The slow death of puzzle caches

[+DrAwKwArD]

we encourage people to solve the puzzle first and email for confirmation of the correct coords before going on the hunt.

I try and use geochecker.com for every puzzle cache I create for that very reason.

Edited July 28, 2008 by cache-n-dash

[+Harry Dolphin]

[i don't think it's puzzle caches per se. It could be this "new breed" doesn't like to walk far enough to break a sweat, can't handle anything heavier than .25 oz., has a hard time distinguishing objects so only wants a log[s]book[/s]scroll in the cache, and measures "quality time" by the number of logs he gets to write when he gets home.

 

I say leave the cache. Don't fall in the same trap of measuring by how many find your cache. Measure by the types of logs it is getting. If folks are logging more than "Thanks for the smilie" then you're golden.

 

Our puzzles go months between finds. Some of our favorite finds the caches go years between finds.

 

That would be my take on the situation. Most cachers seem not to want to walk more than .18 from the car. The mile hikes, and evil mystery caches are rewarding to the finder and owner. But the finds are not frequent. Oh, well. I know that they are good caches. Oh, well. I was considering archiving my second oldest hide, with no finds in almost a year and a half. Combine an easy mystery caches with a mile hike (each way) and a few hundred feet of climb, and you get almost no finds.

So, to increase my karma, I have hidden a few caches (still with nice views) with shorter hikes/walks.

[+Wild Thing 73]

I don't do "puzzle or multi caches, because I have to travel 100-200 miles to cache. The multi just doesn't make sense....two container with logs and only one smiley. Instead of a multi, I just place two caches, as bread crumbs for a really nice cache. As for the puzzle, most of the time, I'm mentally challenged. But, I'm not for doing away with puzzles. Attrition will take care of that.

Edited July 29, 2008 by Wild Thing 73

[+JohnnyVegas]

I looked at your puzzle caches, to me they are not all the easy. What is easy in the eye of a cache owner may not be easy to another cacher, but again I do not do many puzzle caches because I just cannot figure them out.

 

In some regions puzzle caches and multi caches are competing with the high proliferation of drive up micros over the past two years, Some cachers just do not want to walk even 10 minutes to find a cache. I know of one cacher that will make a U turn if the cache he is looking for is on the other side of two lane street.

 

Just leave them be, one of my caches only gets found once or twice a year, it requires about a round trip hike that takes about 2-3 hours.

Edited July 29, 2008 by JohnnyVegas

[AZcachemeister]

I'm not against puzzle caches, but if they were moved off the site I would have a lot more room in my Ignore List for lame LPCs.

I have put a lot of them on the 'back burner', and will get to them when I run out of non-puzzles to find...

[+the hermit crabs]

Puzzle caches seem to be thriving around here, not slowly dying at all.

 

I just did a quick check of the cache types for the 100 nearest to our home coordinates (a 5.6-mile radius):

• 48 traditionals: of these, only three are park&grabs
  
• 18 multis
  
• 34 puzzles: of these, 16 have been found this month. All but 4 have been found at least once since the beginning of May.
  

[+therealwesty]

I haven't found any mystery caches, though there are quite a few around here. Usually I choose a cache where I can take my dog for a quick walk, or kill a lunch break when I working on the road. The mystery caches just don't fit into the plan often enough. Even when we have a bit more time, I usually seem to choose to go for a couple bugs or coins rather than working through one ? cache.

Edited July 29, 2008 by therealwesty

[+DrAwKwArD]

Update:

 

Almost as if the local caching community was tuned in to this forum discussion one of my puzzles recorded 4 finds just today. 3 of the finds were from brand new cachers. I guess I'll have to leave 'em up for a while and see what happens.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

What is easy in the eye of a cache owner may not be easy to another cacher, but again I do not do many puzzle caches because I just cannot figure them out.

 

It's the same story with me. I occasionally will open a puzzle cache page and 9 times out of 10, it just looks like gibberish. Or it's based off of Sudoku, which numbs me from the brain down. I know that I can stare at that page for half an hour and end up right where I started...not having a darn clue what any of it means and no real hope of solving it. I'm not one to hold a grudge against puzzle caches and I hope they thrive. There are plenty of people who do them and they get to enjoy another aspect of geocaching that I don't. That being said, there are enough traditionals near me that I don't feel inclined to learn how to decrypt most puzzle caches. If I had a modicum of understanding about encryption, binary codes, morris code, sudoku, etc...I would give them a shot but I'd rather just avoid the frustration and be out there caching on the weekend.

 

Bruce

[+Crid]

I occasionally will open a puzzle cache page and 9 times out of 10, it just looks like gibberish.

I know what you mean. I like puzzle caches where you at least know what you're supposed to be doing. One good example is 'X' Marks The Spot, which has been the inspiration for a whole series of caches. They're still tough caches to crack, but you do at least start out knowing what you're supposed to do - even if you don't initially know how to do it. Since most of the research can be done using Google, Wikipedia, etc, they're good for those times when you can't go out caching (eg. winter). I get the same kind of buzz when it becomes apparent that I'm on the right track. Then when I get out and find the cache I get a second buzz because it's confirmed that I have solved the puzzle.

 

I've also found that the puzzle caches I've done have been pretty easy to find once I've got the coordinates. A good clue really helps too, so long as it's something that doesn't help work out the coordinates, but helps to find the cache when you DO have the coordinates. "South of path, beneath fallen tree" is really helpful when you're in the right area, but doesn't help you narrow down the area if you haven't solved the puzzle.

 

Somebody mentioned that they don't like to only be rewarded with a micro at the end of a puzzle cache. I'm of the same opinion (and I'm hopeless at finding micros). I've recently put out a puzzle cache myself with a nicely stocked ammo can at the end. As a cache owner I found it slightly frustrating that all of the finds so far (nine) were of the TNLN variety. It did make me wonder why I bothered painting up the box and stocking it with nice swag. But that doesn't mean my next puzzle cache will be a micro.

[+NotThePainter]

Speaking personally, I like puzzle caches but around here they only lead to the same old guard rails or lamp posts. It's not worth the effort. If there was a promise of finding a nice hide with something to see, I would solve more of them. Just an opinion, and in general, I don't have anything against micros either, it's just we have become over-run with them. Thanks.

 

I've recently moved to an area that is surrounded by both water and National Park land, not quite geo-caching hell but you get the picture. It isn't impossible to place a cache here but it isn't easy.

 

My plan is to start placing puzzle caches in the National Park land. No container, but I'll have you find something that is already there, hopefully after a decent hike, count so number of things, and then hike out. The puzzle will be super easy. Not like my usual hard ones.

 

Near the parking area, outside of the National Park, I'll find a guardrail or stop sign and do the obvious.

 

It is like a decent traditional without the ammo can.

[+Dryphter]

There are a few puzzles around my area. I usually figure them out and then plan on 'someday' actually looking for them. I have a couple I have the coords to, but haven't bothered.

 

When I travel (which is when I get to do most of my caching) I ignore all puzzles, multis, and mystery caches. Too much work for the time I have available. I consider multis a waste of time no matter where I am.

[+Tresco]

I guess the new breed of geocacher doesn't fancy the puzzle aspect of the game. Maybe it's time to close 'em down. Thoughts?

I don't think it's puzzle caches per se. It could be this "new breed" doesn't like to walk far enough to break a sweat, can't handle anything heavier than .25 oz., has a hard time distinguishing objects so only wants a logbookscroll in the cache, and measures "quality time" by the number of logs he gets to write when he gets home.

 

I say leave the cache. Don't fall in the same trap of measuring by how many find your cache. Measure by the types of logs it is getting. If folks are logging more than "Thanks for the smilie" then you're golden.

 

Our puzzles go months between finds. Some of our favorite finds the caches go years between finds.

 

So, if I follow your logic, if a person does not like puzzle caches they are a n00b who is lazy, out of shape and stupid?

[Mag Magician]

We are at the point, already, with just over 400 finds, of not giving a whit about what could be the easiest, or the most done in a day.

 

We have done some gorgeous hikes to nano's, seen things we would not have normally been inclined to visit, and generally been enthralled with the brain work that goes into creating a puzzle. It is all good. The more we have to hike, or think, to make it a one cache day, the more we appreciate having spent the time to get to ground zero.

 

Puzzles are good. Some make my head hurt so much that I have to ask for help, some are just lame, and some have decrypted coordinates so far off (because the owner failed to double check) but all in all, they are around to stay. I say great!

[+Patriot Games]

My wife is a puzzle person and she worked on some this winter, but I have to be honest, we looked at some of the puzzle cache pages and could not even find a puzzle on the page.

 

Anyone else have this problem?

[+NYPaddleCacher]

My wife is a puzzle person and she worked on some this winter, but I have to be honest, we looked at some of the puzzle cache pages and could not even find a puzzle on the page.

 

Anyone else have this problem?

 

That's actually quite common. Based on almost 70 puzzle caches that I have solved I would say that for at least half of them, finding and identifying the puzzle essentially was the puzzle. The thing is, there are only so many ways one can hide a puzzle in the context of a cache listing and once you've discovered a couple of them it's pretty easy to check to see if any new puzzle cache you encounter uses a similar method.

 

Now before a few people ask "What are those methods?" I don't really want to elaborate too much in a public forum other than to suggest that an understanding of how web pages are constructed and rendered can help a lot. I would be happy to get a bit more specific via email if someone is really interested.

[+ronbo]

 

Puzzle caches will always have fewer finders than traditional caches. We have a relatively small group of puzzle cache fans in our area, and I probably enjoy writing the cache listing as much as they enjoy solving the puzzle.

 

There is a trade-off to writing a really hard puzzle cache listing. On the one hand, you'll have a limited number of actual finders. On the other hand, puzzle cache fans email the link to each other, and it gets solved by some folks who would never otherwise look at one of your listings.

 

Keeping the puzzle caches out there also provides a change of pace for cachers who occassionally get tired of just following the GPS, and would like a bit more of a challenge.

 

Mr. Webchimp, Sir. I love your PMO puzzles. Yogi loves them too??? Keep up the good work. It takes a village to solve most puzzles. Do you agree? Send me the link to a resource for your newest puzzle cache. Difficulty 5????? Geeez. I've been up all night working on that thing. Help. Help.

[Skippermark]

I've found that most puzzle owners are willing to offer a hint to help people get started on a cache if needed.

[AZcachemeister]

My wife is a puzzle person and she worked on some this winter, but I have to be honest, we looked at some of the puzzle cache pages and could not even find a puzzle on the page.

 

Anyone else have this problem?

 

Sometimes (so I've been told), the first puzzle is to discover the puzzle. After that, you need to figure out the mode of encryption, only to discover that there is another level of encryption nested in that one! (and maybe a few more for good measure).

Fine for some, but I'd rather climb a mountain.

[+niraD]

My wife is a puzzle person and she worked on some this winter, but I have to be honest, we looked at some of the puzzle cache pages and could not even find a puzzle on the page.

 

Anyone else have this problem?

Problem? What problem?

 

Some of my favorite puzzle caches have been the type where you start by finding the puzzle.

[CoyoteRed]

So, if I follow your logic...

You didn't.

[+TrailGators]

If your area is like ours most of the puzzle lovers have probably already found your puzzles. However, I'd say leave them if they are fun puzzles that got good reviews in the logs because new puzzle cache lovers popup all the time. If they are just so-so then you could archive them and hide a new ones in the same area with fresh puzzles. Perhaps you've thought of some new idea that you like to try out....

[+NotThePainter]

Sometimes (so I've been told), the first puzzle is to discover the puzzle. After that, you need to figure out the mode of encryption, only to discover that there is another level of encryption nested in that one! (and maybe a few more for good measure).

And then there are the decoy puzzles...

[+CacheCredit]

Personally I love puzzle caches, but almost buy definition they take more time. As such they are not going to attract the casual, "just passing through" cacher.

 

While I love puzzle caches, I can also say that in my own experience they are also caches that I tend to do later in the list. Think of if this way:

 

You have a to-do list of 50 things to do. Some of the items are quick 1 minute projects, while others are slightly longer, and still others are major endeavors - several hours. Which ones do you do first. Most people I know will do the quick ones first, probably because it make the list shorter and more manageable, and a shorter list feels like you are making progress. However, when the list is done, which projects are the most memorable/satisfying - the longer ones - they give a long-term sense of accomplishment while the quick tasks are soon forgotten.

 

I think obvious parallels can be found with geocaches. I would say leave the puzzle caches unless there is a problem. Eventually people will get to them, and if not it is their loss.

 

CacheCredit.

[+Zop]

I've got a couple puzzle caches that have been in circulation for 3 years now. They're right in town and take only a few minutes to solve from home.

The first couple years they were getting a dozen or more finds per year. This year is half over and I'm looking at 1 find per cache.

 

I guess the new breed of geocacher doesn't fancy the puzzle aspect of the game. Maybe it's time to close 'em down. Thoughts?

 

I see you have already learned that the local puzzlers have already made the finds so you're now just waiting for the travelling puzzler to pass thru.

 

While traditionals are typically the most popular, I find unknown caches to almost always be much more rewarding when found and I try to slip a few in on my caching outings. Perhaps as others have suggested, they can be renewed by archiving, a slight twist in the puzzle and maybe a slightly new hide will bring the locals back around for a new smiley?