Where U Go.... I Go...

[+harrogate hunters]

So Wherigo has now been published for a while with official recognation on the geocaching site with its own icon for around a year.

 

My first published in February 2008 was obviously visited by 141 caching teams at the Mega...... BUT

 

What are people thoughts a year on...

 

With only 23 published in the UK, I think I know the answer...

[+Stuey]

So Wherigo has now been published for a while with official recognation on the geocaching site with its own icon for around a year.

 

My first published in February 2008 was obviously visited by 141 caching teams at the Mega...... BUT

 

What are people thoughts a year on...

 

With only 23 published in the UK, I think I know the answer...

 

They're good fun to do, but a PITA to set up. I played about for a while and couldn't be bothered. I might return to it again some time though.

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

Yeh, wot he said ^^^^

 

I enjoyed doing your cache in Harrogate Robin, and thought of an idea or two for setting my own up, however, have been a bit put off by tales of the software being hard to master etc.

 

It is something I hope to get back to, but finding a chunk of time to get my head around it and nitpick my way thorugh is the stumbling block.

[+MartyBartfast]

I don't have the wherewithall to run the S/W so it's not for me. If I had a unit to run it on I'd give it a go though.

[+The Blorenges]

I've also looked at creating one but it takes time to learn the software to do this. Unfortunately my other 'hat' means I'm pretty occupied during the evenings and after a day at work I just don't seem to have the inclination to do it.

 

Chris (MrB)

[+Delta68]

With only 23 published in the UK

 

22 active and 3 archived at last count

 

We've set two and done four.

 

I have a few ideas for more Wherigos but I'm in no rush to develop them because no-one seems bothered once they've got the icon.

Ours haven't been visited since last August....

 

 

Mark

[+Mr'D]

They're good fun to do, but a PITA to set up.

Exactly! Until the software improves this will continue to appeal to only a limited number of cachers. It's a shame though... I think this is the way caching could go in the future, it's just taking longer than need be.

[+SidAndBob]

I knocked up a quick test ages ago, but then realised there was little point proceeding as it's hard enough to get anyone to do a multi these days, let alone a Wherigo. We'd get very few finds on it round here.

Groundspeak seem to have ground to a halt with development, so I'm not inspired to invest a lot of time and effort in it.

[+Happy Humphrey]

I set one up two years ago, but it is an effort and I haven't got round to revising it for the new(ish) version of the software.

[+Maple Leaf]

With only 23 published in the UK

 

22 active and 3 archived at last count

 

 

7 of which are within easy reach of Weston-super-Mega 2009 .... and (at least) one more I am aware of is being prepared.

Edited January 28, 2009 by Maple Leaf

[+Haggis Hunter]

Another downside to Wherigo's is that you need to have the equipment to do it. Any other cache all you need is any old GPS and your ready to go. I have done two of these and on both occassions I had to do it with someone else who had the equipment.

[+Andy33]

I actually like the idea of the cache type and did have a go at making one but found it just too complicated so in the end gave up. I think if there was some easy to use software then people may give it a go but at the moment I don’t see it catching on.

[+Munkeh]

been waitng for improovements in the software, they don't seem to be coming

[+Amberel]

I took it up enthusiastically. At least to start with.

 

I have several suitable PDAs, and use one extensively on a daily basis. I use them regularly with their internal GPS for TomTom, MemoryMap and OziExplorer, all of which they run just fine. Wherigo twice destroyed my setup requiring a COLD reset, for anyone not understanding what this means, it means going back to the state the PDA was in when it was supplied. I run dozens of programs, to reinstall and reconfigure them all takes about 5 hours each time.

 

Later versions at least got over this problem, but despite 3 attempts I never managed to keep it running without locking up for sufficient time to complete a cache. It did get further with each version, but as far as I could tell there was no new version after the last time I tried it, which locked up (I now know) only a hundred yards from the cache.

 

I'm a professional programmer myself, and know a bit about testing software. I read a comment in the forums where a manager, in response to the barrage of problems, said that they were aware it hadn't been thoroughly tested but the programmers just wanted to get it out there and be used!

 

So, suffice it to say that I think the idea is good, but the implementation and deployment was a (bad) joke.

 

Rgds, Andy

[+currykev]

I have enough difficulty with ? caches.

I'll stick to trads and virtuals.

[+sTeamTraen]

If anyone has given up trying to make cartridges because of frustrations with Groundspeak's builder, you are welcome to try out my alternative Web-based version called "Earwigo" (geddit?) which requires substantially less clicking.

 

Other features include support for accented characters (probably not much use for UK users), multilingual cartridges (ditto), interface in multiple languages (ditto), zone creation on Google Maps (ah, finally something that might be of interest), ability to relocate the whole cartridge to a new spot or even make it into a "play-anywhere" with a single click, support for including arbitrary Lua code in a way that doesn't force you to do everything by hand from that point on, named chunks of code so you can re-use the same lines in multiple places, etc.

 

It won't make the underlying concepts any easier to understand but it should reduce the risk of RSI. To sign up, please send me a mail via my geocaching.com profile.

[+Morton]

Completely agree with Amberel, above. It was released too soon.

 

I got some way down the path of developing a cartridge, but found the Builder too clumsy and buggy for what i wanted to do. At that point, I had the skills and the desire to switch to writing the cartridge in LUA (the programming language which underpins Wherigo), but was stymied by a complete lack of documentation.

 

I too am involved in software, so this isn't just a naive user expecting everything to be perfect.

 

I also had at the back of my mind that this is all a money-making wheeze for Groundspeak. I have no problem whatever with the principle of that (I have my own business, and making money is what it's all about). However, it made me less willing to persevere and overcome the problems than I might have been if it was, say, an open development project.

 

All's not lost though - I could easily be brought back on board when they release the next version. The initial experience has been disappointing, but not terminally so.

 

Cheers

Richard

[+Guanajuato]

As I posted on my log after finding yours in December (I think one of 2 or 3 since the Mega in August!), the concept is pretty good. I can see how the technology could be used to make Groundspeak money through licensing, e.g. for electronically guided tours of a nature reserve. But in practice they're really puzzle/multi caches that have a limited audience through being only 'do-able' on a PPC or Colorado (Oregon?).

 

I did toy with the idea of doing one, but decided on a staged puzzle instead. That one hasn't been found since the initial splurge of local cachers.

 

Having done a few multis (including Miss HH's (now adopted) playpark cache, almost... ) recently, they've not exactly been busy (!), it seems these days that 'It Probably IS About The Numbers', so anything that takes a bit more effort will only get the more hardcore cachers. Well, that's my hope with the next cache I'm about to place!

[+pklong]

I've done three. The only one that didn't crash and require multiple attempts starting from the beginning again was the simple one on Harrogates stray. One needed at least a dozen goes. Saving was no help as all, reopening a saved cartridge just killed the player dead.

 

If someone plonked one on my front lawn I might have a go just to get it out of my nearest cache list, I'm a glutton for punishment like that, but I wouldn't travel any distance to do one again.

 

Philip

[+Pieman]

I have completed 3 Wherigos and attempted 4. Using a Colorado in each case, there was no problem in locking up but 3 out of the 4 attempts had problems. The Wherigo in Harrogate went completely crazy and we ended up having to be taken to the cache itself, one in Knutsford centre took us on a spider walk backwards and forwards as (I guess the software took us to the stages out of order), one in Manchester I never got beyond the first stage as every time I moved a few feet different stages and information kept popping up- again I guess out of order. Finally, the one in Tatton Park worked fine- here the stages are well spaced out. The comments I have heard about the difficulties of setting Wherigos has scared me away from trying to set one.

 

The idea is great and these are exactly the sort of caches I would like to do and set, but I very much doubt that they will ever take off because of the need to have a paritcular GPS or access to a GPS and PDA (not a rugged combination for outdoor use) but perhaps even more importantly, the Wherigo brand has been pretty badly tarnished by the botched launch.

Edited January 28, 2009 by Pieman

[+L8HNB]

We’ve done one Wherigo twice, once for ourselves and once with a group of local cachers - they borrowed the Mio to get the Icon.

 

Nothing much wrong with the cache, software worked ok too, but we spent most of the time looking at the screen rather than enjoying the area we were in. When we are doing trads,?’s etc. we usually only need the Mio at the end to get close to the cache to find it. The rest of the time is spent chatting or taking in the scenery or trying to get breath when going up hills!

 

The others who we followed around the second time weren’t too impressed either, if I remember correctly.

 

There's no bustin' rush for us to to do another.....

[+*mouse*]

I think Wherigo's are great! In fact I'm surprised that there are so few in the UK to date. I guess the builder puts lots of people off writing them.....

 

It would seem that I'm really fortunate to live in an area where local cachers have made a lots of effort to write some really, really good ones. The best I've come across so far are GC1A75H and GC1JVRE.

 

And I can only echo Maple Leaf's comments - come to Weston super Mega and find out for yourselves!

[+calibri]

Had a go @ one in Weston but the software took over my Mio P550 GPs port shareing etc took an age to resolve so have not bothered since.

[+SidAndBob]

I think Wherigo's are great! In fact I'm surprised that there are so few in the UK to date. I guess the builder puts lots of people off writing them.....

 

It would seem that I'm really fortunate to live in an area where local cachers have made a lots of effort to write some really, really good ones. The best I've come across so far are GC1A75H and GC1JVRE.

 

And I can only echo Maple Leaf's comments - come to Weston super Mega and find out for yourselves!

We thought Brean Fort Wherigo Cache was excellent too.

[+Mr'D]

We thought Brean Fort Wherigo Cache was excellent too.

Me too! I thought this was one of the best GPS experiences I have ever had

[+The Flying Boots]

We thought Brean Fort Wherigo Cache was excellent too.

Me too! I thought this was one of the best GPS experiences I have ever had

ditto

[+Madyokel]

We thought Brean Fort Wherigo Cache was excellent too.

Me too! I thought this was one of the best GPS experiences I have ever had

ditto

I look forward to trying that Wherigo some time in August.

My thoughts on the cache type though are not so positive..

I am sure if a european cacher with no links to the main site had proposed these they would never have been granted.. The software is very edgy and not easy to use..

My main gripe with it is that even though I have the hardware to do the caches. As Haggis Hunter posted you need specialised kit above a general GPS to complete a Wherigo. Your new cacher with there shiny yellow etrex who is super keen to do all types of caches has as much chance as Littleyokel's goldfish.

[+minstrelcat]

We don't have the right equipment to do a Wherigo and neither of us think it is worth the expense and bother of getting new stuff just for a new icon.

 

Lisa