Hotter or colder game

[+granskog123]

Does anyone know how to build a hotter or colder game like in this video: 

I guess I would need to check the distance to a zone from the current location. Is there some LUA code to do that? I’m using earwigo.

[+Jayeffel]

cannot get one Wherigo to work on my iPhone, really have no clue

 

[Ranger Fox]

It shouldn't be too hard to make a cartridge like that, then.  There are a couple ways this could be set up:

• Every 30 seconds, the cartridge would automatically tell you if you're hotter or colder than last time, provided you're at least 15 meters away from the last coordinates
• Provide an item that has a command that will tell you whether you're hotter or colder than last time
• Encase the player within a visible zone.  The zone's name to the player will either be "HOT" or "COLD".  When the player exits the zone, the OnDistant event would fire, triggering the code to update the zone's name and move it to the player's current coordinates.

You'd have other considerations:

• Define a range of words (on fire, burning hot, hot, cool, cold, freezing, not even remotely near) to use based on the distance to the hidden cache.  If you're at most ten meters away, you get "on fire".  If you're at most twenty-five meters away, you get "burning hot".  And so on.
• Perhaps we could somehow encode the coordinates so this could be a play anywhere cartridge like the popular Reverse Wherigo cartridge.  In fact, this entire concept is very similar--but you're not given a distance, which makes it more difficult.  (Aside from the online solver, I could just go to three locations, get the distance away, and then use something to compute the final coordinates based on where I was and the distance--but that might be beyond some people.)
• How do you want to let people know if they're hot or cold: an item, zone name, message box?
• You don't want to limit the number of guesses people have because they can just restart the cartridge, not resuming from save state.

 

Refine the idea here.  Should we use an item command for players to ask if they're hot or cold?  Should we use a zone?  Perhaps limit it to telling players every thirty seconds regardless where they are?  If the idea is hammered out, I might make an open source cartridge you can use.  Just plug in the final coordinates, perhaps adjust the variables that control the words used, and you're off.  I'll make sure it's easy to change around if you import the cartridge's code into a builder application.  But, first, hammer out the full concept here.

[+granskog123]

1 hour ago, Ranger Fox said:

It shouldn't be too hard to make a cartridge like that, then.  There are a couple ways this could be set up:

• Every 30 seconds, the cartridge would automatically tell you if you're hotter or colder than last time, provided you're at least 15 meters away from the last coordinates
• Provide an item that has a command that will tell you whether you're hotter or colder than last time
• Encase the player within a visible zone.  The zone's name to the player will either be "HOT" or "COLD".  When the player exits the zone, the OnDistant event would fire, triggering the code to update the zone's name and move it to the player's current coordinates.

You'd have other considerations:

• Define a range of words (on fire, burning hot, hot, cool, cold, freezing, not even remotely near) to use based on the distance to the hidden cache.  If you're at most ten meters away, you get "on fire".  If you're at most twenty-five meters away, you get "burning hot".  And so on.
• Perhaps we could somehow encode the coordinates so this could be a play anywhere cartridge like the popular Reverse Wherigo cartridge.  In fact, this entire concept is very similar--but you're not given a distance, which makes it more difficult.  (Aside from the online solver, I could just go to three locations, get the distance away, and then use something to compute the final coordinates based on where I was and the distance--but that might be beyond some people.)
• How do you want to let people know if they're hot or cold: an item, zone name, message box?
• You don't want to limit the number of guesses people have because they can just restart the cartridge, not resuming from save state.

 

Refine the idea here.  Should we use an item command for players to ask if they're hot or cold?  Should we use a zone?  Perhaps limit it to telling players every thirty seconds regardless where they are?  If the idea is hammered out, I might make an open source cartridge you can use.  Just plug in the final coordinates, perhaps adjust the variables that control the words used, and you're off.  I'll make sure it's easy to change around if you import the cartridge's code into a builder application.  But, first, hammer out the full concept here.

So nice that you’re wanting to help!

My idea is that when the cartridge starts, a message shows up and explains the concept. After the player answers a question about the start location (to prevent gps spoofing), the game starts.

I’m thinking a timer that repeats like every 10 seconds and if the player has moved 15 meters, it checks if you’re closer or further away from the final zone, which will be invisible. A message will pop up to tell the player if it’s hotter or colder. This is something that I would have to try out to see what works best for my location, but having the messages change based on how far away I am would be really cool. Your suggestions like hot, burning hot would work.

When the player finally enters the zone, a message will pop up giving an hint for the cache.

If you would like to build an open source cartridge or just help me with the LUA code that handles distance, that would be really great.

 

Ps. Even though it might not be what i wanted, making the cartridge available as an “play anywhere” that can be used for multiple caches would be a really great idea. I think both hiders and finders would like something different than the reverse Wherigo!

Edited June 19, 2023 by granskog123

[Ranger Fox]

Some thoughts and observations:

• Interesting about the question for the starting location.  I wouldn't have considered doing that since information could always get around.
• Instead of a timer every ten seconds, we can just wait until the player moves more than fifteen meters away.  Doing so simplifies the implementation since that's one less thing we'll have to worry about.
• Okay, so a message can pop up to tell the player hotter or colder.  I'll have to make something so the message must be dismissed prior to starting the next fifteen meters.
• When someone reaches the geocache zone, we can have a message pop up and the geocache zone become visible.

When I get involved in cartridge creation, so long as it's not absolutely dependent upon the location, I try to make it reusable and editable by others.  I've gotten better at that over the years.  Most cartridges, though, require you to edit the lua script.  This one, though, I'm going to see if I can make it so you can edit everything 100% in a builder app.  That means you're going to see a TON of variables.  These will control how the game is set up, the messages shown to the player, distances, and so on.  My personal success criteria is how easy it is for other people to edit the cartridge for their own area.

[Ranger Fox]

You can find a rough working version here.  In this version, you ask an item whether you are hot or cold.  I have five special messages as you get closer.

 

When playing, the answer to the first question is "Ranger Fox".  The cache zone is about 120 meters to the west of the starting zone.

 

You should be able to change everything around by viewing the cartridge in a builder application.  Note all the variables.  Pay attention to their descriptions.  You can expand or constrict when the game's special messages are shown, change the message itself, and change the general hot/cold message.  If you look at the source, the main work is done in the function DoHotOrColdWork().

 

I'll let you play around with it and provide feedback.  If you want to refine it further, you can.  Please send me the source code when you're done.  For kicks and giggles, I'll hide a Wherigo geocache in my own area using this cartridge, just because I don't believe many of the locals like Wherigo.

[Ranger Fox]

I updated the cartridge so you also have a radar item.  It will attempt to update every five seconds if you move three or more meters away.  Thus, you can either play the game by asking and being told or just stay on the radar item.

 

I'll let you contribute pictures for the warm and cold messages, then I'll wire them in.

[+granskog123]

3 hours ago, Ranger Fox said:

I updated the cartridge so you also have a radar item.  It will attempt to update every five seconds if you move three or more meters away.  Thus, you can either play the game by asking and being told or just stay on the radar item.

 

I'll let you contribute pictures for the warm and cold messages, then I'll wire them in.

I’m trying to test it in webwigo. I get this error: cartridge.lua:585: unexpected symbol near '.' Am I doing something wrong?

[Ranger Fox]

The link I provided is to a zip file.  Inside is a lua and gwc file.  If you're providing Webwigo the zip or lua file, you're doing something wrong.  You should be providing it the gwc file.  It should work because that's how I did my testing.

[+granskog123]

18 hours ago, Ranger Fox said:

The link I provided is to a zip file.  Inside is a lua and gwc file.  If you're providing Webwigo the zip or lua file, you're doing something wrong.  You should be providing it the gwc file.  It should work because that's how I did my testing.

I got it to work! The problem only occurred when exporting it from earwigo. The cartridge looks great from my testing. I will try to change the location and run it in the Wherigo app. Thanks!

[+granskog123]

20 hours ago, Ranger Fox said:

The link I provided is to a zip file.  Inside is a lua and gwc file.  If you're providing Webwigo the zip or lua file, you're doing something wrong.  You should be providing it the gwc file.  It should work because that's how I did my testing.

This might be a earwigo issue, but Wherigo.com is not letting me compile the gwz file from earwigo. I get this error: 

Server was unable to process request. ---> Exception of type

'System.ApplicationException' was thrown.

Do you know what might have gone wrong?

[Ranger Fox]

Several people have reported that problem.  I tried using the site's cartridge compiler service using just a zip file of the lua script I wrote and it didn't return an error.  Later, once we have the images in the cartridge, I'll try to make a new listing on the site and see what happens.  If I can make a new listing using my own file and you can't using one from Earwigo, I'll need you to import my own file into Earwigo and do an export without changing anything.  That way, I can compare the two outputs and discover the reason.

[+granskog123]

On 6/21/2023 at 11:11 PM, Ranger Fox said:

Several people have reported that problem.  I tried using the site's cartridge compiler service using just a zip file of the lua script I wrote and it didn't return an error.  Later, once we have the images in the cartridge, I'll try to make a new listing on the site and see what happens.  If I can make a new listing using my own file and you can't using one from Earwigo, I'll need you to import my own file into Earwigo and do an export without changing anything.  That way, I can compare the two outputs and discover the reason.

I’m working on creating the images now. How should I send them to you once i’m done? Via this thread? Also, do I need to compress the images? Any max file size?

[+technetium]

I just stumbled across this thread. My ReWind cardridge https://www.Wherigo.com/cartridge/details.aspx?CGUID=1352a6a9-203b-4930-8724-bbed264114d4 has a hotter colder mode.

 

The code you can use is: MJMQ-LUQ-MEP-LHAC

 

For other modes try the following codes:

VCHD-RNF-CMJ-EFQQ
GAWY-HMM-NFM-VZTP
QCAV-XLX-WRF-VMDN

 

Enjoy

[+Doma-v-Lutine]

This is my Wherigo cache https://www.Wherigo.com/cartridge/details.aspx?CGUID=7e0d1fdb-0896-4093-ae02-b751d038fc63

[+PoppCulture]

I think this would be a cool idea with a parking lot looking for an LPC. You could create a big zone that is the parking lot, and a small zone where the geocache is, then every 10 or 15 seconds have it tell the player if they are hotter or colder than the last location to the geocache. 

 

I am definitely going to try to recreate this cartridge around where I live. It's a really cool idea.

[+PoppCulture]

Here is the .gwc, gwz, and .urwigo files for the LPC hotter or Colder game: Google Drive