What to do with an unpublished cache that was found

[+thetoxiczone]

I have been planning a set of puzzle caches in my local area, it turns out a incorrect solution to one cache is within 20m of one I have placed and due to the container type and being an suburban cache the hint fitted resulting in the find.

 

The choices I see are: 1) remove the cache, erase if I can or bin the nano cache log and forget the location. 2) forget the puzzle publish it as a traditional 3) publish it as some sort of bonus cache, not even sure if that is allowed.

 

Any other ideas?

[+Touchstone]

I would probably "bin" the logsheet and relocate the Final for the Unpublished Listing that you were planning. Tough luck for the Finder, but it doesn't appear that they solved the original puzzle correctly anyway. Just an unusually lucky break for them that they found something at their solution, I guess.

 

Good luck with the series!

[+The A-Team]

Tough luck for the Finder, but it doesn't appear that they solved the original puzzle correctly anyway.

I'm actually having a hard time understanding exactly what's going on, so I won't give any advice on what you should do. I just wanted to clarify that the method by which someone finds a cache, whether they've solved a puzzle to get there or just stumbled upon it accidentally, has no bearing on how legitimate their find is. They found it. Period. There are no "degrees of finding". You cannot delete someone's find because they haven't solved a puzzle (deletion doesn't sound like it's a factor here, but I thought I'd mention it anyway).

[+cache_test_dummies]

Any other ideas?

Other ideas (although I think just giving up that location would be best if you think there is a good chance that lots of other cachers will come up with the same incorrect solution as the original finder of your unpublished cache):

 

1) Change the container type and hint, and decide to be cool with the idea that others may still find and log your cache as the result of coming up with an incorrect solution to another cache.

 

2) Publish the cache just as you intended, and decide to be cool with the idea that others may find and log your cache as the result of coming up with an incorrect solution to another cache.

 

edit: you/your

Edited June 4, 2013 by cache_test_dummies

[Laserion]

If both caches are yours, you could put a note in the cache near the incorrect solution to the puzzle cache. Explain in it that if they are looking for the puzzle cache (include the name), they found a different one and should log their find in the correct listing, not in the puzzle cache's listing.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

The solution could be as simple as putting a coordinate checker on the puzzle page. So if someone comes up with an incorrect solution, they will know it before they go out looking.

[+thetoxiczone]

Thanks for the replies, they know they have not found the real location after I checked thing and they have removed the FTF log on the on-line record. I have a checker on the puzzle they got the wrong answer and it said no but happened to be in the area and spotted 20m away a location that matched the hint and found a cache the distance between the two is about 325m. There must be hundreds of ways to incorrectly solve a puzzle can some might land on another cache location so there is no way for me to predict that. I think I will give up on the location although it was one of the best suburban cache location I have found, just hope they used pencil as being a nano (1.5cm x 1cm) I don't think I can make a log to fit it as well as the supplied logs.