Isn't a multicache just a handlful of finds for one smiley?

[+bittsen]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

[+eigengott]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

 

No. At least in my area you usually get a very nice walk between the stages, sometimes a whole day hike. Often the stages are themed, some have very clever stages which are a far way from the standard box+logbook type.

 

But if you are only out there for the smileys, I suggest you avoid multi caches and miss all the fun which comes which searching them.

[+Chrysalides]

Caches that I searched for and couldn't find - what a ripoff too. I made the effort to get there, and to look. I should get a smiley for that.

 

And that 3 mile hike uphill just for a geocache, that should be worth 4 smileys. It's not my fault no one else planted extra caches along the way.

 

If I had more than the usual of fun on a cache, I should also get an extra smiley for that. After all, it takes a lot of effort to have fun.

 

And don't get me started on puzzles!

 

 

Can't wait for April 1, bittsen?

[GOF and Bacall]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

 

You want a few extra found it smileys? Take a few of mine. Who cares?

[+Isonzo Karst]

You can also buy smileys from briansnat.

[+power69]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

EXACTLY why most people filter multi's out.

say you have ONE DNF on a 25 stage multi, you found 24 yet you are DENIED YOUR ONE smilie!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

EXACTLY why most people filter multi's out.

say you have ONE DNF on a 25 stage multi, you found 24 yet you are DENIED YOUR ONE smilie!

 

That's a different issue.

 

The problem I have with most multis is that until I find the preliminary stages I usually don't know how far or, more importantly, which direction the final is from the posted coordinates. I think I have 4-5 multis where I have found the first stage, but the finale was far enough away, or in the opposite direction from where I was going to go after the final. In one case, the final is 12 miles from the first stage.

 

When I go out caching I try to optimize my route so I'm not driving all over the place in between caches and if I find a stage on a multi, only to find that I'd have to backtrack on the route I just took, I save the coordinates and go after it another time.

 

A couple of years ago I was caching with a group (a rare occurrence for me) and we were hitting a group of 4-5 caches that were around a large pond. We got the first cache near the parking lot then worked our way, counter clockwise (to the east) grabbing 3 other caches, the last of which located on the opposite side of the lake. Then we backtracked to the parking lot and went for a multi on the west side of the lake. The deer trail fizzled out fairly quickly so it was mostly a bushwak for 1/4 mile. When we found the micro for the first stage we discovered that the finale was very close to the cache on the north side of the lake. We mostly bushwacked to that one, then followed the trail clockwise back to the parking lot. If we had done the multi first we would have only circumnavigated the lake once, instead of taking the same trail three times.

[+keehotee]

EXACTLY why most people filter multi's out.

say you have ONE DNF on a 25 stage multi, you found 24 yet you are DENIED YOUR ONE smilie!

 

Most people filter them out?? That's a very sweeping statement. Most people you know? Or have you conducted a more far reaching survey?

 

It might surprise you to find out that there are still some of us that don't just do this for the numbers. If I get one DNF on a 25 stage multi, I either come back another day, or shrug my shoulders and carry on to the next cache. If I go fishing and don't manage to catch anything, I don't go home crying and vow never to go fishing again.... I've still had a good day sat on my a** by the river.

[+GIDEON-X]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

"Oh Lord Not The Number Thing Again"

[GreenLantern5000]

You can also buy smileys from briansnat.

 

LOL!!! I bet I could make some $$$$$ selling caching smilies! Like carbon credits!!!! It would be great! I could take the smilies from people who have too many and sell them to those who need more! It doesn't really reduce the amount of smilies out there, it just shifts them from one person to another (similar to carbon credits, it doesn't reduce the amount of carbon, just gives one person who uses more carbon the ability to pay for more opportunity to use carbon....)

 

I know, not quite the same as carbon credits, but still worth a shot!

[+hudsonfam]

You can also buy smileys from briansnat.

 

OK, I might buy into that, but are they rollover smileys? I'm going for a streak, so I need to make sure I can roll those smileys in on the days I feel lazy. -K

[GOF and Bacall]

You can also buy smileys from briansnat.

 

LOL!!! I bet I could make some $$$$$ selling caching smilies! Like carbon credits!!!! It would be great! I could take the smilies from people who have too many and sell them to those who need more! It doesn't really reduce the amount of smilies out there, it just shifts them from one person to another (similar to carbon credits, it doesn't reduce the amount of carbon, just gives one person who uses more carbon the ability to pay for more opportunity to use carbon....)

 

I know, not quite the same as carbon credits, but still worth a shot!

 

Hey, don't sell your idea short. It makes just as much sense as carbon credits.

[GOF and Bacall]

You can also buy smileys from briansnat.

 

OK, I might buy into that, but are they rollover smileys? I'm going for a streak, so I need to make sure I can roll those smileys in on the days I feel lazy. -K

 

I heard he was selling cheap knock offs made in Chinese sweat shops. I think they have been found to have lead in the paint.

[+hudsonfam]

You can also buy smileys from briansnat.

 

OK, I might buy into that, but are they rollover smileys? I'm going for a streak, so I need to make sure I can roll those smileys in on the days I feel lazy. -K

 

I heard he was selling cheap knock offs made in Chinese sweat shops. I think they have been found to have lead in the paint.

 

Well, I'm not giving them to my kids! They're young and full of energy - they can get their own dang smileys.

[+Unkle Fester]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

 

You want a few extra found it smileys? Take a few of mine. Who cares?

Just sign the log once for each stage, then log multiple finds on the cache.

 

Problem solved.

[CoyoteRed]

What's the deal!?

It was thought up back before folks started thinking of smilies as a separate entity to the finding of caches--regardless of the type. More than one newbie has thought the same as you--most a little quicker on the draw--but eventually realized it's not about the smilie, but the adventure.

 

If you'd like I would support an option for the cache owner to determine the number of smilies you get when you log a find. I'll set all of mine to zero.

[GOF and Bacall]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

 

You want a few extra found it smileys? Take a few of mine. Who cares?

Just sign the log once for each stage, then log multiple finds on the cache.

 

Problem solved.

Yeah, 'cause that won't cause anyone to start an angst filled forum thread.

[Mr.Yuck]

EXACTLY why most people filter multi's out.

say you have ONE DNF on a 25 stage multi, you found 24 yet you are DENIED YOUR ONE smilie!

 

Most people filter them out?? That's a very sweeping statement. Most people you know? Or have you conducted a more far reaching survey?

 

It might surprise you to find out that there are still some of us that don't just do this for the numbers. If I get one DNF on a 25 stage multi, I either come back another day, or shrug my shoulders and carry on to the next cache. If I go fishing and don't manage to catch anything, I don't go home crying and vow never to go fishing again.... I've still had a good day sat on my a** by the river.

 

I don't really think Power69 and the OP are serious. It is true there is a pervasive numbers mentality, and multi-caches will become more and more rare as the game continues to gravitate towards parking lots, and rural roadside quick grabs.

[GOF and Bacall]

What's the deal!?

It was thought up back before folks started thinking of smilies as a separate entity to the finding of caches--regardless of the type. More than one newbie has thought the same as you--most a little quicker on the draw--but eventually realized it's not about the smilie, but the adventure.

 

If you'd like I would support an option for the cache owner to determine the number of smilies you get when you log a find. I'll set all of mine to zero.

 

Set 'em all to zero if you want but it won't stop me from looking for them if and when I get into your area.

[CoyoteRed]

Set 'em all to zero if you want but it won't stop me from looking for them if and when I get into your area.

Exactly the type of person I want hunting my caches. Of course, the ones that do care about getting "their smilies' worth" probably won't hunt them and that's the point.

[+tarbal]

Multicaches are not about the destination they are about the journey.

I enjoy doing them especially with my family. They are sometimes historic sometimes a lot of math is involved. They take me to new places and let me learn about the area. My kids and wife love them.

 

tarbaL

[knowschad]

Multicaches are not about the destination they are about the journey.

I enjoy doing them especially with my family. They are sometimes historic sometimes a lot of math is involved. They take me to new places and let me learn about the area. My kids and wife love them.

 

All seriousness aside, I think there are some great ideas coming out of this thread! I like the idea of a smiley per stage, I like the idea of logging multiple times on the same multi (just like those Wisconsin Caching Events ). I'd even propose a smiley per D star and a smiley for T star (of course, they would have to invent half-smileys if they did that)

[+fegan]

All seriousness aside, I think there are some great ideas coming out of this thread! I like the idea of a smiley per stage, I like the idea of logging multiple times on the same multi (just like those Wisconsin Caching Events ). I'd even propose a smiley per D star and a smiley for T star (of course, they would have to invent half-smileys if they did that)

 

While we're at it, how about a smiley for every forum post?

 

To the OP...if you don't like getting one smiley for multi-caches, just ignore them.

[Tahosa and Sons]

One long hike up the mountain, over the mountain, for one smiley is the way to go. If you want numbers stay in town and whine about the muggles and traffic.

[+Castle Mischief]

 

I don't really think Power69 and the OP are serious.

 

I can't tell anymore. The OP broke my sarcasm meter and my dry humor gage. All I have left is my Take You At Your Word-ometer.

[+Runawayrubberduckie]

The Smileys are on the inside.

[+Knight2000]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

 

If smileys is what you want than just log it multiple times. Do this on all sorts of caches. Space it out over time so you don't upset some uptight smiley counting hiders. We have an event come up in Ohio that promises 100 temp caches. Come and log that event 100 times. Wait. That event would be like your multi-cache, so never mind.

 

You could always log your own hides over and over.

[GreenLantern5000]

You can also buy smileys from briansnat.

 

LOL!!! I bet I could make some $$$$$ selling caching smilies! Like carbon credits!!!! It would be great! I could take the smilies from people who have too many and sell them to those who need more! It doesn't really reduce the amount of smilies out there, it just shifts them from one person to another (similar to carbon credits, it doesn't reduce the amount of carbon, just gives one person who uses more carbon the ability to pay for more opportunity to use carbon....)

 

I know, not quite the same as carbon credits, but still worth a shot!

 

Hey, don't sell your idea short. It makes just as much sense as carbon credits.

 

Thanks....... I think......

[+wimseyguy]

 

I don't really think Power69 and the OP are serious.

 

I can't tell anymore. The OP broke my sarcasm meter and my dry humor gage. All I have left is my Take You At Your Word-ometer.

 

Ditto.

Besides, the whining about my numbers thread is scheduled for the third week of the month. He's too late.

[gojkgo]

I'm going to assume the OP is serious and give a serious answer.

 

We've been lucky enough to do a few really remarkable multicaches. In fact, my top three most creative and fun caches we've found are all multis!

 

So far we've done two kinds of multis. One in which there is a physical object, a three dimensional container of some sort, at each stage. You open it to reveal the coords (or a clue) to the next stage.

 

In the other, there isn't a container for any stage but the last; in all but the last stage the coords (or clue) are printed/written/etc and affixed to something. The last stage is the physical cache container with the logbook and such.

 

Doing the former type of multi feels pretty much like finding a bunch of traditional caches in a row. I still don't mind doing them as long as we're enjoying the place in which the caches are hidden. We're not obsessed with numbers and keep a separate record of our personal finds anyway, and add individual stages to our personal find counts. This kind of multi isn't my favorite kind of multi, but I'm sort of pleasantly ambivalent about its multi status and don't really care that we only get one smiley as long as we enjoy the hunt. These mutlis could, however, just as easily be series of regular caches with some sort of clue in each cache in the series, which one puts together to find the last mystery cache. We've done a couple of those too.

 

The latter type of multi is by far my favorite. We have seen some outrageous creativity in the placing of stages. Some of them I still can't get over how well done they are. The coords or clues were hidden in ways and in places that a container could not. It's a different experience looking for these kinds of stages than it is looking for cache containers, which makes it special. That said, all of the multis we've done have been in parks or nature preserves, and every stage was located within the park. In some cases the CO actually led us down a trail or series of trails in one direction the whole time, so there wasn't any backtracking. I liked that a lot.

 

One multi we did was kind of a combination of the two types. It also varied from stage to stage whether we got a clue to follow or coords. It kept things interesting because we didn't always know what exactly we were looking for.

[+StarBrand]

One long hike up the mountain, over the mountain, for one smiley is the way to go. If you want numbers stay in town and whine about the muggles and traffic.

Yup - I was just thinking about some of the multis I have done vs a typical tahosa cache. If a 4 stage multi is worth 4 smiles then some of yours are worth 10 just for the scenery.

[+Markwell]

Multicaches are not about the destination they are about the journey.

I enjoy doing them especially with my family. They are sometimes historic sometimes a lot of math is involved. They take me to new places and let me learn about the area. My kids and wife love them.

 

I could have echoed this with one small change:

Multicaches are not about the destination they are about the journey.

I enjoy doing them especially with my family. They are sometimes historic sometimes a lot of math is involved. They take me to new places and let me learn about the area. My kids and wife love them.

 

At least that's what I hope for...

[+chrisrayn]

I'm going to assume the OP is serious and give a serious answer.

 

We've been lucky enough to do a few really remarkable multicaches. In fact, my top three most creative and fun caches we've found are all multis!

 

So far we've done two kinds of multis. One in which there is a physical object, a three dimensional container of some sort, at each stage. You open it to reveal the coords (or a clue) to the next stage.

 

In the other, there isn't a container for any stage but the last; in all but the last stage the coords (or clue) are printed/written/etc and affixed to something. The last stage is the physical cache container with the logbook and such.

 

Doing the former type of multi feels pretty much like finding a bunch of traditional caches in a row. I still don't mind doing them as long as we're enjoying the place in which the caches are hidden. We're not obsessed with numbers and keep a separate record of our personal finds anyway, and add individual stages to our personal find counts. This kind of multi isn't my favorite kind of multi, but I'm sort of pleasantly ambivalent about its multi status and don't really care that we only get one smiley as long as we enjoy the hunt. These mutlis could, however, just as easily be series of regular caches with some sort of clue in each cache in the series, which one puts together to find the last mystery cache. We've done a couple of those too.

 

The latter type of multi is by far my favorite. We have seen some outrageous creativity in the placing of stages. Some of them I still can't get over how well done they are. The coords or clues were hidden in ways and in places that a container could not. It's a different experience looking for these kinds of stages than it is looking for cache containers, which makes it special. That said, all of the multis we've done have been in parks or nature preserves, and every stage was located within the park. In some cases the CO actually led us down a trail or series of trails in one direction the whole time, so there wasn't any backtracking. I liked that a lot.

 

One multi we did was kind of a combination of the two types. It also varied from stage to stage whether we got a clue to follow or coords. It kept things interesting because we didn't always know what exactly we were looking for.

 

The OP won't do a multi but you think he'll read all that?

 

I think I'll start a business where I sell Texas smilies to people up North. 25 cache logs for $20, 50 for $30, or 100 for $50 (100 is the best deal). I'll go sign your name on the log, and you just put "tftc, sl" on all of the GC numbers I give you. If anybody ever challenges your finds, your name is on the logs.

 

Checkmate.

Edited August 25, 2009 by chrisrayn

[+Chrysalides]

The OP won't do a multi but you think he'll read all that?

Hey, good point. Every 100 words should be worth 1 post count.

[+Renegade Knight]

...

What's the deal!?

It's the challenge of finding each stage. How good of a cache it is depends on how it's designed. There are good multi caches out ther.

 

If the multi cache is nothing more than a collection of individual caches (for example when a cache owner is forced to list a multi instead of his 10 caches on a "power trail") then you are right. The design failed and the multiple caches that you could have found were force fit into a crappy multi.

[+Hrethgir]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

 

The deal is that nobody is forcing you to do multis. So if all you want is Smileys, then ignore multis. If you just want to have fun, then do them. Why does it matter?

[gojkgo]

*sigh* point taken.

[+Arrow42]

Set 'em all to zero if you want but it won't stop me from looking for them if and when I get into your area.

Exactly the type of person I want hunting my caches. Of course, the ones that do care about getting "their smilies' worth" probably won't hunt them and that's the point.

 

I like the idea of not only seeing the area, having a fun day out... but also getting a "point" in a silly game. Why do you hate me so much?

[knowschad]

I like the idea of not only seeing the area, having a fun day out... but also getting a "point" in a silly game. Why do you hate me so much?

 

 

I agree. My smilies represent a good time that I had once. If I have more smilies than you, that proves that I have more fun than you.

[+bittsen]

OK, to clarify, my post was part serious, part tongue in cheek, part just for fun and part sarcasm.

 

I am not into geocaching for the smileys. If I was then I wouldn't log my DNFs. BUT, I am into knowing how many caches I have found. If I find 10 caches (oops, stages) in a multi, then my personal count that I check on the website will be 9 less than my actual finds. Since most "stages" of a multi are nothing more than a micro (or at best a small) then why wouldn't they count?

 

I suppose, for some, it's the allure of a more challenging cache experience because all they end up with for each stage is a set of coords and no hints, no logs and no write up to help find the cache.

 

In response to the claims that "multis are about the experience (journey) I only have to say that in a perfect world that would be true. We don't live in a perfect worl.

 

The above is a serious reply to those who seriously replied to a not so serious original post.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

 

If smileys is what you want than just log it multiple times. Do this on all sorts of caches. Space it out over time so you don't upset some uptight smiley counting hiders. We have an event come up in Ohio that promises 100 temp caches. Come and log that event 100 times. Wait. That event would be like your multi-cache, so never mind.

 

You could always log your own hides over and over.

 

There's your answer. For every stage of a multi you do, just log a find on your own cache. As a bonus, your cache will be getting TONS of finds. Win-win!

 

Bruce

Edited August 25, 2009 by Bassanio

[+niraD]

Since most "stages" of a multi are nothing more than a micro (or at best a small)

In my experience, most stages of multi-caches are virtual locations, where I gather information from previously existing signs, monuments, etc. The next largest class of multi-cache stage would be non-container game pieces; these have been part of puzzle multi-caches, where the goal is to figure out the coordinates of the next stage based on the physical puzzle. Actual containers as multi-cache stages have been pretty rare.

 

But as I said, that's just my experience. YMMV...

 

I log one Found for each log I sign. I find all sorts of things other than caches, and I don't log them.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

OK, to clarify, my post was part serious, part tongue in cheek, part just for fun and part sarcasm.

 

I am not into geocaching for the smileys. If I was then I wouldn't log my DNFs. BUT, I am into knowing how many caches I have found. If I find 10 caches (oops, stages) in a multi, then my personal count that I check on the website will be 9 less than my actual finds. Since most "stages" of a multi are nothing more than a micro (or at best a small) then why wouldn't they count?

 

I suppose, for some, it's the allure of a more challenging cache experience because all they end up with for each stage is a set of coords and no hints, no logs and no write up to help find the cache.

 

In response to the claims that "multis are about the experience (journey) I only have to say that in a perfect world that would be true. We don't live in a perfect worl.i]

 

I think you make a good point here.

 

Why is it that when I topic like this comes up the standard response is either:

 

1.) [written in the most condescending tone possible]...."Some of us are not just in it for the numbers."

 

or

 

2.) If you don't like it, just ignore it.

 

I don't buy either response.

 

In a real worl, not everyone has an unlimited amount of time, or resources to find every cache they might want to find. For example, family, work, and (believe it or not, other hobbies) can impact how much time one has available to go geocaching. It's not quite a much of an issue recently, but the price of gasoline could certainly influence caching behavior for those with a more limited income. Often, "just go out an look for it another time" means waiting 2-3 weeks or more before you have the time available to do so.

 

In a real worl, some of us live in areas where there are thousands of geocaches within 10 miles from home, while others live in areas and have geocached long enough to have found almost every caches with 15 miles. Expecting that a one size fits all (just ignore the ones you don't like) approach, giving the extreme difference in geocaching worlds we live in, is ludicrous.

 

In a real worl, categorically placing caches you might not like as much as others on an ignore list might be the difference between being to do any geocaching at all in the amount of time you have available, and finding a few geocaches that are not up the lofty standards that some seem to think everyone should adhere to. In a real worl, placing your hands over your eyes so that you can pretend a cache doesn't list because you don't like that kind of cache, doesn't make it go away. It still exists, and others will still look for it.

[+chrisrayn]

It just occurred to me what a ripoff that is. You search for two, three, five, ten....or so caches and all you get to log is a SINGLE smiley?

Who created this ripoff. I want a smiley for each find!! And while I'm at it, why not make the final smiley of a milti worth more than one smiley?

Maybe you could have it where you find four legs and get nothing but the final is where you get to get a smiley for all the caches you found in the multi. If it's 10 stages, you get 10 smileys for finding the final.

 

What's the deal!?

 

If smileys is what you want than just log it multiple times. Do this on all sorts of caches. Space it out over time so you don't upset some uptight smiley counting hiders. We have an event come up in Ohio that promises 100 temp caches. Come and log that event 100 times. Wait. That event would be like your multi-cache, so never mind.

 

You could always log your own hides over and over.

 

There's your answer. For every stage of a multi you do, just log a find on your own cache. As a bonus, your cache will be getting TONS of finds. Win-win!

 

Bruce

 

First of all, genius.

 

And Bittsen, I understand what you said in your next post. I agree, to a point. Could stages of a cache though increase the difficulty? It's more likely that I'll do a cache to get my "possible combinations found" GSAK stat up if a cacher strings along together like six 1.0 caches and makes it a 3.0. I don't have many 3.0 traditionals this early in the game, so I might like to do that kind of stuff.

 

The main reason I haven't done many multis though isn't the numbers game...I mainly just cache on a whim. I plan to a point, but not specifically. I like to just go out with my 60CSx and go where the arrow points me. It's harder to do that with multis. You need printouts or a laptop or this or that...just lots of effort.

 

I notice many cachers are retired or nearing it. I'm still very much engrossed in switching careers, taking my daughter to her first year of school, and being a single dad. It's hard to find time for much else, so I have this little hobby now where I stop at a park on occasion and stare at a 3x3 area of the earth for about 5 minutes to find a piece of plastic with a screw lid and a piece of paper inside. It's less easy for me to chase down stages. Maybe when I'm older.

 

If I've offended you, those who are retired or nearing it, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. I'm still young and I take my youth for granted. By the way, if anybody knows of anything in Northeast Texas that pays 30,000 a year to start and prefers an English degree, I'd appreciate it. :-)

 

What were we talking about?

[+briansnat]

I agree with the OP. Let's not stop at multis however. Why should I hike 6 miles to a traditional cache and only get 1 smiley, the same a cache and dash?

 

Why should I spent 6 hours hunting a 5 star difficulty cache and only get one smiley?

 

It is a rip off I say!

 

Here is what I propose. After an extensive study I determined that the average cache takes 8 minutes and 53 seconds to find. My idea works kind of like a taxi meter, which charges you for mileage as well as time sitting in traffic.

 

Let's round the 8:33 number upward to 9 minutes. Every 9 minutes you spend on a cache, whether it is hiking there or actually searching for it you get a smiley. Add one more smiley for actually finding it. If you DNF the cache, you don't get that extra smiley, but at least your time wasn't wasted because you can log a bunch of smileys depending on how long it took.

[+nericksx]

I kinda get where the OP is coming from. It didn't occur to me until I spent a whole day doing a multi and logged it, and I was excited to see a huge jump in my cache count... but of course it was only worth one - duh. The reason I care is that I told my son that I'd get him a 100 Finds GC when our family found 100.

 

We have a friend who is kind of a type-A personality and she's been caching for half the time as us, but has 3x the finds. We always explain that we're a "quality over quality" family, since we don't go in much for urban micros like our friend, but prefer caches to hike to when we're camping.

 

As a matter of fact, we did 6 in a row along a forest logging road, and they were so straight-forward that they were like forest P&Gs. It was weird. We decided it was still fun, but not nearly as satisfying.

 

As to the 100 Finds CG that it's going to take us 2 years to get because we seem to insist on making things interesting, I got my son a camping themed GC to tide him over.

[+JBnW]

I agree with the OP. Let's not stop at multis however. Why should I hike 6 miles to a traditional cache and only get 1 smiley, the same a cache and dash?

 

Why should I spent 6 hours hunting a 5 star difficulty cache and only get one smiley?

 

It is a rip off I say!

 

Here is what I propose. After an extensive study I determined that the average cache takes 8 minutes and 53 seconds to find. My idea works kind of like a taxi meter, which charges you for mileage as well as time sitting in traffic.

 

Let's round the 8:33 number upward to 9 minutes. Every 9 minutes you spend on a cache, whether it is hiking there or actually searching for it you get a smiley. Add one more smiley for actually finding it. If you DNF the cache, you don't get that extra smiley, but at least your time wasn't wasted because you can log a bunch of smileys depending on how long it took.

Stop padding your numbers! 8.33 rounds DOWN to 8!

 

(this post completely in jest)

[knowschad]

Stop padding your numbers! 8.33 rounds DOWN to 8!

 

 

A smiley for every 9 miles vs a smiley for every 8 miles is padding your numbers?

Edited August 25, 2009 by knowschad

[+geodarts]

Since smileys are so important, then from now one anyone who completes one of my multis can include up to 18 extra smileys in their single log. And on top of it, I will throw in extra Bonus Points. If that does not get people to do my multis, nothing will.

 

But the problem could be solved by inventing your personal Geocacher Rating Index (GRI) score that takes into account the terrain, difficulty level and number of stages for each cache (found or hid) and multiples the points accordingly to create a comprehensive statistic. This game could use more statistical analysis . . . .

Edited August 25, 2009 by Erickson

[+Steve&GeoCarolyn]

I agree with the OP. Let's not stop at multis however. Why should I hike 6 miles to a traditional cache and only get 1 smiley, the same a cache and dash?

 

Why should I spent 6 hours hunting a 5 star difficulty cache and only get one smiley?

 

It is a rip off I say!

 

Here is what I propose. After an extensive study I determined that the average cache takes 8 minutes and 53 seconds to find. My idea works kind of like a taxi meter, which charges you for mileage as well as time sitting in traffic.

 

Let's round the 8:33 number upward to 9 minutes. Every 9 minutes you spend on a cache, whether it is hiking there or actually searching for it you get a smiley. Add one more smiley for actually finding it. If you DNF the cache, you don't get that extra smiley, but at least your time wasn't wasted because you can log a bunch of smileys depending on how long it took.

 

You are evil.

 

The entire point of searching for caches is that one is not working. If I have to create time/effort studies, structure a spreadsheet and do time/resource forecasts, I may as well be at work.

 

Recently at a local event I even joked that any puzzle that features time/resource forecasts would be bad and they said not to worry, it could not happen. And yet here is briansnat, one of the most respected members of this community proposing just that. My skin crawls at the notion. <shudder shudder>

 

 

Carolyn

Edited August 26, 2009 by Steve&GeoCarolyn