Why don't adventure labs show up on the map?

[+dennistubaplayer]

Hey everyone! I had a quick question. I was wondering why Groundspeak made it so that adventure labs don't show up on the map? I think that virtuals have one big advantage over adventure labs, They don't require a live app. If they were going to keep on doing this, why not have a live app for wherigos? I never would have known about them if my friend hadn't told me. This baffles me. Does anyone know why? Thanks! -Dennis

[+thebruce0]

They never have appeared on the map. They're entirely distinct from geocache listings, and a sort of 'side game', as it were, with the crossover being that Adventure Lab finds count towards your total smiley count (only on GC.com) and are listed in your stats - the ones that you don't delete/hide from view.

 

Wherigos are geocache listings that are intended to require an external downloaded cartridge from Wherigo.com.  Adventure Labs began as 100% separate experiemental experiences working nothing like geocaches or their logging process, and eventually became a 'thing' having their own mobile app. The work needed to merge ALs with standard geocaches is, I would wager, more monumental than one might think.  At best, hq would create a 'workaround' for the map, but beyond that the functionality is very very different.

[+K13]

There are a couple apps for Wherigo although I usually use my GPS for them.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

3 hours ago, dennistubaplayer said:

Hey everyone! I had a quick question. I was wondering why Groundspeak made it so that adventure labs don't show up on the map? I think that virtuals have one big advantage over adventure labs, They don't require a live app. If they were going to keep on doing this, why not have a live app for wherigos? I never would have known about them if my friend hadn't told me. This baffles me. Does anyone know why? Thanks! -Dennis

 

Initially lab caches were just a way to experiment with different ideas for a cache.  It didn't take long for them to become a commodity and counted like everything else in the game.  I've used the "WhereYouGo" app on android for Wherigo caches, but my handheld GPS supports them too.  

 

BTW, I saw one of your caches published in my notification area recently.  

[+Lynx Humble]

The integration map has been promised twice in their podcast (December 2019 and last summer). Groundspeak said sometimes in 2020 but time is starting to running out...

 

Groundspeak doesn't help themselves at all in that integration process by continuing to give new lab caches right left and center. We saw what happened recently with the new attributes that took over a month just to run 2 scripts to add the challenge and checker attributes...

Edited October 17, 2020 by Lynx Humble

[+Viajero Perdido]

In the many years the original map (now "Browse Map") has existed, I've never noticed a single functionality change, bug fix, or hint of any code change behind the scenes.  (Oh, other than adding a "Search" button to swoosh over to the newer map.)

 

No idea what's going on under the covers, but changes of any kind would surprise me.

[+ecanderson]

Don't hurt me, anyone.

I keep a separate database in GSAK of all of the waypoints for local lab caches (if you click on the map you first see on your phone, one waypoint for an AL is red, and the others show up as light gray circles).  Those are quickly located on GE for actual coordinates and are added to my usual PQ results in GSAK.  When I see the whole database on a map, which is how I plan/route a cache day, I am able to decide which ALs are going to be in the area of our day's work, and they get added to the run.  I use a different icon for them to make them easy to see on the map. 

Edited October 17, 2020 by ecanderson

[+ecanderson]

The blue dots are all part of one AL.   You don't know until you arrive if they are required to be done in sequence, but at least you have the general area in hand.

Honestly, I do very few things on the web site.  Too much easier to do most things using -- well -- that Windows tool.

 

[+Vooruit!]

There is a working REST endpoint at https://labs.geocaching.com/gpx/search?latitude=<lat>&longitude=<lat>&skip=0&take=500. In theory, someone could use it to create a working map, though I'm not sure if that's against any TOS.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

7 hours ago, Vooruit! said:

There is a working REST endpoint at https://labs.geocaching.com/gpx/search?latitude=<lat>&longitude=<lat>&skip=0&take=500. In theory, someone could use it to create a working map, though I'm not sure if that's against any TOS.

I wouldn't really call that a REST endpoint but replacing <lat> and <long> with a set of coordinates (in decimal degrees format) and entering that url into a browser will prompt for a username and password and return a GPX file.  

[+GeoElmo6000]

On 10/16/2020 at 11:01 PM, ecanderson said:

Don't hurt me, anyone.

I keep a separate database in GSAK of all of the waypoints for local lab caches (if you click on the map you first see on your phone, one waypoint for an AL is red, and the others show up as light gray circles).  Those are quickly located on GE for actual coordinates and are added to my usual PQ results in GSAK.  When I see the whole database on a map, which is how I plan/route a cache day, I am able to decide which ALs are going to be in the area of our day's work, and they get added to the run.  I use a different icon for them to make them easy to see on the map. 

 

I think this is awesome!  Besides the fact that adventures and geocaches don't show up on the same map, also labs don't show up on the Adventures map without one clicking on each Adventure (so you can't just see all the locations from multiple Adventures on one map).  What you describe and show in your other post is what I'd like to see happen eventually if Adventures are to be considered actual geocaches (and not a separate game like they should be at this point).

[+ecanderson]

Yes, it would be nice not to have to go to the trouble of 'roughing in' all of the coordinates for the AL waypoints.  However, doing so and having them on my map makes it lot easier to plan a day of 'caching' since they are show intermixed with regular caches, but it certainly is a bit of  extra work that would be better automated somewhere by gc.com.

Here's a look at what we may tackle next week, along with the info I used to create the AL waypoints for one of the ALs.   Notice that the ones labeled "DAx" (Denver Adventure) is TEN waypoints (as noted elsewhere, gc.com is definitely making exceptions to the 5/lab rule) and is spread out just a bit. 

 

 

 

 

[+K13]

Most of those 10 stop AL were special ones given to groups/organizations, not individuals. The 10 stop I setup for LoneStar RoundUp is owned by TXGA.

I did a couple by the Conroe Visotors Bureau(?) that were 10 or more stops, probably granted along with their GeoTrail.

Edited October 19, 2020 by K13

[+Calcows]

All these comments and NOBODY has an answer to the posters questions.  Note even the folks at Groundspeak do not respond.  A better question is why does the mobile app show Adventure Labs and online computer not?  The day is over when they (AL) were "experimental or special".  The honest answer is because Groundspeak does what they want regardless of what members ask for, they do minimal upgrades to the online, have poor direction, are more focused on "looking sexy" topics vs topics that relate to things working, and lastly have what appears as their corporate guidelines  "ignore complaints from our customers".  Groundspeak must have gone to the "Google school of app design".

Edited January 5, 2022 by Calcows

[+humboldt flier]

Fine by me if they don't show up.  

 

Even better if they go away entirely. NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER (yes 3-evers) had one launch correctly.  

 

Even had one say I was 2786 miles away from where I was standing.  

 

Big old Bronx Raspberry to them.

[+Rustynails]

Money Money Money, it's about cash. HQ want's you to use a phone for caching. Apps generate income.  If labs were added to the map you could generate a PQ and use your trusty garmin. Oops, I might have said a bad word.

[+GeoElmo6000]

1 hour ago, rustynails. said:

Money Money Money, it's about cash. HQ want's you to use a phone for caching. Apps generate income.  If labs were added to the map you could generate a PQ and use your trusty garmin. Oops, I might have said a bad word.

 

The apps are free so that's not it.  I don't believe they generate ad revenue using the apps, but they do using the website, so if it was for money they'd push the website.  

 

Right now the two games (geocaching and adventure labs) are not integrated.  Labs are not geocaches and so they don't show up as geocaches on the app or website.  They're two games that count toward a common find count.  Maybe eventually they'll be integrated better but right now they aren't.

[+Max and 99]

2 minutes ago, GeoElmo6000 said:

Labs are not geocaches

 

[+HoochDog]

Adventure Labs are not geocaches, despite the hastily implemented (and inaccurate) pop up wording. 
it’s a different game.

And to pre-respond to the same arguments that come up in every thread on this topic… no, virtuals and earths aren’t real caches either 😀

Edited January 6, 2022 by HoochDog
More

[+thebruce0]

And, ALs don't even have digital logs any more. They're "reviews".

[+humboldt flier]

22 hours ago, rustynails. said:

Money Money Money, it's about cash. HQ want's you to use a phone for caching. Apps generate income.  If labs were added to the map you could generate a PQ and use your trusty garmin. Oops, I might have said a bad word.

 LOL ... Bad Dog ... no biscuit.