New map "features"

[+SamLowrey]

Wasn't crazy about the new map.  Slower and more lag.  And before when I clicked on the "Newest Caches" it used to take me to a list view of just that (still centered around my home coordinates) but now it just takes me to some map view around my home coordinates.  I guess I can zoom out to broaden the search but it is just slow and less useful.

 

And if you are not seeing the change perhaps it is because I'm part of some test group.  The "improvements" no one probably asked for to be later pushed to everyone else.

[+cerberus1]

You can just follow the "What's this?" prompt in the upper right hand corner of the map to “opt out” of that map, and you get your search back.

[+SamLowrey]

I saw the opt out feature actually after clicking "What's this" then "Learn More" and then a rather unassuming link to opt out at the bottom of a block of text with the ominous warning I can't switch back.  Just smacks of those changes that they push on users because the ones running the site want it - not the users.  Why not allow people to switch back and forth?   I really see no reason to change things.

[+Gemini Walker]

I guess I'm part of the test group.  I find the new features very cumbersome and not user friendly.  I haven't opted out yet.  Why change what isn't broken?  Like others have said, no one asked for these changes.

[+palmetto]

As changes to using a map search, the changes all look sweet to me, way more options than a map search offers now.

 

As changes to SEARCH, it's dreadful. And that seems to be the crux of disappointment that has been posted in these forums. If you've been selected to use the new map, you're not kicked off "old map" to "new map",  you're kicked off SEARCH to new map.  

 

[+not2b]

This new search seems to a major regression, taking away a ton of useful features.  I don't see how to do a search without a location, or how to set the filter distance to a particular value around a given point.  I'd be fine with a feature that lets you drag out a window and see caches in that region matching some criteria, but the messages read like this is intended to be a replacement. Since I use those features on a regular basis, I was forced to opt out, and now I'm worried that this is going to be imposed.  If it is, people doing challenges or planning geocaching road trips will be forced to use other sites like Project GC to get the info they need.

 

This is really too bad, because the current geocaching.com/play/search is one of the best things HQ ever built.  It's powerful, easy to use, and finds what you were looking for quickly.  There are a few warts (it really would be easier to enter numbers than try to drag the sliders if you need to find caches with a given D/T for a challenge), but it's really cool that if I'm wondering how many webcams exist in some region I can instantly get the full list.  Please, I beg you, don't take that away.  Maybe there's a role for both kinds of searches and some happy synthesis can be achieved, but if there are things the new search can't do that the old one can do easily, that's a bug.

 

 

 

[+The A-Team]

There are always threats of geocide when major changes are made to the site, but if the current search and map are replaced by the proposed all-in-one solution, I expect that we'll see a lot of folks follow through on those threats. The search and map are very important tools for this game/hobby (if not THE most important tools). Degrading these features and making it harder to identify the caches one wants to find will almost certainly turn people off and trigger them to quit. I'm sure TPTB don't want to lose the membership fees of those people, so they need to take this matter seriously before they go too far and irreparably damage their user-base.

 

That being said, TPTB have a history of steadfastly pushing ahead with ideas no matter how many flaws are pointed out, so I fear that a big turning point may be approaching for this game.

[+J Grouchy]

I have no idea what new map you folks are talking about.  Screen cap?

[+kunarion]

31 minutes ago, J Grouchy said:

Screen cap?

 

 

I think it's this one.  It's what you get from a "Search" from the main menu instead of the most recent App-Style minimalistic list which I rarely use due to its missing data (as opposed to the old-fashioned "Seek" search results), now it's waaay minimal.  I haven't even figured out how to sort by "most recent find".  You see no such date info.  I opted out while I still can.  One look at that default gray blob, you know it's gonna be great.  It's gonna be great. 

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by kunarion

[+J Grouchy]

12 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

 

I think it's this one.  It's what you get from a "Search" from the main menu instead of the most recent App-Style minimalistic list (as opposed to the old-fashioned "Seek" search results), now it's waaay minimal.  I haven't even figured out how to sort by "most recent find".  You see no such date info.  I opted out while I still can.  One look at that default gray blob, you know it's gonna be great.  It's gonna be great. 

 

 

Ah.  Well, I don't usually do searches on the site.  I just go straight to the map view and pan around.  It does seem quite laggy, but otherwise it looks just like the map in the mobile app.  

[+kunarion]

4 minutes ago, J Grouchy said:

 

Ah.  Well, I don't usually do searches on the site.  I just go straight to the map view and pan around.  It does seem quite laggy, but otherwise it looks just like the map in the mobile app.  

 

You pan around in a massive gray fog?  Sweet.

[+J Grouchy]

6 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

You pan around in a massive gray fog?  Sweet.

 

I don't know what "massive gray fog" you are talking about.  I just have a regular ol' map on my screen.  

[+kunarion]

7 minutes ago, J Grouchy said:

 

I don't know what "massive gray fog" you are talking about.  I just have a regular ol' map on my screen.  

 

How?  It's a screen cap!  It's kind of like a TOPO, I guess.  Maybe that's what everyone wants.  If you can't see a difference, it's working as intended.  I'm way too picky about new things.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by kunarion

[+jallwork]

I only had an option of 3 types of maps with the new 'feature'. With the current one I have seven: Open Street Map, Open Cycle Map, Bing Maps, Bing Aerial View, Google Maps, Google Satellite and (I'm in the UK) the VERY useful Bing OS maps. (I'm sure I used to have more than that anyway). What happened to these maps? How do I get Bing OS Maps back?

[+cerberus1]

18 hours ago, The A-Team said:

The search and map are very important tools for this game/hobby (if not THE most important tools). Degrading these features and making it harder to identify the caches one wants to find will almost certainly turn people off and trigger them to quit. I'm sure TPTB don't want to lose the membership fees of those people, so they need to take this matter seriously before they go too far and irreparably damage their user-base.

 

That being said, TPTB have a history of steadfastly pushing ahead with ideas no matter how many flaws are pointed out, so I fear that a big turning point may be approaching for this game.

 

I search by terrain, and now travel far enough that "the map" doesn't do much for me.   Used to just look for large patches of green.  

Will look at the map from a cache page for others doable that day though.  

As long as I can find caches I'll do I'm good, but have let my membership go basic for (by some...) much less.  Removing "newest" from the profile page was one.

I sorta agree.  To me, sometimes it feels the site may believe long-time players are easily replaced with an ongoing source of once n done phone users  (I don't see that in my area though...).

 The other 2/3rds felt maybe they simply change things  just to keep their (now) many hamsters running .  

[+thebruce0]

20 hours ago, The A-Team said:

There are always threats of geocide when major changes are made to the site, but if the current search and map are replaced by the proposed all-in-one solution, I expect that we'll see a lot of folks follow through on those threats. The search and map are very important tools for this game/hobby (if not THE most important tools). Degrading these features and making it harder to identify the caches one wants to find will almost certainly turn people off and trigger them to quit. I'm sure TPTB don't want to lose the membership fees of those people, so they need to take this matter seriously before they go too far and irreparably damage their user-base.

 

That being said, TPTB have a history of steadfastly pushing ahead with ideas no matter how many flaws are pointed out, so I fear that a big turning point may be approaching for this game.

 

All this.

And I'm still kind of puzzled as to why they haven't allowed people to use both the search list and the updated search map if they opt in. Surely they can see all the comments, concerns, gripes, and anger in the forum about this gratuitous limitation? Unless there's some reason we're not privy to about why they can't have the list and map search both running at the same time, why can't they hot fix out that force-push to the map from the search list page?  Baffles.