Appendix A: Player App

Technical Specification

1. System Overview

Core Features

• Mixed social gameplay (synchronous and asynchronous)
• Real-time player location tracking
• Puzzle system with collaborative solving
• Team formation and management
• Player matching system

User Types

• Individual Players
• Team Leaders
• Team Members
• Guest Players (Limited Access)
• Administrators

2. Technical Architecture

Frontend

• React Native mobile app
• Mapbox for location services
• WebSocket for real-time features
• Local storage for offline puzzle progress

Backend

• Node.js server
• PostgreSQL database
• Redis for real-time features
• MongoDB for puzzle/game content

APIs and Services

• Authentication service
• Real-time location service
• Team management service
• Puzzle management service
• Matchmaking service

3. Core Features

Location Services

• Real-time player position tracking
• Geofencing for puzzle areas
• Proximity detection for team members
• Location-based puzzle triggers

Synchronous Social Features

• Live team chat
• Real-time player positions
• Joint puzzle solving interface
• Live team formation

Asynchronous Social Features

• Team message board
• Puzzle progress tracking
• Team achievements
• Challenge completions

Puzzle System

• Multiple puzzle types
• Collaborative solving mechanics
• Progress saving
• Difficulty scaling
• Hint system

Team Management

• Team creation
• Invite system
• Role management
• Team chat
• Team progress tracking

4. Data Models

User Model

{
  userId: UUID,
  username: String,
  email: String,
  profilePic: URL,
  currentTeams: [TeamId],
  stats: {
    puzzlesSolved: Number,
    teamsJoined: Number,
    achievements: [AchievementId]
  },
  lastActive: Timestamp
}

Team Model

{
  teamId: UUID,
  name: String,
  leader: UserId,
  members: [UserId],
  currentPuzzle: PuzzleId,
  completedPuzzles: [PuzzleId],
  chatHistory: [MessageId],
  created: Timestamp
}

Puzzle Model

{
  puzzleId: UUID,
  type: String,
  difficulty: Number,
  location: {
    lat: Number,
    lng: Number,
    radius: Number
  },
  requirements: {
    minPlayers: Number,
    maxPlayers: Number,
    timeLimit: Number
  },
  content: Object,
  hints: [String]
}

5. Security

User Security

• JWT authentication
• Session management
• Password encryption
• Rate limiting

Location Security

• Location data encryption
• Proximity masking options
• Privacy controls

Data Protection

• GDPR compliance
• Data retention policies
• User data export
• Right to be forgotten

6. Performance Requirements

Response Times

• API responses < 200ms
• Real-time updates < 100ms
• Location updates < 1s
• Chat delivery < 500ms

Scalability

• Support for 10,000 concurrent users
• 1,000 active teams
• 100 simultaneous puzzles per region

Availability

• 99.9% uptime
• Automatic failover
• Regional server distribution

7. Mobile Requirements

Minimum Specs

• iOS 13+
• Android 8+
• 2GB RAM
• GPS capability
• Internet connection

Battery Optimisation

• Location polling intervals
• Background refresh limits
• Push notification batching

8. Future Considerations

Expansion Features

• AR puzzle elements
• Voice chat
• Custom puzzle creation
• Tournament system
• Inter-team challenges

9. Development Phases

Phase 1 — MVP

• Basic user authentication
• Simple puzzle system
• Team creation
• Location tracking
• Basic chat

Phase 2 — Enhanced Features

• Advanced puzzles
• Matchmaking
• Achievement system
• Enhanced social features

Phase 3 — Advanced Features

• AR integration
• Custom puzzles
• Tournament system
• Advanced analytics