TRACEKEEPERS plain-language guide

This guide applies to every text that a player may read or hear: scans, dialogue, missions, hints, biographies, curiosities, treasures and wonders.

Goal

A person of about ten and any adult with no previous knowledge should understand the text on the first reading. Every version begins from zero. Simplifying does not mean removing the important idea; it means explaining it with common words, familiar examples and easy steps.

Required rules

1. Begin by saying what the object, person or problem is.
2. Then explain how it works and what it was used for.
3. Use short sentences, with one main idea in each sentence.
4. Avoid technical terms when an everyday word works.
5. If a historical term is necessary, explain it immediately: “a qanat, a tunnel that carries water underground”.
6. Do not introduce more than one new term in the same sentence.
7. Avoid an encyclopaedic tone, exaggeration and phrases such as “the first in history” when firm evidence is absent.
8. Clearly distinguish facts, hypotheses and traditional stories.
9. Distinguish historical characters from legendary, religious, fictional or composite ones.
10. Never present ancient medical practices as current advice. Do not include doses or instructions for eating plants or applying them to wounds. If a historical practice appears, explain that it may have eased symptoms but does not replace medical treatment.

Suggested length

• Resource scan: 45–80 words.
• Hint or answer: 1–2 sentences.
• Short biography: 40–70 words.
• Curiosity: 60–100 words.
• Dialogue option: one action or idea.

Presentation by age

Age does not change what must be learned or make the reasoning harder. All three versions explain the same basic idea, ask equally simple questions and offer help. Only the way of speaking changes.

• Children (10–14): very short sentences, a warm tone and one instruction at a time.
• Young people (15–25): a direct, natural tone. No harder ideas are added.
• Adults (26+): a neutral, respectful tone. No extra facts, variables or technical terms are added.

An adult version never turns into an advanced lesson. If an idea needs several steps, explain them one by one with an everyday example.

When the player wants to know more

Extra depth is optional and available at every age. Going deeper means adding simple steps, not harder words.

• First recall the previous idea.
• Add one new observation.
• Explain how the character uses it in daily life.
• Stop when the limit of the character's time and experience is reached.
• Save the remaining question without revealing a future answer.

A good limit sounds like this: “I have seen that a covered ember grows weak, but I do not know what air is made of.” It does not use a modern word the character could not know.

When another character continues the thread, the Atlas gives the summary. The new character explains which different tool or problem lets them move forward. They never call the earlier character ignorant.

Words belonging to the game

• Logos: a word used in early drafts for thinking with reasons and evidence. It no longer appears as points or currency in the active demo.
• Obscurantist: an enemy who tries to manipulate people through fear, hatred or lies.
• Atlas: Arca's system, which uses a surviving trace to open a moment in the past.
• Tracekeeper: an Arca traveller who follows a trace, observes the past and saves what that trace lets us know. A Tracekeeper may help, but does not give people solutions from the future.

The first appearance of any of these words in a scene must include its plain explanation.

Approved example

Scan: Flint

Flint is a hard stone. It is often found inside a paler rock called limestone. When it breaks, it can leave a very sharp edge. Many people in the past used it to cut, scrape hides and prepare tools. The game does not teach real flintknapping.

Checklist

Before approving a text, check:

• Can it be understood without searching for words online?
• Does it explain what something is for before adding details?
• Does every new term receive a short explanation?
• Does it avoid presenting something disputed or legendary as certain?
• Do young people and adults receive the same simple idea as children?
• Does the adult version avoid assumed knowledge, jargon and extra steps?
• Does optional depth respect the character's date, place and experience?
• Is a question beyond that limit saved without revealing the future?
• Does the text avoid medical advice or dangerous actions?