SILENT FREQUENCY - ARG Engine Documentation

Overview

SILENT FREQUENCY is a comprehensive Augmented Reality Game (ARG) engine built around atmospheric 1990s-era mystery storytelling. Players act as hobbyist ham radio operators investigating a conspiracy spanning military installations, cryptic transmissions, disappearances, and the nature of reality itself.

Core Systems

1. Radio Interface System (radio-interface.js, radio-registry.js, signal.js)

• Realistic shortwave receiver simulation
• Frequency tuning (0.1 - 200 MHz)
• Real-time signal detection and strength visualization
• Multiple signal types: Morse code, voice, numbers stations, static
• Audio generation and distortion effects

2. Evidence & Inventory System (evidence-system.js)

• Capture evidence from discovered signals
• Evidence tagging and note-taking
• Evidence linking (connecting related pieces)
• Search and filter functionality
• Statistics tracking (discoveries, connections, cases built)

Key Classes:

• Evidence: Individual evidence item with metadata
• InventorySystem: Manages all collected evidence
• EvidenceDocket: Case file organization

3. Person of Interest & Dossier System (dossier-system.js)

• Profile creation for NPCs, suspects, witnesses, victims
• Relationship mapping between characters
• Suspicion and trust tracking (0-100 scale)
• Location and frequency associations
• Timeline events
• Completeness scoring based on gathered information

Key Classes:

• PersonProfile: Individual character profile
• DossierSystem: Manages all persons and relationships

4. Decryption Technology System (decryption-system.js)

• Progressive unlocking of decryption methods
• Tech trees that gate content based on evidence collection
• 10 technology levels from basic radio to "Final Truth Protocol"
• Requirements tracking for each unlock

Technology Levels:

1. Basic Radio Reception
2. Morse Code Decoder
3. Numbers Station Analyzer
4. Voice Spectrogram Analysis
5. Geographic Coordinate Decoder
6. Military-Grade Cryptanalysis
7. Frequency Hopping Detection
8. Extreme Frequency Range
9. Temporal Broadcast Analysis
10. Final Truth Protocol

5. Interactive Corkboard System (corkboard-system.js)

• Visual pin board for evidence and people
• Red string connections showing relationships
• Connection strength and uncertainty tracking
• Customizable connection types (suspect, accomplice, victim, etc.)
• Network statistics and visualization

Key Classes:

• CorkboardPin: Individual pin representing evidence or person
• CorkboardConnection: Relationship thread between pins
• CorkboardSystem: Canvas-based visualization and interaction

6. Interactive Map System (map-system.js)

• Geographic intelligence display
• Location discovery through evidence
• Marker categories (military, disappeared, witness, signal, anomaly)
• Clustering of related locations
• Interactive pan, zoom, and selection

Key Classes:

• MapLocation: Individual location with coordinates
• MapSystem: Map rendering and interaction

7. Narrative Engine System (narrative-engine.js, story-data.js, story-world-data.js)

• Story progression through chapters
• Discovery cues tied to signal detection
• Narrative beat triggers
• Story state tracking (suspicion, danger, understanding)
• Dynamic narrative hooks based on discoveries

Story Structure:

• Chapter 0: "Static in the Dark" - Initial investigation begins
• Chapter 1: "The Pattern Emerges" - Multiple sites discovered
• Chapter 2: "The Deeper Signal" - The conspiracy revealed

8. Save/Load System (save-manager.js)

• Automatic localStorage autosaving
• Full game state serialization/deserialization
• JSON export for backup
• JSON import to resume progress
• Cross-session persistence

Game Progression

Discovery Flow

1. Player tunes radio to frequency
2. Signal detected (strength-based)
3. Signal type decoded (morse, numbers, voice, etc.)
4. Discovery cue triggered
5. Evidence captured to inventory
6. Narrative beat fires (if available)
7. Check for tech unlocks based on evidence
8. Update dossier, map, and UI systems

Evidence Collection

• Each signal can create multiple evidence items
• Evidence can be tagged and linked
• Linked evidence provides narrative context
• Collection drives technology unlocks
• Completeness of evidence affects scoring

Theory Building

• Players pin evidence and people to corkboard
• Create connections showing relationships
• Build network of suspects and victims
• Use map to identify geographic patterns
• Complete dossiers on key persons of interest
• Eventually identify and confront the target

Story World Data

Characters (5+ Persons of Interest)

• Dr. Helena Voss: Project director, primary victim
• James Ashford: Station technician, witness
• Major Edward Coldwell: Military command, orchestrator
• The Radio Operator: Current mysterious broadcaster
• The Caller: Unknown architect of conspiracy

Locations

• Station K-714 (Adirondack Mountains)
• Manhattan Signal Source
• Hudson Valley Bunker
• Psychiatric Facility (Griffith)
• Pentagon (DOD Headquarters)

Signals (7+ Initial Transmissions)

Each signal includes:

• Frequency
• Type (morse, voice, numbers, etc.)
• Content (encoded and decoded)
• Speaker
• Timestamp
• Narrative context
• Atmospheric mood
• Chapter placement

User Interface

Main Sections

1. Radio Receiver: Tuning, power, signal meter, frequency display
2. Evidence Docket: Searchable, filterable evidence inventory
3. Dossier Panel: Person profiles with completion tracking
4. Corkboard: Interactive theory-building canvas
5. Map: Geographic intelligence and location discovery
6. Technology Tree: Decryption research progress
7. Comic Viewer: Narrative flashback sequences
8. Log Output: Real-time event feed

Control Scheme

• Frequency Dial: Range slider (0.1 - 200 MHz)
• Tune Buttons: ±0.5 MHz increments
• Power Button: Toggle radio on/off
• Evidence Buttons: Filter by type, add to corkboard
• Person Buttons: Filter by role, add to corkboard
• Map Controls: Toggle discovered-only filter
• Save/Load: Persistent progression

Technical Architecture

Data Flow

Radio Input → Signal Registry → Discovery Detection
                    ↓
         Signal Metadata → Evidence System
                    ↓
         Narrative Engine → Story Progression
                    ↓
         Inventory → Decryption Check → Tech Unlock
                    ↓
         All Systems → UI Update & Save

Serialization

All systems support full serialization for save/load:

• InventorySystem.serialize()
• DossierSystem.serialize()
• DecryptionManager.serialize()
• CorkboardSystem.serialize()
• MapSystem.serialize()

Event System

Each system emits events via callbacks:

• Inventory changes
• Dossier updates
• Technology unlocks
• Map discoveries
• Corkboard connections

Extensibility

Adding New Signals

StoryWorldData.SIGNALS['new_signal_id'] = {
    id: 'new_signal_id',
    frequency: 12.345,
    type: 'morse',
    content: '...',
    decoded: '...',
    speaker: 'char_id',
    chapter: 0,
    atmosphere: 'tense'
};

Adding New Characters

StoryWorldData.CHARACTERS['char_new'] = {
    id: 'char_new',
    name: 'Character Name',
    role: 'suspect',
    biography: '...',
    knownLocations: ['loc_id'],
    description: '...'
};

Adding New Locations

StoryWorldData.LOCATIONS['loc_new'] = {
    id: 'loc_new',
    name: 'Location Name',
    coordinates: { lat: 40.7128, lon: -74.0060 },
    category: 'military',
    description: '...'
};

Game Balance

Difficulty Curves

• Suspicion: Increases with each discovery (0-100)
• Danger: Increases with military/classified discoveries
• Understanding: Builds slowly through careful analysis
• Tech Progression: Unlocks required discoveries

Scoring System

• Evidence collection: 1 point per item
• Evidence linking: 5 points per connection
• Character completion: 15 + (completeness %) points
• Technology unlock: 20 points per tech
• Final submission: 50-150 points based on dossier quality

Future Expansion

Planned Features

1. Additional Chapters: Expand beyond 3 chapters
2. More Characters: 20+ persons of interest
3. Expanded Locations: Global conspiracy elements
4. Audio Features: In-game radio simulator with procedural static
5. Cryptographic Puzzles: Frequency hopping, encryption challenges
6. Multiplayer: Shared universe, collaborative investigation
7. AR Integration: Real-world location discovery with AR
8. Procedural Generation: Randomized signal patterns and discoveries
9. Multiple Endings: Branching narrative based on player choices
10. Leaderboards: Global scoring and community challenges

File Structure

radiohunter/
├── index.html                 # Main HTML structure
├── main.js                    # Main app orchestrator
├── styles.css                 # All UI styling
├── radio-interface.js         # Radio receiver visualization
├── signal-registry.js         # Signal management
├── signal.js                  # Signal types (morse, voice, etc.)
├── narrative-engine.js        # Story progression
├── story-data.js              # Original story content
├── story-world-data.js        # Expanded story world
├── evidence-system.js         # Evidence inventory
├── dossier-system.js          # Character profiles
├── decryption-system.js       # Technology unlocks
├── corkboard-system.js        # Theory visualization
├── map-system.js              # Geographic intelligence
├── save-manager.js            # Save/load system
├── comic-renderer.js          # Narrative sequences
├── immersion-engine.js        # Audio effects
└── README.md                  # This file

Getting Started

1. Open index.html in a modern web browser
2. Click the POWER button to turn on the radio
3. Adjust the frequency dial to scan for signals
4. Listen for discoveries in the log panel
5. Review evidence in the Evidence Docket
6. Build your theory on the Corkboard
7. Track people in the Dossier
8. Map locations as they're discovered
9. Unlock technology as evidence accumulates
10. Solve the mystery

License

Created for the WARGAME: Silent Frequency ARG Project

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Last Updated: February 7, 2026 Version: 1.0 - Full ARG Engine