Your Views On.......

[+FatGaz]

Was just wondering what your views were on spoiler pics?

 

When I searched for my first few caches (which were local) I didnt look at the spoiler pic, as I thought it would spoil the hunt, and that worked fine.

 

But, the other day, I travelled to Derbyshire, about 1.5hrs away to do a bit of hiking/caching. Had 6 caches planned for the day, but only found 4. If I had taken spoiler pics with me then I may have found all 6. Chances are that I wont be around this part of Derbyshire again for maybe a year, as I like to vary my hiking locations.

 

So, I'm thinking of not using spoilers on my local caches, as I can always come back 'next week', but perhaps take spoilers with me on my hikes up Derbyshire ( but I do think it spoils the hunt).

 

What do you think?

 

FatGaz

[+Birders]

Never used them.... can't understand any cacher who wants to mess up a good cache by publishing "spoilers".

[johnzissler]

Hi FatGaz, I am stilla newbie with only a few caches under my belt but I can give you my personal observations. I have found no photos whatsoever that lead me to the cache, even though I do look at the spoiler pics. I think you will find that very very few cachers will take a photo of the actual location of the cache, but they will walk a few yards or so in a completely different direction and take a photo of the family or whatever against a tree or a bush or a landscape that will not spoil it for other cachers. This is my opinion that has been borne out of the few caches around my area that we have found. There might be the odd one somewhere that has too much information in the picture, but i think you can live with that. Have fun

Red Squadron

[+Haggis Hunter]

If like me, you have to print your pics off, then it could spoil the hunt. But if you are on a trip away, then you don't want a DNF so maybe in this situation it's worth being spoilt that little bit.

 

PDA's that hold pics are perfect for this, as SpoilerSync will download them and you can ignore them if need be. My PDA doesn't hold pics though.

[+KiwiGary]

Hi,

 

I think looking at the spoiler pic or the hint is the last thing we tend to do, rather than have a DNF on a cache that we will probably never return to.

 

But as you say if its a cache down the road, its not such a problem visiting a few times.

 

It certainly feels better to us to find it without the hint.

 

See ya...Gary

[+Happy Humphrey]

Never used them.... can't understand any cacher who wants to mess up a good cache by publishing "spoilers".

I always download the spoiler pictures to the PDA - if I've searched for a long time and start to suspect that the cache has been muggled, the spoiler may confirm that I'm wasting my time (or not!). As HH says, you're not forced to look at them.

 

Also, some caches have dodgy coordinates and a useless hint, and a spoiler has been added to cut down on the tedious wide-area searching. "Fossil Transfer" was a well-known example of the latter type - very frustrating with no spoiler picture.

 

HH

[+Woody's Wanderers]

Certainly helpful, when the hint says something useful like 'By a tree' (and you're in a forest) or 'small silver container' (Yes, but where?!?!?)

 

It's your game so play it your way. Don't feel your cheating or not a good cacher if you use the cluse/hints/spoliers. (and don't let anyone tell you different!)

[+perth pathfinders]

In my understanding of 'Spoiler pictures', these are only used in cases where it would be extremely difficult to find the cache without them.

 

For example in a deep gorge/den, under dense tree canopy where were GPS signal would be eratic, or a popular muggle area where extreme stealth is required

 

Or when people have done a long hike say to a top of a mountain covered in rocks, where you want to ensure they find the cache.

 

Otherwise, the hint should be enough to find the cache.

 

If the spoiler picture is definately required, perhaps it would be best to say this in the main body of the cache page?

[+kbootb]

I've put a spoiler pics on a few of mine.

 

They are meant to be family friendly caches. I'd hate to be the parent who has persuaded the children to go treasure hunting - it'll be fun - and not find anything, particularly if they are newbies.

 

So a pciture is included to increase the chance of a find. Up to them if they look at it. But a spoiler pic is not required to find any of my caches.

[+Paul G0TLG]

It's up to you if you use the spoiler, but I definitely don't think it's cheating. Like the coded hint, it's a bit of info that the cache owner has provided to help your search, so it's fair game.

 

I rarely use spoiler pics, but that's because I'm too disorganised to download them to the PDA, not because I think they're wrong!

[+Bear and Ragged]

No spoiler photos.

Any hints should be in the encrypted clue.

 

We like to search before decrypting any hints. If we can't find the cache, or it's busy with muggles, we then decrypt the clue.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=129330

 

Forum post with our view on photo clues!

 

If you paperless cache, and can download the photos to PDA, fine.

If you paper cache, the photos need to be printed, how can you mark the photos for particular caches, without seeing one or more of the photos and revealing the clue before you search?

 

A cacher left a photo for a recent cache we found, and knowing the area I knew exactly where the cache was before we left home -the photo was NOT marked as a spoiler on the log.

 

G

 

eedited for speeling, busy day at work!

Edited April 19, 2006 by KandG

[+Moote]

I've done caches with real bad co-ords and wish I had a spoiler then. One cache was around 100m out and a spoiler there would have been helpful

[+kewfriend]

I've done caches with real bad co-ords and wish I had a spoiler then. One cache was around 100m out and a spoiler there would have been helpful

 

Completely agree - I'll always look at a spoiler pic, often print it out. A case in point was This one in the south of France. The coordinates were not way out but it was on a cliff edge and potentially quite dangerous. This photo did at least stop unrequired rock hopping and it was still fiendish to find. In the same area was GCM3N6 PLACE DU DEBARQUEMENT and we nearly gave up on this as well. We had three GPS, all telling diff coords and locks and all not pinpointing the cache. The place was a wall of rocks and stones; we could have been there till sundown instead of stripping off in the Med.

 

Often a spoiler or hint indicates something thats obvious anyway, so no 'harm' done. I've included the odd spoiler or two for my caches, but only where it's impossible to confirm the location any other way.

[+Happy Humphrey]

I had the same problem with Place du Debarquement, and spent some time about 80' above the cache on very steep ground before setting up a mini darkroom inside my rucksack in order to view the Spoiler Sync photo. That was the key to the cache: even though the spoiler wasn't great it was better than the coordinates. And I was keen to get into the sea (like Kewfriend)...a couple of caches is enough on a roasting day in August!

 

HH

[+macroderma]

Never use them - but there are times where I wish I did....

[+Firth of Forth]

No spoiler photos.

Any hints should be in the encrypted clue.

 

We like to search before decrypting any hints. If we can't find the cache, or it's busy with muggles, we then decrypt the clue.

 

 

As Perth Pathfinders said, there are some locations where a hint just won't help. An example is Centre of Scotland on the top of a Munro called Schiehallion. The top - well a mile ridge in fact - is a sea of massive boulders, and finding the cache, especially in adverse weather conditions, would be impossible without the spoiler photo. I would have been extremely p****d off if I had walked 800 metres up a mountain and not found the cache!

[+Happy Humphrey]

A case in point was This one in the south of France. The coordinates were not way out but it was on a cliff edge and potentially quite dangerous. This photo did at least stop unrequired rock hopping and it was still fiendish to find.

I'll have a go at that one in June - but I think I'll print the spoiler photo first!

 

HH

[+Cryptik Souls Crew]

One of my caches had lots of people unable to get a good reading in the area of the first cache, so I decided to do a spoiler pic. I didn't want to publish it so I set up an email autoresponder and put instructions on the cache page as to how to obtain it.

 

Every time someone sends for it I get a blank email from them, and I have found that maybe 10 - 20% of finders email for the spoiler

[+sTeamTraen]

Everyone here seems to be very virtuous.

 

If I remember to take the spoiler photo with me, it gets consulted several times on the walk to the cache, and it's in my hand as I search on site.

 

Oh, and I decrypt the hints before I print out the cache listing too.

[+PopUpPirate]

No shame in it here - it's about the walk for me!

[+Woody's Wanderers]

I must admit, that I set caches with the intention of people finding them fairly easily. I know some people like to make caches v hard to find - each to their own and I wont criticise anyone of doing one or the other! It's a great buzz to get e-mails saying people have found our caches and enjoyed them.

 

I'm all for hints and spoilers.

[+gazooks]

When I started caching last year I used the spoiler pictures once or twice but as I have got used to the sport more I find the clue is usually enough (if needed).

 

If I don't need it I don't look - simple as long as they are marked spoiler of course.