Puzzle Cache Final Location

[+Knight2000]

I [think I] enjoy puzzle caches. Several caches that we have considered hiding have been puzzle caches but we have held out on them because they get a lot less visits. All of the mystery caches we have done were very easy.

 

My question comes to this...

 

For those cachers that enjoy puzzle caches... How important are the final locations? I would love to place all caches in perfectly beautiful areas. Like many of you, i just don't have that many final locations up my sleeve.

 

I would like to do some puzzles. Not too extremely difficult - but still a puzzle. Would you be bummed if the final was simply a micro somewhere? (No- it wouldn't be behind a dumpster.)

 

Is the thrill in the puzzle, the location or maybe just getting another ? caches to your stats.

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

Edited April 5, 2009 by Knight2000

[+jackrock]

I expect you'll get a wide range of responses to this one. I like to have the final be an ammo can or decent sized cache. To me, that's a bit of a treat or reward for figuring out the puzzle (I often struggle with them).

 

That's just me and doesn't mean I'd pass on one if the final was a micro, I just would be happier with something larger. As to location, I would not mind if it's not a mind blowing view as long as it's not behind the dumpster as you promised.

[GOF and Bacall]

Generally I don't put very much effort into puzzle caches. Obscure codes and tedious searching of page after page of google results aren't my idea of fun. When I do solve one I'd like the reward to be at least equal to the challenge. But that is just me. I'm sure that others will think different. All I would ask is that you mention that the reward is in solving the puzzle and not so much the final location. Or some such, word it how you will.

[+Kit Fox]

I think I enjoy puzzle caches. Several caches that we have considered hiding have been puzzle caches but we have held out on them because they get a lot less visits. All of the mystery caches we have done were very easy.

 

My question comes to this...

 

For those cachers that enjoy puzzle caches... How important are the final locations? I would love to place all caches in perfectly beautiful areas. Like many of you, i just don't have that many final locations up my sleeve.

 

I prefer puzzles that lead me to scenic, historical, or on nice hikes. 99% of my puzzle caches take you on an adventure where the reward for solving, and finding the cache is a super cool spot.

 

I would like to do some puzzles. Not too extremely difficult - but still a puzzle. Would you be bummed if the final was simply a micro somewhere? (No- it wouldn't be behind a dumpster.)

 

Is the thrill in the puzzle, the location or maybe just getting another ? caches to your stats.

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

 

I've been disappointed many times after solving a great puzzle, then finding out the cache is in a crappy spot. This is the downside of puzzle caches where little is known of the final location, until you solve it.

Edited April 6, 2009 by Kit Fox

[+JPatton]

I did a puzzle cache a while back where the final was a lamp post micro in a parking lot. That was a disappointment after finishing the puzzle.

[+Chrysalides]

I enjoy a good puzzle, and don't particularly care where the final is. If it is in-theme, it's much nicer though. To me it is solving the puzzle that is the challenge.

[+erik88l-r]

I've had the same experience as JPatton, and also found it very disappointing and anticlimactic to find a lame lamp post micro after solving a difficult puzzle. Luckily that happened only once, and most puzzles I've found have happily lead to worthy caches.

 

~erik~

[AZcachemeister]

I'm not a big puzzle finder, but I did just create my first puzzle cache (don't look 'cause it hasn't published yet), but I would probably say the hide quality should be commensurate with the difficulty of the puzzle

 

What I mean is, if the actual hide is very easy, it should be in a nice place to visit (beautiful vista, historic location, etc.), but also if the puzzle is really tough, the find should be just as tough.

[Clan Riffster]

If the only options to select from are dealing with cache size, my personal and rather biased aesthetics lend themselves toward larger containers, rather than smaller. As such, I prefer that the end of any hunt be a regular. Preferably an ammo can. My bias is further piqued if getting to the cache requires lots of effort, whether it be bushwhacking half a mile through a swamp or getting my brain melted tackling a puzzle.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Why should mystery caches be any different than any other type of cache?

Though, with traditional caches, you usually know what to expect. Okay. I'll admit to having a lamp post micro mystery cache. But, it was intended to be a satire! Not that anyone figured that out. Oh, well. Most of my caches are in interesting or pretty places. That one was an aberration.

I can think of one cacher who has a great area to work in, but all his caches are in shopping centers. It didn't take too long to put him on my ignore list. On the other fin, I've done a lot of caches in the city. They seem to be more creative with their hides. Not a lot of lamp post mystery finals there.

If you take pride in your work, and do the best you can, then they are enjoyable. If you don't, then why bother?

[+Knight2000]

This is all great info. I suppose my biggest issue is lack of locations for hides. I am always trying to think "outside the box" and create an enjoyable caching experience. We could take a film can and drive around looking for a bush or similar to hide it in. That isn't the kind of cache we particularly enjoy- so we'd rather not hide these.

 

Since we have few places that we have found for hides, and mysteries just aren't visited as much, I have not really considered them. We have quite a few ammo cans and lock-n-locks and cache supplies ready to go- but no where to hide them.

 

If you take pride in your work, and do the best you can, then they are enjoyable. If you don't, then why bother?

That sums it up the way i needed to hear it. I certainly don't want to place a puzzle just to slap the finder when they finally do find the cache.

[+Cache O'Plenty]

Not everyone that enjoys puzzles also can do very long hikes to the final. So I'd take that into account when designing the cache. However, I would really enjoin you to avoid LPC or fence post cap finals. Put fair size caches in nice parks or along horse trails but avoid the T=4+ hides

[+Cache O'Plenty]

Not everyone that enjoys puzzles also can do very long hikes to the final. So I'd take that into account when designing the cache. However, I would really enjoin you to avoid LPC or fence post cap finals. Put fair size caches in nice parks or along horse trails but avoid the T=4+ hides

[+mrbort]

For my first cache I thought about the winter and bad weather days where one can't cache but wants to... I designed a puzzle that was essentially virtual travel but made the final cache location a PNG. It was in an interesting spot but maybe not the most exciting.... I was trying to make a cache that people could "find" at times when they couldn't be out hiking etc and then hiding it in a place where people who were disabled could also find it with ease. I guess it wasn't a great actual physical cache in terms of nice swag but I was thinking about a cache that people could figure out and then, even in the middle of a snowstorm go out and find... So I think that you have to think about how the final location is in line with your objectives. If it's a tough puzzle I can understand how people would want an awesome cache full of riches but if you make it clear that the reward of the cache is the hunt itself, then I think people will be happy with wherever you end up leading them. I'm still quite new so that's just my take on it as far as being what I would want out of a cache and also what Ive experienced in the puzzle caches that I've found...

[+VirginiaGator]

Count me as another who appreciates a good sized container for a find after completing a puzzle. I haven't seen a puzzle with a micro as of yet. I'd be inclined to skip it. And I guess I've been lucky enough to have found puzzle caches in decent areas. Usually the woods. After archiving my ALR cache, I'm now down to having one puzzle cache out there. It's called The Bridge. When we were hunting around for a place to put it, it was neat that while we placed it, we saw a bridge nearby. That was the spot for sure!

[+Knight2000]

Is the size because people desire trades or is it just the stigma of a large container?

 

We have a puzzle with a big container at the end. (3 gallon?) The puzzle is designed to be super simple but yet different and fun. It is what we would want in a cache. The mystery cache gets 1/3 of the visits of the other in the same area at the same time. Two years after the cache has been placed it is still packed with swag. It seems very few have taken/traded anything.

 

I love a big container too- but mostly because i just like to leave goodies for kids. Maybe it is just the child in us that imagines all the fun stuff we would find.

[+Singletree Expedition]

I enjoy puzzle caches. I also enjoy scenic terrain. Put them together and you have the perfect cache.

 

I like challenges both mental and physical, and I am most impressed with a cache that gives me both. Those are the ones I remember.

 

But if you have a great idea for a puzzle and no quality location then go ahead and place it. I tend to shy away from urban hides, but puzzle caches can get me there. Just find a way to be unique and you'll please most puzzle cachers.

 

Size for the environment. I enjoy large containers just because they're large. I enjoy micros when they are hidden uniquely.

[Mr.Yuck]

I [think I] enjoy puzzle caches. Several caches that we have considered hiding have been puzzle caches but we have held out on them because they get a lot less visits. All of the mystery caches we have done were very easy.

 

My question comes to this...

 

For those cachers that enjoy puzzle caches... How important are the final locations? I would love to place all caches in perfectly beautiful areas. Like many of you, i just don't have that many final locations up my sleeve.

 

I would like to do some puzzles. Not too extremely difficult - but still a puzzle. Would you be bummed if the final was simply a micro somewhere? (No- it wouldn't be behind a dumpster.)

 

Is the thrill in the puzzle, the location or maybe just getting another ? caches to your stats.

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

 

I remember this thread on the subject in the Canada forum from a couple of years ago.

 

Personally? I have ignored a few puzzles that lead to micros, just because they lead to micros. Most of them ending in store parking lots (I suspected they were, and verified with the local puzzle solving expert before even trying them). I also pretty recently ignored a film canister ending puzzle in a park which I probably walked right by while finding 4 or 5 other caches in the park.

 

Probably just me though, I'm like an anti-micro extremist or something.

[+Singletree Expedition]

Something to consider...

 

If the final location requires significant effort, then you are less likely to have logs by folks that haven't solved the puzzle. If the final location is easily accessible, you could accumulate many logs from folks that have never even looked at the puzzle.

[+Sol seaker]

As a new cacher I'm most interested in finding puzzles I CAN SOLVE!! I tend to avoid the puzzle caches because they are often so hard. Often I haven't a clue what the puzzle even IS. I don't really want to spend months trying to figure out one puzzle.

I'm in this for the fun of treasure hunting. I like the hunt and I like going through a box of "stuff" even if it's just junk. These are the fun things for me. If I was into the puzzles I would go to a puzzle website. I'm into the hunt and find. So if you're making a puzzle cache, make it one I can solve.

And I DO like the ones that teach me about the area, such as get the clues from signs in the area about the history, etc.

I don't mind where the final is as much, as long as it's not behind a dumpster or in a parking lot. Beautiful places are always prefered, but not always available.

I don't like micros because I like a treasure hunt. If it's just a log it's not half as fun.

SS

 

My question comes to this...

 

Is the thrill in the puzzle, the location or maybe just getting another ? caches to your stats.

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

[+briansnat]

If the most challenging, or interesting puzzle brings me to a garbage dump, litter strewn lot, or a Home Depot parking lot, it's still a cache in a garbage dump, litter strewn lot, or a Home Depot parking lot as far as I'm concerned.

[+Knight2000]

If the most challenging, or interesting puzzle brings me to a garbage dump, litter strewn lot, or a Home Depot parking lot, it's still a cache in a garbage dump, litter strewn lot, or a Home Depot parking lot as far as I'm concerned.

I'm offended that you would even think that i could place a hide like that.

 

 

[+Don_J]

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

 

This is one of the most important criteria for every cache that I hide. If, as you say, that is also true for you, then my advice is to stick to it, regardless of the type of cache you choose to hide. The fact that you may end up with a low finder count shouldn't matter, IMO. I'll trade one multi-paragraph log for a dozen TFTC's in a heartbeat.

[+TrailGators]

My answer is that I prefer finding caches that are not hidden in mundane locations. However, since solving puzzles is fun, I don't mind if they are hidden in below average locations. However, I will like them even more if they aren't.

Edited April 9, 2009 by TrailGators

[+succotash]

We also prefer a puzzle that brings us to the type of quality final location we seek with traditional caches (scenic, historical, away from muggles, non-micro container). We have done several puzzles we really enjoyed that brought us to let-down final locations, and the final locations are what kept us from adding those caches to our "favorites" list. Most of the puzzle caches on our favorites list brought us to excellent final locations.

 

But we do also appreciate a final location that relates to the puzzle itself (which is the case with the one puzzle cache we own). And in the case of this cache,, the fact that the container was a micro actually made the find even more rewarding due to the nature of the puzzle!

 

But in general - a scenic or historic location, privacy from muggles, and/or a final location or cache container that ties into the puzzle theme would be the most appreciated.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

As a new cacher I'm most interested in finding puzzles I CAN SOLVE!! I tend to avoid the puzzle caches because they are often so hard. Often I haven't a clue what the puzzle even IS. I don't really want to spend months trying to figure out one puzzle.

I'm in this for the fun of treasure hunting. I like the hunt and I like going through a box of "stuff" even if it's just junk. These are the fun things for me. If I was into the puzzles I would go to a puzzle website. I'm into the hunt and find. So if you're making a puzzle cache, make it one I can solve.

And I DO like the ones that teach me about the area, such as get the clues from signs in the area about the history, etc.

 

 

My question comes to this...

 

Is the thrill in the puzzle, the location or maybe just getting another ? caches to your stats.

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

 

There is a learning curve for solving puzzle caches just as there is for finding geocaches in general. When going out to find geocaches there are often new types of hides, new containers, learning when to trust out GPS verses rely on geosense to find caches.

 

Similarly with every puzzle solved we learn new techniques. The first time I discovered the coordinates listed in the raw html of the the cache listing it took me awhile to find it. Now it hit Control-A for any puzzle cache where I don't see the puzzle right away. I've learned how to recognize some cipher patterns and tricks for extracting data out of images and may other tools that I can apply when encountering a new puzzle cache.

 

My time available to actually get out and find geocaches is pretty limited so I enjoy working on puzzle caches at home as I have much more time available to do that.

 

I also enjoy caches which teach out about an area and it's history. Many puzzle caches can teach you about "something" though, whether it's a method for encrypting/decrypting text or as is the case of the Puzzle 101 series, how to solve puzzles in general. I started on a puzzle cache awhile back that, once solved, most people would learn just a bit more about GPS technology.

 

IMHO, the addition of a puzzle can make a cache more memorable as it often provides a means to contruct a cache around a theme. If one can tie the cache name, the puzzle, location, how the cache is hidden, and the container all together, it often become a lot more memorable.

[+3doxies]

We solve puzzles because we enjoy solving puzzles; the cache at the end is a lesser concern. Have a number of solved puzzles stored away that we may or may not ever get around to actually finding - it takes nothing away from the fun of solving them. Several of our puzzle hides are larger caches, but a couple are not for various reasons. But to us, its the journey - not the destination.

[+Totem Clan]

I like puzzles that are hard enough that the answer is not readily obvious, but won't take days to solve either. Those end up on my ignore list. Not because they are bad, but because I don't have enough caching time as it is. I'm not going to waste it trying to solve one puzzle.

 

As far as location goes, I would prefer that it leads someplace 'not lame,' for lack of a better description. However, as has been shown here before location is a matter of personal taste.

[+Kit Fox]

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

 

This is one of the most important criteria for every cache that I hide. If, as you say, that is also true for you, then my advice is to stick to it, regardless of the type of cache you choose to hide. The fact that you may end up with a low finder count shouldn't matter, IMO. I'll trade one multi-paragraph log for a dozen TFTC's in a heartbeat.

 

I couldn't say it better myself. One long found it log, combined with a gallery full of pictures, from the finder, makes me a happy cache hider.

 

My newest puzzle The Chamber combines an easy puzzle, a .50 cal ammo can, a scenic location, and historical ruins.

 

[+Totem Clan]

 

We always try to get finders to remember our caches. (The good kind of memorable though! )

 

This is one of the most important criteria for every cache that I hide. If, as you say, that is also true for you, then my advice is to stick to it, regardless of the type of cache you choose to hide. The fact that you may end up with a low finder count shouldn't matter, IMO. I'll trade one multi-paragraph log for a dozen TFTC's in a heartbeat.

 

I couldn't say it better myself. One long found it log, combined with a gallery full of pictures, from the finder, makes me a happy cache hider.

 

My newest puzzle The Chamber combines an easy puzzle, a .50 cal ammo can, a scenic location, and historical ruins.

 

That's what I like. That's my kind of puzzle.

[CoyoteRed]

If the most challenging, or interesting puzzle brings me to a garbage dump, litter strewn lot, or a Home Depot parking lot, it's still a cache in a garbage dump, litter strewn lot, or a Home Depot parking lot as far as I'm concerned.

I'm offended that you would even think that i could place a hide like that.

I think that pretty much sums it up. My thinking is the final (and as many of the stages as possible) should be able to stand on their own merits. Think like you're making a movie. Wouldn't you like every location be something interesting. Even a huge empty field can be interesting: the wind rippling across the grass, a lone tree with character, a beautiful sunset. That's hard to accomplish anywhere when there are less-than-desirable elements causing a distraction.

 

A puzzle with a less-than-interesting location is pretty much just a puzzle with a chore in order to say you've completed it.

[Dinoprophet]

The final location is *always* important, puzzle or no.

Edited April 9, 2009 by Dinoprophet

[+lacey38655]

I love puzzles, for example I have been working on 1 puzzle for well over 2 months now. I have over 100 hours logged into this one puzzle, so if you are having me to put this much work into solving it, you better believe I want you to put that much work into the final.

 

Unless you want my log to look like... UMMMM OK?????? TFTC

[+Wacka]

We have a cacher in my local area that hides almost exclusively puzzles. They are named after Rush songs. The titles, clues and even containers and hide locations all fit together. They are very elegant.

[+joukkusisu]

Put me down for not lame final locations. We like puzzle caches and have done a lot of them. Most of the finals were at locations that were about average. I can't think of any that were lame. Ok, maybe a couple. Every cache has to have a point of interest, be it the hide, the hike, the views, the swag. For me, the puzzles are the experience. It would be disappointing though to find a LPH for a final.

 

As far as size, I like the idea of something with trackables. Something to make it worthwhile. So small to large, I'd say. Of the puzzles we've placed, most have been either small or regular. Only a couple are micros, but they have either unique hides or interesting locations. I don't mind micros if they have clever hides. For me, a clever hide is more important than a regular filled with McToys.

 

For some puzzles, it may not be appropriate to have sizes that accomodate trackables. Most of the King Boreas challenges we've completed had micros for finals. I assume he did this to prevent coins or bugs from being stuck in the final for months or years on end. A lot of those challenges take a long time to complete and bug owners may not appreciate someone sticking their trackable in purgatory. With these challenges, it's entirely about the experience (all the effort, the traveling, the experiences along the way), and not the location.

[+CapeDoc]

IMHO ALL caches should be placed in beautiful/adventurous/historic locations, puzzle or not.

[+T A G]

Solving a mystery cache is always rewarding, the harder the mystery the greater the reward, but have to say a micro in poor area, you can't help thinking 'was it worth it'.

I'm sure if you look hard enough you could find somewhere nice to place a decent size container.

[+Zop]

I [think I] enjoy puzzle caches. Several caches that we have considered hiding have been puzzle caches but we have held out on them because they get a lot less visits. All of the mystery caches we have done were very easy.

 

My question comes to this...

 

For those cachers that enjoy puzzle caches... How important are the final locations?

 

For me, I prefer that the harder the puzzle, the more rewarding the final location. There have been a number of times though where I would spend several hours to solve a failry well done puzzle only to find a micro in a lamp post or nano on a street sign. Although I appreciate the puzzles none the less, it would be more enjoyable to have a pleasureable find as well.

 

Unfortunately, in urban environments, this may not be possible due to Muggle factors and simple environmental limitations.

[+Star*Hopper]

My newest puzzle The Chamber combines an easy puzzle, a .50 cal ammo can, a scenic location, and historical ruins.

 

 

A-a-ayep....at'sa good'n awright. I couldn't even find the puzzle!!

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

~*