How many is too many?

Discussion about the Geocaching Australia web site
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mattyrx
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by mattyrx » 04 April 22 1:22 pm

Creating a new subset for "armchair" locationless caches and placing additional restrictions on publishing and finding (such as only a "completion" being allowed as the completion of the "task" rather than a "find" or not being eligible for the finds rewards pathtags, or other limitations as they are no geocaches.
I think this is a good compromise when it comes to these types of caches. It allows geoacaches to be listed as per their pre-defined cache types, and also allows our community to continue to use this site to continue to have a central place to list/find jigsaws and some of the other armchair style challenges that have currently been listed as locationless.

I also support the first point in where locationless caches return to their original intent.

It’s great to see geocaching evolve over time, however armchair locationless really are a seperate game altogether and should be treated as such.

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oldfella
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by oldfella » 04 April 22 2:57 pm

I have had my say and I am glad I voiced my opinion. I still think that left alone Jigsaw puzzles will cease and that it will calm itself due to natural process and return to where it was prior to 1 March 2020 and COVID.I will stay with my first selection if there has to be a choice.

- Locationless return to the original intent which may include a "report this cache" button to a set of "administrators" who can archive a cache which is not a true locationless cache
Last edited by oldfella on 04 April 22 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

muff
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by muff » 04 April 22 4:25 pm

Re the topic of How many is too many. I am one of the cachers who has benefited from the locationless caches as I live in a rural area and there is simply not many caches for us to physically do. As the situation sits I have been able to be in touch with many other cachers through these trying times. I would like to see the situation left as it stands at the moment. My belief is that it will calm itself due to natural process.

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Re: How many is too many?

Post by Just a cacher » 04 April 22 7:07 pm

I agree that if people want a say, they should log in to the forum. It isn't difficult, and we can't expect the administrators to go to multiple social fora and gather the data from them and figure out who is posting on on more than one, and who isn't, an what the total is, etc. The forum has always been here, and most people who belong to GA know about it.

I would like to see Locationless go back to the original intent, as in the wiki, and I am also happy for a new type of cache (or a subset of locationless) to be created for jigsaws and the like.

I'd also like to say that although I don't always agree with the administrators, I REALLY appreciate having a say and having my opinion heard and respected. Thank you.

Wendy

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Now_To_Morrow
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by Now_To_Morrow » 05 April 22 6:52 am

caughtatwork wrote:
04 April 22 12:06 pm
It is broken. Locationless do not follow the concept set up ibn the wiki. So something will be changing
I agree. It is broken. It's been annoying me for a long time. I refuse to look at locationless caches anymore because of this issue. I agree that a different cache type for armchair caching is the go. Keep them for the ones who "need" them, but separate them for the ones who like to go outside and play.

Do the armchair cachers not go outside? Not go shopping? Not go on holidays? Most of us live in areas that are GCA poor, even in big population areas like Sydney and Canberra. How many new GCA caches are published each year (not including the armchair varieties)? Its mostly only in game periods they are published. And once you've found them all in your area, there's no more to find, just like people living in remote areas where they are the only one playing GCA. That has been the nature of Geocaching Australia since the beginning i believe. Therefore, I don't think the arguments for being remote, no caches to find nearby, or being unfit are valid. And I can speak from experience in the first 2. I'm going to be bold enough to say I think the armchair stuff is not real geocaching. It's just another means for social interaction using GCA as a platform for a number of reasons, like friends already here, and the cache publishing set up being a great way to present it, and maybe even cache numbers and pathtag rewards.

With all this in mind, sure, keep them coming if you must, but not as locationless caches. Not adding them to your find count. Not getting the pathtag rewards for them. Maybe one of the armchair caching community would like to make, donate, and monitor for pathtag rewards for these like rogerW3 does with trig rewards.

Having been an advocate for GCA in the face of die-hard anti-GCAers I can say that what has happened with the armchair caching has been a real killer for the site. I'm taking about people who have played the GC game for years. They see these armchair caches as not geocaching, and therefore think GCA is not real geocaching.

As for the saying "if it's not broken, don't mess with it"... how many people living by this rule upgrade things like cars or TV's or like new improved gadgets that make life easier, replacing items that weren't broken? We could all still be using an old washing board for clothes washing if we have 2 working arms. Maybe it's time to upgrade that saying to a question like, "Even if it's not broken, can it be improved upon?" And when it comes to the armchair caching, I say yes.

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Re: How many is too many?

Post by Cybergran V » 05 April 22 2:20 pm

It would appear as if the article on the forum has had the desired effect and previous daily flood of jigsaws and puzzles has dried to a tiny trickle of several publications today, so maybe there is no need to do anything at all, or just keep the status quo.
However I did note one response from all the people who logged my daily 35 piece jigsaw was from one of our previously very active cachers now ravaged by Motor Nuerone Disease who thanked me for the small jigsaw to do as he could no longer cope with the larger ones. We do cater for a large range of people with many different ways of getting their daily fix of geocaching, one way or another

Opa Shrek
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by Opa Shrek » 06 April 22 8:24 am

I "discovered" locationless caches soon after COVID started and I have enjoyed spending a little time each day, usually while enjoying an early morning coffee, since then doing the challenges/puzzles published that day. But I must say that after 2 years and with COVID restrictions now eased back, my interest in doing armchair puzzles (particularly jigsaws) has waned and I'm now much more selective in choosing which locationless caches I do. I'm probably not the only one ... with life now returning to "normal", I've noticed that there is a drop off in the number of caches being published and similarly, a drop off in the logging rate of those caches.

There is little doubt that the growth in publication and indeed the logging of locationless caches over the past 2 years is directly attributable to COVID and I suspect that in the coming months, we will see numbers continuing to wane. That, in my opinion, is a good thing ... after all, doing an online jigsaw or publishing a recipe is not what caching is ... and I am now very much looking forward to seeing more locationless caches come out that require cachers to actually go out and find/do something.

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Re: How many is too many?

Post by 2y'stassies » 06 April 22 11:12 am

COVID caching introduced a lot of people to the Jigidi website where jigsaws can be created and completed. Those who enjoy online jigsaws can search the site for the types of puzzles they enjoy. There is nolonger a need for this type of armchair cache on GCA other than a means of finding the coordinates for a simple physical puzzle cache.
Lets get back to getting out and about and hidding and finding something.

Bushfire
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by Bushfire » 06 April 22 1:59 pm

I find that the jigsaws with more than a hundred pieces to hard on my eyes, so maybe a limit.
The other thing that I would like to point out we must remember that some folk are house bound whether COVID or other problems are around.
I have been delt a hand that involves MND and I will be restricted eventually to a wheelchair and housebound because of my problems and there must be a lot of other folk out there in a similuar situation.
At this stage I can still drive but that will change in the future so please think of us in whatever decision you make.
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by Team737 » 06 April 22 2:28 pm

Geocaching is an outdoor activity... with geocaching.com as an example - during the lockdowns in the pandemic you either found what you could in line with the law at the time, or you found nothing - and you know what - we survived just fine, some people made caches to place later, or solved puzzles - we got by without massively inflating our find counts.
It is unfortunate that peoples circumstances, be they medical or social, make it difficult for them to access caches that involve travel, but I don't think that armchair finds are at all helpful, and are to the detriment of the game. A perusal of the proper locationless shows that almost all are perfectly doable from the passenger seat of a car, so mobility should not be an issue.
I agree that the armchair puzzles need to be moved into a different category that doesn't lead to inflated find counts, or off the site altogether.

parislaura
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by parislaura » 06 April 22 3:26 pm

I don't mind the jigsaws and try to do them when I can and I think there is a place for them, but I definitely think they need their own category, I have published quite a few locationless over the years and enjoyed that they were often found to compliment geocaching and gave unique finds. Unfortunately these do not get found any more because there is so many puzzles in the locationless filter that they are lost in the list.

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Re: How many is too many?

Post by stainless-steel-rat » 06 April 22 10:03 pm

I turned off notifications for locationless caches many years ago as they on the whole are not my thing, this doesn't mean that I think they are good or bad just not my thing and if others find enjoyment in them then that a good thing.
When COVID kicked off and everything changed we all did what we could to stay busy and the changes to allow some special locationless caches to do while we were all in lock down was a great idea.
While I hadn't noticed the scale of the increase in the number of locationless caches due to me not being notified I was however aware that there was a large number of jigsaws being put out, I do think if you don't like them then don't look for them it's that simple, I do however like the idea of splitting off jigsaws into their own locationless category to make it clear to those that like them which are which.

rubymoon05
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by rubymoon05 » 07 April 22 5:12 pm

I love locationless caches in all forms
and feel it should be left as is.
Throughout lockdown I battled depression and being able to log on everyday to connect has been a godsend. And due to Covid I find myself currently in isolation. It's not over. why are the original definition of Loctionless caches being made anymore? It's not only the creation of the current locationlesses that should be blamed. I find what is available, all styles of locationless, I solve the currents, make notes of any I see to look for while out. I can be as simple as if you dont like them dont do them.
I am extremly grateful for the current creators.
I have been trying to get back out and find GC caches only to be met with log deleation, abuse, no help with puzzles, being told im lying about a cache needing maintanance, it has become really mean and I feel like giving up on geocaching all together but being able to come here and interact with locationless creators and solvers has saved it.

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Re: How many is too many?

Post by rubymoon05 » 07 April 22 5:16 pm

but I feel my voice is wasted

us3scouts
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Re: How many is too many?

Post by us3scouts » 07 April 22 11:47 pm

I have really enjoyed Locationless caches during lockdown. I'd like to keep them in the game! :D

I live in a GCA poor location! One of my trig point GCA's was last found 13.06.2019, a virtual was last found 21.03.2021 and the last time anyone looked for a traditional of mine was 18.12.2018 (even though the cache has been checked, maintained and updated! I had just about lost faith in Geocaching Australia until I found locationless caches recently! I have also had some challenges around mobility due to an old injury which has prevented me from my love of bush walking and some geocaching. Last year we planned a weekend geocaching event that we had to cancel on the day, due to a snap lockdown occurring. Covid has just been a huge disappointment as far as geocaching goes except for locationless. I play my own game and locationless have kept me sane during the last year. I have long been a supporter of Geocaching Australia but If you take away locationless, then right now there is nothing left for me and I might as well abandon the game!

Please, keep locationless caches!

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