The Challenge
A team of tour organizers in Šibenik wanted to reimagine how visitors experience the city. Traditional guided tours are passive — you follow a guide, listen, and move on. They needed something that turns exploration into an active, social experience where groups discover the city on their own terms, solving challenges and competing against the clock and other teams.
The requirements were ambitious:
- A fully custom platform — not a white-label solution or off-the-shelf app
- Support for multiple languages to serve international tourists
- An admin system where non-technical organizers can manage everything independently
- A mobile-first player experience that works without app store downloads
- Real-time game mechanics with live countdowns and progress tracking
The Solution
We designed and built a complete web-based interactive exploration platform from scratch. The system has two sides: an organizer dashboard for managing content and events, and a mobile-optimized player interface where teams navigate the city using an interactive map, complete location-based challenges, and submit photo evidence of their discoveries.
Built with Laravel 12 and Livewire for real-time interactivity — no native app needed. Teams join via access code, play entirely in the browser, and the organizers see everything live from their dashboard.
What We Built
- Organizer dashboard — a complete back-office with live statistics, game management, team oversight, and content editing. Non-technical staff can create and run events independently
- Interactive map interface — Leaflet-powered map showing challenge locations across the city, with color-coded markers for progress tracking
- Real-time game engine — live countdown timers, automatic game state transitions, and progress bars that update as teams complete challenges
- Photo-based verification — teams submit photographic evidence with on-device compression, ensuring authentic participation
- Progressive hint system — teams can request hints when stuck, with the number of hints tracked for fair scoring
- 4-language support — Croatian, English, German, and French — all content fully translatable from the admin panel
- Team management — access code system for joining games, team registration, and captain contact tracking
- Scoring and grading — organizers review submitted answers and photos, award points, and track completion times
- Mobile-first design — optimized for phones since that's what players carry while exploring the city
- Celebration animations — fireworks on game completion for a satisfying finish
Organizer Dashboard
Player Map View
Challenge Interface
Team Lobby
Results
Quest Šibenik is a fully operational platform ready to host interactive city exploration events:
- No app download required — players join instantly via browser, removing the biggest friction point of location-based games
- Organizer independence — the admin dashboard gives non-technical staff full control over tours, challenges, games, and scoring
- International reach — 4-language support means the same tour works for Croatian locals, German tourists, and everyone in between
- Scalable event model — one set of challenges can power unlimited game sessions with different teams
- Authentic engagement — photo verification and progressive hints create a genuine exploration experience, not just a checklist
