How Adventure Labs could become geocaches

[+GeoElmo6000]

One of my issues with Adventure Labs is that they seem to be shoehorned into the geocaching game when they don't really fit.  To me, they're a separate game from geocaching with a common find count.

 

I'm not saying they're bad or criticizing Adventure Labs, only saying they feel separate from geocaching.

 

This is, from a software perspective, how I picture Adventure Labs now.  To me they probably don't show up in the cache list or map because they don't have properties common to geocaches. 

 

A way to fix the issue is to make everything have common properties.  Then they can all work together nicely.  Sort of like this.  The cache list can display geocaches and labs because they all have common properties, and labs can sit on the map like every other cache type because they'll be geocaches also.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by GeoElmo6000
Updated photos as they were broken

[+Mineral2]

Are you suggesting that individual lab stages be treated as geocaches, or the adventure package itself? At least on the official app, whole labs do appear on the map. And it would be nice if they appeared on the website's map as well, but the lab would still need to point to / open in the app (maybe) to see the locations and details.

Also regarding find counts, maybe a happy medium is to still count individual locations as a find, but not award them until the adventure has been completed. I do recognize that some may choose not to complete an adventure but would still like to have a record of the stages they had completed.

Also, your images appear to be broken.

[+GeoElmo6000]

17 minutes ago, Mineral2 said:

Are you suggesting that individual lab stages be treated as geocaches, or the adventure package itself? At least on the official app, whole labs do appear on the map. And it would be nice if they appeared on the website's map as well, but the lab would still need to point to / open in the app (maybe) to see the locations and details.

Also regarding find counts, maybe a happy medium is to still count individual locations as a find, but not award them until the adventure has been completed. I do recognize that some may choose not to complete an adventure but would still like to have a record of the stages they had completed.

Also, your images appear to be broken.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I fixed the pics.  They worked fine in one browser but not in another, but they should work now.

 

Now that my diagrams can be seen, I was just proposing making locations work as geocaches, since GCHQ counts them that way.  The details are in the pics you couldn't see before.  

[+GeoElmo6000]

It would be nice if someone from geocaching HQ would read this post and say something.  Even, "no thank you, we're happy with the way this is" though I'd prefer "thanks for the feedback, that's an interesting idea and we'll talk about it".

 

I think it's a great idea as a software engineer, and helpful to integrate labs into the mainline game.  

 

Anyone from HQ listening?  Hello? 

[+Mineral2]

Yes, they are listening. No, they don't have time to reply to every single thread. 

If you have a great way to integrate labs into the main game, design it with an API token. GeoohGo has already made it happen (for android users anyway).

[Keystone]

I would encourage the OP to read the pinned thread on the vision for Adventure Labs, which guides development efforts.  In particular, please note the following:

 

Quote

• Geocaching HQ intends to expand the Adventure Lab audience and opportunities to explore by welcoming creators and players beyond the current geocaching community. As we work towards this, some of the decisions we make will favor welcoming new audiences, rather than trying to integrate Adventure Lab into the existing geocaching game. 
   
• The Adventure Lab platform includes elements that complement the core geocaching experience but it will continue to be distinct from core geocaching with a limited intersection of features. 

 

[+GeoElmo6000]

2 hours ago, Keystone said:

I would encourage the OP to read the pinned thread on the vision for Adventure Labs, which guides development efforts.  In particular, please note the following:

 

 

 

Thank you Keystone, I didn't see that post.  This supports my overall view that Adventure Labs are a separate game from geocaching that happens to be owned by Groundspeak and has similarities to geocaching.  I'm in favor of labs having a separate find count from geocaches, my OP was to hopefully bring them more together, but I'm fine with them becoming two separate entities, I just want them to pick a direction and go with it.  

 

Adventure Labs: a location based game created by Groundspeak.  Not geocaching, but similar.