Hints. When to use them?

[+G4UYG]

Is it considered cheating in some way to use the hints? Should they be left until you've spent some time searching? If so, how long?

I'm not sure that I could usually find a micro without a hint and surely it's better to use a hint than to rip bushes to pieces trying to find a hidden cache?

As a novice I'm wondering what is considered "normal"?

 

Ralph

[+Skate and Jane]

Hi G4UYG and welcome to the forums.

Regarding hints, do whatever you want. Some hints are no help at all, others will tell you exactly where the cache is.

At the end of the day you play this game for yourself and as long as you abide by the rules can do it any way that makes you happy.

I often look at the clue before looking for the cache. Other times I will have a good search and then have a look at it if still struggling.

There is a greater sense of achievement if you find it without the clue.

Good hunting.

[+kbootb]

In my opinion you play the game your way, there are no rules.

 

For me it depends on how quickly I want to find the cache. Sometimes we're en route somewhere else and just bagging a cache as we pass so look at the clue pretty early on. Other times I like the challenge of seeing if I can spot it without the clue.

 

I'd say I end up using the clue at least 60% of the time, but it's a question of how long I can afford to spend hunting.

 

Added to that is who I'm caching with. The other half of the team prefers the walking to the cacheing, 5 minutes seems to be her maximum before she gives in and wants to call it a DNF. I'm OK up to about 15 minutes. She's all for reading the clue as we appraoch the site!

[+osubrownsfan]

i usually do "some" searching and then if a come up empty, i look at the hint - if there is one, guess it does pay to have a palm and go paperless out in the field.

 

is it cheating ? in my opinion - nope

 

as a cache owner, well 1 hide, i do "want" people to find my cache

[+elis]

Is it considered cheating in some way to use the hints? Should they be left until you've spent some time searching? If so, how long?

I'm not sure that I could usually find a micro without a hint and surely it's better to use a hint than to rip bushes to pieces trying to find a hidden cache?

As a novice I'm wondering what is considered "normal"?

 

Ralph

How and when you use a hint is entirely up to you. Whilst there is a certain thrill to finding a cache without having to resort to the hint, doing so certainly wouldn't be regarded as cheating. Otherwise the same could be said for phoning a friend, e-mailing a previous finder for help, or getting help to solve a puzzle cache etc. There are no doubt purists out there who might consider the above to be "cheating" but the bottom line is you set your own rules and whether or not you stick to them is up to you. Personally I have no qualms in using the hint but I prefer not to get help in solving puzzles unless I've been going at them for several months! Whilst I usually try and find a cache without the use of the hint there are certain circumstances in which I will resort to it early on. For example if I am pressed for time, if their are lots of muggles about, if previous finders have reported difficulty in finding it or if there is poor GPS cover. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't worry about it. As long as you are getting out there and enjoying geocaching no is really going to complain.

 

elis

[+molfrew-mosstoad]

As others have said, its up to you when to use them. We usually search for a while if we are having problems then resort to the clues. There are a couple of exceptions, 1 if there is a lot of muggles around its often easier and less suspicious to read the hint before searching and 2 if we are running out of time.

 

There is no right or wrong way evceryone plays the game differently if people didnt want you to use a clue to find thier cache they wouldnt give one

[+The Blorenges]

Seconded, thirded and fourthed what they all said

 

Welcome to the Forum G4UYG and elis - and "hi" to osubrownsfan dropping in from Ohio

 

MrsB

[+hiho9]

i suppose it depends on were im looking and how much time i have...

[+Team Sieni]

It is considered cheating of the lowest form if you decrypt the hint. You must learn to read it encoded.

 

Only kidding.

 

I always use the hint. Every time, I would never even consider not using it!

[+The Blorenges]

I had a phone call yesterday from 2 cachers (who shall remain nameless ) who were out caching "in the field". They couldn't find the cache and asked me if I could just de-crypt the following hint for them:

 

ABA RAR RQRQ YBY

 

They were less than impressed when I gave them the result

 

MrsB

[+martlakes]

As a novice I'm wondering what is considered "normal"?

 

Well, given that there is nothing very normal about looking for Tupperware in the bushes, I wouldn't worry too much about the finer points!

 

As others have said - do it in the way that suits you. Preferably, however, the hint should be just that, a hint - rather than "it's under the third post". Sure, if it's a micro it helps if it's quite specific, but just saying where it is seems to take the fun out of it. But what's really obvious to one person is still a 5* difficulty to others, so there's no perfect answer or right/wrong way of doing these things, apart from ...

 

Have fun!

[reelcutter]

I always look at the clue before setting out then nearly always forget it. If you always say tree, ivy, under to yourself you will not be far out a lot of the time.

[+Primitive Person]

It is considered cheating of the lowest form if you decrypt the hint. You must learn to read it encoded.

 

Only kidding.

 

I always use the hint. Every time, I would never even consider not using it!

 

Same here - nice to know I'm not the only one. I've never considered it cheating - it's there to be used, after all.

 

They do, of course, vary massively in usefulness. Some will get you the cache in seconds. I had one the other day that said "under a fallen silver birch", when there was nothing but silver birches as far as the eye could see!

 

Lee

[+molfrew-mosstoad]

I had a phone call yesterday from 2 cachers (who shall remain nameless ) who were out caching "in the field". They couldn't find the cache and asked me if I could just de-crypt the following hint for them:

 

ABA RAR RQRQ YBY

 

They were less than impressed when I gave them the result

 

MrsB

 

I always love those hints! or maybe "Tree Stump" when your in a forest another one I came accross was " Gloves needed to retrieve" not much help when your already at the cache site...

 

But by far the best ones have got to be either a name or word that you need google to translate it into laymans terms.

[+clotguy]

I always read the hint....sometimes I can even remember it by the time I get to the cache

[reelcutter]

I had a phone call yesterday from 2 cachers (who shall remain nameless ) who were out caching "in the field". They couldn't find the cache and asked me if I could just de-crypt the following hint for them:

 

ABA RAR RQRQ YBY

 

They were less than impressed when I gave them the result

 

MrsB

 

I always love those hints! or maybe "Tree Stump" when your in a forest another one I came accross was " Gloves needed to retrieve" not much help when your already at the cache site...

 

But by far the best ones have got to be either a name or word that you need google to translate it into laymans terms.

 

Guilty I have one in latin but it should be no trouble to folk who like gardening. Hadn't thought to mention gloves they might be needed too.

[+G4UYG]

Oh I feel so much better now.

You see I was starting to feel guilty at reading the hints and wondered if other Geocachers would shun me for it

The trouble with hints, of course, is you don't know what they are until you read them (yeah obvious!) so until I decrypt it I won't know if it is cryptic or very specific. I have come across some where I need to Google to understand it, and others that tell me exactly where to look. I prefer not to read the latter but of course it's too late once I've read it. But like others I quickly forget anyway.

What a great hobby this is

 

Ralph

[+maxkim]

Under a stone is also fairly common... LOL... use them as you will... thats what they are there for. MaxKim

[+martlakes]

Under a stone is also fairly common... LOL... use them as you will... thats what they are there for. MaxKim

 

Bit like this you mean!

 

 

(Although, thankfully, it wasn't the clue for this one!)

[+molfrew-mosstoad]

Guilty I have one in latin but it should be no trouble to folk who like gardening. Hadn't thought to mention gloves they might be needed too.

 

Oh so its you is it must brush up on my latin now

[+G4UYG]

Guilty I have one in latin but it should be no trouble to folk who like gardening.

Not just Latin. To some (like me) any mention of the specific type of plant is a cause for head scratching.

I found one recently where the hint mentioned "blackthorn bush and a privet bush" and that meant nothing to me either When I found the cache I still didn't know which was which.

[+Donmoore]

Under a stone is also fairly common... LOL... use them as you will... thats what they are there for. MaxKim

 

Bit like this you mean!

 

 

(Although, thankfully, it wasn't the clue for this one!)

 

I had one not disimilar to this but it was the big tide control rocks. the clue was you might like a wee dram here. now my only conclusion was he was was meaning "on the rocks" I hate dumb clues. My hints/spoilers tell you exactly where the cache is. I condsider the rest of the page the spot to be cryptic but like has already been said you just have to accept everyone plays differently.

[+Team Sieni]

I hate dumb clues. My hints/spoilers tell you exactly where the cache is. I condsider the rest of the page the spot to be cryptic but like has already been said you just have to accept everyone plays differently.

I have just one cache. On my first maintenance visit I couldn't find it partly because my GPS was set to OSGB not WGS84, and partly because of seasonal change in vegetation. On my second I just could not remember where it was. I each case the search took me ages (even more galling as there are lots of "an easy find" logs). On my last visit, I looked at the clue and thought "Who wrote this stupid clue? There are lots of these here!". As a result of this I made the clue a lot more specific - as much for my own benefit as for that of other cachers!

Edited August 4, 2008 by Team Sieni

[+G4UYG]

 

I have just one cache. On my first maintenance visit I couldn't find it partly because my GPS was set to OSGB not WGS84, and partly because of seasonal change in vegetation. On my second I just could not remember where it was. I each case the search took me ages (even more galling as there are lots of "an easy find" logs).

 

Well in a lighter moment it occurred to me that as my memory isn't what it once was I should be able to Geocache all by myself as I could place a cache and then probably forget where it was. But I never thought anyone would actually do it Thanks, you gave me a good laugh anyway...

[+The Cache Hoppers]

If you are out group caching, make out you have already decoded the hint (or read it if you are paperless) and give the others a red herring (ie if it is under a log tell 'em its in the ivy) - then you get to find it! Teehee! Better still, tell them there is no clue

[+chizu]

Our usual trick is to read the hints before going out, then muddle hem up in our brains so we almost always remember the wrong hint for each cache making it actually more difficult to find

[+Team Sieni]

Well in a lighter moment it occurred to me that as my memory isn't what it once was I should be able to Geocache all by myself as I could place a cache and then probably forget where it was.

 

Yes ... solo caching is a possibility. Finding my own cache was a good sight harder than most other caches I've found ... twice!