[Geocache Quality]

In your mind, what is a high quality geocache?

 

A cache which is interesting in at least one and preferably more of the following characteristics:

• Good location - view; history; route to get to the cache
• High quality puzzle (whether field or unknown type cache)
• Facts or information provided about the location in the cache listing where relevant
• Difficulty of obtaining the physical cache perhaps due to the T rating
• Quality container which is well stocked
• Innovative hide
• Cache name that makes me laugh or smile especially after the find
• Regularly maintained
• One which has a good quality hint when the cache is in a high muggle area
• One with lots of favourite points (compared to the number of finds)

Also good quality co-ordinates posted.  Accurate D/T rating.  Good use of attributes.

 

In your mind, what is a low quality geocache?

 

One which has none of the above features or only a very small number of them with negative aspects of the above.  Especially those hidden in locations full of rubbish and or dangerous items on the ground (broken glass; dangerous plants; drug paraphernalia etc.)

 

What steps can the community take to improve geocache quality?

 

• Take note of the above things that make a cache high quality
• Write about the fact that you loved the cache when you did
• Award favourite points to enable others to identify quality caches

What steps can Geocaching HQ take to improve geocache quality?

 

• Allow only those with a number of finds (suggest 100) to place caches
• Enable favouriting of logs by COs and other cachers to reward quality feedback 
• Encourage logging of DNFs 
• Continue to educate that DNF is not necessarily a bad thing
• Allow unlimited "Likes" to be awarded by cachers (in addition to FP for top 10%) so that caches that are felt by the community to be "good" are identified.
• Do not agree to the suggestions above about limiting the number of cache placements by existing COs - high quality COs should be encouraged to place more caches not less.
• Earlier disabling of caches which clearly are in need of CO input where this is not happening

[Challenge Caches]

What do you like most about challenge caches?

 

That they are an extra layer to the game. The depth of any pastime is what keeps me interested. The less depth the more likely it will be a fleeting involvement. I've been fairly consistently caching now for nearly 2 years which is good going for me on a pastime.

 

I think they are a great addition to the game and would want them to stay and be allowed to be extended. If people don't like them - don't do them. See below...

 

What do you not like about challenge caches?

 

The arbitrariness of the approval process. I cannot find anywhere in any guidelines that is required to find 10 people who have previously qualified for a challenge. My latest challenge was not approved for exactly this reason (even though I had qualified already - which took some doing) and it was clear to me that it was certainly not an impossible challenge (although unlikely that anyone would have already qualified - and so it has proved so far). It definitely isn't impossible as two cachers qualified under the revised requirements within the week. They would have been able to extend their finds for the more challenging requirements that I would have liked to have set - just not as quickly.

 

Not mad keen on the fact that some challenges are very,very difficult for me to currently achieve. As one who enjoys challenges, it is frustrating to see challenges that I won't be able to achieve for a very long time, if ever, as I have a life. However, I am able to live with this and ignore those deeply difficult challenges until such a time as my count goes up/I have more time to devote. I also think that these deeper challenges will be what keeps me playing the game as when the easier ones have been done I will move on to the more difficult ones.

 

Significant administrative work to do to prove whether or not I have achieved criteria is a turn off. I love the suggestion made by others that an autochecker which shows a green light on the challenge cache page or a red light depending on your caching finds to date. I also fully recognise that it is unlikely that pigs will ever fly.

 

Allowable criteria when setting a challenge has shifted significantly which results in a sloping playing field.

 

What would you like to see changed about challenge caches?

 

I fully understand the frustration that some must feel that prime real estate is given up to challenge caches which they are not interested in (although I didn't perceive the depth of feeling from some before I read the earlier posts here). It bothers me not a bit, but mindful of the wider community I think that it would be sensible to change the nature of challenges. My thoughts are that:

 

• Previous histories are important so past finds should not be altered
  
• If challenges are to be kept as "mysteries" then "mystery" is a misnomer and needs to be changed
  
• The above is incompatible with creating an attribute or belt or souvenir in place of them
  
• The challenge is, in reality, something other than the actual cache and so a virtual type of cache seems to be more appropriate - I have no idea why virtual caches were grandfathered. I think they are a great idea as long as there is a reason for them being there.
  
• For a challenge to be a challenge it should be challenging - that means that it will be out of reach to at least some people currently. The space taken up on the map is a negative and should be addressed - allow overlapping with other caches but challenges can only be one every mile (other than currently placed ones)?
  

 

If you could describe your favorite challenge cache type, what would it be?

 

Something that makes me consider how I would achieve it but isn't completely impossible. Something that is actually a challenge rather than something that I would do anyway. It needs to be a target to work towards.

 

What types of challenge caches do you avoid?

 

I may not prioritise a particular challenge presently due to its difficulty or lack of fit with my current caching ability but they are there on the back burner and are close to vital for my long term involvement in the game.

 

Old types of challenge that were restrictive on your caching (not finding caches in a period etc) were clearly a bad thing and should, in my view, have been archived when decided that this was not appropriate.