Can this be done on a cache page?

[+Goodgulf]

I am designing a puzzle cache/page that will incorporate an earthquake related theme. The idea is that when you open up the cache  page in the description area you would see a drawing of a billboard with text on it. Above the text picture a video of announcers getting ready to call a ball game would start. It would appear you were watching on a CRT style TV. After a few seconds the video cuts out as they say "we are having and earthquake". At this point the drawing of the billboard starts to shake and eventually breaks apart in to pieces. You would then click on the pile of rubble which would send you to a page (on line jigsaw puzzle page) where you would reassemble the pieces to read the  text you need to solve the puzzle. 

 

Irrespective of the question of whether I should make such a page, I am wondering whether it is technically possible given the constraints with the site. I have done a bit or research on the board as to GIFs (they work) and embedded video (a no no it seems).  I have already done the link to the jigsaw puzzle page bit so that that works. The collapsing billboard could be a GIF with a single run and an embedded link? The TV broadcast could be a GIF as well but what about the video? Also, can the active elements be incorporated into fixed drawings (e.g. cityscape)? I am still playing around with variations like you see the TV through an apartment window. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

 

GG

 

[Keystone]

This isn't a website feature request or bug report, so I've moved the thread.

[+niraD]

The only thing that comes to mind is an animated GIF. If you don't want the whole GIF linked to the puzzle page, then you could use an image map to specify which part of the image should be linked.

[+K13]

2 hours ago, Goodgulf said:

I am designing a puzzle cache/page that will incorporate an earthquake related theme. The idea is that when you open up the cache  page in the description area you would see a drawing of a billboard with text on it. Above the text picture a video of announcers getting ready to call a ball game would start. It would appear you were watching on a CRT style TV. After a few seconds the video cuts out as they say "we are having and earthquake". At this point the drawing of the billboard starts to shake and eventually breaks apart in to pieces. You would then click on the pile of rubble which would send you to a page (on line jigsaw puzzle page) where you would reassemble the pieces to read the  text you need to solve the puzzle. 

 

Irrespective of the question of whether I should make such a page, I am wondering whether it is technically possible given the constraints with the site. I have done a bit or research on the board as to GIFs (they work) and embedded video (a no no it seems).  I have already done the link to the jigsaw puzzle page bit so that that works. The collapsing billboard could be a GIF with a single run and an embedded link? The TV broadcast could be a GIF as well but what about the video? Also, can the active elements be incorporated into fixed drawings (e.g. cityscape)? I am still playing around with variations like you see the TV through an apartment window. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

 

GG

 

So, how is that goimg to work on my GPS when I have added your cache listing to my Pocket Query?

[+barefootjeff]

3 hours ago, K13 said:

So, how is that goimg to work on my GPS when I have added your cache listing to my Pocket Query?

 

I wouldn't expect to be able to solve most puzzle caches using just the contents of a PQ on my GPSr.

[Blue Square Thing]

4 hours ago, niraD said:

The only thing that comes to mind is an animated GIF. If you don't want the whole GIF linked to the puzzle page, then you could use an image map to specify which part of the image should be linked.

Yes, this ^.

 

My gut feeling is that you need it as one whole animated GIF, which is going to be a bit tricky and create a large file. The TV bit could be shortened, turned into cartoons etc... or just replaced with a large, pulsing "EARTHQUAKE!" text banner.

 

I'm not sure you'll only be able to have the link active at the end of the animation however. I guess you could insist people type in a URL (tiny url?) that gets revealed if it's important people watch the whole thing.

[+arisoft]

6 hours ago, K13 said:

So, how is that goimg to work on my GPS when I have added your cache listing to my Pocket Query?

 

As well as the puzzle link you are not able to open with you GPS. 

 

If you are able to solve the puzzle with your computer and you use the corrected cooridnates feature then you can use your GPS to download the Pocket Query and find the cache.

[+Goodgulf]

Thanks. I am thinking just one GIF with some artwork above.

 

 I played around with uploading GIFs to the page. Interestingly they animated just fine when the address was a link to a GIF on this forum but did not when I uploaded the same GIF and referenced either of it's addresses after the upload.

 

For example the first address (taken from this forum) animates on the page but not the second (GIF taken from the forum, saved on my PC and uploaded to the page images). Note that the second address is not the address you get in the image editor but the one you get after clicking on it. The GIF animates fine after I copied it to my PC. I am thinking that the page eliminates the animation if uploaded but doesn't  impact the animation if it is linking to somewhere else? The address of the second one (uploaded) inlcuded=s /gs-geo-images in the address. 

 

Thanks

 

[+kunarion]

27 minutes ago, Goodgulf said:

 I played around with uploading GIFs to the page. Interestingly they animated just fine when the address was a link to a GIF on this forum but did not when I uploaded the same GIF and referenced either of it's addresses after the upload.

 

Animated GIFs tend to not work if uploaded to the cache image gallery.  They work if hosted off-site, for viewing on systems and devices that can open them.  The situation changes, and even images that once seemed OK on geocaching.com can and do change when servers change.

 

I don't suggest hosting animated images on any "*.geocaching.com" server. 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by kunarion

[+Mistraluna]

I have done this before and it worked. Maybe they have stopped it from working altogether.

[+hal-an-tow]

What a great fun idea for a cache page and puzzle  (as long as you are careful about offending any sensibilities with respect to earthquake disasters, but I think that may be what your second paragraph start refers to.) .

 

I just checked, and the trad. cache page I made 2 years ago which has animated gifs uploaded to geocaching  com works fine , but changes with no announcement or notification do happen (exif data uploads/doesn't upload reverses notoriously affected some puzzles ,  by turns removing vital C.O. placed information, and providing unwitting spoiler info from finders photos...  ) Also some free storage third party providers can change their policies and mess things up .

 

Could one frame of your gif show the link to your image , something like this , then the image with embedded link could be hosted elswhere, maybe even uploaded to an archived or unpublished cache you own ( they are  handy places to hide images and stop cachers bypassing the first part of your page by going straight to the image which shows in the gallery : ssh, don't  tell anyone ,  )