Answers to common questions about commissioning a Storied Ways adventure, including pricing, storytelling, technology and how visitors take part.
Storied Ways combines film, animation and technology to create interactive stories for cities, towns, museums, attractions, hotels, bars, restaurants and other venues. Every adventure is developed around its place, audience and budget.
Every Storied Ways adventure is quoted individually.
Every Storied Ways adventure is quoted individually. The price depends on the story, route, research, production and technology involved. A short adventure built around written clues and existing landmarks has a different production cost from one with actors, original film, animation and augmented reality. Tell us your budget and what you want visitors to experience, and we can propose a suitable approach.
Each place has different stories, practical requirements and audiences. A museum mystery, a woodland folklore trail and an adventure connecting local pubs need different creative and technical work. Quoting each story individually means the budget can go towards the elements that matter most to that particular experience.
Yes. A budget helps us shape the story and choose an achievable production scope. We can concentrate on written scenes, clues, illustrations or selected audio moments when funds are limited. With more budget, we can add elements such as filmed performances, original animation, more complex branching or augmented reality.
A compelling adventure does not depend on using every available technology. A well-placed clue, a character’s letter or a sound heard in the right setting can carry a scene. With a smaller budget, we focus the scope and put the work into the story, puzzles and connection to the place.
The main factors are research, script length, the number of locations and story branches, puzzle design, filming, performers, animation, sound production and technical development. Translation, accessibility adaptations, travel, permissions and third-party licences can also affect the cost. The mix is different for each adventure.
No. We choose the production methods that suit the story and budget. An adventure can use written scenes, maps and clues, or combine these with audio, film, animation and augmented reality. You do not need to commission every technology shown on the website.
A simpler adventure might follow a short route with written scenes, clues based on existing landmarks and a final reveal. It could use local photographs, documents or illustrations where suitable. The emphasis would be on giving visitors a reason to explore and a story worth following.
A larger budget can support more research, additional routes or endings, professional performers, original film, detailed 2D or 3D animation, sound design and augmented reality scenes. We recommend additions where they strengthen the experience, rather than filling it with features for their own sake.
Yes. We can plan an initial adventure with room for future chapters, additional locations, seasonal stories or a separate version for another audience. Future expansion should be considered at the start so that the creative work and technical structure support it. Each additional phase is scoped and quoted separately.
The proposal sets out the agreed creative and technical work, deliverables, production stages and launch requirements. It also identifies assumptions, exclusions and any ongoing services. Depending on the project, the scope may include research, writing, puzzle design, filming, animation, audio, development and testing.
There may be ongoing costs for hosting, platform operation, maintenance, support, licences or content updates. These depend on how the adventure is delivered and managed. We discuss them alongside the production budget so that you can consider the cost of running the experience as well as creating it.
An adventure can be planned as a free experience, a paid experience or part of an existing admission or booking. Ticketing, payment handling and any revenue arrangements need to be agreed for the project. There is no single visitor pricing model that applies to every Storied Ways adventure.
Yes. A story can connect several venues, businesses or locations, with a shared brief and agreed responsibilities. This may suit a town centre, cultural district or group of attractions. Funding contributions, approvals and the way each partner appears in the story should be established at the start.
A Storied Ways adventure can be scoped for a funding application or sponsorship proposal. Whether it qualifies depends on the particular funder’s criteria. If you have a funding opportunity in mind, share the requirements, budget and deadline so that the proposed work can be considered against them.
Storied Ways creates interactive adventures rooted in real places. Visitors use their phones to follow clues, encounter characters, solve puzzles and discover a story as they explore. We combine storytelling, filmmaking, animation, sound and software development to build the experience.
We work with organisations and businesses that want people to explore their place through a story. This includes cities, towns, museums, heritage sites, visitor attractions, hotels, bars, restaurants and other venues. Projects can involve a single location or several partners along a route.
A Storied Ways adventure gives visitors a story to take part in. They might investigate a disappearance, follow a local legend or uncover clues hidden in ordinary surroundings. Historical information and local knowledge can become part of the plot, with choices and puzzles shaping how the experience unfolds.
Yes. An adventure can complement guided tours, exhibitions and other visitor experiences. It might explore a different story, serve another age group or encourage visitors to return. We develop its role with you so that it fits the wider experience of your place.
No. Local memories, an unusual building, a landscape, a trade, a business or a small detail can provide the starting point. We can work with documented history, folklore or an original fictional story connected to the surroundings.
Storied Ways is an App Ranch product bringing together storytelling, film, animation and interactive technology. Storied Ways is the public-facing brand for these place-based adventures.
We can develop family adventures, historical mysteries, folklore trails, ghost stories, and food and pub adventures. Those are starting points rather than a fixed catalogue. The tone, route, characters and challenges are developed for your location and intended audience.
No. You can bring a complete concept, some local material or simply a place you would like people to explore. We can help find the story, develop its structure and decide how visitors will take part.
Yes. Historical records, local knowledge, photographs and first-hand accounts can inform the story. Research and review are included according to the agreed scope. Where fictional characters or events are added, we can make the distinction clear so visitors understand what is documented and what has been created for the adventure.
Yes. An adventure can be fictional, based on folklore or built around a mixture of documented material and imaginative storytelling. We agree the approach with you, including how legends, uncertain accounts and fictional additions are presented.
Map-guided adventures use a phone map to connect story locations. Clue-led adventures ask visitors to find their way through written clues, spoken directions and landmarks. Audio tales tell the story through voices, music and sound as visitors walk. These formats can be combined within one adventure.
Yes. Choices and puzzle answers can lead to different scenes, routes or endings. A wrong answer could open another part of the story rather than simply stopping progress. The amount of branching is designed around the audience, location and production budget.
Yes. We can adjust the reading level, tone, puzzle difficulty, route length and subject matter for different audiences. A family version and an adult version may share a setting while telling different stories. Separate versions are included in the scope when commissioned.
The length is designed for the place and audience. It could be a short experience within one venue, an adventure lasting around an hour, or a longer route with time for stops. We agree the intended duration, walking distance and pace before production.
Depending on the brief, an adventure can use GPS, maps, interactive puzzles, branching scenes, audio, film, 2D animation, 3D animation, visual effects and augmented reality. LiDAR scanning can help create digital versions of real locations. Each element is selected for its role in the story.
GPS can connect scenes, clues and audio to locations along a route. Reaching a designated place can move the story forward or reveal its next part. The location triggers and any alternative ways to continue are planned around the setting, phone behaviour and practical conditions.
Yes. Visual effects and animation can show a vanished building, an earlier streetscape or a historical event. The available research, level of detail and presentation method determine the work involved. A reconstruction might appear in a film, an animated scene or an augmented reality element.
Augmented reality can place a digital element into the view through a visitor’s phone camera. It might reveal a character, a reconstructed structure or another layer of a scene. It is an optional part of an adventure, and its value, device requirements and cost are considered during planning.
Yes, where the material is suitable and the necessary permissions are available. Existing material can inform the script or become part of the experience. We review what you have and agree any restoration, editing, licensing or additional production required.
Yes. Film and audio can include professional performers, local contributors or a combination of both. A resident’s memory, a character’s message or a recorded conversation can become part of the story. Casting, recording, contributor permissions and usage rights are planned within the production scope.
AI tools can form part of the production process where they are appropriate to the project. They may help with development, visual exploration or selected production tasks. Their use is discussed against the brief, source material and intended output. Research, creative direction and review remain part of the work.
Browser-based delivery can let visitors start an adventure through a link or QR code without installing an app. The delivery method is agreed for each project, including any features that require a particular application, browser or device.
The main visitor experience is designed around smartphones. Specific requirements depend on the features commissioned. Audio may be easier to enjoy with headphones, while augmented reality may require a compatible phone and camera access. Supported devices and any additional requirements are established during development.
Connectivity requirements depend on the delivery method and media involved. Routes with weak signal need to be considered early, especially where video, maps or location features are used. Any downloadable content or offline functionality must be included in the project scope rather than assumed.
Yes. Museums, historic houses, hotels and other indoor venues can use clues, room features, exhibits or designated checkpoints to move the story forward. Indoor experiences do not need to rely on GPS. The trigger method is chosen to suit the building and visitor journey.
Yes. An adventure can be designed for families, couples or groups to follow together, potentially sharing one phone. Experiences with individual choices or competitive elements may need separate devices. We agree how people will take part when developing the story and puzzles.
Accessibility can be planned into both the digital experience and the physical route. Depending on the brief, this may include captions, transcripts, readable text, alternatives to audio or visual clues, and routes that avoid particular barriers. We agree specific requirements with you and assess them against the location and production scope.
Yes. Translation, subtitles and alternative voice recordings can be included. The number of languages and level of localisation affect the scope and budget. Wordplay, clues and culturally specific references may need adaptation so that the adventure works in each language.
We can include hints, clearer directions or an alternative way to continue. The approach depends on whether the adventure is intended to be a relaxed family experience, a demanding mystery or something in between. Help features are designed alongside the puzzles.
An adventure can be designed for self-guided use, scheduled sessions or a limited event. Availability also depends on the route, venue opening hours, daylight and access arrangements. If a clue involves entering a business or speaking to staff, that needs to be reflected in how the experience operates.
Yes. Historians, residents, artists, schools and businesses can contribute knowledge, memories and voices. We can build that material into the creative process, with the level of participation agreed at the start. Contributions are shaped into a coherent story and used with the relevant permissions.
Yes. A venue could hold a clue, provide the setting for a scene or connect the story to local food, drink or history. Participation is planned with the business so the visitor experience fits its opening hours, space and staff capacity.
Yes. The story can give each stop a role through a menu, an object, a local connection or a clue. Purchasing food or drink does not have to be a requirement unless that is part of the agreed experience. We decide with participating venues how the adventure and their offer fit together.
Community geocaching lets visitors discover physical or digital items at designated locations, and can let them leave something for later explorers. A discovery might be a cache, a message or a story clue. Locations, permissions and participation rules are designed for each adventure.
The visitor message approach shown on our website uses preset phrases, words and connecting terms chosen for each adventure. Visitors can combine these into journal entries, hints or clues that fit the story. It does not allow unrestricted public notes.
The software can control where digital messages are left, when they appear and how many visitors encounter. Each adventure has its own rules and limits. Physical caches also need agreed locations and a practical plan for checking and maintaining them.
We begin with the place, audience, aims and budget. From there, we develop the story and route, agree the production scope, create the content and build the interactive experience. Review, testing and launch preparation are planned into the project. The exact stages depend on the work commissioned.
The timescale depends on research, approvals, production, technical complexity and access to the location. A short clue-based story involves a different schedule from a filmed adventure with actors and original animation. We agree a realistic timetable after scoping the project.
Tell us about the place, the audience, what you would like the adventure to achieve, and any budget or deadline. Existing stories, photographs, archive material, route ideas and introductions to local contributors are useful. You do not need to have everything prepared before the first conversation.
The project plan includes agreed review stages for the commissioned work. These can cover the concept, script, route, visual approach and visitor experience. We establish who approves each stage and how feedback is handled so that the production can move forward clearly.
Responsibilities are agreed during scoping. Filming, archive use, private property, physical caches and participating venues may need permissions. The route also needs practical review for access, crossings, opening hours and other local conditions. We identify what needs to be checked and who is responsible before launch.
Launch materials can be included in the scope. These might include a trailer, still images, posters, QR signage or copy explaining how to start. We can plan these alongside the adventure so its public presentation follows the same story and visual approach.
Ownership and usage rights are agreed in the project contract. These arrangements may differ between bespoke story content, commissioned film or animation, third-party material and the underlying software. We establish what you can use, where you can use it and any relevant licence conditions before production.
Yes. Changes, additional chapters, seasonal content and new audience versions can be scoped after launch. Content management access and ongoing support are agreed for each project. We also consider how route changes, venue closures or outdated information will be handled.
Measurement can be included in the project, such as starts, progress through key scenes and completions. The available reporting depends on the delivery system and agreed privacy arrangements. We decide which measures would be useful during scoping rather than assuming that every project needs the same analytics.
The data required depends on the experience and features commissioned. Location access, accounts, payments, saved progress and analytics are considered separately during planning. We agree what is necessary, how it will be handled and what visitors need to be told before launch. The specific arrangements are documented for the project.
We can design an adventure to encourage exploration, longer engagement or visits to participating locations. Commercial results also depend on promotion, demand, access and the wider visitor offer. We agree the intended outcomes and any measurement, without promising a particular increase in footfall or revenue.
Use the contact form to tell us about your place, audience and idea. Include a budget range and intended launch date if you have them. We can then discuss what kind of story and production approach would suit the project.
Have a location, a story or a budget in mind? We can help work out what kind of adventure would suit it.
Let’s talk about your place