Multi Area/Part Cache

[+dreamarcher]

A multi area/part cache. Meaning when you get to the location there is some instruction or clue that leads you to a new location. I'd think only 2-3 parts limit or someone might get irritated. I've already done one myself but the 2nd part was in the same area. Got to the location, answered simple questions based on the area, this lead to decrypting the coords for the next location. In this case it was only about 100 feet away.

 

I'm thinking of setting one up that might be a few miles away and take an hour or 2. If that works out then something more complex that might take all day. The intend is for a small challenge and adventure, but not something so difficult there is a chance to fail. Optional an interesting quest story as well. 1 part at each location.

 

Do people like this kind of thing, or is it mostly get to a location, find the cahce in 5 minutes, move on to the next cache and see how many can be racked up in a day? Of course this would be indicated in the intitial description so anybody that wasn't interested could just skip it.

[+Lovejoy and Tinker]

I'm thinking of setting one up that might be a few miles away and take an hour or 2. If that works out then something more complex that might take all day. The intend is for a small challenge and adventure, but not something so difficult there is a chance to fail. Optional an interesting quest story as well. 1 part at each location.

 

Do people like this kind of thing, or is it mostly get to a location, find the cahce in 5 minutes, move on to the next cache and see how many can be racked up in a day? Of course this would be indicated in the intitial description so anybody that wasn't interested could just skip it.

I think you are looking at two extreme ends of a very long piece of string there. There's plenty of scope for things in between, and that's probably where I would prefer to be.

 

The idea that if you don't want to spend a day finding one cache automatically means you are the sort of person who just wants to do drive bys and stack up the numbers is probably not a fair statement.

 

As long as an indication of time to allow is on the cache page I don't see a problem.

 

The only times we have got frustrated is when we get the impression a multi is a pleasant stroll round a village only to find it takes 3 hours including a drive in between locations, and we end up running out of time or car parking ticket.

 

I think most people would enjoy a range of different layouts, providing you give an indication of what might be involved.

 

Just my opinion

Edited October 6, 2010 by Lovejoy and Tinker

[+ngrrfan]

Tell me how many stages there are, and how much distance is involved.

 

We did one a few days ago that was 3 steps, took us to 3 scenic places with some history involved, and overall took us about 2 hours to do only because there were other caches along the way to do also. These are the kinds of multi's that I, and our group, enjoy.

[+vickyth]

A multi area/part cache. Meaning when you get to the location there is some instruction or clue that leads you to a new location. I'd think only 2-3 parts limit or someone might get irritated. I've already done one myself but the 2nd part was in the same area. Got to the location, answered simple questions based on the area, this lead to decrypting the coords for the next location. In this case it was only about 100 feet away.

 

I'm thinking of setting one up that might be a few miles away and take an hour or 2. If that works out then something more complex that might take all day. The intend is for a small challenge and adventure, but not something so difficult there is a chance to fail. Optional an interesting quest story as well. 1 part at each location.

 

Do people like this kind of thing, or is it mostly get to a location, find the cahce in 5 minutes, move on to the next cache and see how many can be racked up in a day? Of course this would be indicated in the intitial description so anybody that wasn't interested could just skip it.

 

I've done multi-caches that took an entire day. I have also done one that took half an hour.

 

I've done some where the stages were less than 100m apart and others where you had to drive 15 kilometres to get from one stage to the next.

 

The important factors are these:

 

1. Set people's expectations. Tell them how long it'll take, whether it should be done by car, can be done on foot or is accessible via public transit. Don't tell them it can be done on foot in an afternoon if the four stages are 10k apart each!! If I know what I'm in for, I'll allot the appropriate time and have fun doing it.

 

2. Make it worthwhile. The best multi-cache I've done thus far was six stages, with some of the stages having sub-stages (a spot with coordinates to get you to the actual stage) so it actually worked out to about 10 stages. The actual stages each contained puzzles that you had to solve to go on to the next stage. The containers were clever (one was a beach rock, in a pile of non-beach rocks next to a trail. The coordinates were engraved on the back. The Groundspeak logo was engraved on the top), the "plot" was engaging and the puzzles were just tricky enough to make you think, but not so difficult as to impede your average person completing the cache.

 

3. Give enough information in the descriptions and hints.

 

4. Take people to places that are worth going to, for every stage.

 

5. Run through it yourself before you publish it!!

 

Cheers!

Vicky

[+dreamarcher]

Thanks. Great info. It seems like the #1 consensus is to set people's expectations appropriately. I'll definitely do that, and try to make it interesting.

 

Initially I'll probably do a 2-part that can be done by walking in a 1-2 hours. Definitely no more than 2 hours.

[+vickyth]

Thanks. Great info. It seems like the #1 consensus is to set people's expectations appropriately. I'll definitely do that, and try to make it interesting.

 

Initially I'll probably do a 2-part that can be done by walking in a 1-2 hours. Definitely no more than 2 hours.

 

If you're going to make me walk 1-2 hours, please give me some stages along the way. Make it three or fours stages....

:-)

[+t4e]

one thing i would like to suggest in addition to what others have said is that if you decide to make it a long multi where it would take several hours and driving quite a bit overall, to choose a route that would make a loop and pick places with parking nearby

would give people a better incentive to do it rather than knowing it will take 60 kms of driving one way and they have to drive that to come home

 

we got a 10 stage multi set up that goes in a loop around town, the parking for the final is at the header coordinates

[+michigansnorkelers]

Take me somewhere I've never been; show me something I've never seen.

 

Don't waste my time with a lame final location, with a lame leaky dirty cache container.

 

Give them something to talk about!

 

Here is a neat 13 stage cache I just completed.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...fb-5bdba51620b7

 

It was all of the above.