Hints and Objectives

Track player progress, send saved or manual hints, and answer help requests.

Published Jun 19, 2026

Most of your live attention goes to two things: watching where the team is, and helping them when they get stuck. The control column on the Control page gives you both — an objectives panel that tracks progress and a set of hint tools for sending clues. This guide covers objectives, saved and manual hints, and help requests.

The objectives panel

The objectives panel lists every objective in the active game — each puzzle or task the team must solve. As players progress, objectives update, so the panel is your live map of the room.

Each objective shows a status badge and a count of hints given. The two statuses you will see are:

  • Complete — the objective is solved.
  • Bypassed — the objective was skipped without being solved.
Screenshot to capture The objectives panel on the Control page, with a mix of completed, bypassed, and outstanding objectives and their hint counts.

Per-objective actions

Open an objective to act on it. Depending on how the game is configured, you may see:

  • Override — manually mark the objective complete (for example, when a sensor misfires). ARC asks you to confirm: click again to confirm the override.
  • Bypass — skip the objective without solving it, so the team can keep moving.
  • View notes — read the staff notes saved for this objective.
  • Open camera — open the camera assigned to this objective’s area.
  • Open panel — open the control panel for this puzzle area, showing its device states.
  • Send — push the objective’s solution text to the room’s displays.

Override needs a confirm

Override and similar one-tap actions ask you to click again to confirm. This prevents an accidental tap from completing a puzzle the team has not actually solved.

Staff actions pause with the session

Per-objective actions are unavailable after the session ends and while the room is resetting. Make your overrides while the game is still running.

Objective groups

Larger games organize their objectives into objective groups — named sections that follow the flow of the room. When a game uses groups, the panel shows group tabs and a progress stepper so you can jump straight to the area the team is working in.

Saved hints

Most hints are written ahead of time in the Editor and attached to an objective. On the Control page they appear as ready-to-send saved hints, so you send the right clue with one tap instead of typing under pressure.

Saved hints come in several types:

  • Text — a written clue shown on a display.
  • Image — a picture shown on a display.
  • Video — a video clip shown on a display.
  • Audio — an audio clip played in the room.
  • Text to Speech — a written clue spoken aloud by a synthesized voice.
  • Verbal — a script for you to read to the team yourself.

To send a saved hint, press Send. If you have already sent it once, the button reads Resend.

A Verbal hint is different: it is meant to be read aloud, not shown on a screen. When you open one, ARC shows a Read this hint aloud modal with the script. Read it to the team, then mark it as sent so it is logged.

Screenshot to capture A saved hint card showing its type badge and the Send / Resend button, with the Read this hint aloud modal open beside it for a verbal hint.

Manual hints

When no saved hint fits the moment, write a manual hint on the spot. Type your clue in the hint message box, then choose where it goes and how to deliver it.

  • Message — type the clue (“Enter hint message…”).
  • Target — choose a single display or All displays.
  • Send — show the message on the chosen display(s).
  • TTS — speak the message aloud using text to speech.
  • Alert — play the room’s alert sound to get the team’s attention.
  • Clear — clear the message box.

Pair an alert with a hint

Players sometimes miss a new hint on the display. Sending an Alert first draws their attention, then the hint lands where they are already looking.

Help requests

Players can ask for help themselves — usually with a button or a device in the room. When they do, ARC shows a Help Requested modal. It tells you when the request came in and, if configured, when an automatic response or escalation is due.

Press Acknowledge to confirm you have seen the request and clear the modal. How a help request announces itself (a tone, a sound, a spoken alert, or silent) is set per game in the Editor.

Screenshot to capture The Help Requested modal showing the time received, the escalation countdown, and the Acknowledge button.

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