ePeterso2
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Posts
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Posts posted by ePeterso2
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The attributes table on a cache's Edit Attributes page is ... well ... kinda "spacey".
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This line is hosing the look of all of my tables in my cache descriptions:
yu27-reset-fonts-grids.css, first "table" block in the file:
table {
border-collapse:collapse;
border-spacing:0;
}
Please find a way to keep this CSS entry from bleeding into the cache descriptions I write! (... so that I don't have to go back and hand-hack around this in each cache description I have ...)
-eP
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What is geocaching all about?
It's about this long, and about that wide, and about this country about which we're singing about.
-eP
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I'd be happy to test it out for you. I'm a big fan of IF.
-eP
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Anybody else notice GC.com weirdness under Firefox 3.5?
I just upgraded to Firefox 3.5.2, and I noticed that the "Bookmark Lists" and "My Bookmark Lists" look a little weird. Under FF 3.0, it shows the owner of the bookmark list on a line below the last line of the name of the list. Under FF 3.5 it shows the owner on the same line as the last line of the list.
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Thank you for posting the example. Seeing it, I am even more certain of my opinion: that development efforts ought to focus on fixing and improving THIS site in preference to extending geocaching features to other sites that are only used by a subset of the geocaching population.
Amen, brother!
(More GPX fields, anyone? Anyone?)
[tangent]This reminds me of a story I heard once in the context of golf. An amateur asked a teaching pro if he could learn to hit the ball so that it would roll backwards on the green just like the pros on TV hit it. The teacher asked: "Do you hit the ball short of the hole or past the hole?" The amateur replied: "Oh, I'm always short of the hole." The teacher responded: "If you're always short of the hole, why do you want the ball to spin backwards?"[/tangent]
-eP
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I found this chart on the internet. I think I will use it next time I go to the store to buy ice cream
Favorite ice cream flavors Rank Flavor Percent 1. Vanilla 29.0% 2. Chocolate 8.9 3. Butter Pecan 5.3 4. Strawberry 5.3 5. Neapolitan 4.2 6. Chocolate chip 3.9 7. French vanilla 3.8 8. Cookies 'n' cream 3.6 9. Fudge ripple 2.6 10. Praline 1.7
Fortunately, this chart is correct. Vanilla is, in fact, the best flavor. All others may be ignored.
-eP
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FYI - I've started a personal blog of information for puzzle solvers and constructors. Check it out at http://www.puzzlehead.org.
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What if I don't want that particular account being Premium? I no longer have a choice on how I run my own account?
That's a good point ... I don't know how this feature works, but it would kinda stink if someone was able to make modifications to your membership without your consent.
Is there some kind of approval necessary on the part of the targeted user to accept the gift? Kinda like with friend requests, where you have to accept or reject folks as your friends?
-eP
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I like the link. Please feel free to renew my membership as often as you like.
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Signature Items have always baffled me just a little bit.
I mean, I can totally understand the idea of creating something more than just a signature to indicate you were at a particular cache, especially if it expresses your personality or reflects your user name in some way. I saw one cacher with the word "cat" in her username had left hand-signed mousetraps (unarmed!) as a sig item, so that's kinda clever. And another with "floss" in his name would leave plastic floss picks as a sig item.
But on the other hand, once the cleverness is out of the way, they just seem like more geotrash. I mean, they're not your items, so why would you take them? And if the point is to indicate that a particular cacher visited a particular cache, then there's no real point in treating them as trade items, per se. I bet that sig items largely just accumulate in caches, going nowhere, taking up an ever-increasing amount of space.
Having said that, I know there are cachers out there that collect the signature items of other players. I tried playing that game a while back (I have one of the aforementioned mousetraps), but I lost interest pretty quickly. More power to you, if that floats your boat.
My favorite signature items have been ones that have a use beyond just getting me to appreciate the talent of the person that created the item. A personal geocoin is an obviously cool sig item, but those don't ever stay in one place (or, if they do, they're out of sight in someone's caching bag or coin notebook).
Right now, I have a pen in my pocket (no protector - my wife won't let me use one ;-) ) that has a local cacher's name and a cute geocaching quote printed on it. The same cacher has also used a whistle on a key chain with his name printed on it as a sig item ... that was entertaining for my kids to play with.
I toyed with the idea of getting a personal coin minted or crafting some other sort of sig item, but then I started thinking thoughts that I've expressed here already and changed my mind. But I've since found what I consider to be an even better personal sig item for me - my active puzzle caches :-)
My $0.02 is now spent.
-eP
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Is there any chance of seeing this feature any time soon?
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First, I recommend that you have a few friends (preferably non-geocachers) solve the puzzle before you post it. Have them take you through their thought process as they solve it. See the places where you thought the next step would be obvious but they don't, because they can't read your mind. Fine-tune the puzzle to incorporate the feedback.
I totally agree with this - definitely test before you submit and get feedback on how the solving went. For some of my tougher published puzzles, I often ask the finders after the fact how they went about solving it. Not only can you see if your puzzle is working well, but sometimes you get good ideas for puzzle hiding techniques you might want to use in the future.
Don't include a bunch of false leads or "red herrings" unless you really know what you are doing. Avoid tedium and unnecessary steps that are error-prone: for example, don't make ciphertext into an image so that finders have to transcribe it back to text unless you have a really good reason for doing so. Don't put in needless basic arithmetic unless there is a good reason for it.Just to both agree with and to generalize that sentiment - don't make the puzzle solver do anything unless there is a good reason for it.
(Having said that, I've attempted to solve some complex puzzles that explicitly violate just those sorts of rules ... the non-geocache puzzle Savoir-Faire comes to mind. But there's a fine line between tongue-in-cheek and over-the-top-irritating ... beware if you decide to tread that line!)
See how many ways you can include subtle clues about the method for solving the puzzle into the presentation of the puzzle.GCP5QD is one of my favorite puzzles that has a ton of subtle clues. Until you solve it, you have absolutely no idea how many blatant clues are staring you right in the face.
And keep the presentation of the puzzle short and clear; long, convoluted puzzle expositions tend to not be a lot of fun.As an example, Cerebral Codex has 11 puzzles conveniently packaged into a 200-page novel. Finding them is as much of an endurance test as solving them! Yikes!
-eP
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For starters, you might want to check out my Puzzle Solving 101 series of caches. It's designed more as a tutorial on how to solve than how to create, but you can't really create a good puzzle until you know how to solve 'em. (Just like you probably shouldn't place a traditional cache until you have found some and understand what makes them good or bad.)
A good puzzle is one that compels the potential solver to actually solve it. If it's too hard or too complex (or even if it just appears that way), most people won't try or will give up quickly. If it's too easy, experienced solvers won't attempt it (or will blast right through it just to snag FTF honors
). Obviously, the definitions of "too hard" and "too easy" will vary between cachers - in writing a puzzle, you should consider what experience level you want to target.Here's my own personal gut feel of what makes for a good puzzle:
- Simplicity. A good puzzle doesn't rely upon a complex solving mechanism. The harder it is to understand or ascertain the solving mechanism, the less compelling it is.
Note that simplicity is unrelated to effort - all sudoku puzzles have a very simple set of rules that constrain the puzzle solution, yet some can be quite effort-intensive to solve.
- Originality. A good puzzle is one that helps me to see the world in a new way. I already know how to do sudoku puzzles and have seen them used in caches quite a lot, so seeing a new sudoku puzzle pop up wouldn't interest me. However, a variation on sudoku (such as GCQXGW) might be really interesting (I still haven't solved that one, btw).
- Correctness. It's very disappointing to spend a lot of time solving something only to find out that mistakes by the puzzle constructor have led you astray. (Imagine how you'd feel if a traditional cache owner gave you slightly incorrect coordinates and had you searching 100' away from the actual location.)
- Hints. I don't care for puzzles that just give you some random sequence of letters and hope you guess the magic formula for untangling their meaning. The best ones have hints in the text, title, and other places that may directly or (better yet) not-so-directly nudge your thinking in the right direction. The worst ones require blind guesses about ciphers or keywords or magic numbers or secret incantations. I mean how much fun is this game?
Me: I'm thinking of a number. Guess.You: Uh ... 7?
Me: No.
You: 11?
Me: No.
You: A million?
Me: No.
You: I quit.
- Integration with location. The best puzzle caches are ones that incorporate the intermediate or final locations into the puzzle somehow. Perhaps the final location is a punch line to a joke posed by the puzzle text (I love those) or has some special relationship to the final ... make the location meaningful.
Be sure that you have a good answer to the cacher's question: "Why did you bother to bring me here? What's in it for me at this place?" (It's no different in that regard than traditional caches.)
- Persistence. Puzzle caches aren't found anywhere near as often as traditional ones, so if they are muggled it will take longer for someone to notice. Plus, if the final container disappears, would-be solvers might have the right solution but mistakenly think they've got it wrong. Make sure you pick a place and a container that will stand the test of time.
I have a corollary to the persistence rule for bonus caches that require collecting information from a series of other caches - treat the series caches the same as the bonus. If one of the series caches disappears and isn't replaced for an extended period of time, then the bonus cache will become unfindable. Keep your series up to date as well as the status of the bonus.
- Online solution verification. If the puzzle can be solved at your desk, it's a good idea to include a link to a verification tool such as Geochecker. Your solvers will appreciate not having to drive around testing out their solution theories.
- Testing. There's no better way to improve your puzzle than to have someone else test it prior to submitting it for publication. Not only will you find any errors you may have made, but you'll also get an idea if people are solving it the way you intended and are getting the experience out of it that you wanted your finders to have.
The best way to find people to test your puzzle is to check with puzzle cache owners and puzzle cache finders in your area. Just search for all your nearby puzzle caches and send messages to folks you see in the listing ... most everyone I've asked has been more the happy to help me out. (I will gladly help test anyone's puzzle, if I've got the bandwidth - just send me a message through this site.)
There are certain types of puzzles I find uninteresting as an experienced puzzle solver, mostly because they've been used over and over again. That doesn't mean you shouldn't create one of these yourself, but you should be mindful of other caches in your area that might be similar (see the Originality guideline above). Here are some methods of hiding coordinates that don't interest me ...
- Sudoku
- Simple substitution ciphers
- Bar codes
- Basic arithmetic
- Obvious mappings of the letter A into 1, B into 2, etc.
- Obvious mappings of objects into numbers (elements, US presidents, US states, etc)
Having said that, an original combination of these elements plus integration with location might be really fun. For instance, a puzzle that uses elements and leads to a monument at the site of some famous discovery in chemistry or physics might be really cool, or perhaps a puzzle with stellar magnitudes might lead to some other location involving stars (such as an observatory, or something like the Hollywood Walk of Fame). The more elements you can tie together (especially those that can be discovered by surprise along the way), the more people will like your puzzle.
If you're looking to construct a fairly standard type of puzzle (such as a crossword, cryptogram, maze, logic problem, etc), the Internet and your local library have many, many resources available. Just search for the word "construction" along with the particular type of puzzle you want to create, and you're certain to find something meaningful.
The best way to build a good puzzle cache is to start from the end and work your way backwards. As with a traditional cache, pick an interesting location, then frame your puzzle around it.
For instance, I noticed a building in my city that had three windows in the shape of the numbers "007" and that there was a caboose parked on a nearby railway siding that also had the number "007" painted on it. I created a James Bond trivia puzzle that when solved with information at the building would take you to the caboose. (Unfortunately, the building was knocked down shortly after the cache was published.)
Good luck!
-eP
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I was trying to write a GSAK macro to do a particular type of analysis of some local cache data, and I wanted to use the counts of the number of finds of each type. However, since not all of the find logs are exported in the GPX file for a cache, I thought it might be summarized somewhere else in the GPX since the summary is on the cache page. However, I didn't see it ... did I just miss it?
I was expecting to see something sorta like this ...
<Groundspeak:logged_visits> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_type>Found It</Groundspeak:logged_visits_type> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_count>88</Groundspeak:logged_visits_count> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_last_date>2008-07-13T19:00:00</Groundspeak:logged_visits_last_date> </Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_type>Didn't find it</Groundspeak:logged_visits_type> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_count>27</Groundspeak:logged_visits_count> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_last_date>2008-08-14T19:00:00</Groundspeak:logged_visits_last_date> </Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_type>Write note</Groundspeak:logged_visits_type> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_count>12</Groundspeak:logged_visits_count> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_last_date>2008-0-14T19:00:00</Groundspeak:logged_visits_last_date> </Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry> </Groundspeak:logged_visits>
Or, somewhat more simply:
<Groundspeak:logged_visits> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry type="Found it" count="88" last_date="2008-08-17T19:00:00" /> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry type="Didn't find it" count="27" last_date="2008-07-17T19:00:00" /> <Groundspeak:logged_visits_entry type="Write note" count="12" last_date="2008-04-01T19:00:00" /> </Groundspeak:logged_visits>
Is that data available somewhere in the GPX file? If not, could TPTB (please) add it?
Thanks,
-eP
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Found a dildo today. See cache GC1B59 for my writeup.
I wonder if that's the same person that left one near GCMH0P? Here's my log entry of my journey through this area which was heavily in need of a CITO event, along with one shortly afterwards ...
February 15, 2007 by ePeterso2 (538 found)[...] While climbing down the bank of the canal, I had to step over a "personal entertainment device for women". I didn't have my rubber gloves with me, so I was afraid to CITO it. How the heck a thing like that would end up a place like this makes my head spin.
February 23, 2007 by TinSparrow (4733 found)[...] I did not see the recently spotted "personal entertainment device for women" near the cache. It's probably just as well, since Valentine's Day has already passed so the opportinities to regift it this year are less. Thanks for the cache.
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I hid a cache using a hiding method I totally stole off of this forum. It's in a public park underneath a piece of exercise equipment along a jogging trail. There's a pen attached with velcro along with another piece of velcro that holds ... nothing. The log sheet is hidden in the barrel of the pen. The cache was hidden on 4/1/2007.
I wish I had a dollar for every replacement cache that's been left there. It's been a nonstop source of excellent candidates for the Didn't Find It = Found It thread. So far, it's only cache I've got that has actively made someone angry at me.
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(double-post deleted)
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Italics are my emphasis ...
June 27, 2008 by Found Sump'm 2 (91 found)only found the one piece of velcro...
June 26, 2008 by Found Sump'm 1 (112 found)found with Found Sump'm 2
June 7, 2008 by No It Doesn't Count Either Time (2384 found)#2259 @ 3:29 p.m.:
Does it count if I find the two pieces of velcro and attach my label? TN but a picture of the log, LN/TFT$™ ;-) MommieMogger on a solo geocaching and mostly Waymarking Florida's historical markers adventure
April 29, 2008 by The Velcro Is Multiplying (84 found)Found location but only found two strips of velcro.
April 8, 2008 by Identified the Cause of the Great South Florida Velcro Shortage (102 found)Found the spot but no cache, just velcro.
April 5, 2008 by At Least He Logged a Needs Maintenance (59 found)There was only velcro there was no log to sign.
April 5, 2008 by At Least He Logged a Needs Maintenance (59 found)We found where it should (we think), but there was only a velcro strip.
March 13, 2008 by Yet Another Valid DNF (17 found)Like the previous cacher this was a DNF. Did find two pennies in the search. Could it be gone?
February 23, 2008 by Another Valid DNF (3764 found)After a great dinner with our friends, we said our good byes and continued our day of Florida caching, this being our last stop of the evening. All I found here was a lonely strip of velcro and no container? Seeing things and places your average visitor doesn't!
January 12, 2008 by Valid DNF (176 found)2008-01-12 High foot traffic in the area when I was looking around for this one today.
Will have to come back another time. TFTC
November 24, 2007 by Was Told By Cache Owner That DNF = Found It (682 found)This was my big attempt at 100 caches in 1 day! 12:00 am Nov. 23 until 11:07 pm Nov. 23. Here is the breakdown:
Gasoline - $140.80
Food - $63.16
Parking ticket - $18.00
Lanifel Poison Ivy Scrub - $40.00
Magnetic boxes to replace missing caches - $25.00
Paying off Homeless person to stay away from bush - $5.00
97 FOUND CACHES!!! - PRICELESS
I signed all logs 11-24-07 not knowing it was actually the 23rd. I found 97 but also had 20 DNF's. I skipped 21 because of them being so far or hard to get to. I was stopped by police 4 times, all after 2 am. I was confronted by a drug addict at one cache and was flirted with at another (if you know this park you will know why it was wierd for me). I replaced 5 caches for owners that were missing. I replaced 12 log books that were soaked and left another 6 that I could not replace. I received a MAJOR injury at this one cache that I have to go in to the hospital today for. I climbed at least 70 feet at one cache with no luck! I laid on the grass at another cache at 10:30 pm with the hopes of channeling indian spirits to lead me to the cache, again no luck! I hid 1 cache and performed maintainence on 2 of mine.
This cache - I found where it "was" but there was no cache. I will send a message to owner verifying and change to a DNF if I was wrong. I replaced cache and log with a new one in a slightly different spot, not magnetic or velcro.
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January 5 by Missed It By That Much (90 found)went with Found Sump'm 1 who had fund it before.. but traces were there not the log.
[view this log on a separate page]
June 27, 2008 by Found Sump'm 2 (91 found)nice p&g
weird spot.
[view this log on a separate page]
June 26, 2008 by Found Sump'm 1 (112 found)found with Found Sump'm 1
[view this log on a separate page]
May 19, 2008 by Finder B. Goode (2276 found)Need new log and possible move to new spot?
[view this log on a separate page]
May 19, 2008 by Finder B. Goode (2276 found)Cache is in an...interesting spot....It's no wonder the log was nothing but pulp. May want to rethink the hiding spot or get a waterproof container!
"Traces were there?" Were they little outlines of where the log was supposed to be?
-eP
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A number of cachers in my area asked the exact same sorts of questions. I figured the best way to help folks get started in solving puzzles was to create a series of lessons in the form of puzzle caches. You can check out the bookmark list for my Puzzle Solving 101 series of caches at the following link:
http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...ef-901807ba9c98
Enjoy!
-eP
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Sooooo ... still no TITLE attributes in IMG tags? I thought Jeremy said that was slated to be fixed ... like ... two releases ago?
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I didn't see the "title" attribute added to "img" tags ... didn't Jeremy say this was going to be fixed as of this release? My puzzle cache that relies upon this attribute is still busted.
). Obviously, the definitions of "too hard" and "too easy" will vary between cachers - in writing a puzzle, you should consider what experience level you want to target.
February 15, 2007 by ePeterso2 (538 found)
February 23, 2007 by TinSparrow (4733 found)
June 27, 2008 by Found Sump'm 2 (91 found)
January 5 by Missed It By That Much (90 found)
June 27, 2008 by Found Sump'm 2 (91 found)
May 19, 2008 by Finder B. Goode (2276 found)
Release Notes 1/12/10
in Website
Posted
That's a problem with Geochecker.com, not Groundspeak. Totally different organization.
-eP