Download MP3Seekt Quick Guide: Scoring
Welcome to the Seekt Quick Guide series. In this episode, we are looking at how scoring works in Seekt and the optional mechanics that can make your games more competitive.
Every item has a base point value that you set when creating it. If you do nothing else, teams earn that exact number of points when their submission is accepted. Simple scoring works great, and many hosts leave it at that.
But when you want more depth, Seekt offers three optional scoring mechanics that you configure when starting a game.
The first is time-decay scoring. With decay enabled, items lose value over time. You set a decay rate — a percentage per minute — and a floor, which is the lowest the value can drop. For example, a hundred-point item with one percent decay per minute and a ten percent floor would be worth seventy points after thirty minutes, and would never drop below ten. Players see exactly how many points were deducted on each submission, so the scoring is always transparent. Decay rewards speed. Teams that move quickly earn more.
The second mechanic is the first-finder bonus. This awards extra points to the first team that successfully completes any given item. Only one team per item gets the bonus. This encourages teams to go after items early rather than saving them, and it creates exciting moments when teams realize they were first.
The third is the streak bonus. When a team completes three or more items in a row without a rejection, they earn bonus points on top of the normal value. The streak resets if a submission is rejected. This rewards consistency and momentum.
All three mechanics are optional and independent. You can enable one, two, or all three. Or none. The settings appear on the start game screen, and the defaults are all off.
There is also the power-up multiplier. Any item can be designated as a power-up during hunt design. When a team completes it, they earn a score multiplier — say, two times — that applies to their next several items. The host sets both the multiplier value and how many items it covers. This adds a strategic layer: teams that go after the power-up early and then complete high-value items quickly can earn significantly more points. Players see a visual indicator when their multiplier is active and how many items remain.
One more scoring feature worth knowing: when you review a submission, you are not limited to accept or reject. You can also adjust the points manually. Want to give partial credit? Increase the number. Want to penalize a low-effort submission? Decrease it. This gives you full control over how points are awarded.
That is "scoring" in Seekt. For more, visit the seekt.ca website.