{
  "record_id": "19366174",
  "document_id": "19366174",
  "title": "ARC-1 — Ambient Residue Collectibles: MVP Specification for Field-First AR Discovery, Single-Take Transfer, and Afterfield Decay",
  "pages": 12,
  "authors": [
    "Raynor Eissens"
  ],
  "doi_confirmed_in_pdf": "10.5281/zenodo.19366174",
  "zenodo_record": "https://zenodo.org/records/19366174",
  "html": "papers/19366174.html",
  "text": "text/19366174.txt",
  "data": "data/19366174.json",
  "abstract_extracted": "This document specifies the minimum viable architecture for a user-placed augmented-reality collectible system based on field-first discovery rather than map-first spawn logic. In ARC-1, a user places a hidden collectible entity into a real environment through AR anchoring. The entity is not immediately visible to others. Discovery begins through a short haptic pulse and a chromatic bleed that signals type, state, or field identity before any visual reveal occurs. Only after proximity and orientation thresholds are satisfied does the entity appear as a lightweight anchored visual presence. The collectible can then be claimed once and transferred into the finder’s personal box or inventory layer. Immediately after claim, the original world instance disappears. If the entity is not claimed before expiry, it decays into a transparent non-interactive afterfield. This afterfield remains softly detectable as residue but can no longer be collected or interacted with as an active object. ARC-1 therefore defines a new interaction grammar for AR collectibles: hidden placement, pre- visual sens",
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  "source_pdf_filename": "19366174_ARC-1 — Ambient Residue Collectibles - MVP Specification for Field-First AR Discovery, Single-Take Transfer, and Afterfield Decay.pdf",
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  "full_text": "=== PDF PAGE 1 ===\nARC-1 — Ambient Residue Collectibles\n\nMVP Specification for Field-First AR Discovery, Single-Take Transfer, and Afterfield Decay\n\nAuthor\n\nRaynor Eissens\n\nVersion\n\n1.0\n\nDOI\n\n10.5281/zenodo.19366174\n\nYear\n\n2026\n\n⸻\n\nOne-sentence definition\n\nAmbient Residue Collectibles (ARC-1) defines a field-first augmented-reality collectible system\n\nin which user-placed hidden entities are discovered through haptic and chromatic pre-reveal\n\nsignals, revealed in situ, transferred once into a personal collection layer, and reduced over time\n\nto a non-interactive fading afterfield.\n\nARC-1 is a playful applied branch of the Ambient Era Canon: a field-first residue collectible\n\narchitecture that translates chromatic detection, single-take transfer, and afterfield decay\n\ninto a living AR loop.\n\n⸻\n\nZenodo Description\n\nAbstract\n\nThis document specifies the minimum viable architecture for a user-placed augmented-reality\n\ncollectible system based on field-first discovery rather than map-first spawn logic. In ARC-1, a\n\nuser places a hidden collectible entity into a real environment through AR anchoring. The entity\n\nis not immediately visible to others. Discovery begins through a short haptic pulse and a\n\nchromatic bleed that signals type, state, or field identity before any visual reveal occurs. Only\n\nafter proximity and orientation thresholds are satisfied does the entity appear as a lightweight\n\nanchored visual presence.\n\n=== PDF PAGE 2 ===\nThe collectible can then be claimed once and transferred into the finder’s personal box or\n\ninventory layer. Immediately after claim, the original world instance disappears. If the entity is not\n\nclaimed before expiry, it decays into a transparent non-interactive afterfield. This afterfield\n\nremains softly detectable as residue but can no longer be collected or interacted with as an\n\nactive object.\n\nARC-1 therefore defines a new interaction grammar for AR collectibles: hidden placement, pre-\n\nvisual sensing, reveal through field intensity, single-take transfer, disappearance from world\n\nstate, and persistence through decay residue rather than perpetual visibility. The system is\n\npositioned as a lightweight ambient alternative to centrally spawned, map-visible, infinitely\n\nreproducible collectible logic.\n\nCore definition\n\nARC-1 is not a conventional location-based game mechanic in which a central system spawns\n\nentities onto a map. It is a user-placed residue architecture in which presence is carried into the\n\nenvironment, sensed before it is seen, and transferred out of the environment upon discovery.\n\nThe system is built on seven principles:\n\n1.\nField-first discovery\n\nThe environment does not present collectibles as explicit icons or map\n\nmarkers. Detection begins as environmental signal.\n\n2.\nHaptic-first thresholding\n\nThe first meaningful signal is a minimal haptic pulse indicating that an\n\nanchored collectible is within discovery range.\n\n3.\nChromatic pre-reveal\n\nBefore any sprite or visual entity appears, the system emits a type-color or\n\nchromatic bleed indicating the collectible’s field identity.\n\n4.\nReveal by proximity and alignment\n\nThe collectible becomes visible only when the user enters sufficient spatial\n\nand visual relation to the anchor.\n\n5.\nSingle-take transfer\n\nA collectible can be claimed once. After claim, it is transferred into a personal\n\ncollection layer and removed from the world state.\n\n6.\nDecay and expiry\n\nUnclaimed collectibles do not persist indefinitely. They degrade through time.\n\n7.\nAfterfield residue\n\nAfter expiry, the object no longer exists as an active collectible. Only a faint,\n\nnon-interactive trace remains.\n\n=== PDF PAGE 3 ===\n⸻\n\nProblem statement\n\nMost AR collectible systems rely on one or more of the following assumptions: centralized spawn\n\nlogic, explicit map visibility, repeated availability for multiple users, and immediate object\n\nvisibility. These assumptions make discovery legible, but they also flatten environmental surprise\n\nand reduce the phenomenological distinction between world presence and interface\n\npresentation.\n\nARC-1 proposes a different model. Rather than asking the system to calculate what should\n\nappear in a location, ARC-1 allows a user to place a collectible into a specific environment.\n\nRather than making the collectible visible from the outset, the system lets the finder first feel its\n\nexistence through haptics and chromatic field bleed. Rather than leaving the collectible\n\npermanently available, ARC-1 makes the object transferable, finite, and time-bound. Rather than\n\nerasing expired placements entirely, it preserves weak residue as an environmental memory\n\nlayer.\n\nThe result is a collectible architecture closer to hiding, finding, carrying, and losing than to\n\nconventional spawn-and-capture loops.\n\n⸻\n\nMVP scope\n\nThe MVP is intentionally narrow.\n\nARC-1 does not attempt to solve city-scale mapping, public moderation, multiplayer economies,\n\nor complex battle mechanics. It defines the smallest playable loop required to validate the\n\ngrammar.\n\nThe MVP includes:\n\n•\none placer\n\n•\none finder\n\n•\none anchored collectible entity\n\n•\none physical environment or image-anchored surface\n\n•\none haptic detection pulse\n\n•\none chromatic bleed phase\n\n•\none reveal phase\n\n•\none “take it with me” transfer action\n\n•\none personal box destination\n\n=== PDF PAGE 4 ===\n•\none post-transfer disappearance\n\n•\none post-expiry afterfield\n\nThe MVP excludes:\n\n•\nbattles\n\n•\nthrowing or projectile mechanics\n\n•\nrarity economies\n\n•\nmultiplayer combat\n\n•\nmap-based radar\n\n•\ninfinite respawns\n\n•\nlarge-scale community systems\n\n•\nprocedural biome classification\n\n•\ncomplex social or monetization layers\n\nThe goal of the MVP is not feature completeness. The goal is to validate the feel and\n\ncoherence of the loop.\n\n⸻\n\nSystem model\n\nARC-1 can be described as a state machine:\n\nHidden → Sensed → Bleeding → Revealed → Claimed → Transferred → Vanished\n\nor, if not claimed:\n\nHidden → Sensed → Bleeding → Revealed → Expired → Afterfield → Dissolved\n\nWhere:\n\n•\nHidden = the collectible is placed and anchored but not visible.\n\n•\nSensed = a haptic pulse indicates nearby presence.\n\n•\nBleeding = a chromatic field begins to appear on screen.\n\n•\nRevealed = the anchored visual presence becomes visible.\n\n•\nClaimed = the user actively chooses to take the collectible.\n\n•\nTransferred = the collectible moves into the personal box layer.\n\n•\nVanished = the original world instance is removed.\n\n•\nExpired = the collectible’s active life has elapsed.\n\n•\nAfterfield = only a fading non-interactive residue remains.\n\n•\nDissolved = the residue fully disappears.\n\n⸻\n\n=== PDF PAGE 5 ===\nEntity model\n\nEach collectible in ARC-1 may be represented by the following minimal structure:\n\nE = { id, anchor, type, chroma, state, decay, payload, owner }\n\nWhere:\n\n•\nid = unique collectible identifier\n\n•\nanchor = environment anchor or image-space anchor\n\n•\ntype = classification or field category\n\n•\nchroma = color profile used during bleed/reveal\n\n•\nstate = current lifecycle state\n\n•\ndecay = time-to-expiry and fade parameters\n\n•\npayload = optional attached data\n\n•\nowner = current holder or null if still in world\n\nA more formal field expression may be written as:\n\nE(t) = A × C × R(t) × P\n\nWhere:\n\n•\nA = anchor validity\n\n•\nC = chromatic/type identity\n\n•\nR(t) = residue intensity over time\n\n•\nP = payload structure\n\nIf decay is modeled exponentially:\n\nR(t) = e^(-λt)\n\nWhere λ is the decay constant.\n\nThis gives three practical thresholds:\n\n•\nR(t) > θ₁: fully active and claimable\n\n•\nθ₂ < R(t) ≤ θ₁: visible but weakening\n\n•\n0 < R(t) ≤ θ₂: afterfield only, non-claimable\n\n⸻\n\n=== PDF PAGE 6 ===\nDetection grammar\n\nARC-1 discovery does not begin with image recognition of a visible object. It begins with a\n\nlayered signal grammar.\n\n1. Haptic pulse\n\nWhen the user enters the collectible’s detection radius, the device emits one short pulse. This\n\nconfirms nearby presence without yet revealing identity.\n\nThe haptic pulse should be minimal. It is a threshold event, not a continuous feedback loop.\n\n2. Chromatic bleed\n\nAfter the pulse, the screen begins to receive a type-specific or field-specific color bleed. This is\n\nnot yet the object itself. It is the collectible’s ambient signature.\n\nThe chromatic bleed serves three functions:\n\n•\nit confirms that the pulse corresponds to a meaningful nearby placement\n\n•\nit communicates field identity before full reveal\n\n•\nit gives the user a directional and atmospheric cue\n\n3. Visual reveal\n\nOnce the device orientation and anchor alignment cross reveal threshold, the collectible appears\n\nin situ as a lightweight anchored visual presence.\n\nFor the MVP, this presence may be a 2D sprite-like image rather than a full 3D animated asset.\n\nThis is deliberate. The system prioritizes legibility, speed, low friction, and environmental fit over\n\ncinematic realism.\n\n4. Transfer interaction\n\nThe MVP uses a single affirmative action:\n\nTake it with me\n\nNo projectile logic is required. No multi-step capture ritual is required. Transfer is sufficient to\n\nvalidate the architecture.\n\n⸻\n\n=== PDF PAGE 7 ===\nPersonal box layer\n\nOnce claimed, the collectible is no longer part of the environment. It moves into a personal\n\nstorage layer.\n\nThe personal box layer performs four roles:\n\n•\nconfirms successful acquisition\n\n•\npreserves collected entities after world removal\n\n•\nseparates world-presence from owned-presence\n\n•\nenables later browsing, indexing, or future gameplay\n\nIn the MVP, the box can remain minimal. It does not need battle systems, sorting\n\nlogic, breeding logic, or progression systems. It only needs to prove world-to-box\n\ntransfer.\n\n⸻\n\nDecay and afterfield\n\nDecay is not an error state. It is a core mechanic.\n\nIf a placed collectible is not claimed before expiry, it should not simply disappear without trace.\n\nInstead it passes into an afterfield phase.\n\nActive phase\n\nThe collectible is claimable and visible after reveal.\n\nExpiry threshold\n\nThe collectible becomes non-claimable.\n\nAfterfield phase\n\nA faint transparent residue remains. This residue may still be sensed or visually noticed, but it\n\ncannot be taken.\n\nDissolution\n\nThe residue fades out completely.\n\n=== PDF PAGE 8 ===\nThis transforms the environment from a binary field of present/absent objects into a temporally\n\nlayered field of active presence, fading memory, and disappearance.\n\n⸻\n\nPayload logic\n\nARC-1 allows a collectible to carry optional payload.\n\nExamples of payload include:\n\n•\na short message\n\n•\na creator signature\n\n•\na route hint\n\n•\na stat card\n\n•\na collectible category\n\n•\nan environmental tag\n\n•\na timestamp\n\n•\na soft invitation to another location\n\nFor the MVP, payload should remain lightweight. The point is not content volume but\n\ntransferable meaning.\n\n⸻\n\nPlacement logic\n\nARC-1 is user-placed rather than centrally spawned.\n\nThis design choice is critical. It avoids the need for the system to infer what should appear in\n\nevery location. Instead, meaning enters the environment through placement.\n\nPlacement therefore includes:\n\n•\nchoosing a location or image anchor\n\n•\nassigning a collectible entity\n\n•\nassigning type/chroma\n\n•\ndefining active duration\n\n•\noptionally defining payload\n\nThe placer performs the semantic act. The system then carries, reveals, transfers,\n\nand decays that act.\n\n=== PDF PAGE 9 ===\n⸻\n\nVisual design constraints for MVP\n\nThe MVP should remain visually lightweight.\n\nPreferred visual logic:\n\n•\none short haptic pulse\n\n•\none clear chromatic bleed\n\n•\none low-friction reveal\n\n•\none simple transfer button\n\n•\none faint residue veil on expiry\n\nThe system should avoid:\n\n•\nmap clutter\n\n•\nradar clutter\n\n•\nexcessive HUD\n\n•\ncomplex 3D character animation\n\n•\ndense menus during discovery\n\n•\nlong interaction chains\n\nARC-1 depends on softness, not interface overload.\n\n⸻\n\nTechnical MVP architecture\n\nA minimal implementation may use:\n\n•\nARKit or ARCore for anchoring\n\n•\na lightweight environment or image anchor\n\n•\none collectible asset layer\n\n•\none chromatic overlay layer\n\n•\none haptic trigger\n\n•\none box/inventory storage layer\n\n•\none local or test backend for persistence\n\nSuggested MVP modules:\n\n1.\nAnchor Module\n\nStores and restores entity placement.\n\n2.\nDetection Module\n\n=== PDF PAGE 10 ===\nCalculates proximity and threshold crossing.\n\n3.\nBleed Module\n\nRenders type-color field before reveal.\n\n4.\nReveal Module\n\nDisplays entity at anchor.\n\n5.\nTransfer Module\n\nRemoves entity from world and adds to personal box.\n\n6.\nDecay Module\n\nControls expiry, afterfield visibility, and dissolution.\n\n7.\nBox Module\n\nStores claimed entities.\n\n⸻\n\nSuccess criteria for the MVP\n\nARC-1 MVP succeeds if the following can be demonstrated in one coherent loop:\n\n•\na user places a collectible at a real anchor\n\n•\nanother user or later session enters discovery range\n\n•\nthe device emits one short haptic pulse\n\n•\na type-specific chromatic bleed appears\n\n•\nthe collectible reveals at the anchored location\n\n•\nthe user presses “Take it with me”\n\n•\nthe collectible is added to the personal box\n\n•\nthe original placement disappears\n\n•\nafter expiry, only a non-interactive afterfield remains\n\nIf these nine conditions are satisfied, the grammar is validated.\n\n⸻\n\nWhat ARC-1 is not\n\nARC-1 is not:\n\n•\na generic AR object anchoring demo\n\n•\na map-first collectible game\n\n•\na central spawn system\n\n•\na standard scavenger hunt\n\n•\na full battle game\n\n•\nan infinitely persistent world-object architecture\n\n•\na conventional inventory collector without environmental memory\n\n=== PDF PAGE 11 ===\nARC-1 is specifically an ambient residue-collectible architecture.\n\n⸻\n\nConceptual contribution\n\nThe conceptual novelty of ARC-1 lies not in any single component taken alone, but in the\n\nintegration of the following sequence:\n\n•\nuser placement\n\n•\nhidden presence\n\n•\nhaptic detection\n\n•\nchromatic pre-reveal\n\n•\nlocal reveal\n\n•\nsingle-take transfer\n\n•\ndisappearance from world state\n\n•\ndecaying non-interactive afterfield\n\nThis produces a collectible logic that behaves more like a temporary environmental\n\ntrace than like a conventional spawn.\n\n⸻\n\nFuture expansions\n\nFuture versions may include:\n\n•\nmulti-user city-scale layers\n\n•\nroute-based residue systems\n\n•\nteam or bundle placements\n\n•\nrarity classes\n\n•\ncollaborative trails\n\n•\nbox-to-world redeployment\n\n•\nreputation fields\n\n•\nsocial permissions\n\n•\ncreator identity gradients\n\n•\nbroader ambient carry systems beyond collectibles\n\nThese are not required for the MVP.\n\n⸻\n\n=== PDF PAGE 12 ===\nConclusion\n\nARC-1 defines the smallest coherent implementation of a field-first AR collectible system based\n\non user placement, pre-visual sensing, single-take transfer, and residue decay. Its contribution is\n\nthe shift from map-visible spawn logic to hidden environmental presence; from direct visual\n\nobject presentation to haptic and chromatic approach; and from indefinite persistence to\n\nreversible, fading, temporally layered world memory.\n\nThe MVP is therefore sufficient not because it is feature-rich, but because it proves a complete\n\nnew loop:\n\nplace → sense → bleed → reveal → transfer → vanish → afterfield\n\n⸻\n\nKeywords\n\nambient AR, augmented reality collectibles, field-first discovery, haptic detection, chromatic\n\nreveal, residue systems, ephemeral collectibles, single-take transfer, afterfield decay, user-\n\nplaced AR entities, ambient interaction design, ubicomp, HCI, AR persistence, environmental\n\nanchoring\n\n⸻"
}