Wonders of the World

[+hzoi]

23 hours ago, elrojo14 said:

 

The reason some of us are like "meh" is because you have until "at least December 31, 2020". And that is why we are seeing how long it takes us from not changing how we cache at all. 

 

Yes, that is curious. Why would Groundspeak allow so much extra time just to find 14 geocaches? It's not like there's a global pandemic going on or anyth...oh, wait.

 

These souvenir promotions aren't done spur of the moment. I would presume it was planned months in advance, since it required design and coding to the website, as well as design and order time for the trackables and other swag linked to the promotion. COVID 19 was likely not part of the plan. The similar Mystery at the Museum promotion last summer lasted a month - my guess is that this one was supposed to be about as long, before the pandemic.

Edited August 14, 2020 by hzoi

[+NanCycle]

8 hours ago, hzoi said:

 

 I would presume it was planned months in advance, 

 

One of my caches that I archived in June has a Wonder.

[+Max and 99]

29 minutes ago, NanCycle said:

 

One of my caches that I archived in June has a Wonder.

Did you pick up the container or can it still be found? Just kidding. I already know the answer to that. I agree that is strange! 

[+barefootjeff]

8 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

38 minutes ago, NanCycle said:

One of my caches that I archived in June has a Wonder.

Did you pick up the container or can it still be found? Just kidding. I already know the answer to that. I agree that is strange! 

 

The cache I archived in July has two wonders. It had been muggled but I guess the muggle wasn't collecting Wonders and left them behind.

[+NanCycle]

13 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

Did you pick up the container or can it still be found? Just kidding. I already know the answer to that. I agree that is strange! 

Container was missing--I just didn't replace it.  

[Moun10Bike]

2 hours ago, NanCycle said:

 

One of my caches that I archived in June has a Wonder.

 

The bulk of the treasures had to be assigned well in advance of the promotion so that the search index could have time to properly index all the caches.

[+barefootjeff]

1 hour ago, Moun10Bike said:

 

The bulk of the treasures had to be assigned well in advance of the promotion so that the search index could have time to properly index all the caches.

 

Just wondering if that explains why my two newest caches (GC8TAFN and GC8V8WA) don't appear in any Wonders searches. But it wouldn't explain why GC891PK also doesn't appear in searches as it was published over a year ago.

[+Max and 99]

11 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

 

Just wondering if that explains why my two newest caches (GC8TAFN and GC8V8WA) don't appear in any Wonders searches. But it wouldn't explain why GC891PK also doesn't appear in searches as it was published over a year ago.

So even though all caches published during the Wonders promotion will have a digital Wonder, they may not be searchable. That's what I'm understanding from this conversation.

[+barefootjeff]

8 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

So even though all caches published during the Wonders promotion will have a digital Wonder, they may not be searchable. That's what I'm understanding from this conversation.

 

I think I've just knocked that theory on the head. A cache that was published just ten minutes ago, which has the Chichen Itza wonder, does show up in searches for that Wonder.

[+Sages]

On 7/28/2020 at 1:00 PM, Max and 99 said:

Wonders of the World

What are Wonders?
Wonders are digital stamps hidden in geocaches. Wonders help you fill your Wonders of the World passport. Collect them when you find and log geocaches. Search for geocaches that contain the Wonders you are looking for and collect them when you log the cache beginning August 12 at noon UTC.

How do I find and collect Wonders?
Plan your outings by searching for Wonders. Note: you have to collect all of the Modern Wonders before you can start collecting Ancient Wonders.
1. Use filters to see geocaches that contain Wonders.Find and log geocaches 2. to collect the Wonders.
3. Collect all the Modern Wonders to unlock the Ancient Wonders.
4. Collect all of the Ancient Wonders to fill your passport and become the World Explorer.
5. Keep track of your progress on the Wonders of the World page.

Can I use the filters to search for the Ancient Wonders before completing the Modern Wonders? I would like to make a list of the Ancient ones in advance so that I am ready to go when I complete the Modern Wonders.

[+CAVinoGal]

6 minutes ago, travelingsages said:

Can I use the filters to search for the Ancient Wonders before completing the Modern Wonders? I would like to make a list of the Ancient ones in advance so that I am ready to go when I complete the Modern Wonders.

It appears you can - I just did a search for one of the ancient wonders in caches near my home.  I have only found one of the Modern Wonders so far.  The Ancient  Wonders appear greyed out, but you can see what they are and which caches contain them.

[+Max and 99]

44 minutes ago, travelingsages said:

Can I use the filters to search for the Ancient Wonders before completing the Modern Wonders? I would like to make a list of the Ancient ones in advance so that I am ready to go when I complete the Modern Wonders.

Yes, I searched for them all to plan my geocaching outing. I used it to figure out which wonders were more frequently seen in my area, and which were rare. That helped me plan better.

[+Lynx Humble]

Crap without even planning for it I have already finished this promotion in 4 days with 50 finds including 17 with no wonders.

 

It was way too easy sadly...

[+barefootjeff]

5 hours ago, Lynx Humble said:

Crap without even planning for it I have already finished this promotion in 4 days with 50 finds including 17 with no wonders.

 

It was way too easy sadly...

 

Maybe it's a good thing then that these promotions aren't only for those who can easily get 50 finds in 4 days. With some fairly intense caching and heaps of driving in recent weeks, my total finds for the year has just reached 100. On Wednesday I travelled north to the Newcastle region, a 200km round trip, where I found 9 caches that had been on my to-do list for quite some time, including some puzzles I'd solved long ago. Because the promotion didn't start until 10pm here, I was flying blind and had no idea which Wonders I might have been getting. In the end I got 4 from those 9 finds, so today, for International Geocaching Day, I headed north again, doing a 100km round trip through Lake Haven and Toukley where I was able to nab a further 3 caches to complete the Modern Wonders.

 

Now that I've unlocked the Ancient ones, I'll probably just let them accumulate of their own accord with the odd finds I make over the coming months. With the corona virus now re-emerging in parts of Sydney and me being in the vulnerable age group, that region is essentially off-limits so it's likely my caching for the rest of the year will be confined to my local region (if there are any new caches published) and up north towards Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. With any luck I might get in another couple of dozen finds before Christmas.

[+elrojo14]

I now have four finds during the promotion and thankfully just three wonders. I was starting to think it was going to just keep giving me the wonder I needed for every cache. Now I am sure that is not how it works, but I am not checking the caches before hand since I am participating in the Wonders of the World UnChallenge and not looking at the wonders at all until after I log them. 

[+barefootjeff]

10 minutes ago, on4bam said:

The fact remains the promotions never seem to be for those that can easily find many caches they are always for those who can't.

 

Really? Hidden Creatures required 100 finds in four weeks, Mystery at the Museum had that find another 35 caches sting in the tail after collecting all the clues and jewels, and Cache Carnival required either lots of finds over its three-week period or lots of available caches with 50+ FPs.

 

I don't think I'm special, rather I'm probably fairly typical of a cacher who doesn't live in a place with a high density of caches and that's more the rule than the exception in most places outside North America and Europe, especially outside the big cities.

[Darwin473]

I'd consider myself a casual cacher as I'm averaging 2.5 finds per week since I started in July, but I've got my eye on a challenge in the area (one of the few I can actually do) which involves finding 28 caches in one day. There's a power trail near here which has over 28, but it's also the only power trail I can see within driving distance. I've got that on my wish list, but I also don't want to do it yet as there aren't that many caches in this state and I don't want to rush around and find all of them in a few months.

 

5 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

it's likely my caching for the rest of the year will be confined to my local region (if there are any new caches published)

 

From context, I take it you've already found the majority of the cahces near you? That's what I'm trying to avoid. Like savouring a meal rather than bolting it all down in one gulp.  

[+barefootjeff]

2 hours ago, Unit473L said:

From context, I take it you've already found the majority of the cahces near you? That's what I'm trying to avoid. Like savouring a meal rather than bolting it all down in one gulp.

 

There's only a bit over 500 caches in my region so yes, after seven years I've found most of them even without taking any large gulps. There are a few D5 puzzles I haven't solved yet (and likely never will), a front yard cache I'm not interested in attempting (I suspect the owner mightn't even live there anymore since it has a long-outstanding NM on it) and a few in busy shopping centres that don't really appeal. My average find rate has been fairly steady over those seven years at about 3 a week, with my highest in one day of 22 at the 2018 Morisset mega. For the last couple of years, most of my finds have been outside my region, either to the north around Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and the Watagan Mountains or south in Sydney, with occasional trips further afield, plus the handful of new caches that have been published locally. My longest streak is 7 days (last year's Streak Week promotion) and, prior to the COVID lockdown in April and May, my longest slump was about 3 weeks, so it's been a pretty steady drip-feed of caches all the way along with no power trails (the nearest of those are in north-western Sydney and Maitland). About 30% of the caches in this region are terrain 3 or higher so they're not the sort you do lots of in a day anyway.

Edited August 16, 2020 by barefootjeff

[+CAVinoGal]

14 hours ago, elrojo14 said:

I now have four finds during the promotion and thankfully just three wonders. I was starting to think it was going to just keep giving me the wonder I needed for every cache. Now I am sure that is not how it works, but I am not checking the caches before hand since I am participating in the Wonders of the World UnChallenge and not looking at the wonders at all until after I log them. 

 

I've got 3 finds, 2 Wonders.  The first two finds (on 8/14) happened to have the same Wonder assigned!  I didn't know that till I got home and logged them.  We found 1 cache on 8/15 for the IGD 2020 souvenir - at 100° plus it's too hot to do a lot of geocaching right now.  

[+The Jester]

In the last couple of days I found 7 caches, which happened to have 6 of the Modern Wonders without me changing anything of my normal cache habits.  Today we went for a paddle and found 3 caches, one had the last Modern Wonder I needed.  I must admit I made sure to hunt them in the 'right' order to get the last Wonder before starting the Ancient Wonders - but that was the first time I looked at what was on the caches for the day.

[+MartyBartfast]

So far I've found 16 since Saturday and ended up with 11 suvenirs. On Thursday I will be going out for a day's caching and expect to find 30+ so will almost certainly have got the complete set by the end of the day.

[+CAVinoGal]

On 8/15/2020 at 10:21 PM, elrojo14 said:

I now have four finds during the promotion and thankfully just three wonders. I was starting to think it was going to just keep giving me the wonder I needed for every cache. Now I am sure that is not how it works, but I am not checking the caches before hand since I am participating in the Wonders of the World UnChallenge and not looking at the wonders at all until after I log them. 

 

It's not how it works - we went out today to find a new TB hotel that sounded pretty awesome (it is!) and found a couple more on the way home, new placements since we had last been in that area.  We did not seek them out for Wonders, and as it turns out, we only got one new Wonder out of those 3 caches; the other 2 were dups of what we'd already got.  So, 6 days in, 6 caches on 3 outings, and 3 Wonders so far.  Without changing our caching behavior for this promotion.  Yes, we did get one cache on August 15 for the IGD2020 souvenir, and we would have done that anyway.  We would have chosen the same cache (close to home, on the way to someplace else we were going anyway) regardless; it happened to have a Wonder we hadn't found yet.  

 

Interesting to see the Wonders gradually filling in, without seeking them out specifically!  Still have a ways to go to get the first 7.  I'm sure it will happen - and I'll note it on the spreadsheet when it does.

 

Thanks @elrojo14 for this Unchallenge.  I may actually get down your way to sign the log too!

Edited August 19, 2020 by CAVinoGal
Posted too quickly, added info

[+kenttela]

 

We had found 4 of the wonders and went for one listed with Taj Mahal AND Machu Picchu listed. I just logged the find and did not get credit for the Taj Mahal. We already had Machu Picchu. Did i miss something. Is there a lag time in updating the passport?

 

[+The Jester]

1 minute ago, kenttela said:

 

We had found 4 of the wonders and went for one listed with Taj Mahal AND Machu Picchu listed. I just logged the find and did not get credit for the Taj Mahal. We already had Machu Picchu. Did i miss something. Is there a lag time in updating the passport?

 

You have to find all 7 Modern Wonders before you can get to collect the Ancient Wonders.  You can only get one Wonder per cache, so everything worked like it was supposed to.

[+JL_HSTRE]

Even if there wasn't a pandemic, I am grateful for the extra time on these souvenirs. Many past limited time souvenirs have only run during the month of August. I live in South Florida where August means every day the temperature starts at 80 and the heat index is stuck at 100.

 

In the absence of a pandemic, it would be great if summer souvenir programs ran June-Aug or May-Sept. The souvenir tiers could be scaled accordingly.

[+kenttela]

If a geocache has TWO Modern Wonders of the World and you already have one of them why doesn't the system recognize that and award you to missing wonder? Is that clearer? The geocache we found had Taj Mahal AND Machu Picchu. We had already found Machu Picchu, but did not get credit for Taj Mahal.

 

[+Max and 99]

7 minutes ago, kenttela said:

If a geocache has TWO Modern Wonders of the World and you already have one of them why doesn't the system recognize that and award you to missing wonder? Is that clearer? The geocache we found had Taj Mahal AND Machu Picchu. We had already found Machu Picchu, but did not get credit for Taj Mahal.

 

Edit. I believe it does award you the one you don't have. 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Max and 99

[+Max and 99]

8 minutes ago, kenttela said:

If a geocache has TWO Modern Wonders of the World and you already have one of them why doesn't the system recognize that and award you to missing wonder? Is that clearer? The geocache we found had Taj Mahal AND Machu Picchu. We had already found Machu Picchu, but did not get credit for Taj Mahal.

 

I think I misunderstood your post at first. And I believe you should have been awarded the Taj Mahal. I'll take a look at your profile to see if I can figure it out.

[+barefootjeff]

11 minutes ago, kenttela said:

If a geocache has TWO Modern Wonders of the World and you already have one of them why doesn't the system recognize that and award you to missing wonder? Is that clearer? The geocache we found had Taj Mahal AND Machu Picchu. We had already found Machu Picchu, but did not get credit for Taj Mahal.

 

No cache should have two Modern Wonders, they should have either just a single Modern Wonder or one Modern Wonder and one Ancient Wonder. The Taj Mahal and Machu Pichu are both Modern Wonders. What's the cache's GC code?

[+Max and 99]

3 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

No cache should have two Modern Wonders, they should have either just a single Modern Wonder or one Modern Wonder and one Ancient Wonder. The Taj Mahal and Machu Pichu are both Modern Wonders. What's the cache's GC code?

One of his does have two moderns. Unless I totally read that wrong.

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Max and 99

[+barefootjeff]

Okay, I found it, GC8YD6T.

That's crazy!

[+Max and 99]

By my calculations you should have Machu Picchu and then Chichen and then Petra and then the last one you should have earned the Taj Mahal. 

Three of the seven caches you found during the promotion you should not have earned a passport stamp from. 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Max and 99

[+Max and 99]

3 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

That's crazy!

Maybe that confused the system!

[+Max and 99]

I was really confused by something today regarding the Wonders promotion. I went to look up what wonder was on a geocache I found, to help a friend who needed one, and got a message saying there are no wonders in this cache. What? They took it off? No. it says there are no wonders even though there is one modern and one ancient, because I had already collected both of those. I wish the message was would not say there are no wonders in this cache.

 

[+lee737]

23 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

No cache should have two Modern Wonders, they should have either just a single Modern Wonder or one Modern Wonder and one Ancient Wonder. The Taj Mahal and Machu Pichu are both Modern Wonders. What's the cache's GC code?

I suppose they could - two cachers might need different modern wonders.... obviously the one cacher can't get both from that one cache though....

 

[+barefootjeff]

27 minutes ago, lee737 said:

I suppose they could - two cachers might need different modern wonders.... obviously the one cacher can't get both from that one cache though....

 

 

But, but that's not what it said in the blog:

 

Quote

A geocache may have either a Modern Wonder or both a Modern and Ancient Wonder.

 

Nothing about two Modern Wonders unless the goal posts have moved since then.

[+lee737]

Just now, barefootjeff said:

 

But, but that's not what it said in the blog:

 

 

Nothing about two Modern Wonders unless the goal posts have moved since then.

I didn't read the blog that carefully....

 

[+Max and 99]

5 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

 

But, but that's not what it said in the blog:

 

 

Nothing about two Modern Wonders unless the goal posts have moved since then.

Yep. I just looked it up. 

 

A geocache can contain up to two Wonder types, but an unlimited number of each Wonder. A geocache may have either a Modern Wonder or both a Modern and Ancient Wonder. 

 

1 hour ago, kenttela said:

If a geocache has TWO Modern Wonders of the World and you already have one of them why doesn't the system recognize that and award you to missing wonder? Is that clearer? The geocache we found had Taj Mahal AND Machu Picchu. We had already found Machu Picchu, but did not get credit for Taj Mahal.

 

kenttela,

I think that cache you logged is unique!

[+kenttela]

Thanks everyone! Maybe I should ask Groundspeak because if I read all the replies correctly there must be a problem.

Sorry I didn't include the GC code, but clever Max and 99 found it!

 

[+kenttela]

Which would faster, try to send a bug report, or start a new message about a bug? That is if it really is a bug.

[+TmdAndGG]

9 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I think that cache you logged is unique!

There are some around our area that have 2 modern wonders. I'll look them up.

Edit: Of course when I go looking for them I can't find them... I'll let you guys know if I run across any.

Edited August 20, 2020 by TmdAndGG

[+kenttela]

I'm going to start another thread with "Bug" in the subject. Hopefully that will solve the problem and/or give me credit for Taj Mahal.

[+kenttela]

A Groundspeak Lackey sent the following:

 

"The system that is responsible for distributing treasures into new caches published since the World of Wonders promotion went live had a bug that led to about 450 caches receiving two Modern Wonders. Thate bug has been squashed and the second wonder in these caches (which do not get awarded to accounts, but simply appear in listings) will be removed once the engineering team runs a correction script.

 

FYI, after responding here I will be moving this thread into the bug reporting section of the forums."

 

 

 

450 out of over 3 million isn't too bad! Now WE (not I) can go out and find some more.

 

[+ecanderson]

Well that was quick.  First time out since the promotion began.  Planned one route to clear a cluster of 37 newly-placed caches off my map (found 36), and somehow came home with both Ancient and Modern. 

 

[+MartyBartfast]

On 8/12/2020 at 6:15 PM, MartyBartfast said:

Unchallenge accepted

 

So it took me 19 finds during 5 caching trips over 8 days to get them all without looking for them.

[+CAVinoGal]

It's going to take me a bit longer.  Wildfires (yes, that's plural) have devastated areas near me, homes, vehicles, animals, vineyards - all gone.  Caching will be low on the priority list for awhile; our home and neighborhood is OK for now, but the heat and smoke make it unwise to be out unless necessary.

 

Side note - you may have read/heard/seen that the LNU Lightning Complex fire jumped the I-80 freeway in Fairfield - right along the freeway is the old Hwy 40, now a bike trail, and I have (had?) 3 puzzle caches along that trail.  I have no idea when it will be safe to check and see if they are still there.  A small concern, but on my mind along with all the other fire related concerns.  It's been a difficult week.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

1 hour ago, CAVinoGal said:

It's going to take me a bit longer.  Wildfires (yes, that's plural) have devastated areas near me, homes, vehicles, animals, vineyards - all gone.  Caching will be low on the priority list for awhile; our home and neighborhood is OK for now, but the heat and smoke make it unwise to be out unless necessary.

 

Side note - you may have read/heard/seen that the LNU Lightning Complex fire jumped the I-80 freeway in Fairfield - right along the freeway is the old Hwy 40, now a bike trail, and I have (had?) 3 puzzle caches along that trail.  I have no idea when it will be safe to check and see if they are still there.  A small concern, but on my mind along with all the other fire related concerns.  It's been a difficult week.

 

Also part of the LNU Lightning complex is the fire near Healdsburg, which now has an evacuation order for the entire city. My cousin lived in Healdsburg  before the Kincade fire there destroyed her house less than a year ago.

[+Ambrosia]

I don't cache very often, and there isn't a good enough mix of wonders near me for me to try the unchallenge. I'm going to have to be precise if I want to get all the souvenirs. It's always possible I may travel before the end of the year, but I don't know that now, so I'm making a local plan to try and get them all.

[+fizzymagic]

So I am a stats nerd, but too lazy to actually do the math.  Thus, I Monte Carloed the Wonders of the World.  Question:  if you just keep caching normally, without paying any attention, how many finds will it take to get all 14 souvenirs?  I assume Wonders are randomly assigned to caches.

 

Here's the result:  It's a plot of the probability that you will need to find N caches to have found all souvenirs.

 

 

The red line is the probability that you will find all 14 souvenirs in N caches; the blue line is the probability that you will need to find N or more caches to find all the souvenirs.

 

The most probable number of caches you will need to find is about 30, which is only twice the number of souvenirs, which is not too bad.  However, there is about a 1% probability that you will need to find over 70 in order to find them all!  And, there is about one chance in 10,000 that you would need over 100!

 

Amusing.

 

ETA:  Yes, I simulated the Wonders of the World game, in which you have to find all 7 "modern" wonders before you can find any "ancient" wonders.

Edited August 23, 2020 by fizzymagic

[+MartyBartfast]

7 hours ago, fizzymagic said:

Here's the result:  It's a plot of the probability that you will need to find N caches to have found all souvenirs.

Does that assume that Wonders are distributed evenly across all caches or does it  take into account that some caches have no attributes - about %2.5 of UK caches have none.