FIELD PUZZLES / 4 New Ones in Moncton / Are They Unknowns or Traditionals?
I was recently reading a thread about puzzle caches in the GC.com forums when someone mentioned field puzzles. These are caches where you solve puzzles in the field rather than at your computer.
In my mind there are two types of field puzzles. In this case they were referring to the type of caches where the cache is hidden at the listed coords and there are no fake coords. You can easily find the cache but signing the log is a problem. You have to solve a problem in order to either get into the cache and/or get the log. The cache may be a box that you have to figure how to open. A field puzzle attribute is available.
This topic has come up before in the forums and there is a bit of disagreement on whether they are traditionals or unknowns. They are often indicated as traditionals because they are located at the listed coords. A reason for not showing them as Unknowns is that a lot of cachers don’t want to sit at home solving puzzles so they ignore all caches with the “?” and don’t read the cache description to see they aren’t some mind bending cypher.
There were quite a few of these types of caches in the past but not that many lately. On a recent trip to the USA, we came across a number of these caches at rest areas along an Interstate. They were usually large wooden boxes attached to trees and you had to figure out how to get into the box. We didn’t figure out a lot of them.
Why do I raise this topic now? There are four recent field puzzle caches in the Moncton area. They are all classified as traditionals. I don’t want to ruin the fun so i wont say too much about them but here is a list of all four. Read the cache descriptions before heading out.
Apple Tree by gigi2i http://coord.info/GC4ZPMJ
This cache has been out for 2 weeks and has Found logs from us and Belladan. Not sure if anyone else has tried it. It is a fun cache. There are instruction in the cache to help you access the log. A log is available, so don’t add one of your own. Park on Harrisville blvd to access this cache
BOXED IN by Cableguy http://coord.info/GC50F1G
We got the cache but could not get at the log. We spent quite a bit of time with this one and had no success. bikercamper and her hubby got to the log within less than a minute. AARRRGGGHHH!!
DID YOU REMEMBER THE HOUSE KEY? by Cableguy http://coord.info/GC50JQ0
MA figured it out while I was manipulating the cache without luck. A few have found this one.
ENIGMA by Cableguy http://coord.info/GC50JT2
We had no luck with this one and there is also a sad note from bikercamper. Spent a good amount of time trying to get into this one. But it has been logged by Brechan_Paytra_&_Fin and Grant&Lina who apparently figured it quickly.
Hope you all go out and try these great caches
PAul
MA suggested that I pick up the new cableguy caches and bring them to poker for everyone to solve. LOL
If you wondered about the second kind of field puzzle to which I referred, it is the type of cache where you go to various places to pick up information and then calculate the coords for the final cache. Many call these a form of multi and that is what they are usually called in Quebec.
Our archived multi in Shediac was this type, where we had people pick up information off signs at historic locations. We called it a multi.
We have a similar cache in Kouchibouguac that has you biking through the park picking up information from signs. We classified it as a puzzle and call it Kouchibouguac Multi/Puzzle. http://coord.info/GC3ERWA
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Well, I was hoping to surprise all the hunters, that there is more than a P&G at the Sawdust rd caches. The cat’s out of the bag now. (An attribute icon is afterall a CO’s choice to add or not, in my opinion)
But thanks Pa, like they say in advertising, “Any kind of publicity is good publicity”.
And when y’all figure things out PLEASE DON’T GIVE AWAY ANY SECRETS so the next person can enjoy the challenge 😉
As for the gigi2i cache, there’s no parking to be had, at least until the snowbanks area cleared or a mall is built there.
I know what you mean cableguy about your caches, but i tried not to say more than what was said in the logs on the caches.
As fot the gigi cache,we parked on harrisville road and the shoulder was exposed and we parked completely on the shoulder
Another field Puzzle cache has appeared. It is the Word Combination!!! cache from gigi2i and this time is shown as a puzzle. I think it is great to have some new type caches thrown into the cache inventory in the Moncton area.
Here is the link
http://coord.info/GC50T62
Here is part of the cache description
Easily found large container! The fun begins
when you open it and figure out the combination
to the lock for the log book….. Lot’s of fun!!!
….
Happy Caching!!!! 🙂
PAul
There should be a new cache type for listing caches that have a field puzzle. I agree with the arguments on each side but I lean towards listing them as an unknown cache for now. When I arrive to a traditional cache I expect the log book to be available to sign. I feel a field puzzle crosses the line of the addition requirements argument and I should have the choice of not participating.
It now seems that Cache-tech (our reviewer) read my item or someone brought the caches to his attention because the caches have now been changed to unknown . Here is his very nice comment on the cache page.
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This cache has been re-evalutated and type upgraded. While I do not want to spoil any fun, a traditional cache should be found with no more then the posted Co-ordinates and simply sign the logbook. Anything further required changes the cache to an Unknown type.
Cache-tech
Geocaching.com Reviewer
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Here is a great history of how field puzzles have been treated. I found this in a discussion in the GC.com forums.
PAul
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For whatever reason over the years, the Traditional category has become less about what is tradition and more about whether there is any element other than going to the posted coordinates and finding the cache.
Traditionally, there was only one type of cache and people began to “enhance” caching experience by adding puzzles, mulitple-stages, problem solving, and phyisical challenges to caches. Some of these ideas were deemed early on to merit their own cache types – so multi-caches and mystery/unknowns got their own types. Later mutli-caches got defined to include offset caches – one where you would go to ground-zero and follow clue or work a simply puzzle in the field to get to the cache location. The mystery/unknown became a catch-all to include not just caches where the posted coordinates were bogus, but various kinds of challenge caches, ALR caches, and field puzzles to open or retrieve a cache. But even with the “catch-all” description, many cachers continued to list caches that were at the posted coordinates as traditionals, and the reviewers would publish the caches this way.
As paperless forms of caching became more popular people complained about arriving at a cache to find they didn’t have the TOTT need to retrieve it. Had they read the caches page they may have known. Or they found an ALR to log the cache that they were unable or did not want to meet. In response to the complaints, I believe that Groundspeak clarified that such caches were best listed as mystery/unknown. Still many cachers hide caches with field puzzles or challenges that aren’t mentioned on the cache page. The cache owner wants the user to figure out something when they get to the cache site. These continued to be listed as traditionals because the reviewer has no way of knowing there is a “surprise”. What is looks like is this “traditional” style of being faced with have to thinking creatively when getting to the cache is being treated as more than “traditional” and some reviewers are requiring them to be listed as Mystery/Unknown.
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A bunch of crazy cachers went out into the country side to get some of these field puzzle caches in a storm after breakfast today. Nobody can tell the story of their adventures better than chatelaine. So here are the links to a few of her logs.
http://coord.info/GLDPRNN5
http://coord.info/GLDPT4QP
http://coord.info/GLDPV4YN
http://coord.info/GLDPVA0G
Of course if they were a bit less crazy they woulda come to the casino with us and won a bit of money.