Outsmarting FTF'rs?

[+alanfreed]

You might even get your Reviewer to give you tips privately about how he has figured out Alan's schedule. Errr, if the FTF Hound happened to have that name, of course.

 

Ehhh... not gonna work. I haven't figured out my own schedule yet, so I doubt that you guys can! That is, in the event that my name happened to be Alan and I was the cause of this thread in the first place.

 

Wildchld97... feel free to set up a new cache, and I'll be glad to abstain from hunting it down. I wouldn't have done so in the past had I known I was upsetting you by doing so. By adding an FTF prize, in all honesty that makes me all the more interested and challenged to try to be first (although I'm not certain whether I even knew that there was such a prize in these caches to begin with).

 

I'll admit that I enjoy FTF missions. I think that everyone has various aspects of Geocaching that appeal to them... my wife enjoys cleverly hidden micros, while I would prefer to do a nice hike with my daughter, for example. The FTF hunt is just another aspect of the game, which to me adds an exciting dimension to the sport.

 

I'm actually very happy that I get excited when a new cache pops up in my area. To me, that means that my enthusiasm for caching is just as high as it was a few years ago when this was all new to me. My 8-year-old also finds the FTF hunt very exciting.

 

I find the FTF hunt to be particularly exciting because it makes the cache more difficult. I'll be finding the cache hidden exactly as the cache owner had intended, for one thing... and I won't have any hints from previous logs to help me out. And I can hunt it with a good bit of confidence that the cache hasn't been muggled after sitting around unfound for a number of weeks.

 

Anyhow... I'm sorry that your caches just happened to be a matter of a couple short miles from home, and that I raced out to get 'em. I'll steer clear of yours when they pop up in the future.

[+VeryLost]

There's always people out there with more money and more time than I have.

 

But luckily, precious few who are prettier than you!

[+Thrak]

I love being FTF. It's a rush. I don't need a FTF prize and I have actually left the FTF prize for someone else to get. I did a cache that had a nice flashlight set for the FTF prize. I already have a nice caching light and I noted in my log that I left the FTF prize for someone else who might need it more than myself. If there's a FTF pin or certificate I take that but, for the most part, I don't cache for the loot. I cache for fun and I happen to find being FTF to be a heck of a kick.

 

There's a local cacher who is on a major FTF roll. He snagged 17 FTF in one day recently. He's retired and seems to cache at any time of the day or night. I haven't gotten a FTF in quite a while due to this guy's ability to do what he pleases when he pleases. I guess he likes the FTF a lot and has caught the fever. I certainly don't begrudge him the FTF - he puts in the time, gas, and effort so I figure he deserves the reward. I am a bit jealous though since I'd like to be retired too.

[+GreyingJay]

There's a local cacher who is on a major FTF roll. He snagged 17 FTF in one day recently.

 

This tells me right away that nobody else in your area is interested in getting FTF's. In my area, caches get snapped up almost as soon as they're published (well, the grab-and-go ones do, but even the puzzles begin to get a flurry of notes as people work on them...) so there's no way there could even BE 17 unfound caches to be found, let alone to have them all FTF'd by the same guy.

 

Even if we had 17 caches all published in one day, you'd be hard pressed to get more than half of them before discovering someone else has also started to do the same.

 

So, all this to say that in your particular area at least, nobody has any right to be jealous of your FTF hound, nor to be upset that they're not getting any FTF's. The opportunity is clearly there.

[+perseid88]

2. Learn your Reviewer's likes and dislikes. If he likes, say, Guinness Beer, don't bribe him with Coors Light.

Lep, Guinness is a stout, not a beer. Sheesh. Don't hamsters read labels anymore?

 

Stout is a type of beer. Guinness is a stout. Therefore Guinness is a beer. Coors Light is a lager. Lagers are also beer.

 

Both are beer. They use different yeasts, malts and in the case of Guinness, a different way to carbonate.

 

Beer is any alcoholic beverage produced through the fermentation of starchy material and which is not distilled after fermentation.

[Clan Riffster]

NO!!! Blasphemer!! Infadel!!

(there should be a law against comparing Guinness to Coors)

[+Super_Nate]

There's a local cacher who is on a major FTF roll. He snagged 17 FTF in one day recently. He's retired and seems to cache at any time of the day or night. I haven't gotten a FTF in quite a while due to this guy's ability to do what he pleases when he pleases. I guess he likes the FTF a lot and has caught the fever. I certainly don't begrudge him the FTF - he puts in the time, gas, and effort so I figure he deserves the reward. I am a bit jealous though since I'd like to be retired too.

 

Well, the only advice I can give you is in your spare time sit in front of your computer screen with some hot chocolate and donuts and spend time pushing the refresh button every 60 seconds....you living in an area where 17 caches were published at the same time, yer bound to have a new listing that will pop up in a couple hours of refresh.

[+Slablog]

What's an FTF?

[+wildchld97]

You might even get your Reviewer to give you tips privately about how he has figured out Alan's schedule. Errr, if the FTF Hound happened to have that name, of course.

 

Ehhh... not gonna work. I haven't figured out my own schedule yet, so I doubt that you guys can! That is, in the event that my name happened to be Alan and I was the cause of this thread in the first place.

 

Wildchld97... feel free to set up a new cache, and I'll be glad to abstain from hunting it down. I wouldn't have done so in the past had I known I was upsetting you by doing so. By adding an FTF prize, in all honesty that makes me all the more interested and challenged to try to be first (although I'm not certain whether I even knew that there was such a prize in these caches to begin with).

 

I'll admit that I enjoy FTF missions. I think that everyone has various aspects of Geocaching that appeal to them... my wife enjoys cleverly hidden micros, while I would prefer to do a nice hike with my daughter, for example. The FTF hunt is just another aspect of the game, which to me adds an exciting dimension to the sport.

 

I'm actually very happy that I get excited when a new cache pops up in my area. To me, that means that my enthusiasm for caching is just as high as it was a few years ago when this was all new to me. My 8-year-old also finds the FTF hunt very exciting.

 

I find the FTF hunt to be particularly exciting because it makes the cache more difficult. I'll be finding the cache hidden exactly as the cache owner had intended, for one thing... and I won't have any hints from previous logs to help me out. And I can hunt it with a good bit of confidence that the cache hasn't been muggled after sitting around unfound for a number of weeks.

 

Anyhow... I'm sorry that your caches just happened to be a matter of a couple short miles from home, and that I raced out to get 'em. I'll steer clear of yours when they pop up in the future.

 

Awww Alan, I'm was never upset with you luv. In actuality, it's more of a compliment that you've been the fastest (and smartest) gun in the west so far. Given the fact that there are quite a few FTF'rs around here it's just pure cooincidence that you were the first to both of mine. Please don't take offence. What started out as just trying to outsmart the smartest ended up into a big misunderstanding.

 

I only started thinking about this topic after sitting around talking with some other geocachers. I had a cache to place and we wanted to put something special into it for the FTF like I (and two others) have done in the past. I guess somehow the conversation drifted off to the FTF's in our area and for whatever reason we started to kick around ideas to enable others have a shot at a FTF by "outsmarting" title holders. Sometimes I get an idea to help and I end up hurting someone else. I guess I need to stop volunteering at the Special Olympics. It gives me to many weird ideas on how to level the playing field.

 

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions and I think this thread proved it.

 

So with that said, I'm sorry if I offended you in any way Alan. I respect you highly and I am honored that you were the FTF in both of my caches...even though they had all the marks of a beginner. I can only promise that this cache will not be as easy as my first two and if you are the FTF you will definitely have earned your reward.

 

[Passing a bowl of Prozac and Xanax around to all of the other FTF'rs who have their panties in a bunch right now as well.]

[+tands]

What's an FTF?

 

Hi Phil,

 

It's a First To Find. This means the first cacher to find a new cache after it's been placed. But what it's really a disease with multiple symptoms and pathological effects:

 

FTF Disorder and it's Pathology

 

First, it causes brain damage. This is manifested by small issues like insomnia while 'waiting on the new caches'. On a larger scale it causes victims to disregard family, work, even eating to wander aimlessly through random and dangerous locations marked by bad initial coordinates. The effects of brain damage are potentially fatal though no significant research yet exists. An example would be plugging in coordinates while driving over the speed limit while asking your wife to read you the cache page on your cell phone while you write down the hint.

 

Second, it manifests physical symptoms. FTFers fidget nervously and may suffer chromosome damage from incessant staring at the new cache page and excessive use of portable cellular and communication devices. These devices also lead to nearsightedness.

 

Third, FTF Disorder often leads to symptoms resembling Bipolar Disorder (which I have, so I can make this analogy). Sufferers experience rapid mood swings that directly correlate to FTF success or failure. In the worst cases, FTF Disorder victims may lose the capacity for logical fun pursuit and give up caching completely. Strangely, sufferers of this disorder become obsessed with other victims and feel a baseless paranoia that other FTF victims are 'going to beat them.'

 

You can see that FTF Disorder is a serious (and fun) affliction. Fortunately support groups exist. Here in Columbia, SC, we have Geoholics Anonymous. You can find these event caches on the SC new caches page. We teach that it's ok to have FTF Disorder. We even do a group FTF on a new cache after every meeting.

 

I hope this helps you. Welcome to Geocaching!

 

- T of TandS

[+tands]

The one thing T forgot about his explination of how he craves FTFs is the fact that after 15 minutes of searching if he can't find it then it's not there. So it leads to the dillusion that any geocache should be found rather easily and when a time limit is reached it's obvious the cache has either been muggled, crittered or the coords are just way off.

[+Cedar Grove Seekers]

Let those people who do care about FTFs have their fun, which is the competition.

 

Don't cater to the cachers who don't care about FTFs...they don't care.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

What's an FTF?

 

Hi Phil,

 

It's a First To Find. This means the first cacher to find a new cache after it's been placed. But what it's really a disease with multiple symptoms and pathological effects:

 

FTF Disorder and it's Pathology

 

First, it causes brain damage. This is manifested by small issues like insomnia while 'waiting on the new caches'. On a larger scale it causes victims to disregard family, work, even eating to wander aimlessly through random and dangerous locations marked by bad initial coordinates. The effects of brain damage are potentially fatal though no significant research yet exists. An example would be plugging in coordinates while driving over the speed limit while asking your wife to read you the cache page on your cell phone while you write down the hint.

 

Second, it manifests physical symptoms. FTFers fidget nervously and may suffer chromosome damage from incessant staring at the new cache page and excessive use of portable cellular and communication devices. These devices also lead to nearsightedness.

 

Third, FTF Disorder often leads to symptoms resembling Bipolar Disorder (which I have, so I can make this analogy). Sufferers experience rapid mood swings that directly correlate to FTF success or failure. In the worst cases, FTF Disorder victims may lose the capacity for logical fun pursuit and give up caching completely. Strangely, sufferers of this disorder become obsessed with other victims and feel a baseless paranoia that other FTF victims are 'going to beat them.'

 

You can see that FTF Disorder is a serious (and fun) affliction. Fortunately support groups exist. Here in Columbia, SC, we have Geoholics Anonymous. You can find these event caches on the SC new caches page. We teach that it's ok to have FTF Disorder. We even do a group FTF on a new cache after every meeting.

 

I hope this helps you. Welcome to Geocaching!

 

- T of TandS

 

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Let those people who do care about FTFs have their fun, which is the competition.

 

Don't cater to the cachers who don't care about FTFs...they don't care.

I agree!

 

(Note: as you can likey tell from my previous posts, I do not care about FTFs -- they do not matter to me at all.)

[+Trucker Lee]

I live in North Dakota where it get really realy cold and if you want to deture the FTFer's place you cache in the middle of winter on a 3 mile hike. Most people are detured by freezing temps that way in the spring the normal FTFer might not remember the cache and that would give other cachers a chance. of course you would have to place the cache in the winter yourself it works if you are willing to do it.

 

Lost Brews, try this!! Place the cache under a rock in September, get good co-ords, and get it published in January, when there is 4 feet of snow over it. OMG!!! I'm giving you ideas

 

NO!!! Blasphemer!! Infadel!!

(there should be a law against comparing Guinness to Coors)

 

Don't need a law. Anyone should know better than to compare a quality brew like Guenness against that tasteless elk ---- from Colorado!

[+norsehawk]

This will keep the cache from showing up as new and it will not be included in E-mail notifications of new caches in your area.

 

My notification sends it when the reviewer hits the 'publish' button so using an old number wouldn't make a difference, only when it was published.

 

I'm not a ftf hound per say, but I have gotten a few, mabye 5 or so.

[+Lil Devil]

I outsmarted just a few FTF hounds this last April 1st with this cache

 

Of course, I'm one of the few in a unique position to be able to pull this off

 

Read the cache description for the "rest of the story"

[+Yamahammer]

I'm an FTF guy. ... What I've done to give everyone a chance on one of my new caches is to ask the Reviewer to hold the release of the cache until Friday afternoon/evening. This increases the odds for everyone around here for the FTF for Saturday morning. Seems to work.