An "Available Location" Check Feature

[+Thot]

If this already exists and I've just missed it please point me to it.

 

When I find a promising location to put a new cache, before I waste a lot of time working it up I like to know if the location is available. It's easy enough to check for traditional caches, but multis and puzzles have unknowable locations I can't check.

 

I propose a "Check for Availability" feature, where you enter the coords of your hot new hiding place and it tells you if its available. It could work something like Prime Suspect's evince for puzzle verification.

[+MountainRacer]

That's a pretty good idea. If there was server/bandwidth space for it, and if it could be made secure enough to prevent cheating on mystery caches -- say, only a few checks allowed per day -- it would probably save the reviewers some time and effort.

[+Thot]

That's a pretty good idea. If there was server/bandwidth space for it, and if it could be made secure enough to prevent cheating on mystery caches -- say, only a few checks allowed per day

 

That's why I suggested the evince concept. In this case you could limit it pretty tightly, say no more than two failed checks a day within a half mile of each other.

[+Markwell]

It has been suggested many times before, but shot down.

 

The current solution is to ask your local reviewer and they may be able to give you a nudge.

[+Thot]

It has been suggested many times before, but shot down.

What's the objection to it that limiting it to two or even one check within a half-mile or even a mile radius from a failed location per 24 hours wouldn't eliminate?

Edited March 25, 2008 by Thot

[Keystone]

My "three-month game of puzzle cache battleship" story is hereby incorporated into this thread by reference as if fully set forth herein.

[+Prime Suspect]

If this already exists and I've just missed it please point me to it.

 

When I find a promising location to put a new cache, before I waste a lot of time working it up I like to know if the location is available. It's easy enough to check for traditional caches, but multis and puzzles have unknowable locations I can't check.

 

I propose a "Check for Availability" feature, where you enter the coords of your hot new hiding place and it tells you if its available. It could work something like Prime Suspect's evince for puzzle verification.

There's no way to design it such that it would be fair and consistent, but can't be gamed in order to discover hidden coordinates. It's simply inherent in the problem - you can't tell people where cache aren't, without also letting them know, by deduction, where cache are.

[+Miragee]

If this already exists and I've just missed it please point me to it.

 

When I find a promising location to put a new cache, before I waste a lot of time working it up I like to know if the location is available. It's easy enough to check for traditional caches, but multis and puzzles have unknowable locations I can't check.

 

I propose a "Check for Availability" feature, where you enter the coords of your hot new hiding place and it tells you if its available. It could work something like Prime Suspect's evince for puzzle verification.

When I was placing a final cache for a long Multi, I scouted the area from Google Earth because it was 40 miles from my house.

 

I knew where the other caches were on that peak because I had found them, but didn't know if there were any Puzzles or Multi waypoints up there.

 

After finding some likely rockpiles on Google Earth that might provide hiding spots for my ammo can, I emailed my Reviewer. He let me know the locations were available. I really appreciated his help so I only had to make that long drive one time.