QR code cache

[+dorqie]

I was thinking of making a mystery cache where you would have to scan a QR code on the cache page for the co-ordinates. Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

[+Jumpin' Jack Cache]

You don't have to have a smartphone to read a QR Code.

 

Such caches have been done. I own 2 myself.

[+Don_J]

I was thinking of making a mystery cache where you would have to scan a QR code on the cache page for the co-ordinates. Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

 

I wouldn't call it unfair any more than calling a cache unfair because I don't own a kayak, or SCUBA gear.

 

A QR code on the cache page doesn't require a smart phone, just the knowledge of how to save the image and send to one of various websites that will decode it. There are multi caches that have QR codes in the stages that make it difficult, but not impossible to solve without a smart phone. In my case, I would need to take a picture of it with my digital camera, then go home and upload it to my computer in order to decode. Either that of flag down a UPS guy.

[+Sol seaker]

It comes down to how many people you want doing your cache.

some people are fine without many finds on a cache.

Some people want tons of finds on their cache.

Just depends on how you feel about it.

[+dorqie]

It comes down to how many people you want doing your cache.

some people are fine without many finds on a cache.

Some people want tons of finds on their cache.

Just depends on how you feel about it.

I'm not concerned about the number of finds, lots or few, whatever. What I am concerned about is whiney emails from people angry about the puzzle. I want as few of those as possible.

[+WRASTRO]

It comes down to how many people you want doing your cache.

some people are fine without many finds on a cache.

Some people want tons of finds on their cache.

Just depends on how you feel about it.

I'm not concerned about the number of finds, lots or few, whatever. What I am concerned about is whiney emails from people angry about the puzzle. I want as few of those as possible.

I would expect the vast majority of cachers who look at a cache with a QR image to recognize it as a bar code and figure out how to read it in some way. Whiney emails are nothing more than whiney emails

[+Moto*Joe]

No, I don't think it's unfair, it just brings a new twist to geocaching. I have a cache right now (GC2Y33N) you have to answer a history question about our town, if you know the answer you have to find a Chirp Signal at that location, once you find the chirp signal it sends you to a location with a QR Code, the QR Code then gives you the coords to the cache. It's been up for about a month and I have only received 1 email about how they would not be able to participate because of all the tech stuff....Not that it's unfair, just can't participate.

Edited July 1, 2011 by Moto-Dweller

[+power69]

It comes down to how many people you want doing your cache.

some people are fine without many finds on a cache.

Some people want tons of finds on their cache.

Just depends on how you feel about it.

I'm not concerned about the number of finds, lots or few, whatever. What I am concerned about is whiney emails from people angry about the puzzle. I want as few of those as possible.

Well as an owner of 18 puzzles rediculously easy to hard you'll get those emails.

some people can really be mean too specially with the hard ones.

a QR puzzle wouldn't be that hard due to the resources avail online.

unlike the garmin beacon caches you don't HAVE to have a device to decode.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

It comes down to how many people you want doing your cache.

some people are fine without many finds on a cache.

Some people want tons of finds on their cache.

Just depends on how you feel about it.

I'm not concerned about the number of finds, lots or few, whatever. What I am concerned about is whiney emails from people angry about the puzzle. I want as few of those as possible.

 

Try searching for puzzle caches with a 5 star difficulty. There are a lot of extremely difficulty puzzles (The Puzzle Masters Challenges series include quite a few) that might take days, weeks, or months to solve. One of the 5 star puzzle caches that I solved took me a little over a month. If a puzzle is properly rated, and someone gets angry over it, it's there own fault. A puzzle which has a high difficulty rating is *supposed* to be really hard to solve.

[+dfx]

I was thinking of making a mystery cache where you would have to scan a QR code on the cache page for the co-ordinates. Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

 

You mean like http://coord.info/GC19029 ?

 

I decoded it online. No smartphone required.

[+addisonbr]

You're fine - there is nothing unfair about a QR code in a puzzle.

[AZcachemeister]

I was thinking of making a mystery cache where you would have to scan a QR code on the cache page for the co-ordinates. Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

 

I own a cache like that.

It's not unfair.

 

I am considering putting out a multi, with QR codes in the intermediate stages.

 

That would not be unfair either.

 

Wherigo

Chirp

[+CanadianRockies]

Since your QR code is on the listing page, I don't expect too many people will have an issue with it. As others have noted, it's not that hard to decipher them even without special equipment/smartphones.

 

If your QR code was a field puzzle, however, then I think it would be courteous to mention that fact on the listing page. I could see how some people might get upset if they drove a fair distance out of their way, perhaps did one or two initial stages, and then encountered a QR code in the field.

[MisterEFQ]

I dont have a smart phone, or a cell phone. And I never plan on getting one. Do I think its fair?

 

Yes.

 

I dont have a boat, or scuba gear, a submarine or a space shuttle to get other caches either. Its all fair game.

[+Team Van Dyk]

I hope it's fair: http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=6a7ad5be-0401-4a1c-ae90-b3d098d00bbe

[+Flintstone5611]

Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

 

Of course. But it is allowed and supported. You asking about fairness as if that has ever been a qualifying angle for Unknown caches. Trust me, fairness is rarely the issue . I own GC2KQ4Z and although it doesn't have a lot of finds (7 since March 25th when it was published) it has been solved by a few and people seem to like it.

 

If you wanna talk fair we can open (and I think they have opened) a thread on this cache:GC2C91R. Now that was all about being unfair.

[bonniereed346]

I was thinking of making a mystery cache where you would have to scan a QR code on the cache page for the co-ordinates. Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

I am studying the cache recently. And I read this post, but I still can not figure how to scan qr code on the cache page.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=312731

[+The_Incredibles_]

I was thinking of making a mystery cache where you would have to scan a QR code on the cache page for the co-ordinates. Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

I am studying the cache recently. And I read this post, but I still can not figure how to scan qr code on the cache page.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=312731

 

Do you have a smartphone or ipod? You will need to find an app that scans QR codes.

[+Team Microdot]

I had a daisy-chain series of QR caches - with QR codes glued into the lid of each container giving half the coordinates of the next one in the chain - AND had them published singly, a few days apart, just to make things a little more difficult for the local FTF sharks

 

Nobody ever complained about the tech aspect.

 

You might like to take note of the fact that not all smartphone decoder apps are created equal - SOME require a mobile Internet connection to do the decode - OTHERS do not.

 

It makes life easier for people if they have an app that does the decode locally on the phone - and thus works fine where mobile Internet is patchy or non-existent.

 

I used this one - and pointed anyone who asked for guidance in its direction:

 

The online version

 

The Android version

 

The iPhone version

Edited July 1, 2014 by Team Microdot

[+The_Incredibles_]

The original post was 3 years ago.

[+Team Microdot]

The original post was 3 years ago.

 

Bah!

[+Chrysalides]

Well, the user who resurrected the thread a day ago seems to still need information.

 

If you don't want to take out your smart phone to scan a QR on your computer, you can give the URL to ZXing : http://zxing.org/w/decode.jspx

 

If you're using Chrome, the QuickMark QR code extension allows you to right click and decode it. Doesn't get any easier than that.

 

There was an application I installed once (think it might also be QuickMark) that moves a window on the screen to capture a QR. Useful if the QR is not one single image - but you can also do a screen cap, crop, and feed that to ZXing. At this point, it is easier to just take out the smart phone.

[+ras_oscar]

Most of the QR codes I have found in the wild were very close to caches I ended up DNFing. If you have a QR cose at one of your stages I would recommend you tell people so they won't report your cache missing and replaced with a game peice from that other game that is forbidden to name.

[+Ibar]

Is that too unfair to cachers that don't own a smartphone?

 

Of course. But it is allowed and supported. You asking about fairness as if that has ever been a qualifying angle for Unknown caches. Trust me, fairness is rarely the issue . I own GC2KQ4Z and although it doesn't have a lot of finds (7 since March 25th when it was published) it has been solved by a few and people seem to like it.

 

If you wanna talk fair we can open (and I think they have opened) a thread on this cache:GC2C91R. Now that was all about being unfair.

 

When I tried to create my first challenge cache: GC50KT9 I got the requirement from the reviewer to fulfill the ALR by myself (what I actually did). I wonder whether such a request was put to the owner of the GC2C91R cache you mention ...