Bonus caches for adventures

[+Korichnovui]

I made a bonus cache for my adventure lab. (A bonus cache is a mystery cache that can be solved once you find certain precursor caches that contain info, in this case it’s the adventure lab locations). The reviewer is looking into it, not being familiar with the concept as it pertains to adventure labs. My questions are-

1. Are you guys aware of some successful bonus caches that have been put out for adventure labs?

2. What are the reward journals actually for, if not to provide coordinates for a bonus cache???

[+AnnaMoritz]

Successful bonus caches: In Austria, there are Adventure Lab Bonus geocaches of type Unknown and Letterbox Hybrid (=Unknown+stamp). Top 3 examples (by number of favorites):

 

Vienna (Unknown): https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8AEQ0

Salzburg (Unknown): https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC89X8C

Klagenfurt (Letterbox Hybrid): https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC88BXW

 

 

 

 

[+baer2006]

In my area (Munich) almost all Adventure Labs have bonus caches. Examples:

•     https://coord.info/GC8FXYA  Adventure Lab BONUS - Die Subkultur von Street Art

• https://coord.info/GC8JN3D  BONUS zu Nymphenburg - The Park, not the Palace

• https://coord.info/GC8HD9N  Dachau Concentration Camp Adventure Lab (Bonus)

[+elyob]

Placing a bonus cache is the best way for people to learn about the adventure lab.

[+Korichnovui]

2 hours ago, elyob said:

Placing a bonus cache is the best way for people to learn about the adventure lab.

Yes that is the whole point of my making one. We actually don’t even have any adventure labs in the area yet, so I thought making a geocache could raise awareness. The cache page explains how to get the adventure lab app etc.

[+drabbit360]

Here around Montreal, most all adventure labs have a bonus mystery cache also.

[+Happy Humphrey]

I'm a little surprised that there is no facility (that I'm aware of) in the Adventure Lab to link to a bonus cache, bearing in mind that it's going to be a very popular pairing.

In my adventure I give details of the bonus cache in the "location completion" text for the end of the final location. At the moment there is no bonus cache, as I'm waiting for permission to place (and then review). So the text is basically "watch this space". Is it correct to assume that the journal entries are saved on the local phone, so if I make changes to the Location Completion text the previous finders only see the text at the time of their find? If that's correct, my plan is to message any finders with the Bonus Cache details once it's in place. Obviously, subsequent finders will get the benefit of the Bonus Cache details,.

I tested the full adventure yesterday by setting it to Private and cycling the whole thing on the ground, and hoped to see the Location Completion text with the mention of the proposed bonus cache. In theory, that should work well enough. But I noticed that in the field, the journal entries only contain the Location Completion image AND text for the first stage. The rest show only the Location Completion image WITHOUT the text. On returning home an hour later I checked again and the Location Completion text is now showing.

So, 1) it's a bit clunky to have to include the bonus cache location (or codeword or whatever) in the Location Completion text. That forces you to insist that the caches are completed in order, as otherwise you'd have to give the bonus cache details in every stage and people would only have to bother doing one stage. Ideally there should be text at Adventure level, that is triggered once all stages are complete. In there you could include Bonus Cache details. There is a splash page congratulating you on completing the adventure, but if it's customisable I haven't noticed.
2) It doesn't seem that you can trust the Location Completion text to be available to finders, so crucial information cannot be put there and the Bonus Cache information might not be visible when people have just completed the Adventure. So it may be wise to duplicate any crucial text by overlaying the Location Completion Image with it.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Happy Humphrey

[+Isonzo Karst]

 I'm seeing Traditional caches that promote the cache owner's Adventure Lab. Works fine as promo and is simpler for both the hider and seekers.

[+Goldenwattle]

Here is a pairing:
After completing the Adventure Lab cache, the coordinates for the bonus cache GC8J8AJ are given to you after doing the final WP of the Adventure Lab cache.

 

 

 

[+Lynx Humble]

2 hours ago, Happy Humphrey said:

So, 1) it's a bit clunky to have to include the bonus cache location (or codeword or whatever) in the Location Completion text. That forces you to insist that the caches are completed in order, as otherwise you'd have to give the bonus cache details in every stage and people would only have to bother doing one stage.

 

You could also split the coordinate between multiple stage so they still need to find them all to have all the required info for the coordinate of the bonus cache.

[+Max and 99]

24 minutes ago, Lynx Humble said:

 

You could also split the coordinate between multiple stage so they still need to find them all to have all the required info for the coordinate of the bonus cache.

The last AL I did gave partial coords in each stage. I thought it was done well. 

[+baer2006]

12 hours ago, Happy Humphrey said:

Is it correct to assume that the journal entries are saved on the local phone, so if I make changes to the Location Completion text the previous finders only see the text at the time of their find?

No.

When I open a completed ALC, and look into the journal entries, I see the current ones and not what was there when I completed the ALC. This is quite useful, when you place your bonus later and/or have to change the bonus location.

[+Happy Humphrey]

My AL has been live for a week or so and completed a few times with no issues reported. The Bonus has been found by everyone who's completed the Lab caches. The option I went for was to put some numbers in the final location completion text that simply plug in to the bonus cache text so that you get the actual location.
 

In this case it's fine as I don't see any chance that I'll have to move the bonus cache, but obviously there could be a problem with this approach should you need to adjust the bonus cache coordinates in the future. Somone may have completed the AL but held off finding the bonus for some time, and if it's moved they may be disappointed if they don't realise that their numbers are no longer partial coordinates .

So I'd recommend using a codeword for the AL completion, which then translates to numbers according to a guide table ("A=3, B=9, C=3, D=0" etc) in the bonus cache description. You can then change the translation to suit any new location, without having to change the AL. If all letters in the codeword are different, then it's just a matter of amending the bonus cache description to suit.
So if ACQUIT was the AL completion codeword, originally it could translate to, say, 335190, and then you could amend it to 341196 by changing some of the code letter translations.

[+baer2006]

On 7/1/2020 at 9:27 PM, Happy Humphrey said:

In this case it's fine as I don't see any chance that I'll have to move the bonus cache, but obviously there could be a problem with this approach should you need to adjust the bonus cache coordinates in the future. Somone may have completed the AL but held off finding the bonus for some time, and if it's moved they may be disappointed if they don't realise that their numbers are no longer partial coordinates .

When you open the journal of a completed ALC, you always see the current journal texts (or images and videos), and not the ones which used to be there when you actually played the ALC. This means, that you can change any bonus-relevant info in your journal messages, any anyone who has done your ALC will see the latest data.

[+TeamTBO]

New question. Is there a distance limit to the location of the bonus cache? In other words, does it have to be a maximum of  X number of feet from the final AL location? Thanks in advance for your help.

Barbara, aka TeamTBO

[+elyob]

There is no limit because the bonus cache and the Adventure Lab are in two completely separate games.

[+Team OPJim]

On 6/21/2020 at 3:44 AM, Happy Humphrey said:

I'm a little surprised that there is no facility (that I'm aware of) in the Adventure Lab to link to a bonus cache, bearing in mind that it's going to be a very popular pairing.

In my adventure I give details of the bonus cache in the "location completion" text for the end of the final location. At the moment there is no bonus cache, as I'm waiting for permission to place (and then review). So the text is basically "watch this space". Is it correct to assume that the journal entries are saved on the local phone, so if I make changes to the Location Completion text the previous finders only see the text at the time of their find? If that's correct, my plan is to message any finders with the Bonus Cache details once it's in place. Obviously, subsequent finders will get the benefit of the Bonus Cache details,.

I tested the full adventure yesterday by setting it to Private and cycling the whole thing on the ground, and hoped to see the Location Completion text with the mention of the proposed bonus cache. In theory, that should work well enough. But I noticed that in the field, the journal entries only contain the Location Completion image AND text for the first stage. The rest show only the Location Completion image WITHOUT the text. On returning home an hour later I checked again and the Location Completion text is now showing.

So, 1) it's a bit clunky to have to include the bonus cache location (or codeword or whatever) in the Location Completion text. That forces you to insist that the caches are completed in order, as otherwise you'd have to give the bonus cache details in every stage and people would only have to bother doing one stage. Ideally there should be text at Adventure level, that is triggered once all stages are complete. In there you could include Bonus Cache details. There is a splash page congratulating you on completing the adventure, but if it's customisable I haven't noticed.
2) It doesn't seem that you can trust the Location Completion text to be available to finders, so crucial information cannot be put there and the Bonus Cache information might not be visible when people have just completed the Adventure. So it may be wise to duplicate any crucial text by overlaying the Location Completion Image with it.

I came to this discussion to get an answer on how to leave information specifically the location of my bonus cache when I have set the adventure to be non sequential ( because I have found it annoying with other adventures I have done to learn that I drove past some locations on the way to the “first” location). Am I correct in assuming that in fact there is no way to access the final completed screen on the adventure for editing?

[+NLBokkie]

1 hour ago, Team OPJim said:

Am I correct in assuming that in fact there is no way to access the final completed screen on the adventure for editing?

 

Unfortunately, your assumption is correct . . .

[+Lynx Humble]

15 hours ago, Team OPJim said:

Am I correct in assuming that in fact there is no way to access the final completed screen on the adventure for editing?

But you can still have access to each individual ones.

[+TmdAndGG]

44 minutes ago, Lynx Humble said:

But you can still have access to each individual ones.

Yup. On our AdLab, we gave out a final coordinate number corresponding to a letter ever time you complete a stage. On the final cache page, all you have to do is fill in the blanks. For example, if you learned that A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, and E=5, then you would replace those letters with their numbers. On the bonus cache, you would have a setup like this: E00 00.ABC W000 00.DE0 (or similar). 

Edit: Just saw Lynx Humble's other post above, saying basically the same thing... Oh well

Edited July 21, 2020 by TmdAndGG

[+Max and 99]

Can the AL bonus cache require nothing but a code for a checker, which then gives the final coordinates? Just wondering. 

 

 

 

[+CAVinoGal]

12 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

Can the AL bonus cache require nothing but a code for a checker, which then gives the final coordinates? Just wondering. 

 

Meaning the Bonus cache (an actual container with a logsheet to sign) is a mystery, and the only puzzle is to find or be given the code for the checker once you complete the AL?  Then enter that code into the checker (Certitudes or some other) which then gives you the final coordinates for the bonus?  It sounds like that would be workable.

 

The "bonus" caches I have seen in my area are more of "announcement" type caches, most traditional, published as a way of saying "Find me, and while you are in the area, check out the new Adventure Lab just published too!"  They are independent of one another.  Here are two of the 5 I have done:

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8HDGF_a-basic-lpc

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8GPA5_martinez-historic-sites-adventure-lab-the-cache

 

[+JohnCNA]

On 8/1/2020 at 9:33 PM, Max and 99 said:

Can the AL bonus cache require nothing but a code for a checker, which then gives the final coordinates? Just wondering. 

I know the Certitude checker can accept keywords instead of coordinates. And when you enter the keyword, it can supply the coordinates plus a hint, etc.

[+BenM70]

Can you have more than one bonus per adventure lab? 

[+Max and 99]

On 11/5/2021 at 4:49 PM, BenM70 said:

Can you have more than one bonus per adventure lab? 

I highly doubt it.

https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=127&pgid=927

Edited November 6, 2021 by Max and 99

[FayeinColumbus]

Hello, I completed an Adventure Lab but was unable to access the bonus cache. I'm not a premium member, but my friends are not either and they were able to access the cache. It didn't even show up on my geocaching app on my iphone.

 

When I tried to access it via the website, it would not provide it; just asked me to upgrade. Why were my friends (non-premium members) able to log the bonus cache but I could not? Thank you for any help!