Virtuals are coming back!

[SJClimber]

So, if one wants to see interesting objects, geographic features, buildings, etc.. and not get "credit," why not just look up waymarks near a locale where you have a PQ for geocaches??? If there will not be "credit" for the find, why bother bringing them back?? 2 cents....

[OldRiverRunner]

Podcacher released a mid-week podcast today (Show 332.1) providing an interview with Jeremy and Bryan from Groundspeak, sharing information about the new Geocaching Challenges being released later this week. Not quite the same as the old virtuals, but still interesting!

[Ashallond]

Well, on the first day...I am really unimpressed. No owner oversight, no easy way to search an area that isn't within about 25-50 miles, no list of them easily searchable, and what they are creating..

It's bad. I accepted a few of them but I haven't gone through to actually do any of them... Anyway, I did make one to see that part of the thing, you've got to come to Fort Smith to do it, it sort of sucks, but it's way better than half of them that I've seen.

http://coord.info/CX115

[captaincooder]

Virtuals schmurtuals. Uggh. I just don't get it I guess.

[paris1time]

I had someone tell me one time when I first started geocaching that the one thing that they loved about it was that everyone could play it "their own way" and that was okay. Want to find one cache hidden in a cave? Go for it. Want to find 100 caches in a day? Go for it. It's how ever you want to play and as long as you like it it's okay. I say it is "okay" because that is what they felt and the way I feel.

So, my opinion on the new Geocaching Challenges is this: Want to place them? Want to accept the challenges? Want to complete the challenges? If you do, or don't it's okay. Play your way and it's okay. I just don't like it when there are those who don't care for it that want it done away with or are too critical of those who do like them in the Groundspeak forums.

I rarely visit the Groundspeak forums because some who post there are so ready to pounce on someone and some are always so negative. I did take a peek last night and saw that already there are some that have began their negative things about the Geocaching Challenges. In fact one was trying to get others to "flag" them so after they receive a certain number of "flags" they are automatically archived.

I did publish a Geoaching Challenge last night for the location of the last execution by public hanging in Arkansas: http://coord.info/CX588

I plan on creating some more and "watching and waiting" to see where it goes from here.

Want to accept the challenge? If you do or don't "It's okay".

[OldRiverRunner]

Thanks for putting a positive light on it, paris1time! You're absolutely right! We all play the game differently. And it is ONLY A GAME! Let's not forget that!

I am still undecided as to whether I like or dislike the new Challenges, but I am willing to give them a chance. I am particularly interested in seeing what interesting places I might be taken by Challenges, where physical caches are not allowed or not practical. In that spirit, I've published a challenge for Cedar Falls in Petit Jean State Park and I have another prepared for the summit of Signal Hill on Mt. Magazine (to be published later today, after the 24-hour period between published Challenges has passed), both of which are special places for me. Although there are physical caches near these locations, the Challenges provide another incentive to visit these places. I also see the Challenges as a way to bring folks to those special places in the National Forests that geocachers may know about and want to share, without having to get permits (since no physical containers are placed).

[captaincooder]

Not really resurrected virtuals. I will play along for now, and have an idea for one, but there are lots of problems, like with Munzees and Wherigos. If they don't fix it fast, it will wither rapidly.

[captaincooder]

ORR, although I felt your spirit on the Cedar Falls challenge, I see no indication that you created it. I see Ashallond's and Yazzman's stamps on the two in Ft. Smith. Is this because of the 24-hour rule? If so, I suppose since it's out of your control and into the hands of the "community" then you could claim a find/completion? Personally, not only do I see no problem with that, I endorse it. You hiked it, you deserve the credit, whether you found a cache there or not. Perhaps now these special places will be at least worth one smiley for making the effort.

[OldRiverRunner]

ORR, although I felt your spirit on the Cedar Falls challenge, I see no indication that you created it. I see Ashallond's and Yazzman's stamps on the two in Ft. Smith. Is this because of the 24-hour rule? If so, I suppose since it's out of your control and into the hands of the "community" then you could claim a find/completion? Personally, not only do I see no problem with that, I endorse it. You hiked it, you deserve the credit, whether you found a cache there or not. Perhaps now these special places will be at least worth one smiley for making the effort.

I also saw the notes on Ashallond's and Yazzman's challenges indicating that they had created them, and was a little puzzled on how the note got there. I know that the website did not automatically add anything to mine after I published it. I can only guess that they added the comment themselves when they created their challenges. Regardless, no one owns a challenge after it is published.

I hadn't thought about whether or not it is OK for the creator of a challenge to perform the challenge and get the smiley. I guess since the creator doesn't own it, it would be OK. I mean, it's not exactly like hiding a cache, and then logging it as a find when you revisit it later for maintenance. Regardless, I don't know if I will log my own challenges or not. But I'm interested in what others think about this, so please feel free to comment on this in this thread. Also, in the thread in the Forums where members congratulate other members on reaching milestones, do we consider the total of geocache finds plus challenges completed? Or just the geocache finds?

[SJClimber]

At present it appears that there are only two types of challenges; action and photo. Seems like ORR desires to create a location challenge though that is not detailed in his post. Bryan and Jeremy stated that location challenges were in the works to be activated in the near future. Have taken the "Take A Hike" challenge to be completed Monday if all goes as planned. The podcast was an interesting "listen." Appreciate the link to that site.