Augustus

AUGuSTUS – AUgmented Game for Sicilian ToUrism marketing Solutions is the app- game that leads to the discovery of 4 important Sicilian archaeological sites (Archaeological Park of Morgantina and the Villa Romana del Casale, Monumental Complex of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, Naxos Archaeological Park in Taormina, and Valley of the Temples Park). An experience that accompanies the visitor before, during and after the physical visit, in the footsteps of the Roman emperor Augustus.

Augustus was an enlightened prince, a lover of the arts, a protector of artists and intellectuals , and as is well known, he also gave great impetus to culture with the help of Mecenas. A charismatic and fascinating character, he will guide the player through trials and puzzles based on real historical events that he will experience firsthand in an adventurous story of discovery and conquest.

ETT, in collaboration with its partner Red Raion, was responsible for the realization of the software component that enables interaction, in onsite and offsite modes, with the virtual environment of UNESCO sites in Sicily involved in the AUGUSTUS project.

For the in its “onsite” component, ETT designed and developed the visitation app game-including its user experience and content within – with the goal of making the exploration of cultural heritage assets engaging, fast, and accessible to all.

The serious game takes place in the scenario of archaeological sites, on two temporal dimensions (Present and Past) on a 3D platform. The game iterations consist of 4 modules:

• Archaeological site exploration (present)
• Interaction with monuments and assets (present)
• Investigation and historical reconstruction (past)
• Resolution of a mystery (past)

The aim of the game is to complete the 4 levels-representing the 4 historical sites-by solving the mysteries and retrieving the objects up for grabs (statues, paintings, etc.) that will complete the room of Augustus’ mirabilia.

Within each route there will be a series of points of interest (POIs) that can be navigated on a map, each POI contains a set of basic content (gallery for images, title, subtitle, audio and text) and “plus” content (augmented reality, virtual reality, 360° video, etc.). For each level, in addition to visible POIs, there are some blocked points of interest, which can be activated only during the onsite visit, puzzle games, and quizzes that follow a “treasure hunt” logic according to the customized narrative plot of the site of interest. Each correctly unlocked POI allows you to purchase tokens and scores that will set the final ranking.