Cache where you need a smartphone to complete?

[+jmbillings]

I was thinking of coming up with a multi where you need a smartphone to complete it, by either scanning a QR code to get the next clue / co-ordinates or perhaps even have an app just for the purposes of the cache...

But I'm wondering what proportion of cachers will have such a device with them when caching (even if they use a real GPS device for the actual game?)

 

If it's less than, say, 75% it's perhaps not worth it.

[+mellers]

I was thinking of coming up with a multi where you need a smartphone to complete it, by either scanning a QR code to get the next clue / co-ordinates or perhaps even have an app just for the purposes of the cache...

But I'm wondering what proportion of cachers will have such a device with them when caching (even if they use a real GPS device for the actual game?)

 

If it's less than, say, 75% it's perhaps not worth it.

I have no data to back this up with, but at a guess I'd say 90% of cachers have a smartphone. This is a guess based purely on my own experience in caching with others and my own opinion. I don't have one though, and I'm in the minority.

 

The important thing to make clear on the cache page is that you WILL need a smartphone to find the cache. It's VERY disappointing not to be able to find a cache when you're not expecting smartphones to be essential. That's happened to me a few times.

[+redsox_mark]

I've seen various statistics, but around 50% of the population has a smartphone.

Reference

With cachers I think it would be higher; also if a cacher doesn't have one but a caching friend has one they can find it that way.

 

I found a cache which needed a NFC enabled smartphone. These are currently a relatively small subset of smartphones - iPhones don't have it, nor do many lower end Android phones. But I found a friend who has one and found it.

[+Seaglass Pirates]

Did a cache just like that - QR code multi. Wasnt mentioned but we had a phone and downloaded the app. Good idea. Of course quite a few cachers have a QR code reader for an offshoot of this hobby but obviously cant mention the name here.

 

How about a slide puzzle QR code. Ouch that would be a git to do.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Seaglass Pirates

[+jmbillings]

Thanks guys, seems a reasonable idea then...

 

NFC I hadn't thought of- my phone has it, and I even have some tags to play with. I think that's one to wait for iThings to support though...

[+dibbler69]

It would only be like a chirp cache. Some people can do and others that dont have a chirp enabled gps carnt.

[+chillypenguin]

Do a search on "Intercache" which is a new style of interactive cache.

[+Pharisee]

I have a 'Blackberry' but I'm not sure that counts as a 'smartphone'. I do know that it's a lot smarter than me so I only use it to make phone calls and sent the occasional text. Personally, if I read on the cache page that I'd need to 'scan a QR code' to complete the cache, I'd ignore it and move on... sorry .

[+MTH]

I did a cache with QR code before I had a smartphone. I simply took a photo of the code and uploaded it to a website for decoding once I got home. Next day I went back to find the cache.

 

So it doesn't prevent someone finding the cache without a smartphone, but it does make it more difficult and that will put people off.

[+Paul G0TLG]

I've done a QR cache in central London - I also did a cache for which you needed a portable wifi device back when such things were pretty rare (you had to stand at a certain spot and read the name of the nearest wifi network).

 

As long as you make it clear in the cache description what special equipment or skills will be needed to complete the cache hunt then anything legal is fair game! You'll reduce the number of cachers that go after your cache, but then...some cachers don't do micros...some won't do drive bys...some won't or can't do caches involving long walks, or puzzles, or looking for clues in churchyards, or looking for clues near chilldrens play areas (if I'm on my own without the family, I won't)...I bet there isn't a cache in the world that doesn't have some factor that means some group of cachers won't do it!

 

If you hide it and publish it- - and make it reasonably clear what you need to do to get the cache - then a sizeable proportion of the caching community will come.

[+jmbillings]

Thanks!

Mrs B. didn't like the idea, but only because it was "too geeky"

[+moor to sea]

Thanks guys, seems a reasonable idea then...

 

NFC I hadn't thought of- my phone has it, and I even have some tags to play with. I think that's one to wait for iThings to support though...

 

I recently bought a 7" tablet and then got a pack of 10 NFC tags and playing around with a cache idea ,NFC and QR code.

So I'm curious how many cachers have the readers too.

[+Lieblweb]

If its creative, they will come.

 

Besides.... There's no difference between your idea being any less or more 'available' to people than the Chirps are....

 

Go for it!!

Edited July 19, 2013 by Lieblweb

[+Amberel]

I was thinking of coming up with a multi where you need a smartphone to complete it, by either scanning a QR code to get the next clue / co-ordinates or perhaps even have an app just for the purposes of the cache...

But I'm wondering what proportion of cachers will have such a device with them when caching (even if they use a real GPS device for the actual game?)

 

If it's less than, say, 75% it's perhaps not worth it.

Check out GC43RAR King Arthur's Return. It uses location services in the browser to plot your position on a "game" map, and asks you questions based on where you are.

 

My gut feeling is that about 50% of cachers have a smartphone, but the cache will have to be listed as "unknown" and this will greatly reduce the number of people who will look for it.

 

Rgds, Andy

[+metal-bijou]

It would only be like a chirp cache. Some people can do and others that dont have a chirp enabled gps carnt.

 

Chirp, slightly differnt I think. Because of the nature of chrip I believe the finder has to have an alternative way to find the cache unless it's an unknown.

 

I think it's probably more similar to Wherigo caches. These have polorised popularity due to nature, I expect a smartphone based one would too and would need to be an unknown.

 

My logic is: more limited Chirp receivers and initially only from Garmin. Wherigo was linked to Garmin devices at first, now available on smartphones but importantly was always available on windows mobile devices. Ok, Wherigo was also developed by Groundspeak so that probably had something to do with that being more ok by TPTB.

[+metal-bijou]

Check out GC43RAR King Arthur's Return. It uses location services in the browser to plot your position on a "game" map, and asks you questions based on where you are.

 

And I here it does it better than Wherigo does too.

[+redsox_mark]

 

I expect a smartphone based one would too and would need to be an unknown.

 

Yes, it would need to be listed as mystery/puzzle (aka unknown).

[+Lieblweb]

I found a cache in the woods that required a wifi enabled device. If I remember correctly, once you arrived at GZ, you had to pickup wifi signal and if would automatically log you into a private website. The website contained instructions on where the final container was. Pretty slick!

[+Amberel]

Check out GC43RAR King Arthur's Return. It uses location services in the browser to plot your position on a "game" map, and asks you questions based on where you are.

 

And I here it does it better than Wherigo does too.

Well, the things a Wherigo can do, KAR doesn't really do significantly better, but there are several things it does do that a Wherigo can't do at all

 

Rgds, Andy

[+littlegemsy]

I'd do one with it I'm also considering taking up a certain other game that requires them while on my cache travels.

 

If anything I'd put something like smartphone or QR or such in the title. But that's just me thinking if people see the title and head to it without reading description

[+eusty]

NFC is an option, although it seems they aren't that popular if you count the finds on mine

[+Seaglass Pirates]

NFC is an option, although it seems they aren't that popular if you count the finds on mine

 

Your cache is like any other regarding who will visit. Depends if their interest is piqued. But if you had made it a mystery cache your audit log would have been smashed to bits I think. Because its a multi ..... Meh.

 

We went to Penzance a few days ago and did a few around the area so that we could drop off some TB's. a traditional was missing. So that left only micros. None could take a TB. Orrrrrr the multies. Some said ... You will need tweezers, so we avoided those and then one said the cache size was either regular or small. Ideal. So opened the cache page. "This is an eight stage multy ...." I don't know what the rest said as I closed the window. Eight stages needs to be something we would be drawn to. Not something that would take ages to do. But if it had been an earth cache we would have jumped at it.

 

Like someone else said - it's horses for courses. But I do think if it was a puzzle cache it would get more hits.

[+ashreigney]

Hi I'm new to this but was thinking the same thing today whilst out searching, I was thinking about hiding a series of caches with the details for the next being a qr or nfc tag but wondered how many people would have the tech