Need help with getting a cartridge to upload as complete

[+Ashallond]

So I built my first Wherigo cartridge and deployed it out with the geocache, and it works. (yay!) However, when the cartridge reaches the final zone where the geocache is hidden, I have the cartidge among other things set the cartridge complete variable as true. I'm using urwigo by the way.

 

I've had someone try to upload from the iphone player the save game to log it as complete on Wherigo.com but it keeps saying that the cartridge doesn't show it is completed.

 

Is there someone out there more knowledgeable than I on these cartridges help me see what I forgot to do?

 

Also, the person wanted to know how you even save the cartridge in the iphone player....as the only command button he saw was 'quit'

 

Thanks!

[Ranger Fox]

It is my understanding none of the cell phone Wherigo Players quite know the format needed to create a save file that can be used by the web site, nor is it easy to do so. As a cartridge author, the best thing you can do is to show your players an unlock code. Usually, on the cartridges I create, I'll create an item with the unlock code as part of its description (as well as mark the cartridge as complete--more on that in a moment). When the players finish the cartridge, I move the item to the player. This way, as long as the player saves the game, s/he can always resume it at a later time to see the unlock code. If you, instead, include the unlock code as part of a message/dialog, your players must write it down--and there's always the possibility of them reading too quickly and skipping over that dialog before they realize what you were saying.

 

Now, about marking a cartridge as complete. Though it does not seem to serve a purpose anymore, please continue to do so. When Groundspeak begins developing the Wherigo Player again, I've been strongly suggesting to them to detect this event and use this as a trigger to unlock the cartridge automatically on the web site.

 

As for saving a cartridge on the iPhone, I was under the impression it does a periodic automatic save--or whenever the cartridge author injects a save command. I do remember seeing a small message somewhere on the UI that told me--very quickly--it was saving the game. The easiest thing you can do to check is visit a cartridge's first zone, quit the cartridge, resume it, and see if it prompts you to restore the game. It has done so on my version and cartridge, at least, even when I hadn't included a save command.

[+Ashallond]

It does save the game, but for some reason won't upload as complete.

 

Can you explain teh completion code piece a bit? I never really understood where I can set that, but then I think it's individual to the cacher name, and then there might be a 1 digit off issue?

 

The item I get. The description part I get, just not sure how to define the code.

 

Thanks for the reply.

[+jonny65]

Can you explain teh completion code piece a bit? I never really understood where I can set that, but then I think it's individual to the cacher name, and then there might be a 1 digit off issue?

 

The item I get. The description part I get, just not sure how to define the code.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Just simple, the code as you say is individual. Every player who downloads the cartridge gets a different code, which "comes from" Wherigo.com and is included in the GWC file.

A good way is to write down a code in the logbook from the physical cache. Then the player have to enter these code to finally get the completion code. Look at the attached pic, how it works.

If you don't have a physical final, the player have to use the (as completed marked) GWS file, which also is generated in the pic below.

 

Edited May 19, 2012 by jonny65

[+Ashallond]

Thank you!

 

That actually makes a lot of sense to me.

[+Nighthawk700]

I'm kind of shoehorning on to this topic a bit. I realized that I didn't complete my cartridge, so I wrote that in at the last minute. I'm going for what I hope will be a final beta test/walk-through this afternoon (plus drop off the ammo box). I don't have a zone for the final location. During the walk around the park, I give various hints (based on numbers on a sign) with the last two (the .xxY for lat and long) being given at the last zone. Then they'll have to put those coordinates into their GPS to find the actual ammo box. No armchair way to do it without walking the route. So I have it when you walk into the zone, it'll pop up the end of the story and the final clues, then when you walk out of the zone it completes the cartridge. Does that sound reasonable? Any "gotcha's" I should be aware of?

 

Thanks.

[Ranger Fox]

So I have it when you walk into the zone, it'll pop up the end of the story and the final clues, then when you walk out of the zone it completes the cartridge. Does that sound reasonable? Any "gotcha's" I should be aware of?

One big one: the player could walk into the zone, notice the ammo can, and close the cartridge because the player accomplished his/her objective. This doesn't give the cartridge any time to register that the player left the zone. Still, arguendo, the player is outside the zone when s/he resumes the cartridge, but I don't believe the Wherigo Players store whether or not a player was inside a zone upon save and, thus, the exit event will probably not fire.

[+Nighthawk700]

So I have it when you walk into the zone, it'll pop up the end of the story and the final clues, then when you walk out of the zone it completes the cartridge. Does that sound reasonable? Any "gotcha's" I should be aware of?

One big one: the player could walk into the zone, notice the ammo can, and close the cartridge because the player accomplished his/her objective. This doesn't give the cartridge any time to register that the player left the zone. Still, arguendo, the player is outside the zone when s/he resumes the cartridge, but I don't believe the Wherigo Players store whether or not a player was inside a zone upon save and, thus, the exit event will probably not fire.

 

The ammo can is about 0.1 miles away. There is no zone around it at all, it's separate from the Cartridge (other than the cartridge dropping pieces of the coordinates as you go along). When the player gets into the final zone, it gives the last of the coordinates to the ammo can. I tried running my cartridge on my WhereYouGo (android) today after adding in the closing. I got to the final zone, it gave the final piece of coordinates to the ammo box, then kept pointing to the final zone (which I was already in. I walked away for a while, and still nothing but pointing to the end, so I just closed it down myself then.

[+Ogislookin]

Can you explain teh completion code piece a bit? I never really understood where I can set that, but then I think it's individual to the cacher name, and then there might be a 1 digit off issue?

 

The item I get. The description part I get, just not sure how to define the code.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Just simple, the code as you say is individual. Every player who downloads the cartridge gets a different code, which "comes from" Wherigo.com and is included in the GWC file.

A good way is to write down a code in the logbook from the physical cache. Then the player have to enter these code to finally get the completion code. Look at the attached pic, how it works.

If you don't have a physical final, the player have to use the (as completed marked) GWS file, which also is generated in the pic below.

 

 

So what happened with me is I finished my cartridge, but I did not have a completion code for the players yet and some have completed my cartridge. Since then I have done so. Is there a way I can send a completion code to these players who did not receive a completion code (assuming they saved the game)?

[Geo-Magician]

So what happened with me is I finished my cartridge, but I did not have a completion code for the players yet and some have completed my cartridge. Since then I have done so. Is there a way I can send a completion code to these players who did not receive a completion code (assuming they saved the game)?

 

There is an easy way to do what you need. It is no big secret but I am a bit reluctant to post it to the forum. Check your mail.

 

Should other programmers stumble across this problem, send me a PM.

[+HJFOL]

I don't understand the completion code until now. (I am dutch he)

I have a number of question:

- does everyone get the same codes?

- is it possible to create codes at your own as builder

- if you make a Wherigo for geocaching is it needed to log it on the Wherigo site?

[Geo-Magician]

I have a number of question:

- does everyone get the same codes?

- is it possible to create codes at your own as builder

- if you make a Wherigo for geocaching is it needed to log it on the Wherigo site?

 

This topic discusses your problems: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=328667&view=findpost&p=5458566

This might also help: http://www.earwigo.net/WWB/wiki/doku.php?id=create_your_first_cartridge#the_completion_code

 

Have fun

[Ranger Fox]

I don't understand the completion code until now. (I am dutch he)

I have a number of question:

- does everyone get the same codes?

- is it possible to create codes at your own as builder

- if you make a Wherigo for geocaching is it needed to log it on the Wherigo site?

I have some things to add.

 

Does everyone get the same code?

No. The code is based off some formula that seems to break these days and produce more characters than it should. The Wherigo Foundation site uses different completion codes because I don't know what Groundspeak's site is using. In another thread, someone asked me about allowing people who aren't logged in to download cartridges. If I do so, all those completion codes will be the same.

 

Is it possible to create codes in a builder?

No. The site that's hosting your cartridge creates the code when the cartridge is downloaded. All builder programs will insert a fake completion code when they create a cartridge for playing in an emulator.

 

If you have a Wherigo geocache, do you have to log it on the Wherigo site?

No. There isn't much point to logging it on Groundspeak's site at the moment as unlocking the cartridge doesn't do anything. The WF site keeps track of completions for stats and you can filter cartridges for ones you have not completed. Wherigo needs its own stats/scoring mechanism to get more people interested in playing outside of geocaching. I have some vague ideas about this, but I don't have time to pursue them (and I'd get comments from everyone else in the Wherigo Foundation before sharing them here).

[+Dani+Iris]

If you have a Wherigo geocache, do you have to log it on the Wherigo site?

No. There isn't much point to logging it on Groundspeak's site at the moment as unlocking the cartridge doesn't do anything.

 

Although I agree with what Ranger Fox has to say (in general and in this post) I have some things to add to his statement on logging (currently) on Groundspeak's site Wherigo.com. I think he means "there isn't much point in unlocking on Groundspeak's site at the moment (...)" but for me as a cartridge builder I love the extra log on Wherigo.com (although it is indeed not necessary) because it adds some extras you miss with a classic geocaching.com log:

• It allows the player to rate the experience better / more fine grained than the all or nothing geocaching.com favorite point system
  
• It gives a nice average rating over all the logs and this is again better than the more flat number of favo points (or even % of premium log favos)
  
• I also love that there is a strict definition of what the number of stars mean. I hate it when there is (in a lot of review scoring systems on other social sites) just a number of points/stars rating without an unambiguous meaning. If you didn't like it / hated it, do you give it 1 star or no stars? In this case this is clear.
  

 

Therefore I encourage my players to also log on Wherigo.com on top of their geocaching.com log because this tells me more.

 

I would love to see this added to the current / future Wherigo Foundation log:

• add a star rating like Wherigo.com does
  
• add an (optional) time played field
  
• add (weighted) averages of those two scores
  

 

(I do realize that this reply doesn't apply to the general topic of "unlock codes / completion logging" of this thread but I add it here because of the Ranger Fox reply implications. Whenever Ranger Fox is ready to more openly discuss this rating/logging outside the WF, I would love to participate in this; please point me to the correct thread)