15-04-25 Reflection & Puzzle Integration

Yesterday I received some physical puzzle components to help make the scavenger-hunt-style escape room experience more interactive and hands-on. At this point, I'm not entirely sure what to even call it anymore—escape room, mission, training simulation—it's evolving into something hybrid.

One of the new items is a hollow book safe, disguised as Alice in Wonderland, along with a keyring featuring a white rabbit. This instantly gave me an idea: a bit of misdirection using the "Follow the White Rabbit" trope—drawing from The Matrix and mirroring language that's been co-opted in alt-right/internet subcultures (e.g., the way figures like Andrew Tate use similar metaphors).

The twist? Participants might assume they're hunting incel rhetoric, but what they're actually decoding is ADHD language—terminology from neurodivergent communities. I think this kind of subtle narrative misdirection could add meaningful depth and engagement, while steering the focus back to lived experience and language reclamation.

🧩 Physical Puzzle Development

I'm really enjoying the process of embedding physical puzzle elements that extend beyond the digital immersion. For example:

• I now have a set of black light pens, a staple of traditional escape rooms.

• I've printed the college campus map and overlaid a Fibonacci spiral, which aligns surprisingly well with the real-world layout:

  • Start in ST11

  • Move to the ATC

  • Finish in the Pod

Participants will carry the map throughout, and upon unlocking a black light pen, they'll reveal the spiral path as a hidden clue. It's a nice visual tie-in to the neurodiversity metaphor—order vs. chaos, system vs. spiral.

While the concept might feel a bit obvious in places, I can layer in additional misdirection to keep it intriguing.

⚙️ Software & Technical Progress

I've contacted the immersive suite support team to resolve the wall alignment issue—specifically the problem with images and interactive "wipe to reveal" clues not lining up due to incorrect aspect ratios. I've sent them screenshots and a full description of the issue.

Unfortunately, this one's out of my hands now, and I'm still waiting for a reply. Hopefully it's resolved soon, as it affects the visual accuracy of multiple rooms.

🎯 Today's Goals

The focus today is to:

• Integrate the new puzzles (e.g., rabbit/book safe, map/black light path) into the story structure

• Begin or complete the first mission briefing video, so I can finally feel like the ball is rolling

• Develop the face-scan HUD animation that welcomes each participant as an "activated agent"

The challenge with the face scan is twofold:

1. Make it look polished, not tacky or template-driven

2. Make it adaptable so different participant photos can be dropped in easily

I'm not quite sure how to achieve that yet, but today's about experimentation and problem-solving.