Release Notes (Adventure Lab®: Self-service builder credits) - July 24, 2024

[+Geocaching HQ]

Release Notes (Adventure Lab®: Self-service builder credits) - July 24, 2024

With this release (version 1.33.0), the Adventure Lab® team at Geocaching HQ introduces a self-service feature for Premium members to receive builder credits through the Adventure Lab® app.

A new list item, “How to create an Adventure,” has been added to the “Profile” screen of the app. 

 

 

 

When a Premium member selects “How to create an Adventure,” a screen labeled “How to create an Adventure” appears. This screen includes a list of requirements to qualify for a new builder credit. A green check mark is adjacent to each requirement if met. Each requirement must be met to claim a credit. If a Premium member is eligible to claim a credit, a button labeled “Claim credit” is darkened. 

 

 

 

 

When the “Claim credit” button is selected a success message appears. A new credit will be available within the Builder under the “Available credits” header. The player will also receive an email.

 

 

 

 

Players who do not meet all of the requirements are unable to claim a credit at that moment. A requirement that is not met is indicated by a red “x”. If a Premium member is not eligible to claim a credit, a button labeled “Claim credit” is greyed out.

 

 

 

 

Creators can consult the “Frequently asked questions” page for additional information about each requirement.

 

 

 

 

When a Basic member selects the “How to create an Adventure” list item from the “Profile” screen, a screen labeled “Create an Adventure” appears. Basic members are not eligible to claim credits. Basic members can select “Premium benefits” button for information about how to become a Premium member.

 

 

 

 

Adam (Captain_Cookie), Adventure Lab® Support Manager, is watching this thread to answer questions whenever possible.

Any posts in this thread should relate to features in this release. Comments unrelated to the release may be removed. Please direct unrelated comments to other appropriate threads. Thanks!

[+Max and 99]

I have a green check mark where I should not have a green check mark. I received a new credit even though I already have one that I haven't used. If I am understanding the post correctly, that should not have allowed me a new credit? Am I possibly just misunderstanding?

 

I hit the claim credit button and now I have two credits. 

Edited July 24, 2024 by Max and 99

[Captain_Cookie]

Hi @Max and 99, credits distributed through a prior distribution are not considered "available builder credits" for the purposes of the self-service portal. Only credits granted through the new self-service feature are considered for this criterion.

[+CAVinoGal]

12 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I have a green check mark where I should not have a green check mark. I received a new credit even though I already have one that I haven't used. If I am understanding the post correctly, that should not have allowed me a new credit? Am I possibly just misunderstanding?

 

I hit the claim credit button and now I have two credits. 

 

Same here - and my "eligiiblilty date" shows as 3/7/2017, the date  I actually joined geocaching - I didn't go premium until June 2017.  And now I have 2 credits.  Whatever!!

 

 

[+Max and 99]

23 minutes ago, CAVinoGal said:

Same here - and my "eligiiblilty date" shows as 3/7/2017, the date  I actually joined geocaching - I didn't go premium until June 2017

Your new eligibility date should now be 90 days from now. 

[+brendan714]

How many times can I claim a credit? 

[+Max and 99]

8 minutes ago, brendan714 said:

How many times can I claim a credit? 

You're eligible every 90 days if I understand correctly.

 

 

[+brendan714]

Interesting.

And I just need ONE previous adventure lab rated in the top 90% to request a credit every 90 days?  So there's no limitation on how "good" my new labs need to be?

[Captain_Cookie]

1 hour ago, brendan714 said:

Interesting.

And I just need ONE previous adventure lab rated in the top 90% to request a credit every 90 days?  So there's no limitation on how "good" my new labs need to be?

 

Hi @brendan714, to clarify, there is no minimum number of Adventures required to earn a new credit. One of the criteria to earn a credit is that all of a creator's Adventures must be in the top 90% of Adventures worldwide as defined by average rating. Players with zero credits fulfill this criterion by default.

Edited July 25, 2024 by Captain_Cookie

[Coumpter]

If you are a basic member can you create a adventure

[Captain_Cookie]

48 minutes ago, Coumpter said:

If you are a basic member can you create a adventure

 

Hi @Coumpter, Basic members cannot receive credits through the self-service portal. 

[+henkemann]

What specific criteria must be met to achieve a top 90% rating?

 

Obviously I have a few ALCs below this level, but according from the number of finished visits, the comments and given starratings from the visitors they are still appreciated. So I should actually archive these ALCs even though people have enjoyed them and given them good ratings (above 4.1)?

 

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2024 by henkemann

[+J S-B]

One of my owned Adventure LAB's is ONLY rated 4,2

It's apparently below the top 90%

 

In Denmark the geocachers are discussing to help eachother with uprating their ALCs

The participators want to kill the top 90% with kindness. At the end it's not serious

[+ta68]

These 90% (or 4.2x) is pretty tone death I think, considering people will give low rating because of things like rain, or their own incapability to read basic instructions.

But I suppose the best way to solve this is to never give anything but five star ratings, even for lab series that are great but not superior (which I personally would rate 4/5).

If having 80% fours and 20% perfect scores are not enough, what is the point?

[+barefootjeff]

14 hours ago, J S-B said:

One of my owned Adventure LAB's is ONLY rated 4,2

It's apparently below the top 90%

 

Looking around my area, I see there's an AL in Sydney that has an average rating of 4.2 but also has a highy recommended thumbs-up.

 

 

So I guess it's outside the top 90% and needs to be archived if the owner wants any more credits, but at the same time it's the cream of the crop. Go figure.

[+igator210]

The rating system encourage chasing the lowest common denominator. Creativity is punished. The harder the CO makes the AL, the more likely you'll get a lower rating. I have a slightly more involved AL that people have given some less then pleasant feedback on, because they couldn't read a sign, but rather they had to search for the answer. In forums, people have bragged they deliberately give a lower rating if an AL is sequential.

 

Most ALs are now designed such that you skim a sign, find the one word you need and move on. If they happen to be multiple choice, you don't even need to read the AL write-up, just keep clicking until you land on the answer. I barely recall some of the ALs I've done, because there was no engagement on my end with the AL.

Now, back in the 2015 or so era, when Lab caches were really inventive, I fondly recall several of those.

[+thebruce0]

I'll echo your sentiments igator.

Sure, there are the few who do enjoy deeper Adventures with engaging content that may take more time, but generally speaking, people who ALs are there for the smiley count. Many, dare I say most, will sit and do couch-logging AL geoart, even if only because they're there. And that tends to lead to the mentality that if it requires extra work or takes more than a few minutes, it's either not worth doing, or they'll do it and 'not enjoy' it nearly as much.

Make a very engaging, creative AL, and guaranteed there will be way more people skimming through for the smiley and either not giving a rating or giving a low one.

But, make a geoart of easy multiple choice, and there will be WAY more smiley traffic, and statistically that means more high ratings as 'thanks' for the smileys.

That's just the way it is, unfortunately. And I saw a lot of that happening from cursory chats and watching people at the recent MWGB mega. Way more AL stages on the fairgrounds than geocaches, and so many people just face-to-phone wandering around or talking about how they racked up a hundred 'finds' while sitting at their campsite...

Honestly, and I'm not trying to be a downer, something needs to change here =/  Unless that's the intent, soon we'll see most geocachers with more code-entry smileys in their geocaching stats than actual geocache "Finds".

(and no I'm not saying at all that they 'aren't fun' or they need to go away - it's great that people are enjoying it all; all power too 'em! but ... surely the gist of this post isn't being lost?)

[Keystone]

On 7/24/2024 at 12:07 PM, Geocaching HQ said:

Any posts in this thread should relate to features in this release. Comments unrelated to the release may be removed. Please direct unrelated comments to other appropriate threads. Thanks!

As a reminder, please follow the quoted advice about comments in the Release Notes thread.

 

I consider comments on the rating calculation for eligibility to be on-topic.  In contrast, a suggestion that Adventures need a separate find count from geocaching belongs in the "Playing Adventures" forum section.

[Captain_Cookie]

The Adventures team would like to share an update to the recently released “Self-service builder credits” feature. Informed by community feedback, we have removed the “Published Adventures rated in the top 90%” criterion to receive a credit.

 

The self-service builder credit feature will continue to operate using the other criteria: 

• Active Premium membership
• No available builder credits
• No unpublished Adventures
• Passed eligibility date

Creators can expect to see the criterion removed from the feature on August 6, 2024. We appreciate your feedback on the latest Adventure Lab feature.