An alternative level of play

[+Nader60]

You can see it in their posts...”Found this one after a little nudge from the CO”, “Found this one after the chili cook-off”, “Needed help finding this one”, “Went caching after the Meet-and-Greet.” This is the group of 4000+ boys and girls that meet regularly. They are also generally the ones that hide time-wasting crypto caches that include incredibly difficult codes to crack, calculations to make, or even medical or scientific knowledge to possess. One, for instance, might have only 3 unrelated photographs for a clue. In the logs you'll see that the good-ole-boys, which usually include the cache owner, have found it and the rest are DNFs. I love a challenge, but...do I hafta ask?

 

One code that I did manage to crack, after weeks of struggle, had an error in the coords. The owner didn't double check his encryption and the coords led to an empty field 50 miles away. The good-ole-boys managed to find it right here in town, though, after the church picnic. Nice work, boys.

 

Am I complaining? No, not really. This is what you get when you have freedom. It's better than having the game regulated to death by the communists. Let me see your Geocaching license and GPS registration, please. I'll need to see your satellite use-tax receipt, as well.

[+Sioneva]

Huh? It's early morning and all, but I honestly don't get the point you are trying to make here.

 

Would you like a purple crayon?

[jholly]

Huh? It's early morning and all, but I honestly don't get the point you are trying to make here.

 

Would you like a purple crayon?

Purple? I thought you only had blue ones.

[+cerberus1]

The social side of caching really shows at times...

We have people calling COs for hints on FTFs around here.

Just realize that's how they wanta play and you're taking a higher road.

We sometimes get hints from COs after we get home and log in a DNF.

I have many COs numbers in my phone, by request of my other 2/3rds.

- In case I'm aware enough to call for help when injured.

[+StarBrand]

 

Somebody needs a good breakfast.

 

I got an email from a cacher last year requesting my phone number so he could call me if he got stuck on any of my caches while he was in the area for 2 days. At least 4 other locals got the same email. I declined the request but the guy got my number from somebody. He gave up asking me where exactly the cache was- for a hint- , after 5 tries. Another local told me that he got 20 calls before telling the guy to get a life.

 

Just not my style of caching at all.

[+Ecylram]

It's a common part of the game. As long as it doesn't affect my caching I don't let it bother me.

 

Getting 20 calls from aomebody? That would affect my caching.

[+KBfamily]

 

Somebody needs a good breakfast.

 

I got an email from a cacher last year requesting my phone number so he could call me if he got stuck on any of my caches while he was in the area for 2 days. At least 4 other locals got the same email. I declined the request but the guy got my number from somebody. He gave up asking me where exactly the cache was- for a hint- , after 5 tries. Another local told me that he got 20 calls before telling the guy to get a life.

 

Just not my style of caching at all.

 

That is taking Phone a Friend to a WHOLE new level.....ridiculous.....

[+ngrrfan]

{SNIP} One code that I did manage to crack, after weeks of struggle, had an error in the coords. The owner didn't double check his encryption and the coords led to an empty field 50 miles away. The good-ole-boys managed to find it right here in town, though, after the church picnic. Nice work, boys.

IMHO.... that is an NA. It isn't where it is supposed to be.

[+Scubasonic]

You can see it in their posts...”Found this one after a little nudge from the CO”, “Found this one after the chili cook-off”, “Needed help finding this one”, “Went caching after the Meet-and-Greet.” This is the group of 4000+ boys and girls that meet regularly. They are also generally the ones that hide time-wasting crypto caches that include incredibly difficult codes to crack, calculations to make, or even medical or scientific knowledge to possess. One, for instance, might have only 3 unrelated photographs for a clue. In the logs you'll see that the good-ole-boys, which usually include the cache owner, have found it and the rest are DNFs. I love a challenge, but...do I hafta ask?

 

One code that I did manage to crack, after weeks of struggle, had an error in the coords. The owner didn't double check his encryption and the coords led to an empty field 50 miles away. The good-ole-boys managed to find it right here in town, though, after the church picnic. Nice work, boys.

 

Am I complaining? No, not really. This is what you get when you have freedom. It's better than having the game regulated to death by the communists. Let me see your Geocaching license and GPS registration, please. I'll need to see your satellite use-tax receipt, as well.

 

And your point is ???

 

SS

[+Scubasonic]

 

I got an email from a cacher last year requesting my phone number so he could call me if he got stuck on any of my caches while he was in the area for I declined the request but the guy got my number from somebody.

 

Man that is really BAD FORM in my opinion to give out another cachers Phone Number without checking with them first. I would be trying to find out who gave out my number without permission.....

 

Scubasonic

[knowschad]

You have been caching since 2008, and yet you have not yet attended even one single geocaching event? Get to know your fellow cachers! Don't be envious that they have geocaching friends... make some of your own. It will really enhance your experience.

[+A & J Tooling]

I still find it funny that people register a find yet had to ask for help. That shouldn't be allowed. But hey, I'm the new guy so I can't tell people how to play their game. But in the end, some of us earn our finds while others 'cheat'.

[GOF and Bacall]

 

I got an email from a cacher last year requesting my phone number so he could call me if he got stuck on any of my caches while he was in the area for I declined the request but the guy got my number from somebody.

 

Man that is really BAD FORM in my opinion to give out another cachers Phone Number without checking with them first. I would be trying to find out who gave out my number without permission.....

 

Scubasonic

 

Agreed. I would never give out someone's number. At most I would offer to call someone and pass along the request.

[knowschad]

I got an email from a cacher last year requesting my phone number so he could call me if he got stuck on any of my caches while he was in the area for I declined the request but the guy got my number from somebody.

 

Man that is really BAD FORM in my opinion to give out another cachers Phone Number without checking with them first. I would be trying to find out who gave out my number without permission.....

 

Scubasonic

 

Agreed. I would never give out someone's number. At most I would offer to call someone and pass along the request.

I had it happen to me once. The person that gave my number out will never do it again! We had some pretty harsh words.

[GOF and Bacall]

It was a part of the phone etiquette that I grew up with. In today's world of instant communications it seems some folks have a hard time with waiting for a reply.

[+tozainamboku]

I still find it funny that people register a find yet had to ask for help. That shouldn't be allowed. But hey, I'm the new guy so I can't tell people how to play their game. But in the end, some of us earn our finds while others 'cheat'.

The whole idea that the smiley one gets for logging a find online is something that is "earned" is something I will never comprehend. The online log is where geoachers share their experience and if someone wants to share that they got help, fine with me. Fine too, if you want to toot your horn that you found a difficult cache or solved a tough puzzle without any help. There is no requirement that people share anything; some only write TFTC and some not even that much.

 

I thought geocaching was suppose a fun activity, kinda like working the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper. I happen to fill in the grid without getting any help. But I'm aware that others use a dictionary and some people actual will ask others for help. Some even look in the back for the answers when they get stuck. Everyone has fun working the puzzle their own way. In the same way different people have fun finding geocaches getting what ever help they feel they need.

[+BlueDeuce]

I still find it funny that people register a find yet had to ask for help. That shouldn't be allowed. But hey, I'm the new guy so I can't tell people how to play their game. But in the end, some of us earn our finds while others 'cheat'.

The whole idea that the smiley one gets for logging a find online is something that is "earned" is something I will never comprehend. The online log is where geoachers share their experience and if someone wants to share that they got help, fine with me. Fine too, if you want to toot your horn that you found a difficult cache or solved a tough puzzle without any help. There is no requirement that people share anything; some only write TFTC and some not even that much.

 

I thought geocaching was suppose a fun activity, kinda like working the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper. I happen to fill in the grid without getting any help. But I'm aware that others use a dictionary and some people actual will ask others for help. Some even look in the back for the answers when they get stuck. Everyone has fun working the puzzle their own way. In the same way different people have fun finding geocaches getting what ever help they feel they need.

 

I agree. I don't care if a cacher wants me to post neon signs helping them down the bunny trail. If they ask for it, they got it.

 

The flip side is that you shouldn't over-rate your cache for people who can find it on their own. No 5 star LPCs unless they could have died.

 

Funny thing, ain't it?

[+luvvinbird]

It was a part of the phone etiquette that I grew up with. In today's world of instant communications it seems some folks have a hard time with waiting for a reply.

I totally agree. I'm presently looking for a waterproof cell phone because my brother-in-law is annoyed that it sometimes takes up to 30 minutes for me to respond to his call. Telling him that me being there to immediately answer his call is simply a convenience for him, falls on deaf ears. So I want to have a cell phone that works while I'm in the shower.

[+dirt_empire]

I've totally had to ask for hints, and most of the time I'm the first person to log a DNF and possibly even attempt the cache in more than a month. Often these are in high traffic areas likely to muggle invasion. I hate doing it, but sometimes it is necessary.

 

For instance, I'm currently having an issue with a GC near my local library. I'm the first person to attempt this Mystery in a few months, the second stage being a micro hidden under perforated benches. After multiple tries I attempted to contact the CO, with sporadic success at best. I've now contacted the previous cacher that found it and am almost sure that it is gone (I'm in Arkansas, and after the storms & habit that caches have of going missing around here I wouldn't be surprised).

[+Ambient_Skater]

The OP has managed to write three paragraphs without actually saying anything.

[Clan Riffster]

I agree. I don't care if a cacher wants me to post neon signs helping them down the bunny trail. If they ask for it, they got it.

Gotta side with Deuce on this one. I get requests for help on a regular basis. In my initial reply, I tell the asker that I will give them whatever level of help they desire, from a slight nudge, to simply sending them the final coords. At that point, the ball is in their court. My only expectation for those who seek my caches is that they enjoy themselves. If bashing their heads against their keyboards for hours solving my puzzle is fun for them, that's awesome. If just going and signing the log is fun for them, that's awesome too. As long as they had fun finding my cache, (and weren't eaten by dragons), nothing else matters to me.

[GOF and Bacall]

It was a part of the phone etiquette that I grew up with. In today's world of instant communications it seems some folks have a hard time with waiting for a reply.

I totally agree. I'm presently looking for a waterproof cell phone because my brother-in-law is annoyed that it sometimes takes up to 30 minutes for me to respond to his call. Telling him that me being there to immediately answer his call is simply a convenience for him, falls on deaf ears. So I want to have a cell phone that works while I'm in the shower.

 

No need for waterproof. Get one of those voice activated hands free speaker jobs and put it above the shower head.

 

I know what you mean though. I know a couple of people who expect an immediate answer 24/7.

[+power69]

One code that I did manage to crack, after weeks of struggle, had an error in the coords. The owner didn't double check his encryption and the coords led to an empty field 50 miles away.

I don't even bother with puzzles without geocheckers.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

One code that I did manage to crack, after weeks of struggle, had an error in the coords. The owner didn't double check his encryption and the coords led to an empty field 50 miles away.

I don't even bother with puzzles without geocheckers.

 

Really? I have encountered a lot of puzzles for which a geochecker is not necessary. Any puzzle which exposes that coordinates as a text string (i.e. "the coordinates are N 42 12.345 W 076 12.345" or as an image doesn't require a geochecker because if you've solved the puzzle it tells you specifically what the coordinates are. There are certainly lots of puzzles for which a geochecker is very useful, but ignoring puzzles without one would likely result in ignoring puzzles that can be easily solved and found.

 

Even when a CO *does* use a geochecker the coordinates that they enter into the checker are almost certainly going to be the same coordinates they entered into the submission form for the final location waypoint that is required for unknown cache types.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a request for an enhancement like this, and it would be a pretty low priority change, but I wonder if unknown caches could benefit from the use of a "beta tested" log. That way those that like to do puzzle caches could search for listings of puzzle caches which had been solved but not yet found.

[+GeoGeeBee]

{SNIP} One code that I did manage to crack, after weeks of struggle, had an error in the coords. The owner didn't double check his encryption and the coords led to an empty field 50 miles away. The good-ole-boys managed to find it right here in town, though, after the church picnic. Nice work, boys.

IMHO.... that is an NA. It isn't where it is supposed to be.

You're assuming that Nader60 correctly decoded the puzzle. Given that many others found the cache, I'm thinking maybe he made a mistake and came up with bad coordinates.

[Clan Riffster]

I have encountered a lot of puzzles for which a geochecker is not necessary.

Agreed. The vast majority of puzzle caches I've seen fall into two categories.

 

1 ) Puzzles with only one possible answer.

2 ) Puzzles which are solved on site.

 

A geochecker link is unnecessary for both of those types.

 

For puzzles with more than one possible answer, a geochecker would come in handy.

[+TomToad]

A geochecker does help that, as a puzzle solver, I don't make a mistake and end up searching someplace I shouldn't. It's easy to have a puzzle say "Add 179" and accidentally add 197 instead.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

A geochecker does help that, as a puzzle solver, I don't make a mistake and end up searching someplace I shouldn't. It's easy to have a puzzle say "Add 179" and accidentally add 197 instead.

 

Sure, a puzzle in which a transcription error or any puzzle which requires a calculation could benefit

but there are still many puzzle caches for which geochecker just isn't necessary. For example, a puzzle which

uses a QR code would reveal the coordinates if you recognize the symbol as a QR code and use a QR code to read

it. Most Sudoku puzzle caches probably wouldn't need one. Most puzzle caches which "hide" the coordinates in the

html of the page (i.e. including the coordinates in a comment tag, using the same foreground/background font colors, etc)

are not going to need one. Sure, there are lots of puzzle caches which would benefit from a geochecker, but there are also

lots of methods for which a geochecker just isn't necessary.

[+Max and 99]

{SNIP} One code that I did manage to crack, after weeks of struggle, had an error in the coords. The owner didn't double check his encryption and the coords led to an empty field 50 miles away. The good-ole-boys managed to find it right here in town, though, after the church picnic. Nice work, boys.

IMHO.... that is an NA. It isn't where it is supposed to be.

 

My thoughts exactly! I have seen that happen locally.

[+The Chaos Crew]

I’ve never done the PAF thing – or wanted to – until yesterday, when we spent some hours solving all stages of a tricky old multi – and then couldn’t find the final despite 4 of us (me, my other half, and our two sons) searching very thoroughly for 40 minutes at GZ. That was really frustrating! I didn’t phone anyone (I don’t know any other cachers’ phone numbers!) – but when I got home I did drop an email to a chap I met at an event, as I saw he had found the multi recently – not to ask exactly where the cache was – in fact I specifically asked him to NOT give me too much of a hint – but I just wanted confirmation from him that we were at least searching the right area (there was a lot of tree cover so maybe our GPS was playing up)

 

That’s as close as I would get to asking for help – heck I don’t even like to use the hint on the cache page and 9 times out of 10 we don’t – but then I do like the challenge of finding a tricky cache and the pleasure of knowing I figured it out all by myself.

 

But I have no problem whatsoever with people who want to help out their pals and make the hunt a little less troublesome. As long as they don’t insist on telling me the exact locations of caches I haven’t found yet! (there’s a lovely, well meaning local cacher who used to look at my DNFs and make a point of emailing me exactly where the cache was – I know she was only trying to help but I’ve asked her nicely not to give me too many clues – it doesn’t feel like I’ve actually FOUND something if I have been told its precise location, somehow)