Useless Hints

[+lcmsmom]

I too get frustrated with the no hint needed "hints"..... I'm a newbie, so I DO need a hint usually, and I look at the hint if the gps is giving me mixed signals....

 

We had a heck of a time with a couple local caches, we had no idea what a LCP was.

The sad thing was, that was the first time I tried to take my hubby caching, and we didn't find a thing in 3 different spots....

 

Thankfully, I do get a LPC now....

 

I am often caching with littles, who get frustrated if we spend over 35 minutes in the same small section of a park, searching vainly through a single bush... especially if it turned out that it was 10 feet the other way in a sprinkler head.... :-D

 

Usually, if someone if looking for a hint, they usually need/would really appreciate one.

[+AlohaBra and MaksMom]

I found that as a CO..that a hide for the common cacher will require a hint that will help them find the cache. If that is your intent...then you have to give them many hints. Otherwise, you will just hear gripes. If you make it a premium cache, then you can explain that it is a challenge for the experienced cacher.....Works for me....

Aloha...

[+power69]

I don't like useless hints. But, then, useless is in the eye of the beholder.

"log a dnf and email me for a real hint" would be useless to everyone.

[+thedeadpirate]

I don't like useless hints. But, then, useless is in the eye of the beholder.

"log a dnf and email me for a real hint" would be useless to everyone.

 

Not if the cache container was an old iMac G3 shell.

[+power69]

I don't like useless hints. But, then, useless is in the eye of the beholder.

"log a dnf and email me for a real hint" would be useless to everyone.

 

Not if the cache container was an old iMac G3 shell.

oh yeah. forgot about all those imac g3 shells i've found

[+Zangvogel]

What I dislike even more than useless hints are hints that are actually obligatory reading in order to find the cache.

 

I always try to find the cache without reading the hint first. Only to find out that some caches just cannot be found if you don't read the hint, because the info in the hint is really necessary for finding the cache.

 

Why not put this kind of info in the cache description and leave the hint text for what it should be: an extra tip to make finding easier!

[+brslk]

What I dislike even more than useless hints are hints that are actually obligatory reading in order to find the cache.

 

I always try to find the cache without reading the hint first. Only to find out that some caches just cannot be found if you don't read the hint, because the info in the hint is really necessary for finding the cache.

 

Why not put this kind of info in the cache description and leave the hint text for what it should be: an extra tip to make finding easier!

 

Why not just read the entire page?

 

I have never seen a cache that cannot be found without reading the hint. Do you have an example?

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

... I do know of one reviewer that will actually point out worthless hints during the publication process. He could be the only one anywhere though.

He deserves a raise!

[+Zangvogel]

Why not just read the entire page?

 

I have never seen a cache that cannot be found without reading the hint. Do you have an example?

 

For instance, this can happen with multi's where you have to find info along the way. I've come up with one or two occasions where it was written in the hint that some info has to be found beforehand on the internet, while in the main text the impression was given that the info could be found during the walk.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I too get frustrated with the no hint needed "hints"..... I'm a newbie, so I DO need a hint usually, and I look at the hint if the gps is giving me mixed signals....

...

Usually, if someone if looking for a hint, they usually need/would really appreciate one.

I've found a few thousand caches in 28 states and still need a hint on a lot of them! It's not just a newbie thing.

 

I hunt till I decide it's taking too long then read the hint. My enjoyment is the places this game takes me to and the friends I cache with, and while I do like clever hides after fifteen minutes max I'm ready to move on.

 

Fortunately my equipment now decodes hints with the push of a button; back when I had to manually decode them a useless hint really ticked me off... I would usually mention in my log "Please leave a good hint or none at all!"

 

It's not that I feel entitled to find every cache that I look for, in fact when close to home I don't care about a DNF, I can come back, but I do most of my caching on the road in places I will not likely return to. Why not leave a hint for folks like myself?

Edited July 8, 2010 by TheAlabamaRambler

[+redsox_mark]

I almost always read the hint (if provided) up front. That's just me. My favourite part of caching is the getting there - so I like challenging terrain, a good walk, and I also like puzzle caches. And while I appreciate a clever hide, once I'm at GZ I just want to find the cache; I have no desire to make it more challenging than it needs to be. (And I've found if it is a really difficult hide, the hints generally don't give it totally away.)

 

But I can understand that others really like the searching part, and the additional challenge of doing it without a hint.

 

So I always appreciate a hint.

[knowschad]

I don't like useless hints. But, then, useless is in the eye of the beholder.

"log a dnf and email me for a real hint" would be useless to everyone.

Those are great when you're on a road trip or vacation.

[+Doof]

I don't like useless hints. But, then, useless is in the eye of the beholder.

"log a dnf and email me for a real hint" would be useless to everyone.

 

I hid a cache that I wanted to be a challenge. Initially I gave no hint at all and made note of that fact in the description. I later decided to compromise and put in the description that there was no real hint, but that if you wanted one, to log a DNF asking for one and I'd send you one. I put that in as the hint as well, just as an in-the-field reminder that there is a hint available if you're willing to log a DNF. Plus the cache is an urban micro with easy parking mere feet away, so I'm not asking people to hike miles out into the woods only to find out there's no readily available hint.

 

The alternative is no hint at all. I'm getting rather tired of all of the tupperware under stick piles around here. I'd like a challenge now and then, and I'm hoping there are others like me in the area.

 

Acceptable?

[+Doof]

Also, one trick I've done for people who aren't paperless caching... I usually print out the hint-decoded version of the cache page and then cover the hint with a post-it so I can't accidentally read it. It at least keeps me from having to decode out in the field.

[+niraD]

I hid a cache that I wanted to be a challenge. Initially I gave no hint at all and made note of that fact in the description. I later decided to compromise and put in the description that there was no real hint, but that if you wanted one, to log a DNF asking for one and I'd send you one. I put that in as the hint as well, just as an in-the-field reminder that there is a hint available if you're willing to log a DNF. Plus the cache is an urban micro with easy parking mere feet away, so I'm not asking people to hike miles out into the woods only to find out there's no readily available hint.

 

The alternative is no hint at all. I'm getting rather tired of all of the tupperware under stick piles around here. I'd like a challenge now and then, and I'm hoping there are others like me in the area.

 

Acceptable?

Do you list the hint as

ybt n QAS orsber nfxvat sbe n uvag

or do you list the hint as

[log a DNF before asking for a hint]

?

[+Doof]

I hid a cache that I wanted to be a challenge. Initially I gave no hint at all and made note of that fact in the description. I later decided to compromise and put in the description that there was no real hint, but that if you wanted one, to log a DNF asking for one and I'd send you one. I put that in as the hint as well, just as an in-the-field reminder that there is a hint available if you're willing to log a DNF. Plus the cache is an urban micro with easy parking mere feet away, so I'm not asking people to hike miles out into the woods only to find out there's no readily available hint.

 

The alternative is no hint at all. I'm getting rather tired of all of the tupperware under stick piles around here. I'd like a challenge now and then, and I'm hoping there are others like me in the area.

 

Acceptable?

Do you list the hint as

ybt n QAS orsber nfxvat sbe n uvag

or do you list the hint as

[log a DNF before asking for a hint]

?

 

In the description it says clearly that there is no hint, but that if you log a DNF asking for one I will send one.

 

Then in the hint field it repeats that, but it is encrypted, mainly because I didn't realize I could use the brackets there to have it decrypted. Now that I know that, I'll add the brackets.

[+humboldt flier]

In eco sensitive areas hints are important to keep the vicinity of GZ from being geo-thrashed.

 

I can't help but feel that geo-thrashing is what caused the Calif. State Park System to take their actions relative to geocaching in State Parks.

 

back to topic: concise, meaningful hints are helpful in preventing geo-thrashing.

 

Their are a number of hides in the Redwood Groves up here and the hint many times reads " log or stump " sounds reasonable to most folks until you step beyond the pretty tree buffer strip into the grove and realize that you are in an area which is littered with stumps and logs left over from old time logging practices.

 

Ohhhhhhh before I forget signals under a dense Redwood canopy - forget it.

 

End result is that some folks want a smiley soooooooo bad that the geo-thrashing begins.

 

To end my rant: concise meaningful hints are necessary in some instances.

[+NatureGuy360]

One of the hints to my geocaches appears to be not very helpful at all. The geocache is hidden in Little Rock, Arkansas. My hint states that the geocache is “In Little Rock.” At first, some are frustrated that my hint explains what city the geocache is in, which is something they already knew. However, my geocache is infact hidden in a little (small) rock.

[knowschad]

I hid a cache that I wanted to be a challenge. Initially I gave no hint at all and made note of that fact in the description. I later decided to compromise and put in the description that there was no real hint, but that if you wanted one, to log a DNF asking for one and I'd send you one. I put that in as the hint as well, just as an in-the-field reminder <snip>

Acceptable?

Do you list the hint as

ybt n QAS orsber nfxvat sbe n uvag

or do you list the hint as

[log a DNF before asking for a hint]

?

Actually, if you insist on using that as a "hint" (which is is not!) the best way is

 

ybt n QAS orsber nfxvat sbe n uvag - log a DNF before asking for a hint

So that it can be read whether it has been decrypted or not.

[+FunnyNose]

How about looking at the useful information under the hint box on the cache submission page. Note the bold green section, no need to write an essay. I think the bold red part says it all.

 

Enter any hints or spoiler information above. This information will be encrypted on the site until a geocacher clicks on a link to unencrypt it, or decodes on the trail. Text within brackets [like this] will not be encrypted. Please keep your hints short, so decoding it on the trail is easier. If you don't have a hint, leave it blank

[+Team Smokey]

Keep in mind that if YOU are of average intelligence, that means 50% of the people are not as intelligent as you. Don't expect much.

[+thedeadpirate]

Keep in mind that if YOU are of average intelligence, that means 50% of the people are not as intelligent as you. Don't expect much.

 

It really sucks to be of above average intelligence.

[+TitusLlewelyn]

We have a cache owner that placed a cache 75 miles from our home in an area that we do cache quite often.

 

His hint is: "Email me if you need a hint"

 

We went there and the coordinates took us into the backyard of a residence next to a baseball field. Since the name of the cache had to do with baseball I think maybe the coordinates were off by a bunch.

 

So I guess he expected us to drive back 75 miles to our home and to email him for a hint and then drive another 75 miles back to hunt again. Do the math. We are up to 3 x 75 or 225 miles by now. That is about 10 gallons of gas for us at nearly $4 a gallon.

 

I always say: Have good coordinates or a good hint or both. This cache had none of the two.

 

This cache fits quite well on my Ignore list.

[Pup Patrol]

Posted as a hint on a newly published cache:

 

BRING A FLASHLIGHT DAY OR NIGHT OR YOU WILL NEVER FIND IT.

 

For the folks who decrypt hints only while at GZ and are getting frustrated, that really isn't much help.

[+GeoBain]

could just as well use "spam" instead of "ni"

 

Meh!

AV!

Ni!

[+Harry Dolphin]

Did a couple of EarthhCaches where the hint was: Enjoy the view. That's not a hint.

[+John in Valley Forge]

Did a couple of EarthhCaches where the hint was: Enjoy the view. That's not a hint.

 

Otherwise you might have been so caught up in the learning experience that you might miss it.

[+Vater_Araignee]

This is just a blow off steam and vent about the useless hints you've come across while caching. I always thought that the "ADDITIONAL HINTS" was something the CO's would put so that a searcher who was having difficulty could decipher and help them to find the cache: especially those pesky nano-micros that are becoming the main sort of cache these days... Having come from a 3000 KM road trip/caching trip last month (tacked on to a regular business trip) I came across a LOT of useless hints in my 170 odd finds and several DNFs... I mean really, why bother putting anything if you aren't putting something that actually helps the seeker? I'm one that prints off sheets still to help me remember what I found/left/did not find, so will decipher the "HINT" in the field if I need it... and am really annoyed with the amount of useless hints out there...

 

For example:

 

Micro cache: GZ led to a rural set of mail boxes (metal ones). Hint = return to sender

Micro Cache: GZ led to a grassy knoll with 3 evergreen trees on it. Hint= 1 of 3 trees.

Regular Cache: GZ led to a rock re-enforced bank alongside a bridge. Hint= Under Rock

Micro Cache: GZ led to another rock reinforced bank along a highway and culvert. Hint= Fake

Micro Cache: GZ brought you to an evergreen. Hint= Spruce Tree

Regular Cache: GZ and walking to GZ was a maze of fallen trees. Hint: under fallen tree.

 

And my all time favorites:

 

Various: "No Hint"

or

"None Needed"

or

"too obvious"

 

Of course I am now able to read "AB UVAG" and decipher it without using a pen...

Some of those examples look like cryptic hints.

 

I'll use:

Regular Cache: GZ led to a rock re-enforced bank alongside a bridge. Hint= Under Rock

Are you sure that rock re-enforced bank isn't actually a stone re-enforced bank that has a rock in it? You do know that there is a difference.

Now this one:

Micro Cache: GZ led to another rock reinforced bank along a highway and culvert. Hint= Fake

There are people that can spot a fake stone in a sea of real ones as fast as you and I can spot a black marble mixed with 10 white ones. If I couldn't see the fake I would start hefting searching for the weight difference.

 

No need, none needed, too obvious, causes a lot of people to find the hint in the title or description.

[AZcachemeister]

His hint is: "Email me if you need a hint"

 

This cache fits quite well on my Ignore list.

 

One of my favorite hints to hate.

Even if I am caching with my smartphone and can send a request straightaway, am I going to wait around for a response? NOT!

 

Second favorite: 'Post a DNF and I'll send you a hint.'

Hey Einstein, I'm caching through on vacation and probably won't ever come through here again. Thanks for nothing.

 

Well, possibly something if it helps me qualify for a DNF challenge cache.

[+lamoracke]

personally a useless hint is better than one that makes it harder to find. Had one of those in the last week. The hint was plainly wrong and has been pointed out to the CO before.

[+AmphibianTrackers]

I too get frustrated with the no hint needed "hints"..... I'm a newbie, so I DO need a hint usually, and I look at the hint if the gps is giving me mixed signals....

...

Usually, if someone if looking for a hint, they usually need/would really appreciate one.

I've found a few thousand caches in 28 states and still need a hint on a lot of them! It's not just a newbie thing.

 

I hunt till I decide it's taking too long then read the hint. My enjoyment is the places this game takes me to and the friends I cache with, and while I do like clever hides after fifteen minutes max I'm ready to move on.

 

Fortunately my equipment now decodes hints with the push of a button; back when I had to manually decode them a useless hint really ticked me off... I would usually mention in my log "Please leave a good hint or none at all!"

 

It's not that I feel entitled to find every cache that I look for, in fact when close to home I don't care about a DNF, I can come back, but I do most of my caching on the road in places I will not likely return to. Why not leave a hint for folks like myself?

 

I am totally with you on this one. There are so many times when we can't go back.

[+t4e]

Additional Hints (Encrypt)

Lots of people fishing, biking and walking at the end of the peer. So be careful.

 

that is supposed to help me how?

[+Vater_Araignee]

Additional Hints (Encrypt)

Lots of people fishing, biking and walking at the end of the peer. So be careful.

 

that is supposed to help me how?

ouch!

 

Ok how about "not where you think it is"

Hmm GZ lead me to a nondescript tree. There is a nondescript tree every 10 to 20 feet in every direction for thousands of feet and nothing but nondescript trees for hundreds. GZ is probably more then 30 feet off because of the canopy. Hmmmm, ya know eventually I think it is at every tree within a 100 feet.Then I think it is under the leaves. Forget it I'm out of here. Stinking nano in the woods.

[+niraD]

personally a useless hint is better than one that makes it harder to find. Had one of those in the last week. The hint was plainly wrong and has been pointed out to the CO before.

And some hints are deliberately misleading, even when technically true.

 

I found one where the hint directed you to a specific area, and technically, that's where the cache was. However, to find and access the cache, you had to search an area some distance away, and the hint was directing you away from that area. The hide was clearly designed so the hint could be technically accurate, while making the search more difficult.

 

I think it was intended to be "clever", but I was just glad that I had found the cache before reading the hint.