Grandfathered Caches

[+dennistubaplayer]

Hello Everyone! Once again, I am back with another question (I'm starting to feel like I'm spamming the forum; let me know if I am ?) Anyway, I was wondering if HQ is ever planning on bringing back webcams or virtuals. I am aware of virtual rewards, but I mean bringing them back for good. I was looking at the forum posts about New caches, and it doesn't really sound like any new types will be made. Will Groundspeak now concenterate on grandfathered caches? I realize that they were grandfathered for good reasons and this is supposed to be a permenant movement, but They "broke the rules" for virtual rewards, would they go back on this choice? Thanks! Dennis

[+niraD]

Again, why did you post this in the Off Topic forum? It seems like a Geocaching Topic to me.

 

Anyway, all we can do here is speculate. A real answer would come from Groundspeak, and I don't expect them to say anything about something like this until they announce it publicly.

 

But with that said, I would expect another round of Virtual Rewards before a round of Webcam Rewards, just because webcam caches come with another layer of complication. More people could make use of a Virtual Reward than could make use of a Webcam Reward.

 

And I don't expect either type to come back for real. The Virtual Rewards program has been a slow, careful way to add a limited number of virtual caches. Groundspeak seems to be trying very hard to avoid the problems that led first to the "Wow!" test, and then to the grandfathering of virtual caches.

[+barefootjeff]

Adventure Labs might well become the new incarnation of virtuals, since that's essentially what they are, but it's not clear yet how they're going to avoid all the problems that caused the original virtuals to be grandfathered.

[Rock Chalk]

I moved this thread from the Off-Topic forum.

[+dennistubaplayer]

thank you! 

 

[+TheLimeCat]

2 hours ago, niraD said:

Anyway, all we can do here is speculate

Isn't that what we always do here?

 

I think it's important that caches remain largely physical. I enjoy virtuals, but definitely feel that the core of geocaching should be the cold hard cache. I like that virtuals have been introduced in a limited and selective way. 

 

I feel that the abundance of virtual waypoints on sites like Waymarking wind up making the experience rather boring. 

 

The only reason I'd really want a virtual would be to list a location that couldnt otherwise host a cache within a tenth of a mile or so. To me they are best suited to National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and some incredibly popular tourist attractions. 

 

[+TmdAndGG]

20 minutes ago, TheLimeCat said:

Isn't that what we always do here?

Sometimes there are cookie-cutter answers, other times... Not so much.

[Darwin473]

I don't know if mentioning them is taboo or not, but I did have a look at another gps-based outdoor game, which was originally about putting physical things out there but allowed virtuals. I checked the map for my area (which isn't exactly a hot-spot for gps games) and the suburbs around here were saturated with virtuals. It seems like there was one on every tree and lamp post! With the majority placed by only a handful of players.

 

I gave that game a firm pass. I for one am glad we don't have that issue with geocaching, and that I missed it when it was an issue.

[+Lynx Humble]

4 minutes ago, Unit473L said:

I don't know if mentioning them is taboo or not, but I did have a look at another gps-based outdoor game, which was originally about putting physical things out there but allowed virtuals. I checked the map for my area (which isn't exactly a hot-spot for gps games) and the suburbs around here were saturated with virtuals. It seems like there was one on every tree and lamp post! With the majority placed by only a handful of players.

 

I gave that game a firm pass. I for one am glad we don't have that issue with geocaching, and that I missed it when it was an issue.

If you talking about the Qr-code game I agree with you it's so stupid now that most of it is virtual. You can make more points just being in the general area no need to scan QR-code anymore... That why I stopped playing it.

 

Sadly Groundspeak will go in the same direction if they continue to give Adventures labs to too many people.

[+L0ne.R]

dennistubaplayer, seeing as your keen about Virtuals I'm surprised that you have no virtual finds. There are 4 virtuals for you to visit within about 50km. Maybe your parents will drive you to them. 

 

	Geocache Name	Distance	Favorites	Size	Difficulty	Terrain	Last Found	Placed On
	Two Simple MenVirtual | GC8235by Anton	27.5km NW	91	Other	3.0	1.0	08/27/2020	08/20/2002
	Jerry & the AbolitionistsVirtual | GC420Bby Anton	29.5km NW	103	Other	1.0	1.0	08/28/2020	03/14/2002
	Harvey the TrollVirtual | GC7A63by Simmons Crew	40.5km SE	16	Other	1.0	1.5	08/14/2020	08/04/2002
	Rural Cemetery ChallengeVirtual | GC99E0by lhbadman	48.2km W	26	Other	1.0	1.0	09/06/2020	10/10/2002

[+L0ne.R]

2 minutes ago, Lynx Humble said:

Sadly Groundspeak will go in the same direction if they continue to give Adventures labs to too many people.

 

I agree. Moderation makes for a better game experience. 

[Darwin473]

30 minutes ago, Lynx Humble said:

If you talking about the Qr-code game

 

How did you know? 

 

Yes, exactly that one. I was originally looking at it because it was built around putting out stickers, and I had been wanting to make up a quantity of aluminum ones instead of plastic to make them more robust. But then I found all the virtuals and decided it was more of a hassle than it's worth trying to compete with those. 

[+JL_HSTRE]

I would bet Virtual Rewards, in some form or another, will be the only way we get more true Virtuals.

 

Webcams are I think gone for good. Look at the surviving Webcam listings: anytime there's a problem with the listing you get a bunch of bogus selfie logs. The widespread use of smartphones has also made Webcams vastly easier than when originally introduced. 

[+igator210]

Webcam caches are the most abused type of caches around. So many people take selfies, and the COs don't do anything about them. While I think webcams are fun and add a variety to the game, I wouldn't want them to come back.

[+cerberus1]

On 9/22/2020 at 4:27 PM, dennistubaplayer said:

Hello Everyone! Once again, I am back with another question (I'm starting to feel like I'm spamming the forum; let me know if I am ?) Anyway, I was wondering if HQ is ever planning on bringing back webcams or virtuals. I am aware of virtual rewards, but I mean bringing them back for good. I was looking at the forum posts about New caches, and it doesn't really sound like any new types will be made. Will Groundspeak now concenterate on grandfathered caches? I realize that they were grandfathered for good reasons and this is supposed to be a permenant movement, but They "broke the rules" for virtual rewards, would they go back on this choice? Thanks! Dennis

 

A simple search shows numerous "bring back..." threads,  and the second you created for virtuals...   

A finned forum member often talks about how often fakers attempt selfies n such on his webcam. 

 - He does maintenance on his.   Others, not so much...

Just a quick look at galleries shows how many people either don't understand the simple directions, or don't care.

 

Isn't the "adventure lab" cache a new type ?  I don't think of it as anything resembling this hobby, but some folks like it.

 

Curious... who "broke the rules" on virtual rewards, and what rules were broken ?  Thanks.   

 

 

[+Harry Dolphin]

8 hours ago, igator210 said:

Webcam caches are the most abused type of caches around. So many people take selfies, and the COs don't do anything about them. While I think webcams are fun and add a variety to the game, I wouldn't want them to come back.

 

Some owners do take care of their webcams.  It is quite a bit of work, since so many cheat.  I think I've deleted 20% of the logs.

[+dennistubaplayer]

I think webcams are pretty cool. I would like them to come back with some changes. 

 

[+igator210]

6 hours ago, Harry Dolphin said:

 

Some owners do take care of their webcams.  It is quite a bit of work, since so many cheat.  I think I've deleted 20% of the logs.

 

And I applaud you for your work and say thank you. I've seen good webcams get archived because a CO lets the selfies slide. 

[+dennistubaplayer]

is it possible to un-archive a grandfathered cache?

 

[+on4bam]

9 minutes ago, dennistubaplayer said:

is it possible to un-archive a grandfathered cache?

 

nope.

 

[+dennistubaplayer]

ok, thanks!

 

[+igator210]

3 hours ago, dennistubaplayer said:

is it possible to un-archive a grandfathered cache?

 

As a black and white answer.. yes, it is possible. HQ can do whatever they want. However, I think you have better odds of finding the cache on the ISS than getting a cache unarchived.

Edited September 25, 2020 by igator210