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Howdy y'all,

So, guessing from the URL in the newsletter this evening, it looks like we've got another souvenir promotion on our hands...anybody want to start some rumors on what it'll be based on this time?:D Personally, I'm hoping for a return to "the good ol' days" of the promos, with simple week-by-week tasks rather than the nearly-impossible friend league points system from Planetary Pursuit...but I guess we shall see?:unsure:

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12 hours ago, Saved by God's grace said:

Howdy y'all,

So, guessing from the URL in the newsletter this evening, it looks like we've got another souvenir promotion on our hands...anybody want to start some rumors on what it'll be based on this time?:D Personally, I'm hoping for a return to "the good ol' days" of the promos, with simple week-by-week tasks rather than the nearly-impossible friend league points system from Planetary Pursuit...but I guess we shall see?:unsure:

Right....

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The closing line of the recent blog on Planetary Pursuit said "We loved exploring beyond our normal caching habits to reach the stellar souvenirs but are excited to uncover a new world of geocaching soon…"

 

This hidden creatures promo must be what they were hinting at.

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17 minutes ago, bflentje said:

 

Nearly impossible? I believe I acquired over 1200 points without even breaking a sweat. :ph34r:

Lucky you!;) (no sarcasm meant--I really am happy for you!) I know a lot of folks (myself included) who had trouble trying to get even the 500--hoping for a different configuration of the points system (if that's what we're getting)...

 

3 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

Hopefully the structure is a little different than PP - not because the current one was faulty, but just because doing something just a little new or different keeps things fun and interesting (assuming they get it right the first time ;) )

Here here! :D

 

And I'm dying to know what the hidden creatures thing is all about...sounds fascinating!

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1 hour ago, Saved by God's grace said:

Lucky you!;) (no sarcasm meant--I really am happy for you!) I know a lot of folks (myself included) who had trouble trying to get even the 500--hoping for a different configuration of the points system (if that's what we're getting)...

 

Here here! :D

 

And I'm dying to know what the hidden creatures thing is all about...sounds fascinating!

 

I suspect that it was a lot easier for someone that lives in a cache dense area to get to 500 points.  Not so much for those that in areas with very few hides.

 

I'd rather see effort made towards bug fixing and the many feature requests that have been asked for.  Even though I didn't participate in the planet pursuit promotion there were a couple of times the system was under maintenance and prevented me for accessing it due to the fixes that had to be put in place to address some of the issues with points not being awarded correctly.  Even if one doesn't participate in these promotions, we still are impacted by it.

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I just hope they make this promotion more traveler-friendly than last year's. The requirement to have your logs submitted every week didn't work well when combined with the North American summer travel season, because many people don't log their finds until they get home. The previous promotions where you had several weeks in which to log worked much better in this respect. I also hope we're given enough notice as far as the requirements, because I'll be needing to load my GPSr before the start of the promotion and will be travelling when it starts, so I'll need to know which caches to target.

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8 hours ago, GO Geiger said:

Based on the image, it looks like we will be caching on DiscWorld.

 

I was thinking more like Mid-World  (points to anyone who understands this reference)...

 

See the TURTLE of Enormous Girth
On his shell he holds the Earth.
His thought is slow, but always kind.
He holds us all within his mind.
On his back all vows are made;
He sees the truth but mayn't aid.
He loves the land and loves the sea,
And even loves a child like me.
 
 
Edited by J Grouchy
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11 hours ago, Saved by God's grace said:

Lucky you!;) (no sarcasm meant--I really am happy for you!) I know a lot of folks (myself included) who had trouble trying to get even the 500--hoping for a different configuration of the points system (if that's what we're getting)...

 

Here here! :D

 

And I'm dying to know what the hidden creatures thing is all about...sounds fascinating!

Yep

I overheard our local geocaching guru at an event talking about how difficult it was for them to reach 500 points. They have over 23k finds and I'm pretty sure they've found 99% (if not 100%) of the caches in our home area. So yeah, getting the 500 points would be pretty dang tough for that person. It would basically mandate geocaching-based trips out of town.

Now me, with well under 200 finds under my belt even now, the event was easy street.

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9 hours ago, J Grouchy said:

 

I was thinking more like Mid-World  (points to anyone who understands this reference)...

 

See the TURTLE of Enormous Girth
On his shell he holds the Earth.
His thought is slow, but always kind.
He holds us all within his mind.
On his back all vows are made;
He sees the truth but mayn't aid.
He loves the land and loves the sea,
And even loves a child like me.
 
 

 

All hail the Crimson King.

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On 5/15/2018 at 6:52 PM, Saved by God's grace said:

Howdy y'all,

So, guessing from the URL in the newsletter this evening, it looks like we've got another souvenir promotion on our hands...anybody want to start some rumors on what it'll be based on this time?:D Personally, I'm hoping for a return to "the good ol' days" of the promos, with simple week-by-week tasks rather than the nearly-impossible friend league points system from Planetary Pursuit...but I guess we shall see?:unsure:

 

I don’t know what it’ll be entirely, but I gotta say, I love the look of the turtle. Kinda reminds me of Majora’s Mask.

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Getting to the 500 points for planetary pursuit - yes, it's difficult to get the numbers if you've got multiple thousands of finds because you have to travel, but I would suggest that someone with multiple thousands of finds must already be pretty used to travelling.

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I'm not a fan of this luck-of-the-draw souvenir promotion!

________________________________________________________

Update: I stand corrected on all posts. I like this 100 points plan much better than what I understand (before I saw the FAQ).

Edited by Max and 99
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26 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

I'm not a fan of this luck-of-the-draw souvenir promotion!

 

Not sure what you mean by luck of the draw.

 

Hidden Creatures looks like another take on the Planetary Pursuit model of souvenir promotions, minus the TB drop exploit.  If you log one cache, you get one souvenir.  If you log 100, you get all 13 souvenirs.

 

Getting all 13 souvenirs will be easier to accomplish for those who have more unfound geocaches nearby and more difficult for those who do not.  But then, geocaching overall is easier to accomplish for those who have more geocaches nearby that they haven't found than those who have cached out their area. 

 

The solution in both cases isn't to blame Groundspeak; the solution is to help one's self by hosting more events and/or encouraging others to hide more geocaches.  Or take a vacation to a new area and cache your heart out.

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That is not how this promotion works.

1 minute ago, hzoi said:

 

Not sure what you mean by luck of the draw.

 

Hidden Creatures looks like another take on the Planetary Pursuit model of souvenir promotions, minus the TB drop exploit.  If you log one cache, you get one souvenir.  If you log 100, you get all 13 souvenirs.

 

Getting all 13 souvenirs will be easier to accomplish for those who have more unfound geocaches nearby and more difficult for those who do not.  But then, geocaching overall is easier to accomplish for those who have more geocaches nearby that they haven't found than those who have cached out their area. 

 

The solution in both cases isn't to blame Groundspeak; the solution is to help one's self by hosting more events and/or encouraging others to hide more geocaches.  Or take a vacation to a new area and cache your heart out.

 

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On 5/15/2018 at 6:52 PM, Saved by God's grace said:

with simple week-by-week tasks rather than the nearly-impossible friend league points system from Planetary Pursuit...but I guess we shall see?:unsure:

 

Yeah, I got my 500 points in one day, but I was over a hundred miles from home. It still wasn't hard, especially if you went for 15 point caches. I like planetary pursuit. The only thing I would do different is get rid of the trackable points, though it didn't actually impact me. 

 

 

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17 minutes ago, hzoi said:

 

Not sure what you mean by luck of the draw.

 

Hidden Creatures looks like another take on the Planetary Pursuit model of souvenir promotions, minus the TB drop exploit.  If you log one cache, you get one souvenir.  If you log 100, you get all 13 souvenirs.

 

Getting all 13 souvenirs will be easier to accomplish for those who have more unfound geocaches nearby and more difficult for those who do not.  But then, geocaching overall is easier to accomplish for those who have more geocaches nearby that they haven't found than those who have cached out their area. 

 

The solution in both cases isn't to blame Groundspeak; the solution is to help one's self by hosting more events and/or encouraging others to hide more geocaches.  Or take a vacation to a new area and cache your heart out.

Here's the wording.

 

Find geocaches or attend events to increase your chances of seeing these mythical creatures and earn up to 13 souvenirs. 

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How do I participate?
Go geocaching and attend events! Earn a point for every cache or event you log. Each Hidden Creature souvenir is valued at a certain number of points. Once you reach that amount, earn the associated souvenir. View your Hidden Creatures progress in the Geocaching® app or on the Hidden Creatures site.

 

Sounds like you can earn all the Hidden Creatures by finding and logging 100 caches/events between June 27 and July 25.  We'll be traveling for 2 weeks of that time, which means we will be caching away from our home area and have lots of unfound caches to find!  We'll probably get these Hidden Creature souvenirs pretty easily!  It would be more of a challenge if we were at home the whole time.

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11 minutes ago, CAVinoGal said:

How do I participate?
Go geocaching and attend events! Earn a point for every cache or event you log. Each Hidden Creature souvenir is valued at a certain number of points. Once you reach that amount, earn the associated souvenir. View your Hidden Creatures progress in the Geocaching® app or on the Hidden Creatures site.

 

Sounds like you can earn all the Hidden Creatures by finding and logging 100 caches/events between June 27 and July 25.  We'll be traveling for 2 weeks of that time, which means we will be caching away from our home area and have lots of unfound caches to find!  We'll probably get these Hidden Creature souvenirs pretty easily!  It would be more of a challenge if we were at home the whole time.

Wow, that's so different than the message I received!!!

 

Recently, 13 sightings of magical creatures and otherworldly beings have been reported. Embark on a global adventure to try to witness these mythical creatures in their unique habitats. From June 27 through July 25, earn up to 13 mythical creature souvenirs by finding geocaches and attending events.

For centuries, Hidden Creatures have fueled the imagination and provided supernatural explanations for the world around us. Once written off as simple mythology, a recent series of events now indicate these creatures might actually be real. Your challenge is to look for these creatures in their natural habitats and confirm the existence of as many as you can over the next four weeks.

Each week a new habitat will be introduced, beginning with Hidden Creatures of the forest and ending with a magical creature who lives among the stars. See how fast you can witness all of the creatures or take your time to find each one over all four weeks, the challenge is up to you!

Find geocaches or attend events to increase your chances of seeing these mythical creatures and earn up to 13 souvenirs. Plus, share your adventures with #hiddencreatures for a chance to be featured on the Geocaching Blog.

Edited by Max and 99
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6 minutes ago, lee737 said:

I'm glad I've got a pretty easy schedule work wise this month, and the kids and I have a road trip already planned..... otherwise 100 in a month would take a little planning.... sounds cool....

 

I've only found 85 in the first five months of this year and that included a swag of geoart ones from the recent mega, so I don't think I have much hope in this one. Oh well.

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33 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

Wow, that's so different than the message I received!!!

Wow, that's wildly different.

 

Compare:

Quote

Your challenge is to look for these creatures in their natural habitats and confirm the existence of as many as you can over the next four weeks.

Each week a new habitat will be introduced, beginning with Hidden Creatures of the forest and ending with a magical creature who lives among the stars. See how fast you can witness all of the creatures or take your time to find each one over all four weeks, the challenge is up to you!

 

...with:

Quote

Go geocaching and attend events! Earn a point for every cache or event you log. Each Hidden Creature souvenir is valued at a certain number of points. Once you reach that amount, earn the associated souvenir.

 

There's almost no resemblance. I was going to give kudos to HQ for making this promotion much simpler to understand, but then that confusing article was linked in the newsletter.

 

One question I have that hasn't been answered clearly in the FAQs: Will there be a cutoff date when all logs will need to be submitted by, or can the souvenirs be retroactively earned well after the promotion has ended? If there will be a cutoff date, is it July 25 or a later unspecified date?

 

I would like to thank HQ for making this promotion much more traveller-friendly than some previous ones. None of that "if you don't get your logs in each week, you're out of luck" stuff.

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I'm trying to reconcile this:

As soon as you collect a certain number of points, the associated souvenir will automatically be awarded to your profile.

 

with this:

Each week a new habitat will be introduced, beginning with Hidden Creatures of the forest and ending with a magical creature who lives among the stars.

 

and this:

See how fast you can witness all of the creatures or take your time to find each one over all four weeks, the challenge is up to you!

 

So if I get all 100 points day 1, I'll automatically get all the souvenirs, even though the new habitats have not yet been introduced?

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Remember when this game was all about the intrinsic thrills of the hunt: the find, the location ("language of location!" ), the view, the challenge?

 

And the camaraderie, in the case of events?

 

Sorry, I'm grumpy. Just got back from some very intrinsically rewarding caches, and very much look forward to some fun events. I don't need promotions to light a fire under me.

 

This has been my standard promotion-crank message.  VP out.

 

Edited by Viajero Perdido
Any programmer will tell you, quotation marks must match.
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2 hours ago, Max and 99 said:
2 hours ago, hzoi said:

Not sure what you mean by luck of the draw.

 

Hidden Creatures looks like another take on the Planetary Pursuit model of souvenir promotions, minus the TB drop exploit.  If you log one cache, you get one souvenir.  If you log 100, you get all 13 souvenirs.

 

Getting all 13 souvenirs will be easier to accomplish for those who have more unfound geocaches nearby and more difficult for those who do not.  But then, geocaching overall is easier to accomplish for those who have more geocaches nearby that they haven't found than those who have cached out their area. 

 

The solution in both cases isn't to blame Groundspeak; the solution is to help one's self by hosting more events and/or encouraging others to hide more geocaches.  Or take a vacation to a new area and cache your heart out.

Here's the wording.

 

Find geocaches or attend events to increase your chances of seeing these mythical creatures and earn up to 13 souvenirs. 

 

Ok - I see what you mean.

 

I have no idea what all the "habitat" and "chance of discovering" whatnot is about.  I am ignoring it as marketing (or some kind of fever dream) and sticking to the FAQ - find 100 caches, get 13 souvenirs.

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3 minutes ago, hzoi said:

 

Ok - I see what you mean.

 

I have no idea what all the "habitat" and "chance of discovering" whatnot is about.  I am ignoring it as marketing (or some kind of fever dream) and sticking to the FAQ - find 100 caches, get 13 souvenirs.

Looks like I'll be doing that too. 

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4 minutes ago, Viajero Perdido said:

[referring to different promotional emails received by different users]

 

Maybe we're all (those of use who subscribe to the emails) part of an experiment?

 

Which marketing message gets the most activity in return?

 

 

I keep thinking of the email I got today, basically stating that premium members will get a little different newsletter than members.

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They've really dumbed it down whilst making it more difficult than previous years.... I always look forward to these, it gives us more excuses to roam further. I'd like to see adjustments made for high D:T caches though for these, the way they did in Mary Hyde at one stage....

 

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23 minutes ago, hzoi said:

I have no idea what all the "habitat" and "chance of discovering" whatnot is about.

 

There could've been some fun possibilities to weave "habitats" in with cache attributes, like tree-climbing (birds or monkeys), wading (amphibians), swimming (fish), abandoned structure (vampires?), livestock (moo-cows), stealth required (timid creatures), night cache (nocturnal creatures), etc. But no, it's just a numbers game.

Edited by barefootjeff
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3 hours ago, The A-Team said:

One question I have that hasn't been answered clearly in the FAQs: Will there be a cutoff date when all logs will need to be submitted by, or can the souvenirs be retroactively earned well after the promotion has ended? If there will be a cutoff date, is it July 25 or a later unspecified date?

 

Unfortunately the FAQ says:

 

Quote

You can earn all 13 souvenirs as long as you log caches and attend events before July 25.

 

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39 minutes ago, igator210 said:

In two years, I've gotten over 100 caches in a 4 week span, twice. Both of those times were when I went to GeoWoodstock.

I hate to say it, but if one is really concerned about hitting 100 and getting all the souvenirs, one could always resort to a power trail....

 

In contrast to such a mundane and distasteful idea, I want to echo barefootjeff's post just above me about how there was so much potential here for something fun.... Oh well. I still enjoy geocaching as-is!

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I am sad how that summer promotion turn out. It is a copy paste of this spring promotion but only worse with more dumb souvenir and that encourage to find lamp post and guard rails...

 

And like those before me said the email is really confusing.

 

I hope the app will not crash this time because of that stupid promotion.

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1 hour ago, barefootguru said:

 

Unfortunately the FAQ says:

 

 

 

I do not take that to mean that the caches/events must be logged online by that date. It could mean that but I take it to mean that you have to have found/attended by that date.

 

The FAQ is not precise about the date either:

 

"How do I play?
From June 27 through July 25, earn up to 13 mythical creature souvenirs by finding geocaches and attending events."

 

but a little further on

 

"Can I join Hidden Creatures at any time?
Of course! You can earn all 13 souvenirs as long as you log caches and attend events before July 25."

 

(bolding mine)

 

So I think HQ has some work to do cleaning up these loose ends.

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9 minutes ago, Michaelcycle said:

The FAQ is not precise about the date either:

 

"How do I play?
From June 27 through July 25, earn up to 13 mythical creature souvenirs by finding geocaches and attending events."

 

but a little further on

 

"Can I join Hidden Creatures at any time?
Of course! You can earn all 13 souvenirs as long as you log caches and attend events before July 25."

 

(bolding mine)

 

So I think HQ has some work to do cleaning up these loose ends.

 

I'll throw time zones into this as well. Here in Australia we're the best part of a day ahead of Seattle and ten hours ahead of UTC which was the time zone used for the last couple of promotions. Is it the same this time or does it just go by logged date which is in local time?

Edited by barefootjeff
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Groundspeak,  can you please remember that geocaching is a highly diverse hobby that is not only about quantity? This campaign seems like a power trail promotion to me. I that what you want to promote, quantity?

 

I have suggestions for future quests/challenges:

 

- Log 10 different D/T combinations in a week. Or 15-20 in a month. 10 is nice, you can do that even on a wheelchair!

- Log 20 different attributes in a week. Or month.

- Log one multi every week for a month.

 

The numbers are not so important. The diversity and some level of challenge is. One more thing: Make souvenirs interesting. Getting a souvenir for logging one cache is a bit too easy, right? Even for a beginner.

 

Just a suggestion.

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5 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

There could've been some fun possibilities to weave "habitats" in with cache attributes, like tree-climbing (birds or monkeys), wading (amphibians), swimming (fish), abandoned structure (vampires?), livestock (moo-cows), stealth required (timid creatures), night cache (nocturnal creatures), etc

 

That would be an interesting & fun twist to the promotion.

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10 hours ago, hzoi said:

The solution in both cases isn't to blame Groundspeak; the solution is to help one's self by hosting more events and/or encouraging others to hide more geocaches.  Or take a vacation to a new area and cache your heart out.

 

My personal solution is simply to continue caching as I would have done anyway, and ignoring this so-called promotion :P. By counting each find equally (without any regard to cache type, difficulty or favorite points), GS has apparently completely surrendered to the "numbers crowd". Let's see how many pointless powertrails will be placed within the next 4 weeks to satisfy the "urgent needs" of the caching community...

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