: Move the phone and use the relative signal to look for a hidden magnet. Application: Treasure search, detective, examination of an object with a scanner. Limitations: The signal is local and does not have to grow monotonically towards the target; record orientation when comparing. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Game rule. <a id=\"variant-m065\"></a>\n- Field map. Action: Take readings at marked points and build a map. Application: Research game, training, search for anomalies, installation map. Limitations: Coordinates are set by a person, camera or other tracker; the magnetometer itself does not measure them. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Application script. <a id=\"variant-m066\"></a>\n- Route recognition by fingerprint. Action: Match field sequence to pre-recorded passages. Application: Museum route, building quest, additional landmark without GNSS. Limitations: Requires map, matching and usually inertial data; portability between phones is checked. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Application script. <a id=\"variant-m067\"></a>\n- Scene by zone. Action: Recognize a prepared area by local magnetic pattern. Applications: Sound history, exposure, changing game environments. Limitations: Do not rely on a single field value as a unique room address. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared area. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Game rule. <a id=\"variant-m068\"></a>\n- Magnetic control points. Action: Take turns to detect prepared local marks. Application: Toy track, quest route, control of stages. Limitations: Requires verified points and a limited reading distance; these are not beacons for tens of meters. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Game rule. <a id=\"variant-m069\"></a>\n- Gradient comparison. Action: Measure the field at several close positions and select the next direction based on the difference. Application: Source investigation, virtual instrument, local anomaly search. Limitations: This is a spatial comparison of successive measurements, not a gradient from a single sample. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Game rule. <a id=\"variant-m070\"></a>\n- Avoiding magnetic interference. Action: Stay below the threshold for deviation from the local background. Application: Stealth near prepared sources, contaminated areas, device protection. Limitations: You need to examine the playground; random metal objects can change the difficulty. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared area. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Game rule. <a id=\"variant-m071\"></a>\n- Magnetic seal failure. Action: A fixed telephone monitors the status of a magnet on a lid or object. Applications: Story alarm, trap, drawer opening detection. Limitations: This is a game prop; background OS restrictions and false positives interfere with security promises. Equipment: Magnetic props with a given geometry. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Application script. <a id=\"variant-m072\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"phone-magnetometer","id":"family-09","title":"Phone magnetometer interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-magnetometer/#family-09","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Searching through field changes","description":"The player can locate a magnetic-field source by moving the phone and comparing readings. Signal changes guide further searching.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/sensor-physics-magnet-3.webp","width":665,"height":1440,"crop":{"x":51,"y":323,"width":563,"height":1034},"game":"Physics Toolbox Magnetometer","sourceUrl":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4","originalUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/76/23/58/7623583b-a84f-fd15-b138-fa78cf800baa/04-record-lab-data.png/720x1560bb.jpg","credit":"Chrystian Vieyra","rights":"© Chrystian Vieyra. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Physics Toolbox: a recording of sharp magnetic-field changes","alt":"Physics Toolbox: a recording of sharp magnetic-field changes","markers":[{"x":44,"y":64,"label":"A field peak can supply a threshold-action input"}]},"tips":["A magnetometer measures fields and does not detect every kind of metal."],"examples":[{"title":"Physics Toolbox Magnetometer","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/phone-magnetometer"}}