Rating ? Cache Difficulty

[+nextlogicalstep]

I've recently started creating puzzle caches and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how to rate the difficulty. It's always a bit of a challenge to judge the difficulty of something when you're the one making it, but I'm finding it particularly challenging for mystery/puzzle caches. Any advice?

My first cache of this type is GC7D36C, in case anyone would like to use it as an example to discuss difficulty rating.

[+niraD]

I think the text descriptions in the Help Center article Ratings for difficulty and terrain (D/T) used to have more time references (e.g., "most of an afternoon" or "all day" or "multiple days"). I thought those were okay for rating the puzzle portion of a puzzle cache, although that assumes that someone who knows how the puzzle works can estimate the time required to solve it with any accuracy.

But your best bet is familiarity with the local puzzles, and how other puzzle cache owners are rating them. And if you're still stumped, then maybe there's a more experienced puzzler in your area that you could let beta-test your puzzle, and then discuss its difficulty and how it compares to other puzzle caches in the area.

[+barefootjeff]

Another thing to consider is layers of complexity. If it's just a case of spot the cypher (or whatever) and out pops the coordinates, then it's probably somewhere in the D2 to D3 range, but if there are multiple layers to work through (for example, colours that have to be decoded into RGB values which themselves are in another code that has to be cracked) then it's getting into the D4 and higher range.

Edited October 6, 2017 by barefootjeff

[+nextlogicalstep]

For that one, I went with 4 because the guidelines mention needing "special knowledge" but then they also mention "advanced preparation", which I figure kind of applies to all puzzle caches. I guess the geochecker figures should also help - so far the correct coordinates have been submitted 8 times, versus 21 for incorrect. Ten of those incorrect ones have been close enough to find the cache though, if they went and looked.

[+WarNinjas]

There is a local puzzle maker that I have heard say that any puzzle should be at least a 3 difficulty unless it is really easy.

[+nextlogicalstep]

Sounds pretty reasonable.

[+Team Microdot]

My advice is to solve and find more puzzles and look at how they are rated.

[+justintim1999]

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 4:58 PM, niraD said:

I think the text descriptions in the Help Center article Ratings for difficulty and terrain (D/T) used to have more time references (e.g., "most of an afternoon" or "all day" or "multiple days"). I thought those were okay for rating the puzzle portion of a puzzle cache, although that assumes that someone who knows how the puzzle works can estimate the time required to solve it with any accuracy.

But your best bet is familiarity with the local puzzles, and how other puzzle cache owners are rating them. And if you're still stumped, then maybe there's a more experienced puzzler in your area that you could let beta-test your puzzle, and then discuss its difficulty and how it compares to other puzzle caches in the area.

Good advice.   I had a well known puzzle cacher beta test my puzzle cache and I'm glad I did.    As an added bonus I made a new friend.