Does anyone read the Adventure Lab description?

[+Max and 99]

We've talked about things that creators can put in the adventure lab description to help those that are playing it. But there are times that I think no one even reads them. I get questions that indicate they skipped right over the description and went to the locations. 

So I'm asking from a playing adventure lab perspective.  Do you read the descriptions?

I guess it's similar to geocaching most people never read the descriptions unless they need to. I'm guessing most. ?

Edited November 14, 2020 by Max and 99

[+elyob]

Too many times I have read adventure lab text instructions which lead me in directions different from where I should be going.  I suspect that I will eventually treat those descriptions as I do geocaching descriptions, usually not reading them until I get home after a DNF.  However, when I started geocaching, all that I had to work with was the co-ordinates individually loaded into a primitive GPSr.  Unless I was near a printer before leaving home, the first hundreds of cache adventures did not come with descriptions.

[+Lynx Humble]

1 hour ago, Max and 99 said:

We've talked about things that creators can put in the adventure lab description to help those that are playing it. But there are times that I think no one even reads them. I get questions that indicate they skipped right over the description and went to the locations. 

So I'm asking from a playing adventure lab perspective.  Do you read the descriptions?

I guess it's similar to geocaching most people never read the descriptions unless they need to. I'm guessing most. ?

 

Descriptions are useless.

 

I normally just read the question when I am at Ground Zero.

 

 

[+Max and 99]

I'm talking about the adventure lab description not the description for each location. 

 

[+elyob]

Just now, Max and 99 said:

I'm talking about the adventure lab description not the description for each location. 

 

 

I definitely read those.  That is where the learning is.  Without that description, the locations have no context.

[+barefootjeff]

As an engineer who learnt early in life to always read the data sheets, I do the same in caching. For ALs, I always read the overall description before leaving home to see what I'm up for and what I might need to take or any gotchas like tidal access or park closing times, then, once at the starting point, I read the description of each waypoint to see where it's taking me and why.

 

In the case of my Wreck of the Maitland AL, for anyone not reading the description about the 1898 shipwreck it'd just be a long steep hike to a lump of rusty iron on a rock.

[+sernikk]

11 hours ago, Lynx Humble said:

Descriptions are useless.

 

How can anyone think that way?

So you are treating lab caches as locations with questions, no story involved, no main theme, nothing?

 

11 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I'm talking about the adventure lab description not the description for each location. 

 

 

In my area the main description is as important as the descriptions for each location. The only difference is, that in the main desc. there is sometimes more info regarding the overall adventure availability (opening hours, time needed to finish etc.).

 

But back to the main topic:

13 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

So I'm asking from a playing adventure lab perspective.  Do you read the descriptions?

I'm trying. I'm not gonna lie that when I'm time limited (travel caching) I don't read nearly anything but the questions. While caching I often skip descriptions and read them at home while logging drafts. In AL there are no drafts and sometimes I just... forget about them (shame for me).

 

When I do have time I'm reading and trying to be a part of the adventure. But it also comes to the theme or story. Some lab caches are showing uninteresting locations or the topic is unrelevant to me. Same goes with geocaching, everyone has his own taste  

Edited November 15, 2020 by sernikk
typo

[+Lynx Humble]

1 hour ago, sernikk said:

 

How can anyone think that way?

So you are treating lab caches as locations with questions, no story involved, no main theme, nothing?

 

 

In my area the main description is as important as the descriptions for each location. The only difference is, that in the main desc. there is sometimes more info regarding the overall adventure availability (opening hours, time needed to finish etc.).

 

But back to the main topic:

I'm trying. I'm not gonna lie that when I'm time limited (travel caching) I don't read nearly anything but the questions. While caching I often skip descriptions and read them at home while logging drafts. In AL there are no drafts and sometimes I just... forget about them (shame for me).

 

When I do have time I'm reading and trying to be a part of the adventure. But it also comes to the theme or story. Some lab caches are showing uninteresting locations or the topic is unrelevant to me. Same goes with geocaching, everyone has his own taste  

Hum could you be consistent please.

 

You found me strange to ignore description and just after you wrote that you often skip them on the field...

[+sernikk]

26 minutes ago, Lynx Humble said:

Hum could you be consistent please.

 

You found me strange to ignore description and just after you wrote that you often skip them on the field...

 

But this doesn't make them useless as you've said.

Yes, I sometimes skip descriptions when I don't have much time to read them while being on the spot. I often skip geocache descriptions, but I'm reading them at home. That is something different right?

[+ecanderson]

If for no other reason than to perhaps see if I should be looking for bonus cache material in the 'fleeting' 5th journal, yes.

Descriptions often mention bonus caches.

 

[+CAVinoGal]

18 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

So I'm asking from a playing adventure lab perspective.  Do you read the descriptions?

I guess it's similar to geocaching most people never read the descriptions unless they need to.

I read descriptions.  I spend time on writing my descriptions for caches (and my Adventure), realizing a lot of folks never read what I have written.  But I put time and effort into descriotions, and give other CO's the same courtesy I expect and read theirs as well, even if it's nearly non-existent.

[+thebruce0]

I hope people read the AL description - that's where I start the story and describe to a degree what may be involved and set the expectations. if someone tries mine without reading, they'll probably be lost on the first stage. Including bonus I rated mine 4.5/4.5. And only because so far about half the cachers who've attempted it I've had to communicate with; and have made a few tweaks afterwards for clarity. A couple of elements (that required some sleuthing) are now all but spelled out because people either missed something, skipped something, or assumed something.  And per other discussions, if a bad experience is influenced by 'user error' as it were, it can still lead to bad ratings. In a way, the hope for a good rating is something that can sort of suppress creative/difficult/non-standard experiences. But that's for a different thread. rabbit trail...

 

Anyway, you bet, please read the description!

Edited November 15, 2020 by thebruce0

[+Max and 99]

2 minutes ago, thebruce0 said:

I hope people read the AL description - that's where I start the story and describe to a degree what may be involved and set the expectations. if someone tries mine without reading, they'll probably be lost on the first stage. Including bonus I rated mine 4.5/4.5. And only because so far about half the cachers who've attempted it I've had to communicate with; and have made a few tweaks afterwards for clarity. A couple of elements (that required some sleuthing) are now all but spelled out because people either missed something, skipped something, or assumed something.  And per other discussions, if a bad experience is influenced by 'user error' as it were, it can still lead to bad ratings. In a way, the hope for a good rating is something that can sort of suppress creative/difficult/non-standard experiences. But that's for a different thread. rabbit trail...

 

Anyway, you bet, please read the description!

Very similar to my experience.

[+G0ldNugget]

Reading these replies like, "I don't read them unless I get a DNF" or "They are unreliable" or "I've managed all these years without them" explains a lot of the complaints I get about my AL. I make clear in the description that this Adventure requires more effort and time than the standard walking city tour. What part of "its a very windy road" and "its 10 miles long and will take 1-2 hours to complete" did they not understand?

Edited November 15, 2020 by G0ldNugget
tyop

[+medicrrt]

I read the descriptions.  It is the only way to find out if it is worth pursuing.

[+sernikk]

14 hours ago, G0ldNugget said:

Reading these replies like, "I don't read them unless I get a DNF" or "They are unreliable" or "I've managed all these years without them" explains a lot of the complaints I get about my AL. I make clear in the description that this Adventure requires more effort and time than the standard walking city tour. What part of "its a very windy road" and "its 10 miles long and will take 1-2 hours to complete" did they not understand?

 

If the adventure makes sense and walking those 10 miles is justified, then I would be happy to complete it. I have met this approach that everything should be easy, peasy, lemon squeezy on Virtual caches too. People uploaded wrong photos or not all needed for logging this virtual. Some of them even did armchair logging, taking a picture of their xWG with their computer screen (sic!), and claiming they've visited the spot. Effort is something not welcome for them.

 

6 hours ago, medicrrt said:

I read the descriptions.  It is the only way to find out if it is worth pursuing.

I agree with that. During a trip to other countries you can choose interesting adventures only.

[+IceColdUK]

On 11/14/2020 at 11:01 PM, Max and 99 said:

So I'm asking from a playing adventure lab perspective.  Do you read the descriptions?

I do.  We’re talking about a few paragraphs!  I’d hate to be in such a rush that I didn’t have enough time to read it.

[+Essap]

I read the descriptions.  I do not like adventure labs that require sequential finds because you can not read the descriptions on the individual stages until you find the previous stages,  Can not read them at home.  I generally give Adventure Labs that require sequential stages 1 point lower than I normally would.  I have only encountered a  couple where the sequential order makes since and enhances the experience. 

[+Max and 99]

1 hour ago, Essap said:

I read the descriptions.  I do not like adventure labs that require sequential finds because you can not read the descriptions on the individual stages until you find the previous stages,  Can not read them at home.  I generally give Adventure Labs that require sequential stages 1 point lower than I normally would.  I have only encountered a  couple where the sequential order makes since and enhances the experience. 

That's too bad. I think I'll start taking off a star for each typo I find in the AL description and each location description, since it detracts from my enjoyment of reading the descriptions. 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Max and 99

[+mustakorppi]

I start reading them, but if it’s just a wikipedia info dump I stop and won’t read the waypoint descriptions either unless the question requires it.

 

Also, I have not and will not rate adventure labs. We don’t have ratings on normal caches either and I think for a good reason.

[+Max and 99]

2 hours ago, mustakorppi said:

We don’t have ratings on normal caches either and I think for a good reason.

I agree! I don't like the rating feature of Adventure Labs. 

[+elyob]

Without the rating system, one cannot qualify for a second AL.

[+Max and 99]

7 minutes ago, elyob said:

Without the rating system, one cannot qualify for a second AL.

Yep. I still don't like it though.

[+Essap]

Without the rating system, one cannot qualify for a second AL.

 

I'm not sure that is correct.  was awarded my second AL before my first AL was found.

[+Max and 99]

2 hours ago, Essap said:

Without the rating system, one cannot qualify for a second AL.

 

I'm not sure that is correct.  was awarded my second AL before my first AL was found.

The first activity log on each of yours was less than a month apart. That's great for your area!

[+thebruce0]

Yup. Favourite points (Rating 1.0 or N/A) really do seem to be about the best universal rating system mechanic in gc, if any.