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Wow! What happened?!


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I used to be addicted to this game.  At one point, there were a few of us who would compete to see who would be the first to log a new cache.  When my kids were young, we had many wonderful  adventures, and memories, getting out and searching - me, for the find; the kids, for the swag.  The kids are all now grown and I have relocated several times over the years.  Out of curiosity, I looked up the website to see what is new in the community.  Was I ever in a for big surprise!  What happened to this game?  I see that today, I have to pay to do the simplest of things in this game that used to be free and available to anyone.  Heck, I even have to pay to see my own statistics.  What a sad turn of affairs.  I don't reckon I'll be looking through here much anymore.

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1 minute ago, Highwayhavoc said:

I see that today, I have to pay to do the simplest of things in this game that used to be free and available to anyone. 

The game is still free. 

2 minutes ago, Highwayhavoc said:

Heck, I even have to pay to see my own statistics. 

You do? You can't see them on your own profile for free?

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16 minutes ago, Highwayhavoc said:

I see that today, I have to pay to do the simplest of things in this game that used to be free and available to anyone.

 

If you access the website, nothing has changed. Any Basic Member is able to see any cache apart from the few Premium Member Only (a owners choice, not from HQ).

If you use the free official app (and some others) Basic Members will have some limitations, yes. But you can log on the website with your smartphone.

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45 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

The game is still free. 

You do? You can't see them on your own profile for free?

 

Not sure if it's changed, but I've had to ask folks here what my stats were (on threads about them) the couple of times I decided to go basic a while.

I don't ever remember being able to see my stats as a basic member.  :)

 

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4 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

 

Not sure if it's changed, but I've had to ask folks here what my stats were (on threads about them) the couple of times I decided to go basic a while.

I don't ever remember being able to see my stats as a basic member.  :)

 

Hence the question mark. I didn't know that. 

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From the site, a non-paying member can now download the full gpx of a cache.  It was loc only back when. Basic members have been upgraded with regard to what they can do for free. 

 

What has happened is a lot more search functions and mapping, most of that behind a paywall. But all the stuff that I could use when I started is still available, free, and more. 

 

Stats date from around 2009. They've never been available to Basic Members.  

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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51 minutes ago, Highwayhavoc said:

 Out of curiosity, I looked up the website to see what is new in the community. 

Was I ever in a for big surprise!  What happened to this game? 

I see that today, I have to pay to do the simplest of things in this game that used to be free and available to anyone. 

Heck, I even have to pay to see my own statistics.  What a sad turn of affairs.  I don't reckon I'll be looking through here much anymore.

 

Well, not really...   IIRC, early 2002 (march ?) was when "charter membership" started.  A fee.

 - But, anyone could still play free, same as today, by simply using the site to load caches.  I still load them manually to a 60csx.

Are you using the phone app now ?  Maybe you're looking at "advanced" caches, and they're limited to 2/2, with traditionals and events only. 

The app isn't meant to replace the website...

 

When I've gone basic (usually 'cause something ticked me off...), I've never been able to see my own stats.

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One feature that disapeared for Basic members: years ago I got an information about new caches in my area. Not immeadeately after the publish, that was a Premium feature, but once a week. This function is no longer availible.

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22 hours ago, Highwayhavoc said:

Heck, I even have to pay to see my own statistics.  [...]  I don't reckon I'll be looking through here much anymore.

 

Geocaching is about the geocaches, the fun outside, finding (hopefully) clever hides of other cachers, hide some nice caches on your own.... and not a numbers game. You can still do all those things as non-premium member for free.

 

As premium member you have some gimmicks, mainly to make things more convenient, but all the basic functions are active for normal member as well.

 

Jochen

 

PS: There are some changes to the website which aren't good but that's mainly for all of us. ;-)

 

 

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3 hours ago, yrcko said:

One feature that disapeared for Basic members: years ago I got an information about new caches in my area. Not immeadeately after the publish, that was a Premium feature, but once a week. This function is no longer availible.

I had forgotten about that!

 

Hello from Groundspeak! This is your weekly update from Groundspeak for 09 September 2010 to 16 September 2010.
Upcoming Mega Events | In The News | This Week | Upcoming Events | Recent Geocaches

 

 

Recent Geocaches in Newsletter.png

Edited by Max and 99
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2 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I had forgotten about that!

I’ve not gotten that email in ages, and I’m premium.

 

to, have a look at project-gc.com. Yes, some stats are also premium, but pretty much everything that gc offers to premium is available there. They are an official api partner, btw.

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On 5/7/2021 at 9:47 PM, RuideAlmeida said:

If you access the website, nothing has changed.

Hello @RuideAmeida, What do you mean by "nothing has changed".
BM's rights have been restricted step by step for years.
Just a few examples:
canceled years ago:
- PM could see PMO caches on the map and just could not watch the listing. Useful to minimize the risk of conflicting distances.
canceled last year:
- Only Premium members can send third-party links via Message Center. 
  You also get the error message if you just want to send coordinates to a cacher for assistance and not a link...
- The use of various maps has been canceled (Satellite view unavailable...)
Last Update 2021:
Basic members no longer see all finds from another player.
Many cachers, including PMs don't like that.

Greetings Johannis10

 

Nothing.png

Edited by Johannis10
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29 minutes ago, Johannis10 said:

- PM could see PMO caches on the map and just could not watch the listing. Useful to minimize the risk of conflicting distances.

 

When I started as a basic member in 2013, PMO caches were only visible on the map when zoomed right out. As soon as I zoomed in they disappeared, so that would have been useless for avoiding proximity conflicts.

 

30 minutes ago, Johannis10 said:

- Only Premium members can send third-party links via Message Center.

 

There was no Message Centre prior to 2015, so how is this a former BM privilige that's been revoked? Actually I wish it wouldn't try to convert anything with a period not followed by a space into a link as it's a right pain when that happens. I can count on less than one finger the number of times I've actually wanted to send a clickable link in a message.

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2 hours ago, Johannis10 said:

Only Premium members can send third-party links via Message Center. You also get the error message if you just want to send coordinates to a cacher for assistance and not a link...

 

The use of various maps has been canceled (Satellite view unavailable...)

 

The former is almost certainly an anti-spam issue.

 

The latter has to do with changes by Google Maps. GSAK and a lot of others had to drop Google Maps entirely due to pricing changes for 3rd party use. If Google hadn't changed then Groundspeak wouldn't have restricted Google Maps to Premium. 

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10 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

There was no Message Centre prior to 2015, so how is this a former BM privilige that's been revoked?

Changed after about 5 years, and not only third-party links are the reson that you get that error message...

Not a decisive cut, but it shows the direction which GS is going. Let's see, what will come next...

Greetings Johannis10

 

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@terratin

You can subscribe to the newsletter on your email preferences page

https://www.geocaching.com/account/settings/emailpreferences

 

@Johannis10   Quote, "Useful to minimize the risk of conflicting distances". The best way for Basic Members to be aware of "conflicting distances" is available, it's Search.

Enter your proposed cache coords, get a list of caches out to 10 miles. Any PMO will show there, with distance from the proposed cache coords.  This won't help with hidden stages, but nothing will. 

 

I logged on as Basic and played with the site some. It's way, way better than it was back when.  Search will allow a Basic Member to enter city, coords, gc code, will return all caches within 10 miles. Will map those, and any that aren't PMO, the link can be clicked and from the cache page, a full gpx can be downloaded.   The browse map works!  this surprised me.

 

I recall when I did all mapping at home.   2006, if I wanted an aerial view, I loaded the gpx and opened it in paid mapping software, because this site had no such map views.  It did offer some mapping, but I don't recall what. It was basic street mapping I think.

 

For a time, this site wasn't using Google at all, because Google wanted to be paid. Now, because Geocaching.com has to pay Google, if you want Google mapping here, you have to pay Geocaching.com. Or download to your device, and do your own mapping.

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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I've played with some more, and exchanged email with a long time member  Basic.

There are some losses with this last update. 

 

  • Basic Members cannot see finds of other users. They can see hides, but not finds. 
  • There's no search page that returns a list of 20 caches, where a Basic member can download loc files 20 at time. I wonder how much use this was getting? any?
  • And the  filter for "that i haven't found" is gone.  Basic member can search for caches from a number of places on the site with a few different parameters, but all such searches go to Search, and none filter out finds. They do indicate found status.
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1 hour ago, Isonzo Karst said:

I've played with some more, and exchanged email with a long time member  Basic.

There are some losses with this last update. 

 

  • Basic Members cannot see finds of other users. They can see hides, but not finds. 
  • There's no search page that returns a list of 20 caches, where a Basic member can download loc files 20 at time. I wonder how much use this was getting? any?
  • And the  filter for "that i haven't found" is gone.  Basic member can search for caches from a number of places on the site with a few different parameters, but all such searches go to Search, and none filter out finds. They do indicate found status.

 

Fortunately there are a variety of far better options offered by API partners for basic members. At present. If those are removed then I'll find a way to muddle along. Maybe.

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On 5/9/2021 at 1:57 PM, Isonzo Karst said:

I've played with some more, and exchanged email with a long time member  Basic.

There are some losses with this last update. 

 

  • Basic Members cannot see finds of other users. They can see hides, but not finds. 
  • There's no search page that returns a list of 20 caches, where a Basic member can download loc files 20 at time. I wonder how much use this was getting? any?
  • And the  filter for "that i haven't found" is gone.  Basic member can search for caches from a number of places on the site with a few different parameters, but all such searches go to Search, and none filter out finds. They do indicate found status.

 

Can't see finds? Sure you can. Where do you mean?

 

But the search options as well as map options are limited, no "havn't found". That's not nice. 

Edited by Keystone
reference to unauthorized application removed by moderator
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2 hours ago, Ragnemalm said:

Can't see finds? Sure you can. Where do you mean?

That's what Basic Member see on your profile:

979405023_2021-05-2712_12.48www.geocaching.comd7e9e12e6f57.png.0e8e46a3827cae41855633c828f0994a.png

When the old seek page https://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx will be removed BM will have no way of checking the found history of other cacher.

I don't think that information could be provided by third parties and to me this is quite a fundamental restriction.

Again I'm asking HQ to reconsider this decision since I have no doubt that the old seek page will be removed sooner than later.

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It is interesting, I began in 2005 after a divorce and started dating again and we got into it for a couple of years and then kind of spotty here and there without every paying.  Now with my 11 daughter we wanted to really get back into it so paid for a premium membership after just a few days of trying back as a basic member, so they got me!  I don't see a lot of ads so I don't mind and it isn't expensive.  My problem with now is some of the COs, and I talked about this on another thread, and some don't think there is a difference nowadays but I beg to differ.  I don't remember seeing caches go months or even over a year with multiple DNFs or NM Requests, I mean I am not saying they have to be dealt with even within a month but a note saying you got and will get to it or just simply disable it to keep others from going out on a cache that isn't even there, yes I know people can look at the logs and choose not to go but some people just put them in a query or list and go.  To me that is the biggest difference I see now vs back in the day.

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