Challenges update

I was pointed to a number of Jeremy's forum posts on challenges.  So I thought I would assemble a number of them that have some good info in them.

I know that things are always in flux, so remember things change weekly.

In reponse to someone wondering what the guidelines are.

....there are no guidelines, though there will be some encouraging text.

They (challenges) are location-based and for everyone to do.

When you complete a Challenge (the new virtual) it will now be included in your overall "find" count. That's the only change to my original comment. I was resisting but was worn down by my fellow lackeys.

To clarify, it isn't going to be a cache listing at all, so posting a new cache listing as a placeholder for a virtual would have no point to it.

Just who will be allowed to list virtual listings on this site? Lacky's? PM's? Any member?

Premium Members during the initial release will have the ability to post them, and even then they only post one every 24 hours (max). This will open up later, based on how the system is holding up.

I will add follow up info as something shows up.

Introducing Geocaching Challenges - Sort Of

Well someone threw it out on the forums, so I thought I would throw a little bone out here.  This new geocaching.com update added some of the backbone for the challenges/virtual system, and some forum discussion is going on about it.

http://www.geocaching.com/my/challenges.aspx

I know they have spoken about it at a couple of events, but I really do not know what has been discussed.  Without knowing what can and cannot be discussed I will stop my personal discussions here.

Here is a clip from Jeremy Irish:

In the UserVoice updates I never said that virtuals were coming back in their previous form, but instead something would be available that should capture the interest in virtuals without the baggage (such as the subjective review process).

To me, this is the most exciting project that we've worked on in years, but it will take some time to iterate through the idea and I know we'll get some things wrong, but the framework is solid. We'll be investing a substantial amount of effort with this project moving forward.

Some points:

• It will be on Geocaching.com, not a new web site. It will be a separate section in the beta, but I expect it to be integrated into a joined search at some point.
• Currently they will not go towards your find count, but it might at some point. It won't at the beginning though.
• It will be a visible statistic, so you will see them on the profile, on the logs, etc.
• We'll be hopefully launching with mobile applications to compliment the activity. I expect that the majority of participants will be using smartphones, but we will have components (Pocket Queries, GPX file downloads, etc) for traditional GPS devices.

So that is what I have to share.  Some who went to Mega Events might want to share info that you have heard.  

My GUESS as to the release.  End of the month, I would also think at the same time all the phone apps will be upgraded to them as well.

Update on 2011-08-06 17:02 by firennice

Highlight - Germany

Population 81 Million people, 138,000 square miles, Nearing 200,000 geocaches

Comparison to California

Population 37 Million people, 160,000 square miles, Nearing 100,000 geocaches.

It is amazing to me to see a country where caching has taken off like Germany.  So much so that groundspeak is doing a series of videos highlighting caching there.

The thought I had was a country the size of Montana or New Mexico.  With 81 million people in it.  (That is a lot of people) and not a lot of country and mountains has nearly 200,000 geocaches.  Making it the biggest group of cachers outside the United States. 

There is a large group of reviewers for Germany.  There are about 35 reviewers in Germany, and they review a vast number of different kinds of caches.  On a day to day basis 15-20 come across my queue in Utah.  Sometimes far more, and in the winter maybe 5-15.  I think about 15% are puzzle caches, and 2-3% multi caches, it is rare that I see anything else.

However Germany is full of creative puzzles and multi caches.  The sheer number make people take the time and look at what they are doing. Make something that people can talk about and stand in awe of.

I notice the difference when I look at the map.  In Utah and many of the other states in the US you see a sea of green tiles with some blue tossed in.  here you see the yellow of the multicaches as well.

That creates a huge challenge for the cache placer and the reviewers.  there are far many more caches where you may not know where the physical stages or the finals are.  You have to be much more careful and expect to be told that there is a problem.

In any case I recommend that a cache page be created with the approximate coords then email the reviewer asking if there are issues.  Nothing is more depressing than someone traveling 50 miles up into an area and finding out that there is a cache located nearby.

Well.  That is it for today.  See you soon on the trail.

Update on 2011-08-05 16:31 by firennice

Spider Mountain and Geoaching Update

I could not figure out what to write about today.  I was really stumped.  I have been thinking for a few days of things that I should write about, but a trip Saturday fixed one thing that I had to write about.  Spider Mountain.

Actually Spider mountain in known locally as West Mountain, but after my trip this last weekend I decided that I had to change the name.

I had driven up there earlier this year. to grab a muli and I placed one high on the hills.  The road is rough, actually a few of my friends told me it was really really rough.  So I now throw out this disclaimer.  If you are from southern Utah and/or have done any amount of 4x4ing it is not really rough, however if you drive your high clearance vehicle around town all the time, then you are pretty much screwed and in for a rough ride.

We headed up and get some of the 8-10 new caches that were placed.  I should have known that there was trouble ahead when I saw the following cache titles.

Road to Spiderland

Turn Back, Spiders Ahead

Lions, Tigers and Spiders

Spiderbush!

Spiderrocks

A Spiderfull view of South Utah Valley

Arachnophobia

I really should have looked forward to more.  It was pretty creepy.  I was thinking a few spiders on a bush here and there but this was something different.  As you went higher in altitude there were more and more. 

Every tuft of grass and every sagebrush had spiders.  The pictures that I took had a ton of spiders. Actually I counted 109 originally, since then I have located another half dozen in the pictures.

It was pretty nasty.  The weather turned bad and I had to turn around and head back home.  It was pretty nasty.  It is not often that you get to see spiders in biblical plague numbers. The entire trip was something that gave me shivers.  They became so thick that I had to use a pair of sticks that I had in the back of my truck.  With one I had to clear the webs in front of me.  When I found the cache I used the pair of sticks to poke it out.

It was odd that the hardest one to get was the one the easiest to see.  I pulled up to a stop and could see it up a hill about 100' away. It was hanging on a pipe/fence.  The issue was that the cache was through a hill of spiders.  It was difficult to see how I could make it there.  There were spiders scattered everywhere. I used one stick to knock the 4' tall grass.  Unfortunately the spiders held on tight enough that I could not get them off.  I would have to hit it like a baseball and send it flying.

When I got there the spider was hanging on the bottom of it.  Seeing as how these containers are large in diameter.  uggg.   I was not able to grab them all, a storm was rolling in.  So I will have to go back and see spiders.

Geocaching Update

Tuesday was the update to geocaching.com.  There were a number of changes to the system.

First and formost was the annoucement of the first software that is running the public API.  Cachesense for the Blackberry is the first program that is complete and ready for the public use.  About 35 others are out there being worked on.

What other things came out today?

• Added some new attributes. Seasonal Access, Teamwork Required, Tourist Friendly, Tree Climbing and Front Yard (private residence).
• Increased total number of assignable cache attributes from 10 to 15
• Added an option in search results to highlight "beginner caches" (low difficulty/traditional type/recently found etc.)
• Added Twitter and Facebook sharing options to cache log pages, visit your profile or geocaching.com/my/sharing.aspx to connect your accounts
• Added special Block Party icon for annual Groundspeak headquarters event

So there is a lot ongoing, and more to come.

Update on 2011-08-04 06:00 by firennice

International Geocaching Day

August 20th 2011

The magic day.  On that day will be the International Geocaching Day.  In the future the plan is that we hold it every 3rd Saturday of August.

Groundspeak has said they are making a special souvenir for everyone that caches or attends an event that day.

Contrary to some rumors there is no special Icon for events held that day.  There will be one event in Seattle that appears to have a special icon, but it will not be available for other events.   It is a one shot deal, go there and get it or miss it.

Remember to take the time to go find a cache that day, and celebrate.

Update on 2011-07-29 22:57 by firennice