Cache Idea. Is It New? Is It Good?

[+briansnat]

In trying to come up with a new twist, I thought of something I call a "spider cache". It's a multi-cache, but instead going from one stage to get the coordinates of the next (as with most multi-caches), you go the the posted coordinates (I call it the "body cache") where you'll find the coordinates of a number of (say 8) other caches in the area (the "leg caches"). Each of the "leg caches" will have their own log book and cache trade items.

 

I was also trying to decide how to allow people to log this cache. One idea is that the geocacher must find the "body" cache and all the "legs" before they can log the cache.

 

Another idea is to allow the finder to log a find for each "leg" they find, meaning they can log several finds on the same cache page (there is some precedent for this, as I've seen it allowed in some "moving" and "event" caches).

 

I picture using a cache like this in small, to medium sized park, maybe 5 - 25 acres.

 

So what are everyone's thoughts? Good idea? Bad one? Is it even new?

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs, but by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" -Max Beerbohm

[+Criminal]

Sounds pretty cool. Good luck keeping all nine caches out of the hands of non-players, it's hard enough with one.......

 

Seems like you'd need a whole lot more room than that. The other problem is people who are looking for something easier than 9 finds = 1.

[Dinoprophet]

quote:

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Originally posted by Criminal:

The other problem is people who are looking for something easier than 9 finds = 1.

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Incorporating a puzzle or theme might help with this. I think if there's a perceived reason or extra motivation, people who would otherwise have a problem with "one smiley for nine finds" won't mind so much.

 

Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann, und ich hab' auch im Blut.

[+briansnat]

quote:

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The other problem is people who are looking for something easier than 9 finds = 1.

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That's why I was toying with the idea of allowing a find log for each "leg".

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs, but by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" -Max Beerbohm

[+Marky]

Another option is to make it a multi of a different nature. Make the body (the posted coords) and the legs micros. The body would have the coords for the 8 leg micros. Each leg micro would have a piece of the final coords. When you find all 8 legs, you now have the coords of the spider's lair, where the final cache (with trading items) lies.

 

--Marky

"Everyone spends time in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr"

[Dinoprophet]

quote:

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Originally posted by Marky:

Another option is to make it a multi of a different nature. Make the body (the posted coords) and the legs micros. The body would have the coords for the 8 leg micros. Each leg micro would have a piece of the final coords. When you find all 8 legs, you now have the coords of the spider's lair, where the final cache (with trading items) lies.

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I've been considering something like this. What I had in mind was, each of the micros had some information. Depending on the order you did the micros, you might get enough info from as few as two of the "legs", but more likely you'd need to find more. The gathered info would lead you to the final cache.

 

Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann, und ich hab' auch im Blut.

[Tahosa and Sons]

This one has multi stops, you can get a for each stop. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=42606

Then the booty lies near the end. Also if one does a cache location search prior to start there are at least 9 caches that could be done while enroute.

 

Tahosa - Dweller of the Mountain Tops.

[+orange]

Seems like a lot of caches for one area.

 

If I knew I had to find 8 cache for a find I'd probably not do it.

 

I agree with comment about multiple cache pages for each of the legs. Then you get a find for each one if you are putting a log and trade in each leg then seems to me they are separate.

 

See the Copper Mining caches in NJ. They are a multi but you get credit for each find.

 

You have to find first one to get coords for second and so on.

 

I don't like multiple finds on one page. How will I as a reader know which one was found with the online logs if they don't include the cache they found in log?

 

My 2 cents.

[+Squirrel Nut & Beersnob]

Another possibility on the set-up is to have each cache (body, plus the 8 'legs') as it's own cache page. For the legs, you can post the coordinates for the parking area, or for the 'body' and note this on the 'leg' page, that the coords of this leg can be found in the body. If you want to give special honors to those that find the whole thing, maybe each leg has a codeword, and you establish a virtual that in order to log it you need the codewords from all legs.

 

Yeah, I know it'll give ppl. 1 more 'find' than what they actually did, but it's all the trhill of the hunt/the booty at the end, yes?

 

I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

[BassoonPilot]

Please, don't allow multiple find logs for the various "legs." I think if all the "legs" can be snagged within a couple of hours, it should be set up as one multicache.

[BassoonPilot]

quote:

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Originally posted by orange:

... See the Copper Mining caches in NJ. They are a multi but you get credit for each find.

 

You have to find first one to get coords for second and so on.

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Well, the "Go Copper Mining" series are a little different because each one was placed quite a while (months, I think) after the previous one. Each time a new one in the series has been placed, those who found the previous ones simply return to the last one they found ... they're all pretty close together.

[+MaxEntropy]

If you place a little bit of the puzzle in each leg and one gets plundered, it would make the next finder really ticked off especially finding the center then seven of the others first.

You might consider making the clues overlap so that if one or two caches are plundered, there's still enough information left to finish the cache.

That way, someone can do three or four of the legs and finish it.

If a cache takes eight, nine or ten finds and I can't do it in a day, I'm probably not going to start. The kids would get bored with it pretty quickly.

It's choice between spending all day logging one cache or spending all day logging three or four unique caches.

An interesting theme, perhaps historical or a puzzle would make it less tedious than eight caches stuck under eight bushes in the same park.

[+Criminal]

I like Marky's idea. A beginning cache (the posted coordinates) with info on finding eight (other bugs have only six legs...) micro caches. There should be a log book for each micro, none for the main (body)cache. If your desire is to only find one or two, no prob.

 

That would require (for a spider) a total of nine cache pages on the web. Post all with the same coordinates, the one for the body. Use your PC and printer to make business cards, eight different ones, or one for each "leg". Print the leg position, ie: right front or left rear, on one side and the clue and lat/long on the other. (DON'T use numbers or people will get confused thinking they have to find the whole series.)

Print enough of each of the eight so that finders can take the card with them. If you print twenty of each and get ten logs, go back out and replenish the supply.

 

Also, make sure each of the micros use the same container type. Less confusion.

 

I like that idea so much I may do one myself!

 

Thanks Brian!

[Dinoprophet]

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Post all with the same coordinates

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Will the site allow that? I thought there was some sort of range checking so caches aren't placed too close together. Or is that done manually?

 

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Print the leg position, ie: right front or left rear...

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That reminds me of the game "Cootie". An alternative idea for the theme, maybe.

 

This is a cool idea!

 

Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann, und ich hab' auch im Blut.

[+Sissy-n-CR]

First, as for complexity, we completed a 13 stage multi a couple weeks ago or so. It took us several days, but we're local, so that wasn't a big deal.

 

I probably wouldn't mess with logs for the legs or making cards to put in them. You could simply require the hunters to bring their own log and jot down the coordinates in it. (We have a digital camera with us sometimes and simply take a picture of the tag or whatever the information is on. OR We simply put the coordinates in the GPS--we'd have to anyway.) You might do cards for the first body caches--the one that gives the coordinates to all of the legs--but still you could simply make them write down the coordinates themselves. This will give them a bit more of a challenge as when they can't find a leg they may wonder if they wrote down--or entered--the coordinates right.

 

Only put a log and trades in the final cache and allow logging the final cache.

 

--OR--

 

Have two completely seperate cache pages.

 

One for The Spider. You hunt The Spider like any traditional cache, but it has those coordinates for the legs like you've mentioned.

 

Then have one for The Spider's Lair. This one would have the same coordinates--with permission from admin--as The Spider. They hunt the 8 legs to find clues to the Lair similiar to an above post. Then the hunters will have a choice of one or two finds.

 

On the issue of plundering, you could skip actually making leg caches with containers. Make tags to attach to trees or other objects. We've hunted a "trivia" multi made up this way and it works quite well, I think.

 

Anyway, those are just a few ideas, not all are mine, but I hope it helps.

 

CR

 

[+Geo-Johnson's]

Perhaps you could make it like one of those drawing puzzles you see in puzzle books......where you draw exactly what's in a box on graph paper and when you're done you have a complete picture. The body cache gives coords to the legs.....in each leg, you have one graph box that they need to draw into their own graph....when they've completed all of the legs, they have to coordinates to the spiders lair?...... I think it would be a fun twist. I like caches that even though they're simple, take a little more initiative........

 

Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners.

[+geospotter]

How about having each of the leg caches give you a direction to a lair cache, but no distance. Finders would have to find at least two caches to triangulate, but they could choose which two (or more) to find.

 

Just thinking out loud...

 

geospotter

[+ED634]

QUOTE

Please, don't allow multiple find logs for the various "legs." I think if all the "legs" can be snagged within a couple of hours, it should be set up as one multicache

 

BASSOONPILOT,ILL AGREE WITH

[+Sissy-n-CR]

quote:

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Originally posted by geospotter:

How about having each of the leg caches give you a direction to a lair cache, but no distance. Finders would have to find at least two caches to triangulate, but they could choose which two (or more) to find.

 

Just thinking out loud...

 

geospotter

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Not a bad scheme if you ask me. Orienteering has it's place in geocaching, I think.

 

CR

 

[+Squirrel Nut & Beersnob]

quote:

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Originally posted by ED634:

QUOTE

Please, don't allow multiple find logs for the various "legs." I think if all the "legs" can be snagged within a couple of hours, it should be set up as one multicache

 

BASSOONPILOT,ILL AGREE WITH

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*shrugs* In some areas you can find several 1/1 or other easy caches within a few hours, is there really that big of a difference? Looking back again on the size of the park BrianSnat is looking at, I can see where 9/10 finds in such an area may be a bit much. I like the idea of finding the 'Spider' body to log, and then the clues from the legs to the 'lair'. Would probably work better than my idea for a smaller area.

 

But if you take the 'Spider' idea, and make the legs in different parks/different areas of a large park, then having each leg as it's own find may not be so bad.

 

I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

[BassoonPilot]

quote:

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Originally posted by Squirrel Nut:

 

*shrugs* In some areas you can find several 1/1 or other easy caches within a few hours, is there really that big of a difference?

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The big difference is that Brian has established a reputation for placing excellent caches ... well-stocked caches in outstanding locations. A bunch of closely spaced 1/1-type caches would be the antithesis of his past practice.

 

But if anyone could make it work, it would be Brian.