Geocaching and augmented reality games

[+amabejo]

Just a thought guys. I just wanted to get some opinions on whether anyone thinks that these new augmented reality games will take from activities like Geocaching. I sincerely hope not, but would just like to see what the general consensus is.

[+wmpastor]

These new have taken off dramatically. The trend may or may not last. I doubt many cachers will stop caching and play the other games exclusively. The new games may lead some of those players to try caching.

[+amabejo]

Good point i think the similarities between the two are alot less than the differences

[+Manville Possum]

The new games may lead some of those players to try caching.

 

I met a group yesterday that were playing both games,then later 50 miles away in a State Park I met a group of Pokemon Hunters that never heard of geocaching.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

Pokemon Go would stand a much better chance if they didn't have server issues every 10 minutes.

[+nikcap]

Just a thought guys. I just wanted to get some opinions on whether anyone thinks that these new augmented reality games will take from activities like Geocaching. I sincerely hope not, but would just like to see what the general consensus is.

 

Yes.

 

I know of about half a dozen Geocaching players that have chosen the Enlighten or Resistant paths since the app was available on the iPhone and their caching has slowed down dramatically or stopped completely. Of course, I believe that Geocaching hit the Event Horizon around 2011 in my region. While there has been other drama in my region that cause some players to drift away, I think a lot of player drifted away because they were looking for something new.

[+Alkhalikoi]

The way I figure it, I now have a terrific cover story for geocaching. Instead of saying, "I'm looking for tupperware in the woods" I can pretend, instead, that I'm playing Pokemon Go and explain that "I'm looking for monsters that exist only in my cellphone and nowhere else" so people won't look at me funny.

[+amabejo]

I think things like trackables give geocaching a bit of an edge. I mean my daughter and myself think it is pretty cool that you can put something in a box and it can go on its own journey around the word.

[+Anansi Joy]

My facebook feed is blowing up with updates about friends who are hanging about in cemeteries, playing Pokemon Go. I have a bit of a worry that so many people will cause a backlash against people visiting cemeteries.

[+dprovan]

The way I figure it, I now have a terrific cover story for geocaching. Instead of saying, "I'm looking for tupperware in the woods" I can pretend, instead, that I'm playing Pokemon Go and explain that "I'm looking for monsters that exist only in my cellphone and nowhere else" so people won't look at me funny.

We've taken walks the last couple days, and both times have seen multiple teams obviously tracking down Pokemon at various locations around town. It's astonishing. I expected it to be as rare as seeing a geocacher, but from what I've seen, there's a parade of seekers constantly all day at every target site.

 

So today when I had to lift a noisy lamp skirt in a busy parking lot, I said loudly, "Geeze, why do they always hide the Pokemon under these things?"

[+Alkhalikoi]

I was driving home last night around 9:30 through a suburb with a number of connected parks -- it was a lovely night last night. My son was playing with the app in the car and pointing out various waypoints in the game and we must have seen four or five different groups out there -- most unaccompanied teenagers. It was just terrific to see that much enthusiasm for this.

[ohgood]

Just a thought guys. I just wanted to get some opinions on whether anyone thinks that these new augmented reality games will take from activities like Geocaching. I sincerely hope not, but would just like to see what the general consensus is.

 

huge fad start, then tapering off in the next few weeks. i doubt gcing will gain users because of it, there are tons of rules here, and Pokemon is a game.

 

i would expect pm to gain gc users though, as kids realize how fun it is to just look around for monsters and give chase!

[+ElaMap]

Just a thought guys. I just wanted to get some opinions on whether anyone thinks that these new augmented reality games will take from activities like Geocaching. I sincerely hope not, but would just like to see what the general consensus is.

 

I have really been wishing geocaching would be more digital. Bar codes to can instead of wet logs I can't even sign. And who ever has a pen on them these days. AR with satellite and google earth images instead of weird maps that are so dated in today's technology. I have never owned a gps. I use my phone exclusively. They need to make a big leap forward. PokemonGO may have leapfrogged over them, sadly. Wish they could tie in together somehow. Seems like a great partnership for both games.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Just a thought guys. I just wanted to get some opinions on whether anyone thinks that these new augmented reality games will take from activities like Geocaching. I sincerely hope not, but would just like to see what the general consensus is.

 

I have really been wishing geocaching would be more digital. Bar codes to can instead of wet logs I can't even sign. And who ever has a pen on them these days. AR with satellite and google earth images instead of weird maps that are so dated in today's technology. I have never owned a gps. I use my phone exclusively. They need to make a big leap forward. PokemonGO may have leapfrogged over them, sadly. Wish they could tie in together somehow. Seems like a great partnership for both games.

 

Keep in mind that Geocaching is a global game and there is still a significant digital divide. AR with satellite and Google earth images might work in many parts of the world but it's by not mean universal. One of the things I like about geocaching is that I can go anywhere in the world and find caches in the same manner I do at home (I owned a GPS long before I ever got a smart phone). In a similar thread someone was suggesting a type of cache based on Google Street View, which is not available in *most* parts of the world, including the entire country of Austria (except for a couple ski resorts). Except for the largest cities, most of Germany doesn't have Google Street View.

 

 

[ohgood]

Just a thought guys. I just wanted to get some opinions on whether anyone thinks that these new augmented reality games will take from activities like Geocaching. I sincerely hope not, but would just like to see what the general consensus is.

 

I have really been wishing geocaching would be more digital. Bar codes to can instead of wet logs I can't even sign. And who ever has a pen on them these days. AR with satellite and google earth images instead of weird maps that are so dated in today's technology. I have never owned a gps. I use my phone exclusively. They need to make a big leap forward. PokemonGO may have leapfrogged over them, sadly. Wish they could tie in together somehow. Seems like a great partnership for both games.

 

you can download satellite imagery for each cache, with the locus plugin. if the person that placed the cache had good cords , it will help if there are objects to reference in the sat imagery.

 

looking through the logs you may find pictures other cachets left to help you find caches that were placed with very bad cords, or the terrain had changed and the co hasn't updated.

 

if you find a cache that has sucky coordinates, tell people in your loss and post a spoiler picture. i find is more fun to use a hint picture and actually find a cache than to trudge through brush for an hour, myself.