Puzzle Cords

[+kayakdannj]

Is there anyway to correct the solved puzzle cords to show up on the map? Meaning the are not were the orginal "?" is, but the actual cache location.

[Clan Riffster]

You could put them in Google Earth?

[+T.D.M.22]

Not on the map, but you can change the co-ords. On the cache page beside the co-ords there is a pencil. Click on it and you can put the solved co-ords in. Won't show on the map, but at least you have them.

[jholly]

You could always use GSAK.

[+redsox_mark]

It won't show up on the main map, but if you have corrected the coordinates for a cache it will show up on the little map on that cache's page, and on a large map if you click "view larger map".

[+kayakdannj]

Thanks guys, I change them on the cache page, just think that the corrected cords should pop on the map page too.

[DannyCaffeine]

I always google map them so I can see and not accidentally walk into someone's yard.

[+dizzabella]

they will if you do a pocket query. You have to select the query in the map options though. It would be nice if it showed all the time

[+Crow-T-Robot]

Not on the map, but you can change the co-ords. On the cache page beside the co-ords there is a pencil. Click on it and you can put the solved co-ords in. Won't show on the map, but at least you have them.

 

In addition to that, I also post the solved coordinates in the Personal Note box on the cache page, just as a back-up plan. I know it saved my bacon at least once.

[+funkymunkyzone]

I understand there are workarounds, but wouldn't it be nice if caches did show up in their coordinate-corrected locations on the normal map though?

 

I know there are effectively two modes for the way caches are displayed on the map, depending on zoom level. Presently, zoomed out, you get basically a pre-generated map tile type view, with no personalisation based on your finds, etc. This pre-generated map tile is only refreshed periodically, meaning there's no massive load on the database every time someone looks at the map. This view would not need to change and could continue to show caches in their published locations.

 

However, when you zoom in past a certain point, the caches shown on the map are clearly based on your account with smileys for found caches etc. At this level, it is not unfeasible to show the positions of caches based on the corrected coords you have entered, since it is already querying finds/hides on your account to custom produce the map view every time you view the map.

 

Doesn't that sound reasonable?

[+RobDJr]

While I'm sure it can be done, I imagine that the reason it isn't is because doing so would use too much processing power. Showing your finds on the map is a simple "yes/no" operation while relocating unfound solved puzzles becomes something of a "yes/no if/then" and requires pulling the coords from your account. When you consider that all of the people I know who enjoy solving puzzles usually have a good backlog of unfound solved puzzles, that can add up to a lot of work.

 

Speaking for myself, I don't really find having the coordinates moved in the regular geocaching maps very appealing. It's good enough for me that I can see the "proper" location once I correct coordinates and do a PQ then display the map in GSAK or other software like EasyGPS. This is something I regularly do when planning a cache trip anyway, because I usually do a pq followed by filtering for caches I'm interested in and then display the filter on the map so I can see my cache choices without the clutter, so that works well for me.

[+coachstahly]

It won't show up on the main map, but if you have corrected the coordinates for a cache it will show up on the little map on that cache's page, and on a large map if you click "view larger map".

 

+1

 

You can also click on the other "Online maps" and your corrected coordinates will show up on the external link then. At least they do for google maps and I would assume so for the other ones as well.

[+coachstahly]

It won't show up on the main map, but if you have corrected the coordinates for a cache it will show up on the little map on that cache's page, and on a large map if you click "view larger map".

 

+1

 

You can also click on the other "Online maps" and your corrected coordinates will show up on the external link then. At least they do for google maps and I would assume so for the other ones as well.

[+funkymunkyzone]

While I'm sure it can be done, I imagine that the reason it isn't is because doing so would use too much processing power. Showing your finds on the map is a simple "yes/no" operation while relocating unfound solved puzzles becomes something of a "yes/no if/then" and requires pulling the coords from your account. When you consider that all of the people I know who enjoy solving puzzles usually have a good backlog of unfound solved puzzles, that can add up to a lot of work.

No, the coordinates have to be queried from somewhere on a map view by map view basis so the processing is already being done. Honestly, it's as easy as the yes/no for showing your finds/hides, and don't forget you already need to be zoomed in a fair way to even see the personalised map, so the amount of data involved is never massive.

Speaking for myself, I don't really find having the coordinates moved in the regular geocaching maps very appealing. It's good enough for me that I can see the "proper" location once I correct coordinates and do a PQ then display the map in GSAK or other software like EasyGPS. This is something I regularly do when planning a cache trip anyway, because I usually do a pq followed by filtering for caches I'm interested in and then display the filter on the map so I can see my cache choices without the clutter, so that works well for me.

This is something I do find interesting whenever anyone suggests improving, or fully implementing a half implemented concept - that people are happy with the workaround they've created for themselves, so the improvement/fix is not necessary, even if it would make life easier for others. I'm not saying it's selfish, in fact often it's just trying to be helpful, but for example you say you don't find it appealing because you have a workaround. If you continued to use your workaround, would it even matter to you at all, would it make your experience on the website worse, if the fix was implemented?

 

I guess I've always considered that gc.com should aim to be *the* solution for geocaching - they have the listings and the tools to get you out geocaching - rather than being half of the solution, with some clunky workarounds tacked on around the edges. If you imagine someone joining the game today, seeing that coordinates for a solved puzzle can be adjusted but that it doesn't move the puzzle icon on the map would seem pretty silly.

[+GeoTrekker26]

No, the coordinates have to be queried from somewhere on a map view by map view basis so the processing is already being done. Honestly, it's as easy as the yes/no for showing your finds/hides, and don't forget you already need to be zoomed in a fair way to even see the personalised map, so the amount of data involved is never massive.

 

And therein lies part of the problem. Say the posted coordinates are outside the view of the current scan level but the corrected are inside. To find those and move them into the current frame takes extra programming and extra cycles. And this extra search has to occur even if none are found that need relocating, in other words, all the time.

[+funkymunkyzone]

No, the coordinates have to be queried from somewhere on a map view by map view basis so the processing is already being done. Honestly, it's as easy as the yes/no for showing your finds/hides, and don't forget you already need to be zoomed in a fair way to even see the personalised map, so the amount of data involved is never massive.

 

And therein lies part of the problem. Say the posted coordinates are outside the view of the current scan level but the corrected are inside. To find those and move them into the current frame takes extra programming and extra cycles. And this extra search has to occur even if none are found that need relocating, in other words, all the time.

 

Actually no, looking at the map again, even at the "personalised zoom levels" are still tiles overlaid on the map (generated when, I don't know, as they are updated for new/archived caches very quickly), so no extra programming required or extra cycles required to "move them into the current frame" - it's only the tiles that are selected for the current frame. And why would there be extra programming/cycles required anyway if the query was based on the coords adjusted (or not) on your account rather than those in the cache database? I have faith in the developers at Groundspeak that they have incorporated the adjusted coords feature in a smart way, in which case the display would be as easy as the show/hide your own finds and cache hides. It's not about finding the ones that need moving and then moving them, it's just querying the right coordinates in the first place and then producing the map exactly the same as now.

[+RobDJr]

While I'm sure it can be done, I imagine that the reason it isn't is because doing so would use too much processing power. Showing your finds on the map is a simple "yes/no" operation while relocating unfound solved puzzles becomes something of a "yes/no if/then" and requires pulling the coords from your account. When you consider that all of the people I know who enjoy solving puzzles usually have a good backlog of unfound solved puzzles, that can add up to a lot of work.

No, the coordinates have to be queried from somewhere on a map view by map view basis so the processing is already being done. Honestly, it's as easy as the yes/no for showing your finds/hides, and don't forget you already need to be zoomed in a fair way to even see the personalised map, so the amount of data involved is never massive.

Speaking for myself, I don't really find having the coordinates moved in the regular geocaching maps very appealing. It's good enough for me that I can see the "proper" location once I correct coordinates and do a PQ then display the map in GSAK or other software like EasyGPS. This is something I regularly do when planning a cache trip anyway, because I usually do a pq followed by filtering for caches I'm interested in and then display the filter on the map so I can see my cache choices without the clutter, so that works well for me.

This is something I do find interesting whenever anyone suggests improving, or fully implementing a half implemented concept - that people are happy with the workaround they've created for themselves, so the improvement/fix is not necessary, even if it would make life easier for others. I'm not saying it's selfish, in fact often it's just trying to be helpful, but for example you say you don't find it appealing because you have a workaround. If you continued to use your workaround, would it even matter to you at all, would it make your experience on the website worse, if the fix was implemented?I guess I've always considered that gc.com should aim to be *the* solution for geocaching - they have the listings and the tools to get you out geocaching - rather than being half of the solution, with some clunky workarounds tacked on around the edges. If you imagine someone joining the game today, seeing that coordinates for a solved puzzle can be adjusted but that it doesn't move the puzzle icon on the map would seem pretty silly.

 

For the first part, it may be the way you say it is, but I don't see it. The standard map would grab the same coordinate file for every user. Corrected coordinates would make it necessary to check all puzzles within the visible map area (and possibly beyond) to see if the user corrected those coordinates or not, and if they did, pull those corrected coordinates and reposition the cache(s). That is not the same as using the same standard file for all users regardless of corrected coords. On top of that, this check would need to be done for every single map view by every user, regardless of whether they corrected any or not. Even limiting this to a premium member perk, that still would seem to amount to quite a bit of extra work.

 

As for the second, it was just a statement of my own opinion. However, it's not quite accurate to say that implementing this change would make no difference to someone like me. Bottom line is that I'm not really a fan of having all the "correct" locations showing on the map in part because I often use that map view with other people, and I don't really want to be showing the proper location of puzzles I've solved to everyone. Of course, they could build in an option to display corrected or not.

 

Maybe it is selfish of me, but in general I take a very cautious view of implementing changes like this because I've seen too many sites that I enjoyed go down the drain when they began trying too hard to appeal to the masses at the expense of those who really used the site the most. Sometimes, if it isn't broken, it shouldn't be fixed. I admit that it is quite possible that if this change was made, I would eventually like it (providing it was done right), but the bottom line is that, given the existence of workarounds that do the job very well, this is not near the top of the list of changes I would actually like to see. So that's what I was trying to say, in many fewer words, when I said "I don't find it appealing."