---
key: mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-11
type: mechanic
id: phone-magnetometer--family-11
lang: en
title: Cooperative play and roles
summary: >-
A cooperative design scenario can combine readings from several participants.
Field recordings provide shared material for comparison and distributed tasks.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-11/'
jsonUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-11.json
markdownUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-11.md
aliases:
- Shared play and roles
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
relations: []
placements:
- catalogId: phone-magnetometer
id: family-11
title: Phone magnetometer interactions
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-magnetometer/#family-11'
categoryIds:
- section-1
supersededBy: []
attributes:
preview:
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
title: Shared play and roles
description: >-
A cooperative design scenario can combine readings from several
participants. Field recordings provide shared material for comparison and
distributed tasks.
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 field recording as material for a shared task'
alt: 'Physics Toolbox: a field recording as material for a shared task'
markers:
- x: 44
'y': 64
label: A field peak can supply a threshold-action input
tips:
- 'Align participants’ measurement timing, axes and calibration.'
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
---
# Cooperative play and roles
id: phone-magnetometer--family-11
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-11
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-11/
A cooperative design scenario can combine readings from several participants. Field recordings provide shared material for comparison and distributed tasks.
## At a glance
[Physics Toolbox Magnetometer](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4) · © Chrystian Vieyra. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
1. A field peak can supply a threshold-action input
- Align participants’ measurement timing, axes and calibration.
- [Physics Toolbox Magnetometer](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4)
## How it works
Participants distribute monitoring, control and signal exchange among several prepared devices.
## Variants
### Variants and applications
- Split controller. Action: One player holds the phone, the other controls the magnet. Application: Cooperative piloting, reactor setup, communication game. Limitations: Separate roles and limit the work area; two independent movements complicate the signal. Equipment: Several players and prepared devices. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Compound mechanics.
- Coincidence of team directions. Action: Several phones simultaneously reach specified azimuths. Application: Team ritual, synchronous defense, distributed puzzle. Limitations: Requires data exchange and synchronization; Local magnetic interference varies. Equipment: Multiple players and prepared devices. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Compound mechanics.
- Complementary directions. Action: Each player must maintain his own direction, complementary to the others. Application: Close the circle of protection, cover sectors, distribute surveillance. Limitations: The condition is checked by the application; the direction of each phone to another does not follow from this. Equipment: Several players and prepared devices. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Compound mechanics.
- General turn token. Action: Pass one magnetic object and present it to the phone of the next player. Application: Move in a board game, physical voting rights, relay race. Restrictions: The right to move is supported by the rules and the application; the magnetic token can be copied. Equipment: Several players and prepared devices. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Compound mechanics.
- Drag the summary field. Action: Two players move magnets on guides, trying to bring the common signal into their area. Application: Tug of war, balance, struggle for adjustment. Limitations: Only the total field is evaluated; The individual contribution of each player is not measured. Equipment: Multiple players and prepared devices. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Compound mechanics.
- Discovery relay. Action: Bring one item to several phones in the right order. Application: Physical relay race, artifact delivery, joint route. Limitations: The magnet itself does not transfer the digital state; the order is verified over the network or on one device. Equipment: Multiple players and prepared devices. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Compound mechanics.
- Hidden input of the second player. Action: The player with the magnet makes a permitted gesture outside the screen owner's field of view. Application: Asymmetrical riddle, trick, search for saboteur. Limitations: The phone must recognize a limited vocabulary of actions; there is no reading of thoughts or personality here. Equipment: Several players and prepared devices. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Compound mechanics.
- Controlled magnetic intervention. Action: One player tries to hold the target on a signal, the other changes the field with the prepared props. Application: Asymmetrical combat, sabotage of the device, game to regain control. Limitations: Intervention is the rule; next to a magnet, a compass cannot be considered a reliable world reference. Equipment: Several players and prepared devices. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Compound mechanics.
## Context and limits
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.
## Connected materials
## Sources and 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.
- [Physics Toolbox Magnetometer](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4) (id: source-603978442e60360e)
CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors