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Hints.

 

We like to search for a cache without decrypting any hints, or looking at spoiler photographs beforehand.

 

If we have difficulty finding the cache -or there's a high density of Muggles in the area, we resort to decrypting the clue.

 

We tried for a cache at the weekend, found the approximate location, and looked around, rocks and trees abound! Loads of Muggles walking their dogs -time to decrypt the hint, to speed up the search.

 

First part "Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks"

-Well, yes, thats where we thought it might be! That, or in one of the trees in the area.

 

Second part "(see photo)"

-How? We don't have internet access whilst out cacheing, don't look at spoiler photos before doing the cache, and don't print them out...

 

Should hints like this be allowed?

 

We don't think it's a fair hint. -It tells you nothing to help, once you're in the right location.

It should say something like "Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks, behind the second tree from the left" or similar.

 

We gave up on this one, and have looked at the photo once we got home. We were so close!

Next time we're in the area we'll see if we want to try again for this one.

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Hints.

 

We like to search for a cache without decrypting any hints, or looking at spoiler photographs beforehand.

 

If we have difficulty finding the cache -or there's a high density of Muggles in the area, we resort to decrypting the clue.

 

We tried for a cache at the weekend, found the approximate location, and looked around, rocks and trees abound! Loads of Muggles walking their dogs -time to decrypt the hint, to speed up the search.

 

First part "Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks"

-Well, yes, thats where we thought it might be! That, or in one of the trees in the area.

 

Second part "(see photo)"

-How? We don't have internet access whilst out cacheing, don't look at spoiler photos before doing the cache, and don't print them out...

 

Should hints like this be allowed?

 

We don't think it's a fair hint. -It tells you nothing to help, once you're in the right location.

It should say something like "Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks, behind the second tree from the left" or similar.

 

We gave up on this one, and have looked at the photo once we got home. We were so close!

Next time we're in the area we'll see if we want to try again for this one.

 

I couldn't agree more. I have seen some hints that have been more cryptic than some cryptic puzzles.

 

A hint should be just that - a help to someone who is stuck (or, as I have sometimes been, short of time to spend finding it normally).

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I suppose it depends in your interpretation of the word 'Hint'

"Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks"

is a 'Hint'.... :D

"Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks, behind the second tree from the left"

Is a precise description of where the cache is hidden.... not exactly a 'hint' <_<

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Personally I make my hints tell you exactly where the cache is, as nobody likes DNFs. You are also less likely to have to return to see if a cache is missing when it is still there.

Another pet hate when using a paper printout is a very long winded clue which takes ages to translate in the field.

I cannot understand the pleasure setters get from making a cache really hard to find if it isn't a clearly defined mystery cache. Does it make them feel superior to the hunters.

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It also depends on how you interpret the clue too. One of the caches I have starts in the area of Longleat Forest where I store my tipi poles. The first clue says 'relies on magnetism'. One person mailed me recently and said they couldn't find the first micro. Was in it the poles? The cache is a 35mm cannister with a magnet stuck to the base, placed on a metal object. They interpreted what I thought to be a simple clue far too cryptically.

There are times I've been stuck and the clue not helped, but rather than give up totally I go away and come back another day. That might not be practical if the cache is a long way from base, but there are a few other caches available I believe.

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I can sympathise with the comments that have been made already and TOTALLY agree with the fact that the HINT should be used as such i.e. when you've had a good look and cannot locate - you need some help.

 

However, we do not all play the game the same way. I would suggest that some cachers decrypt the hint well before leaving the home or reading it as soon as arriving to do the cache.

 

Spoiler photos are a pain in the field! But if you are a paperless cacher, Spoilersynch can be used as one method.

 

Now onto the type of HINT given. As a searcher, you must play the game the setter wants to play. You cannot dictate how a setter should give you the clue. If we did, then you may well find more caches without hints. As a setter - it's their choice.

 

IMO Hints should not be the definitive "it's in the silver birch tree, 3' from the ground next to the jubilee Bench by the entrance to the park in Rickshaw Street".

 

You may just as well give the co-ords!! Ooops, sometimes we do. :o Bit of a giveaway for multi's and mystery's though!

 

The Hint should be that - a hint but useful! I have seen silly ones such as "at the base of the tree" and you're standing in the middle of the woods. The amount of crypticness (is that a word?) can be extremely important. Too much and frustration sets in and the clue becomes as useful as a chocolate fireguard; ashtray on a motorbike; etc etc.

 

Personally, I do not look at the hint until I've had a good look. I would prefer a hint as opposed to a definitive location and a little bit of cryptic content is welcomed. The latter can also give a better clue to it's location without giving it away immediately. :blink:

 

Nice to see short encrypted hints too. Absolutely.

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I have 'Congratulations, you have successfully decrypted the clue' on one of my caches. There's very few DNFs on it though, so I guess it doesn't *really* need a clue at all.

 

Spoiler photos need to be HIGHLIGHTED on the page so you know it might be wise to have a look before you go to find the cache (unless you have saved it on a PDA and not looked at it yet)

 

Clues, in my opinion, shouldn't be descriptions. They should help narrow the number of possible hiding places. If surrounded by trees, at least 'at the foot of the tree' means you can stop looking up into the branches.

 

Micro's need clearer clues, but you still don't need to signpost them too much. I've rarely had a DNF because the clue was poor, only when they're misleading. When this has happened, I've let the owner know that the cache location no longer fits the clue. What else can you do? :blink:

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IMO, a "hint" should completely and utterly reveal the location of the cache. The number of caches I have been to that have been stupidly placed under heavy tree cover with a useless clue is astounding.

 

Surely the idea of placing a cache is for people to find it. If a cache is badly placed with out a decent clue, why the hell do you think I'll bother coming back if I don't stumble on your misplaced cache first time round?

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Hints.

 

First part "Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks"

 

The GPSr was 'bouncing around' and giving us an area of about 60 feet wide, and 20 feet high, of likely looking hiding places, all of which fit the description "Hidden deep in a niche in the rocks". All we needed was the search area narrowing down a little! :blink:

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Simply Paul: Clues, in my opinion, shouldn't be descriptions. They should help narrow the number of possible hiding places. If surrounded by trees, at least 'at the foot of the tree' means you can stop looking up into the branches.

 

I agree with this statement but it is nice when its a bit more descriptive.

 

Clues I absolutly Hate:

 

 

Cyrptic Clues, such as: Its where the rabbit may linger but sometimes up a waterfall.....

 

Blatant No help clue, such as: Under the pebble..... (On a Pebble Beach!)

 

Clues you "MIGHT" know, you might not, such as: What year did Beethoven write his infamous piece? well take that away from 30 and take 4 steps to the right!

 

Clues worded wrongly (That can be interpretated in a thousand different ways and you have to "GUESS" what way you are meant to read it) such as: Look at the wall, turn right and peer around the bushs. .............. What side of the wall? and which bushes?

 

 

I don't mind having a "HINT" but don't want to be misleaded even more and some clues just mislead you more than you were already. A clue in my opinion should be a hint that makes clear sense to anyone and leads you in the right direction but doesnt tell you where it is. such as:

 

Look around the area of small trees, find the shortest tree and hunt your goal or Head height - Find a Juniper tree.

 

:blink:

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I'd go along with the Oxford English Dictionary:

hint

noun 1 a slight or indirect indication. 2 a very small trace. 3 a small piece of practical information.

verb 1 indicate indirectly. 2 (hint at) be a slight indication of.

For me a hint should be helpful, but not remove all challenge from finding the cache.

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I think a hint should be a helpful clue to make you stop and think as to where the cache may be.Not a total give away.I always check the hint after 10 minutes or so of looking.The hint can give you reassurance that you are in the right area,as GPS readings are not always spot on.Doesn't it feel better if you need to hunt the cache as opposed to walking right up to it?

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A recent DNF's:

 

Micro Cache, in 'Native Forest', with accuracy of 40ft+ fading to zero ''1.5m from path'' - I think that's OK for an ammo box, but for a 35mm film cannister...

 

A useless clue where a giveaway clue was needed. I think, the ease of the clue should reflect the size of the container, the futility of the search and the muggle density of the area.

 

Adrian

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I think, the ease of the clue should reflect the size of the container, the futility of the search and the muggle density of the area.

 

I find myself agreeing with Kitty Hawk (again).

 

If you are looking for a micro in the woods with iffy GPS signal "at the foot of a tree" just will not do.

If you are looking for a puzzle cache, then a cryptic hint or no hint at all is acceptable.

 

I make sure that my hints are in line with the difficulty rating I give my caches. If I want my caches to be found easily, I will add an easy hint.

 

Whilst none of us like to DNF, I do not believe that finding a cache should be a right, and there should not be a mandatory hint basically saying where it is. If I was guaranteed an easy find every time, I may as well go hunting for tupperware in the household goods shelves in the supermarket.

 

Conversely, I have had some logs on some of my 1* caches with a full and descriptive hint, complaining that they were rather easy! I am not entirely sure what they were expecting!!

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IMO, a "hint" should completely and utterly reveal the location of the cache.

Absolutely. I look at the hint only when I've searched for a while and can't find the cache. What I don't need at that time is a useless hint. After all, presumably the point of the game is to find the cache?

 

However, I also agree with Alibags, in that it's appropriate for puzzle/mystery caches not to have a hint, or for the hint to be as puzzling as the cache itself. (I have to say this, because some of our puzzle caches have no/cryptic hint ;) )

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QUOTE(davester @ Apr 11 2006, 06:21 PM)

 

IMO, a "hint" should completely and utterly reveal the location of the cache.

I also agree.

 

Personally, I find the fun in the hunt is in the planning and the actual walk into the cache area itself - and not so much the physical looking about when on site. I quickly become bored looking in trees/logs for micros in woods for instance - after 5 minutes searching I have generally read the clue!

 

This is just the way I like to go about caching. For others I have no doubt they gain most pleasure from the actual hunt whilst on site.

 

Jon

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This hint, for Hyde Park #10 (London) GCQFVP, annoys me as it says "See the picture and look low". I don't think I am the first to DNF and ask "where is the picture". There isn't one! As this is a Nano I think a good hint could be useful but I don't want to be told exactly where it is as I enjoy the hunt.

There is a picture but it is hidden amongst the logs. Not the best place for it, I agree.

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I think it all depends on the individual cache.

 

If you have trecked up a Scottish mountain pass for 4 hours, you want to be able to find the cache without any hunting, so a good obvious hint is required taking you to the exact spot, with a 1 star for difficulty for finding.

 

However, If it is a quick cache and dash, what is wrong with making the search a bit harder, or the clue a bit cryptic, the star rating will advise how hard the cache is to find, after all you have had little walking to do so whats wront with a bit more thinking?

 

If it is in a high-muggle area, then the exact spot will be needed so you can use stealth retrieving the cache.

 

If a puzzle cache, then surely enough time has been spent working out the puzzle, the cache should be easy to find.

 

If in a poor GPS signal area, an excellent clue is required, but If in middle of nowhere, and there is just one large rock to hide cache under - is a hint required at all?

 

A spoiler photograph is only required, if all the hiding places look identical - i.e. a rocky scree on a hillside, but then clear instructions to take the print of photograph should be put on the cache page, and you could still print it off without looking at it much, if you want to try without it first.

 

Then there are those devious nano-micro containers, do you give a hint that gives the container away? or a clue fitting to the container?

 

So I guess I'm saying, all type of hints go for me!! :lol:B)

Edited by perth pathfinders
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I have to go along with Alibags on this one.

 

I think a hint should be just that - an extra clue, not a dead giveaway. I like the sense of achievement I get when I find a well-hidden cache. I like the slight risk that I may need to record a DNF - something I know a lot of cachers don't like admitting to.

 

And I really don't like picture hints. On some of the more distant caches I've done, where it's unlikely that I'll be back to try again, I've found myself trying to print out pictures without looking at them. One of my more noteable foreign failures had the written hint, "Under a protruding rock formation, surrounded by stubby bushes." The whole area for 100m in all directions was full of rocks and stubby bushes. When I checked the picture hint at home a week later, I'd stood on top of the one in question.

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I have a particulary short attention span once I arrive at the co-ordinates, and while I'm ok at spotting the UPS (unlikely pile of sticks) or the IGS (inconceivable group of stones) if I don't see either right away -it's straight on to the hint!

Worst case scenario is (There are no hints for this cache) Why?

After that we have What do you mean you need a hint? That's just cheek!

Next is a crossword puzzler's clue RoyalMail! In the post! Get it? - I didn't! I thought it meant "The last post" !

What about the one hidden in the middle of the woods, no signal thanks to the forest canopy and you get At the base of a tree. Have mercy!

Then there is the meaningless one inside two pronged tree (You had to be there, and yes it was my most recent DNF) B)

 

So a big thank you for behind a small stone at the base of the wall. Before the large flat slab. and for Under an overhang of a rock covered by stones close to a wall and for Cache is underneath the obvious big berry tree. Hidden under 3 moss covered logs

 

Ironically you never need these hints! :lol:

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This hint, for Hyde Park #10 (London) GCQFVP, annoys me as it says "See the picture and look low". I don't think I am the first to DNF and ask "where is the picture". There isn't one! As this is a Nano I think a good hint could be useful but I don't want to be told exactly where it is as I enjoy the hunt.

There is a picture but it is hidden amongst the logs. Not the best place for it, I agree.

 

All the pictures in the gallery have been taken by cachers and not the cache owner. In fact one of the pictures is mine from my first DNF on this one!

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