Now that ARC is installed and open, this section covers the essentials everyone should know — the layout of the software and the handful of ideas that the rest of ARC builds on.
What the Basics cover
- Navigating ARC — the main areas and how to move between them.
- Games and rooms — the core ideas, in plain language.
- Create your first game — a hands-on walkthrough.
The core ideas at a glance
A few words come up everywhere in ARC. You’ll meet them properly in the guides above, but here’s the short version:
- A game is one escape-room experience you’ve set up — its timer, puzzles, displays, and devices.
- An objective is a puzzle or task players need to solve.
- A hint is a clue you send to players — text, image, video, audio, or spoken.
- The timer is the countdown for a game.
- A session is one run of a game, from start to reset.
- A display is a screen players see — countdown, hints, and media.
- A device is a piece of hardware ARC reads or controls (a lock, a light, a sensor).
- An automation runs an action when something happens; a scene is a set of actions you trigger on demand.
You don't have to memorize these
Keep moving — these ideas click once you’ve built and run a game. The Glossary is always there when you want a quick definition.