Offset Cache icon

[+BeachBuddies]

I think it would be great if you could add a new icon for "offset" caches. Right now, there's no easy way to distinguish these, and people end up looking for caches at the wrong location. Virtual caches are different, and the "unknown" cache icon is not quite appropriate either.

 

Here's my suggestion for an icon:

 

Offset Cache icon

 

Thanks!

 

-The Beach Buddies

[+GeneralBracket]

Good idea. Nice icon.

[+ClayJar]

Offset caches are most closely resemblant of *multi-caches*. Consider that there are at least two stages to any offset cache, and even if one is virtual (even to the point of not being intended to be visited at all), the concept of the waypoint is still inherent.

 

Having an offset cache attribute would be an idea I would ascribe to, although at this point cache attributes have not yet been implemented, due to the herculean task that Jeremy has been assigned to for the last several months. Still, once cache attributes are implemented (as Jeremy has yet again assured us they will be), having such an attribute would be a valid and worthwhile idea.

 

Adding yet another cache type of yet finer distinctions would be, in my personal opinion as a developer of GPX applications, a bad idea. The reason cache attributes will be implemented is precisely to allow such fine-grained distinctions to be made without inflating the cache type list. At present, calling offset caches multi-caches (which is the most applicable cache type) should alleviate the looking-in-the-wrong-place problem with all but the least responsible cachers, and those irresponsible cachers who do not have the honor or decency to read the description to see that it's an offset multi-cache... well, they deserve any consequences of their irresponsibility.

 

[[[ ClayJar Networks ]]]

Home of Watcher downloads, Official Geocaching Chat, and the Geocache Rating System

[+Sissy-n-CR]

The problem is getting people to properly classify, describe, rate, and maintain their caches in the first place.

 

A minor pet peeve of mine is properly classifying a cache. Many offsets, including puzzle caches and a host of other varients where the physical cache is not at the listed coordinates, are classified as traditional caches. This is wrong.

 

It is clear in the description of the types of caches that an offset is to be classified as a multi.

 

quote:

---

From Cache Types

A multiple cache has 2 or more caches. There are many variations, but most multi-caches have a hint to find the second cache, and the second cache has hints to the third, and so on. An offset cache (where you go to a location and get hints to the actual cache) is considered a multi-cache.

---

Emphasis mine.

 

So you see, offsets are already taken care of, yet they are routinely incorrectly classified.

 

As ClayJar mentioned, the soon to be released new site will, supposedly, have attributes that will let people know a cache is an offset. The problem will be getting the owners to give the proper attributes.

 

CR

 

[+BeachBuddies]

I'll e-mail the caches I know of that are currently classified as "Traditional", and ask them to re-classify as "Multi". Searching in the wrong/posted spot isn't a issue for me -- I always read everthing I can about the cache; I have enough trouble finding them in the right spot :-) But I have noticed several posts from seekers who just downloaded the waypoints, and then went looking (usually as targets of opportunity as they drive nearby).

 

However, I do really like to solve the offset puzzle caches (more than the other type of multi-caches), so it would be great if there were a way to search for those. Sounds like attributes (if hiders use them) will work for me. Thanks.

 

-Beach Buddies

 

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~~~~~ The BeachBuddies ~~~~~

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[+Sissy-n-CR]

What I've taken to doing is using a PDA with Spinner to carry all of the caches in the area with us. This way, it doesn't matter if the cache is incorrectly classified, we can read the descriptions.

 

A side benefit of PDA based caching is we also always have the hints/cheats with us in case we can't find the cache in a reasonable amount of time.

 

CR

 

[+ClayJar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BeachBuddies:

I do really like to solve the offset puzzle caches (more than the other type of multi-caches), so it would be great if there were a way to search for those.

---

I love hydrocaches, personally. I spent a little time using Watcher to search for keywords like "boat", "paddle", and other such things, since Watcher lets you search the full text of the cache descriptions in your Pocket Query GPX file.

 

If you're a subscribing member of Geocaching.com, you can get Pocket Queries from the site (files with up to 500 cache pages in them that you can use on a PDA, with Watcher on your PC, or with several other programs). Watcher (which I write) is a great program for when you want to look through a bunch of caches to find the caches you really like. (Well, it's good for a ton of other things, too, but hey. )

 

Anyway, since we don't have cache attributes yet, using Watcher is probably the next best thing. (And once we *do* have cache attributes, which will be sometime after the reworked Geocaching.com site is finished, Watcher will support them, too.)

 

[[[ ClayJar Networks ]]]

Home of Watcher downloads, Official Geocaching Chat, and the Geocache Rating System

[+BeachBuddies]

Thanks for the tip. My PDA is dead at the moment, but I'm in the market for a new one (probably a cell phone / PDA combo). Sounds like a great tool, I'll check it out as soon as I get a chance.

 

-Beach Buddies

 

Yes I'm lost, but at least I know my coordinates!