Geocaching Australia

I also have very little around me. I'm going with a hide strategy for a while then a moveable strategy.

I've hidden a new cache in response to dragonZone, so as to get a few points & claim the Shoalhaven for my clan. I have 3 others in mind but its raining, still. My finds on the weekend were because of dragonZone. Paranoia set in & I used the GA App on my cra%%y phone to record two of the finds. You never know, someone could be in the district. Thanks C@W - a great idea.

Is the points system know ... or is that something we need to work out over time?

Ah-ha! A new game

If I find a new trig and publish it, does that count as a "hide" or is it hidden by GCA and so only counts as a "find" for my dZ?

spatialriq wrote:Is the points system know ... or is that something we need to work out over time?

Well, I know it, but I don't suppose that's what you mean

For a reason that I can't really articulate, I'd like to keep the dZPoints system under wraps. There's nothing nefarious about it.

It's a combination of terrain and difficulty for a find. It's a combination of terrain and difficulty and a factor based on the cache container for a hide. You get some Karma if someone who finds one of your hides (provided the hide was after you joined the game). A daily dose if you visit the right page often.

There are going to be other offerings too like special weekends or dates which might garner you additional dZPoints. These will come up on your my/dragonzone page sooner or later.

I'm kind of purposely keeping things under wraps as I see how the system goes and then I might have to tweak it. So to avoid people having a fit when / if I change the dZPoints system, I'm just going to let it go along for the time being. You can always try and work out what the dZPoints system is based on the dZPoints you accrue, but don't be terribly surprised if something gets tweaked to make it more balanced. There's nothing like having real data (rather than my modelling) to get real results.

blossom* wrote:Ah-ha! A new game

If I find a new trig and publish it, does that count as a "hide" or is it hidden by GCA and so only counts as a "find" for my dZ?

You only get the "find" dZPoints. As you highlight, Geocaching Australia is the cache owner and is not participating in the game, so no points are allocated for the "hide".

Hmm, I'm thinking if this is meant to be a game to include the broader membership, there's a need for some really basic explanations of what it's about, what the rules are and how it generally works.
I'm a simple soul. I cache for fun. Frogs I could figure; find it, log it, move it. Bingo stretched things; figure what number you wanted, find it, log it, move it. Now I have to "go with a hide strategy for a while then a moveable strategy"?!
If I have to start thinking strategy, my mind is going to drift towards how to arrange an untraceable accident for my latest bad debtor. Whilst I'm sure that finding caches is morally better than breaking legs, you need to have some pity on us who have limited spare mental capacity!

It's kind of like capture the flag, but on a much grander scale. There are no rules, essentially. You find and hide geocaches. The same geocaching rules apply as they always do. Find a cache and the cache gets some clan points. Control a cache and your clan gets another point towards controlling the zone it's in. The more zomes you control, the bigger your bragging rights. The more you find and hide the higher your points and the better your rank. Higher ranks get additional points to allocate so as you move up the ranking ladder you become "more powerful".

You don't have to have a strategy. You can just have fun finding caches and the system will automatically allocate points for your clan based on the caches you find. If you want to extend the game, you have additional points you can allocate to better control a cache. i.e. Make it harder for an opposing clan to control by giving it heaps of your bonus points.

You can keep it simple by just going caching. You can make it more complex by hiding caches (and gain karma for caches which you own) which add to your clan control. You can make it more strategic by adding your bonus points to a cache to make it more likely your clan will retain control. You can move moveable caches to spread the load of caches you control to take over other areas, move other clans moveable caches out of your control zone or bring in your clan moveable caches to control a zone which is controlled by another clan.

It can be as simple or complex as you like. You're not obliged to participate, but if you are looking for a path of entertainment to compliment geocaching, well, we're the only site offering a permanent add on game to take your activity of geocaching beyond the "find a box under a bush".

I think Im missing out on something here.., but you keep saying its like capture the flag. like we all know what that is....I dont even know what capture the flag is? sounds like a boys game to me...

To the GoogleMachine Batman!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_the_flag

Sorry I watch too many movies and have too many games to know better.

caughtatwork wrote:To the GoogleMachine Batman!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_the_flag

Sorry I watch too many movies and have too many games to know better.

thanks, batman, read that, still confused, but ok Ill just play along, see what happens..
robin

I found 3 GCA caches over the last 2 days. As a result the orange clan now controls most of the northern side of Adelaide...

OK . . . have joined!

caughtatwork wrote:It's kind of like capture the flag, but on a much grander scale. There are no rules, essentially. You find and hide geocaches. The same geocaching rules apply as they always do. Find a cache and the cache gets some clan points. Control a cache and your clan gets another point towards controlling the zone it's in. The more zomes you control, the bigger your bragging rights. The more you find and hide the higher your points and the better your rank. Higher ranks get additional points to allocate so as you move up the ranking ladder you become "more powerful".

You don't have to have a strategy. You can just have fun finding caches and the system will automatically allocate points for your clan based on the caches you find. If you want to extend the game, you have additional points you can allocate to better control a cache. i.e. Make it harder for an opposing clan to control by giving it heaps of your bonus points.

You can keep it simple by just going caching. You can make it more complex by hiding caches (and gain karma for caches which you own) which add to your clan control. You can make it more strategic by adding your bonus points to a cache to make it more likely your clan will retain control. You can move moveable caches to spread the load of caches you control to take over other areas, move other clans moveable caches out of your control zone or bring in your clan moveable caches to control a zone which is controlled by another clan.

It can be as simple or complex as you like. You're not obliged to participate, but if you are looking for a path of entertainment to compliment geocaching, well, we're the only site offering a permanent add on game to take your activity of geocaching beyond the "find a box under a bush".

OK, I get the point. Ask any more questions and I'm going to regret it! What I take from the above is that an innocent cacher like myself can join a clan, carry on caching to a greater or lesser extent and some merit is going to attach to that clan.
Is one's choice of clan totally optional or is it geographically constrained? One thought I do have, possibly way off field; is there any additional merit attached to finding (possibly re-finding?!) caches that have not been found for some time? My observation of GCA caches is that they have a flurry of activity in their younger years as the local GCA cachers log them, but then they settle down into the doldrums. Be nice to see some activity to revive, or in some cases archive, these overly relaxed caches.

Stage 1 is the simple game of find / hides = points. You get points. You clan gets the benefit of any cache / zone you control.

Stage 2 (which is yet to be fully conceptualised) will come with other activities like your suggestion of more points on unloved caches as well as other trophies for various activities.