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Completion code - 15 digits or 16?


Team Microdot

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Built my first ever cartridge using Earwigo and it all works perfectly - with one minor exception.

 

The completion code which is generated is 16 digits long - and is refused as an invalid unlock code on the Wherigo website.

 

However - enter the first 15 digits of the given code and it is accepted :)

 

Anybody else come across this and if so, is there a workaround/fix for it or do I just have to warn players about the issue and hope they spot the warning?

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Don't type in the last character from your code; that's how you cut it.

 

As for searching and not finding the information, I don't mind the duplicate threads. I'd rather people ask if they can't find what they're looking for than not ask and be bewildered. By the way, one of the other names for a "completion code" is "unlock code". The completion code issue is one of those things I don't expect people to keep in mind and have to look up.

 

Some other threads that talked about this:

Unlocking carts?

Unlock code is not accepted

See the completion code as owner?

New 15-digit unlock codes not working?

 

Before I posted this reply, I sent an email to Groundspeak asking for a favor: patching or fixing this issue. I think I mentioned it before in a conversation, but never as its own issue. If I receive a reply, I'll summarize it here.

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Thanks Ranger Fox :)

 

When the previous poster suggested cutting the code, I thought they might be referring to some string-trimming function done at the player (software) end to save the palyer (human) from having to remember to leave off the 16th digit when unlocking the cartridge on the Wherigo site - hence my question :mellow:

 

I find it remarkable that Groundspeak have allowed this issue to persist - given that it would be VERY easily fixed with a tweak at the website end? :o

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If you want to add string-trimming functionality to your cartridge, go for it.

 

The community's power is remarkable: because of the community, Wherigo has been able to survive and spread as it has without its parent company's intervention. With how much technology has changed since Groundspeak released Wherigo, they might as well "reimagine" (to use marketing speak) the whole thing. What is now possible is vastly different from when Wherigo began: media-rich, connected, and social are now the norms. There will be a lot of catching up to do!

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Ah - if only I were that competent with Lua code B)

 

As it is, I have to rely on an excellent web based pointy-clicky builder developed by this very clever chap ;)

 

You may know him - I think he posts on here from time to time :D

 

If you want to add string-trimming functionality to your cartridge, go for it.

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For a moment, I thought you knew more than you should and were just being coy about it. No, "kit" won't be released any time soon due to time constraints.

 

Anyway, I received an email auto-responder: my email won't be read until April 10th. Had I checked Foursquare, I would have realized he flew out of the airport yesterday.

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I formally reported this bug to Groundspeak and explained why this issue needs to be addressed. There was agreement and I anticipate work will be assigned. I will post another update in a few weeks when I'm notified of the progress. For now, I'll pin this topic to the top of the board (and leave it there for one week after the issue is resolved).

 

There are two ways this can be fixed: in the cartridge compiler or on the cartridge unlock page. The ideal fix would, of course, be within the compiler. Would a fix here modify the byte positions you're using to consume the cartridge in your Wherigo Players, matejcik and spstanley? The other way this can be fixed is for the unlock page to ignore the additional trailing character. (The more I think about it, the more it looks like, in my experiments, I've only seen a "Q" at the end.)

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Just thought I'd post and say I brought the issue up again with Groundspeak. I remind them at least once a month; it's not as if I mentioned it in April, then mentioned it again this month. Anyway, there hasn't been any progress on this as of yet. When there is something to report, I'll post it here and leave the thread pinned for an additional couple weeks after the issue's resolution.

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Earwigo has a small feature that lets you spit out the completion code in two versions (trimmed or complete code) for your users.

 

"Your completion code is : ~~Player.CompletionCode~~. 
If this code does not work, use only the first 15 digits of the code 
~~Player.CompletionCode15~~
and try it again (not our fault but this should solve it ;-)" 

 

Not totally elegant but it does the trick

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Most builders have a LUA option where you can type in LUA code. I tried creating a function:

 

-------------------

function SetCompCode15()

CompCode15 = strsub(Player.CompletitionCode,1,15)

end

-------------------

 

But when I run it, I get "attempt to call global 'strsub' (a nil value)".

 

Thoughts?

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You correctly figured out the source I was using. Is this Lua different from Wherigo Lua? Is there a resource our Wherigo Lua?

 

Your fix was 90% - I'm still ending up with an empty string, but it will at least run now. (I also fixed spelling of Completion instead of the Urwigo spelling of Completition.) :)

 

--------------------

function SetCompCode15()

CompCode15 = string.sub(Player.CompletionCode,1,15)

end

--------------------

Edited by Geek_Teach
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Do I need to set the completion code somewhere myself, or does something generate one itself? If I need to do it myself, how do I do that?

The completion code is automatically generated and injected into a cartridge by the Wherigo.com web site when a cartridge hosted by the site is downloaded. However, cartridge authors are still responsible for creating something within a cartridge to show the completion code at an appropriate time to the person playing. Also, I urge all cartridge authors to mark the cartridge as complete as well because this above even a completion code will be what any future Wherigo Foundation implementations will use. (I want to transition away from completion codes, if given an opportunity.) I should point out those creating a cartridge using my Wherigo\\kit builder do not have to think about showing a completion code as Kit automatically shows it and places a completion code item into the player's inventory when the cartridge is done, in addition to marking the cartridge as complete.

 

Those playing a cartridge can enter the completion code on Wherigo.com. As there is no incentive to do so, even I haven't entered a completion code these past several years. There isn't even a way for cartridge authors to test the authenticity of a player's completion code.

 

As it's simple to extract a completion code from a cartridge, I don't encourage their use. In addition, future Wherigo modifications should be designed such that we get the cartridge file out of the players' hands so they don't have an opportunity to manipulate, emulate, decompile, or otherwise alter the cartridge file. This will keep the game a lot more honest.

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Thanks for your reply; I did implement the "Complete=True" option at the last waypoint, so that's already set. Maybe I did miss it, but is there any kind of manual for building Wherigo's? There's a whole bunch of links in your signature, sending you to the different topics on this forum, but I couldn't find a simple manual with "What needs to be inside your build".

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Groundspeak did create a tutorial on their site when it launched. As for what needs to be inside a cartridge, that can't be answered easily. Wherigo offers a wonderfully blank slate as long as you work with its pre-smartphone UI that, while good in the PDA era, is now horrid (I'd much rather prefer we do away with this and make it entirely map-driven).

 

At the moment, Wherigo is used almost exclusively in conjunction with geocaching. If you're leading someone to a geocache, that's the minimum requirement: lead someone to a cache. No one reviews your cartridge, so you could make something as gaudy as a one zone cartridge where the geocache is located in that one and only zone. You could go the other way and make people drive to a hundred different locations or interact with dozens of NPCs. There isn't a checklist of things that need to be inside a cartridge. What you're building is an experience for others. What you absolutely need to put inside your cartridges--every one of them--is enjoyment. Make people want to play your cartridge for the fun it provides. Tell a story, take people somewhere interesting, let them learn something, give them a challenge, play a game: there are a variety of ways people have fun. Make a cartridge that promises an experience to those who enjoy that type of thing and deliver on your promise. Not everyone will enjoy the same things, so make a variety.

 

If the author doesn't want, a cartridge doesn't need to be marked as complete or a completion code doesn't need to be shown. Until there's a purpose for completing a cartridge--and there isn't at the moment--I can't expect people to care about cartridge completion. I've recently tossed around the idea with the Wherigo Foundation of a scoring system for Wherigo that encapsulates playing, creating, and this other Wherigo meta-game project I want to pursue in the future. The point is, once there's a reason for completing a cartridge or logging your play on Wherigo.com, authors will make sure they mark their cartridges as complete.

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Thanks; the part of making a Wherigo enjoyable is common sense in my opinion. Like all my geocaches, I want people to go there and enjoy the natural surroundings, the story that I've built in or the way I've disguised it. Now I've found over 900 caches, I've reached the point that I don't like simple caches that are hidden behind a traffic sign any more. Which encourages me to hide my caches as original as possible; a Wherigo is a new way of hiding things.

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