Bonus caches

[+Deepdiggingmole]

Just a quickie

Is the final bonus cache (which is found once you have found a series of caches and collected numbers or similar to then work out the co-ords for a bonus) a puzzle cache or a multi cache - or both and what would be examples of either if it is both []

[+Von-Horst]

Just a quickie

Is the final bonus cache (which is found once you have found a series of caches and collected numbers or similar to then work out the co-ords for a bonus) a puzzle cache or a multi cache - or both and what would be examples of either if it is both []

 

Its probably safest to call it a puzzle/mystery cache;

 

"The "catch-all" of cache types, this form of cache can involve complicated puzzles you will first need to solve to determine the coordinates. Examples include sending the cache owner a verification codeword found inside the logbook, performing some task at the cache location and taking a photograph, or writing the online log in a format or with content that satisfies the cache requirements. Due to the increasing creativity of geocaching this becomes the staging ground for new and unique challenges".

[+Stuey]

Multi's are generally self contained and stand alone on their own merit.

[+SidAndBob]

Maybe an administrator could respond to this with the official stance as I understand it is slightly more complicated than this.

[+The Blorenges]

Just a quickie

Is the final bonus cache (which is found once you have found a series of caches and collected numbers or similar to then work out the co-ords for a bonus) a puzzle cache or a multi cache - or both and what would be examples of either if it is both []

 

If your "series of caches" are all individual trads which can be logged separately, then when you have collected the numbers from them all you can use these numbers to work out the co-ordinates of the Bonus cache I would say that the Bonus cache should be a mystery/? cache.

 

On the other hand, if your cache page takes you to a starting point, then takes you through a series of stages where you gather some number from each cache along the route but all the information for the route appears on that one cache page then I would set that as a Multi cache.

 

Does that make sense?* That's my take on it anyway!

 

MrsB

 

*... and if it doesn't, then drop an email to your friendly local reviewer to see what he/she thinks

Edited April 9, 2009 by The Blorenges

[+Wintonian]

Maybe an administrator could respond to this with the official stance as I understand it is slightly more complicated than this.

If your "series of caches" are all individual trads which can be logged separately, then when you have collected the numbers from them all you can use these numbers to work out the co-ordinates of the Bonus cache I would say that the Bonus cache should be a mystery/? cache.

 

On the other hand, if your cache page takes you to a starting point, then takes you through a series of stages where you gather some number from each cache along the route but all the information for the route appears on that one cache page then I would set that as a Multi cache.

 

Does that make sense?* That's my take on it anyway!

 

MrsB

 

*... and if it doesn't, then drop an email to your friendly local reviewer to see what he/she thinks

 

Said by someone who is very close to a reviewer

 

Hope that does as an alternitive to a admin.

Edited April 9, 2009 by Hampshire_Hog

[+Stuey]

Maybe an administrator could respond to this with the official stance as I understand it is slightly more complicated than this.

 

How do you understand it is?

[+Deepdiggingmole]

Just a quickie

Is the final bonus cache (which is found once you have found a series of caches and collected numbers or similar to then work out the co-ords for a bonus) a puzzle cache or a multi cache - or both and what would be examples of either if it is both []

 

If your "series of caches" are all individual trads which can be logged separately, then when you have collected the numbers from them all you can use these numbers to work out the co-ordinates of the Bonus cache I would say that the Bonus cache should be a mystery/? cache.

 

On the other hand, if your cache page takes you to a starting point, then takes you through a series of stages where you gather some number from each cache along the route but all the information for the route appears on that one cache page then I would set that as a Multi cache.

 

Does that make sense?* That's my take on it anyway!

 

MrsB

 

*... and if it doesn't, then drop an email to your friendly local reviewer to see what he/she thinks

 

This is why I posted the question - my take on it would be - the bonus co-ords obtained through the culmination of numbers gathered at a series of previous caches would be a puzzle cache and not multi as it is a singular cache relying on mathmatical (in most cases) workings out using numbers obtained - and a multi is a cache on its own but with the gathering of clues during that one cache hunt.

However I have seen examples of both principles being either multis or puzzles

[+drdick&vick]

Multi-Cache (Offset Cache)

 

A multi-cache ("multiple") involves two or more locations, the final location being a physical container. There are many variations, but most multi-caches have a hint to find the second cache, and the second cache has hints to the third, and so on. An offset cache (where you go to a location and get hints to the actual cache) is considered a multi-cache.

 

Mystery or Puzzle Caches

 

The "catch-all" of cache types, this form of cache can involve complicated puzzles you will first need to solve to determine the coordinates. Examples include sending the cache owner a verification codeword found inside the logbook, performing some task at the cache location and taking a photograph, or writing the online log in a format or with content that satisfies the cache requirements. Due to the increasing creativity of geocaching this becomes the staging ground for new and unique challenges.

 

From the Geocache page of Cache types and as clear as mud.

 

I would say that the bonus should be a Puzzle ? as it's actual location is unknow until you have completed all the caches that would give you it's co-ords.

[+SidAndBob]

Maybe an administrator could respond to this with the official stance as I understand it is slightly more complicated than this.

How do you understand it is?

If you look at GC1HX2H and GC1CXKR they are both bonus caches very near to each other. The first is a multi, the second a puzzle/unknown. The difference is that you have to find traditional caches in order to find the multicache and puzzles/unknown caches to find the puzzle/unknown bonus.

I think we would all be happy with the puzzle/unknown bonus, but the stance on the multicache was " Strictly speaking the guidelines say a multi must have the locations of the clues/stages on the page which technically GC1HX2H does by giving the cache name where the clue is."

[+Simply Paul]

I'd say if the intermediate stages are separately loggable, with logbooks and their own GC numbers, the final is a puzzle. If the intermediate stages aren't separately loggable, without logbooks or their own GC.com listing, then the whole thing is a multicache. Simples

[+Stuey]

Maybe an administrator could respond to this with the official stance as I understand it is slightly more complicated than this.

How do you understand it is?

If you look at GC1HX2H and GC1CXKR they are both bonus caches very near to each other. The first is a multi, the second a puzzle/unknown. The difference is that you have to find traditional caches in order to find the multicache and puzzles/unknown caches to find the puzzle/unknown bonus.

I think we would all be happy with the puzzle/unknown bonus, but the stance on the multicache was " Strictly speaking the guidelines say a multi must have the locations of the clues/stages on the page which technically GC1HX2H does by giving the cache name where the clue is."

 

I'd have said that the first one is mis-categorised and should be classed as a Mystery/Puzzle cache. I see what you are saying though, thanks.