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GeoSnippits Research - Puzzle/Mystery Caches


Headhardhat

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Greetings All,

 

I am putting together my next GeoSnippits video and wanted to get some real feedback from cachers and use the results.

 

It is a tutorial about Puzzle/Mystery caches and I would love to hear your views as to why you like them or dislike them.

 

Thanks in advance for any input and I will let you know when it airs on YouTube.

 

-HHH :laughing:

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I simply like puzzles. And they give a cache more of a treasure hunt feel. I get almost the same thrill from seeing coordinates emerge from an intimidating ciphertext as from finding a cleverly hidden cache.

 

People will say they don't geocache to sit around the house and solve puzzles. But I've never lost a minute of outdoor caching time because I was solving a puzzle. I solve them when I can, and the next time I'm caching in the area, I go get them.

 

I also like that I can get the rare FTF with puzzle caches. :laughing:

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I don't like puzzles that require you to have something special in order to find them e.g. a piece of software you download to your cell phone that allows you to read barcodes.

 

My other least favourite puzzles are multi-stage puzzles that require you to visit more than 2 locations to collect information. Same reason I'm not keen on regular multis - if one part of the multi is missing, or changes, or is simply wrong, it means you can't finish the puzzle and will need to return to the location.

 

I loved this puzzle I did recently: GC19P92 All the research is done online. For me it was a head scratcher for a little while until I finally twigged in. I thought it was very creative. PLUS I really appreciate puzzle caches that include a geochecker. This puzzle has one.

 

Since there's an extra effort required to figure out the puzzle cache location, it's extra nice when the puzzle cache owner puts out a regular size (not micro) cache container.

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I simply like puzzles. And they give a cache more of a treasure hunt feel. I get almost the same thrill from seeing coordinates emerge from an intimidating ciphertext as from finding a cleverly hidden cache.

 

People will say they don't geocache to sit around the house and solve puzzles. But I've never lost a minute of outdoor caching time because I was solving a puzzle. I solve them when I can, and the next time I'm caching in the area, I go get them.

 

I also like that I can get the rare FTF with puzzle caches. :laughing:

 

Can I just stick my name on the end of that? :rolleyes:

 

The only time I don't enjoy doing a puzzle is if there are mistakes in it or there are multiple ways in which to solve the puzzle and none of them seem to work. I looked into one recently where the clues were incorrect when it was published so cachers may have wasted time working with bad data until the owner corrected it 2 days later. Then there was another where there were multiple angles from which to approach the puzzle. When I finally found the right angle and actually walked thru the solution with the owner to show him how I was solving it, he had the approach backwards. So basically my only complaint/request is to make sure that the solution is correct by testing it out first. Not calling anyone's baby ugly, just sayin'.

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I like puzzles where the solution isn't so hard to get at, and my own puzzles reflect this. I'm currently working on one that is a photography puzzle where you have to learn about photography to figure out the coordinates, but the questions are not that difficult and just some minor research will find the answers. Like the others, I like to have a coord checker, as it means I don't have to email the owner to find out if the coords are correct, and have to wait, along with the uncertainty of them never answering their emails.

Edited by Dwoodford
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Puzzle caches are the last ones we do in an area, if we do them at all. I find that many of them require info that is very local (and not easy to attain for out of towners) or dated (who remembers the grey cup runner up in 1973?) or sometimes just wrong.

Also, with pocket queries and paperless caching, I don't always read up on specific caches before I arrive in an area. So we arrive, look up caches and quite often find out that the local puzzle cache(s) need access to the web to solve.

All this said, I'm not "protesting" them at all. They are a part of the game, and many love them. Just not me.

Edited by doingitoldschool
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I simply like puzzles. And they give a cache more of a treasure hunt feel. I get almost the same thrill from seeing coordinates emerge from an intimidating ciphertext as from finding a cleverly hidden cache.

 

People will say they don't geocache to sit around the house and solve puzzles. But I've never lost a minute of outdoor caching time because I was solving a puzzle. I solve them when I can, and the next time I'm caching in the area, I go get them.

 

I also like that I can get the rare FTF with puzzle caches. :laughing:

 

This.

 

Except for the FTF part -- which doesn't mean a whit to me.

 

Puzzles add an element, making it a 'game within the game', & that's a plus far's I'm concerned.

But then, I'm not obsessed with numbers, & power runs of 50+ scores a day. Which runs contrary to most others, despite what they claim. *heheheh*

~*

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I generally don't have the time nor desire to solve the puzzle before seeking the cache. There are plenty of caches already out there with accurate posted coords for me to seek-all sizes, hiding styles, and locations. When it is time to go caching, I just want to find caches.

 

I suppose I could spend less time posting in here and solving some of those puzzles, but this is more amusing for me. :laughing:

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I love puzzle caches. I'm certainly not very good at them, but I love them anyway. I love that someone went to the extra effort to do some research, some clever work and goes all out to bring something more to the caching experience. I'm not as big on cyphers, but love physical puzzles or solve-on-site type riddles. I've taken more than a year and 3 separate trips over 200 hundred miles to finish a cache (at our favorite vacation destination). It turned out to not be terribly difficult in the end, but still provided long hours of entertainment. :laughing:

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I've always loved puzzles, including geocaching puzzles. Some have driven me crazy trying to solve but the feeling of accomplishment after solving a tough puzzle is worth the effort to me. We have one around here, LINK, that I am one of only three finders. Solving that sure felt good.

Edited by out12
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The type of cache container and location placed should be equal to the difficulty of the puzzle. A puzzle that takes hours to complete that takes you to a magnetic on a guardrail is just disappointing. The harder the puzzle, the larger the final and the cooler the location should be.

 

I definitely agree with that.

 

I really enjoy doing puzzle caches. I haven't gone to paperless caching yet, so I am online a lot anyway. I do not enjoy the one's that require visits to multiple sites to find the answers. I haven't done many multi's. I find them frustrating.

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The type of cache container and location placed should be equal to the difficulty of the puzzle. A puzzle that takes hours to complete that takes you to a magnetic on a guardrail is just disappointing. The harder the puzzle, the larger the final and the cooler the location should be.

 

I definitely agree with that.

 

I really enjoy doing puzzle caches. I haven't gone to paperless caching yet, so I am online a lot anyway. I do not enjoy the one's that require visits to multiple sites to find the answers. I haven't done many multi's. I find them frustrating.

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I agree with Sportside.

 

I like a nice puzzle that might require a bit of thought or research, but if the puzzle designer is just on an ego trip to show me that he/she is smarter than me, I won't give them the pleasure.

 

I cache for fun and if it becomes work, then I'll stop caching and go back to work.

Edited by ladyleo191
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Themes. Adventure. Treasure hunting. Stages that make sense after the fact.

 

I don't need guaranteed finds. I like not knowing if the cache is really there. "Is my solution correct? I'll find out if I come up with the cache in my hands!"

 

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Gold Bug" is a good template for a good puzzle.

 

A good geocaching example. The coordinates took you to a stop sign on the back of which you found a date: March 14th. It was on Pitt St. The shapes that were referred to were in the general shape of two "T"s together and touching. Many of the things referred to in the story was weird.

 

The code was simply a seemingly random grouping of numbers.

 

...until you put all those clues together to come up with "pi." Then the numbers in the code was positions in the constant pi.

 

The date of March, 14th: 3.14

The street: Pi TT

The shape: TT

The references: Pies.

 

"They Are Not Square": Pi R² "No, they are round."

 

Forehead slapping moments make a good puzzle.

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I recently finished a mystery cache in our area where the coordinates were hidden in 2 other caches in the same park, and you had to use the info from the 2 of them to find the other cache.

 

There were 3 of us working together, and it required us to learn about out GPSr's on the fly -- after a couple of moments of consternation, we got everything sorted out and were on our way. The coordinates lead us to something that had us clearly puzzled, and again, the 3 of us working together solved it.

 

It was our most challenging cache (so far), and gave us a real sense of accomplishment when we put pen to log.

 

The mystery aspect was related to our GPSr's, so it was a fun way to learn something new, even if by trial and error.

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I love finding puzzle caches, and I love making them. That said, they need to be tested well! I've found that out the hard way - on both ends of the deal (finding and hiding). It's very easy for the cache hider to get all gummed up in the details of clues and miss a glaring mistake - say, a "+" where an equation should have a "-" . It's a good idea to have a fellow cacher vet the page before you post for the reviewer. (Find an out of state buddy - say, someone who found one of your caches while they were on vacation, so no-one feels like they're missing out on a FTF.)

 

BTW I bet a lot of cache hiders aren't aware that a cache page can be held back from review after it is published. That's a great little checkbox - "Yes this cache is currently active", on the edit page. It's especially helpful when constructing a puzzle cache because the page could time out while you're filling in details. Unchecking the box lets you "save" your description from time to time without actually submitting it for review. And, it gives you as much time as you need to let your helper cacher vet the puzzle.

 

Geochecker, I think should just be a standard for puzzle caches.

 

And... even though I have done this, puzzles should be a small or regular, preferably regular, not a micro, the harder, the larger, IMHO! :unsure:

 

Thanks for starting this thread!

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but if the puzzle designer is just on an ego trip to show me that he/she is smarter than me, I won't give them the pleasure.
I hear this a lot and as far as I'm concerned nothing could be further from the truth.

 

The dirty secret of puzzle caches is that placing a puzzle cache is pretty easy. I'm a fairly prolific puzzle cache hider, and frankly, one reason is that I like puzzles but solving puzzle caches can be so hard!

 

(Note it is very easy to create a very hard puzzle that is unsolvable. The trick is to make the solvable, sometimes with a little effort, sometimes with a lot of effort.)

 

I'm in awe of those that are good at solving them!

 

Paul

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Geochecker, I think should just be a standard for puzzle caches.
I've never been fond of the geocheckers.

 

I really like being in contact with those that seek my puzzles. It makes it all the better when you meet up with them at an event.

 

Paul

Works great if the cache hider is still active. A few of the puzzles I have looked at have owners who are long gone from the caching community. Asking them to verify coords is not an option...

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I really like being in contact with those that seek my puzzles. It makes it all the better when you meet up with them at an event.

 

Having Geochecker on the page soitenly (nyuk nyuk) doesn't keep them from getting in touch. My puzzle caches have generated way more mail and inquiries than the regulars. And, it seems the same group around here likes to tackle puzzles, so we tend to hand together anyway. Small town. :unsure:

 

It's just another resource worth having, like any other tool.

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:unsure::D I hate puzzle caches. The purpose of geocaching for me is to get outdoors and find caches. I don't think spending hours banging my head trying to figure out coordinates from puzzle just to find the cache is fun or rewarding. And add insult to injury, I don't think the hours vested in a puzzle should be rewarded with a nano or a bison tube attached to a fence or sign in a business park.

 

 

In my area, puzzle caches have taken off exponentially. And many of these puzzles are some really off the wall ones that seem to be placed just to try and outdo the complexity of some other puzzle that's already been placed. I'm busy and my time is precious. I'd rather be given the coords straight up to find the cache and have a little more to discover the area rather than wasting that time trying to solving a puzzle.

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In general, I don't care for puzzle caches.

Some seem to thrive on them, and that is good for them.

I much prefer a physical challenge.

I don't care to take the time to figure out all the possible encryption methods to get the co-ordinates for a cache, especially when I could be out finding 20 or 30 other caches. I don't mind doing a little internet research to get some numbers...or something equally easy.

My ignore list is FULL of puzzles, and I am desperately concerned as to what I will do when it fills up completely.

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Despite the fact that Sue loves puzzle caches, and has found almost one thousand puzzle caches, I hate, with only one or two exceptions, ANY puzzle cache which would take me longer than five seconds to solve, or would force me to try think analytically. So, 99% of puzzle caches would give me a massive headache if I were to attempt to solve them, and, since I have a lot of common sense, I therefore always choose NOT to try to solve them. In fact, I would rather sit in a chair and methodically pull out each of my toenails with a pair of large vice-grip pliers, followed by dipping my toes in salt water, than try to solve a puzzle cache. As a matter of fact, I would even rather stand half-naked in the middle of the Sahara desert and flagellate my bare back from sunup till sundown with a vinegar-soaked horsewhip, in a fashion inspired by the 13th century Christian Hesychast Fathers, aka the Desert Fathers, than try to solve a puzzle cache.

 

Late PS: I should also note that instead of solving puzzle caches, I would much rather spend my time logging fake finds on geocaches on other continents, using identical boilerplate cut-and-paste find log entries which read

"Great! TNLSNSL. TFTC."
Edited by Vinny & Sue Team
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I love puzzles that can be solved 'in the field', and, better, are somehow related to their surroundings.

 

I have to agree . . . going into an area far from home to cache and have fun only to be stifled by ingenious mystery/puzzle caches that require more than one has in the field (PPC, GPS, laptop) is a real joy robber. Yea, I know I can pass them up and I often must do so . . . but, my personality makes it tough (my problem!).

 

These are fine caches (IMO) but they need not be so creative and intense as to require more time in puzzle solution than in finding the cache . . . it then becomes a puzzle game rather than a geocaching game.

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I solved seven puzzle caches yesterday, when it was too wet and cold to go caching.

 

*smug*

 

My mom does the same thing. She spends a great deal of time taking care of my dad who is ill so on the days when she cannot get out of the house to find a cache, she's solving and stockpiling puzzles for the day when she can get out. And it takes her mind off of illness and stress. We love them.

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I love puzzles that can be solved 'in the field', and, better, are somehow related to their surroundings.

 

I have to agree . . . going into an area far from home to cache and have fun only to be stifled by ingenious mystery/puzzle caches that require more than one has in the field (PPC, GPS, laptop) is a real joy robber. Yea, I know I can pass them up and I often must do so . . . but, my personality makes it tough (my problem!).

 

These are fine caches (IMO) but they need not be so creative and intense as to require more time in puzzle solution than in finding the cache . . . it then becomes a puzzle game rather than a geocaching game.

 

Like the time you chewed me out becuz you couldn't de-scramble (a la 'Jumble') the 2 words "Got gauss?" ??

"Hints are supposed/designed to help, not hinder. Gas is too expensive to hunt puzzles that one has to decypher in the field. Found old catalytic converter as the only reasonably viable target but it was empty . . . no thanks!"

 

This (top half) might look familiar -- lower half, ehh-h-h-hhh....probably not.

PJ317compa.jpg

 

Better luck next time.

~*

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