Re: Checker 360º

Hi,

I recently found this challenge GC4RNY3 - La France à 360º, and found it really interesting.

The checker is available here, but the source doesn't seem to be available. Is there a way that this checker can be adapted to other countries? I would like to make one in Portugal.

I'm sorry, such challenges are no longer allowed under guideline 10:

Quote
Not acceptable
Challenges based on geographic areas other than countries, states/provinces, counties (or their local equivalent). For example, user-defined mapping polygons, latitude/longitude, radius, etc.

Thanks for your answer.

But i think the checker provides a very interesting stat for furthewr reference, even though it can't be used on a challenge.

Is it possible to provide some form of using the checker as a stat, and considering a diffenrent point of reference? It would be very interesting to use it as an aditional statistic.

I agree, I too would like to see a checker made.

This 360 checker has been used for some UnChallenge caches. For example I know this one https://coord.info/GC7AG1W

I am trying to find secret guidelines about Unchallenges and checkers for them. It seems to be harder question as I thought. Still investigating B)

Thanks for your interest. I'll follow up on this topic with great anticipation.

Also, I've never heard of UnChallenge caches, and I got curious now.

Will update you on this.

If a checker could be made for a cache that is not a challenge, I don't see why it can't be done for any other traditional cache. It seems that all you need is to change the base coordinates and the confining geographical area.

I had in mind a checker based on the geodesic center of Portugal, which is in N 39° 41.649 W 008° 08.051. This is a symbolic place, and could be used as a reference for any geocacher interested in the stats, or even for any UnChallenge cache, placed around there or anywhere in the country.

There is some ambiguity in the secret guidelines. I have tried to ask clarification from three sources without getting any useful answer. The rules for "UnChallenges" are

- It must be clearly described that the challenge part is voluntary to avoid misunderstandings.
- Voluntary challenge can not be a mystery type cache.
- Word "challenge" is not allowed in the title.
- Challenge checker is not allowed

The exact definition of "challenge checker" is not known by anyone I have been asked, meaning that something is not allowed. We already know that it is impossible to have an official challenge checker linked to non challenge cache. Maybe this fact is misunderstood and put as form of not allowed instead of impossible which leads to ambiguity of the reasoning behind the secret guideline.

Hello,

you get it right. I would not call that "secret guidelines", as there is nothing secret on fact, that not every situation can be covered in public facing guidelines. Reviewers have set of recommendations how to review unofficial / voluntary challenges. Rational behind is to eliminate confusion by clear line what's challenge cache and what is not.

I'd say that first 3 of your conditions are stated correctly:

- It must be clearly described that the challenge part is voluntary to avoid misunderstandings.
- Voluntary challenge can not be a mystery type cache.
- Word "challenge" is not allowed in the title.

The last one I'd formulate this way:
- link to Challenge checker is not allowed on the cache page

Obviously, 360° is not validated by classic challenge checker, but by kind of helper tool. Being reviewer, if UnChallenge like GC7AG1W would appear in my queue, I would need to contact HQ to get permission for link on the cache page. If not granted, I would recommend CO to instruct players how to check completion of voluntary challenge differently. For example: "You can check your progress on this optional challenge using the tool on project-gc.com website."
Approach of other reviewers can be slightly different, but if 4 conditions above are met, I can't see any other reason to deny such cache.

Hope this helps.

My fellow reviewer wrote a great summary.

The only thing I'm unsure of is whether the Project-GC checker can be mentioned on the "unchallenge" cache page. I might be more conservative and recommend saying "third party tools are available in order to chart your progress on the optional challenge." A smart reader would know to check Project-GC and GSAK. (I was tracking degrees from home coordinates and distances from home coordinates using GSAK before Project-GC was born!)

You described correcly what is the difficult part here. I fear that any tool, beginning from your own profile statistics, can be declared to be a challenge checker, if it can be used to check the challenge status. That would be little bit overprotecting if it is only a link which is not decribed to be a checker and the reason is avoid any misunderstanding that there is an ALR.

Most Unchallenges needs just a statistical value, number of finds etc. And providing a link to the suitable tool is expected by geocachers who are reading the page. In many cases the idea of the voluntary challenge is just presenting a new way to look at your statistics like this 360º challenge. That idea doesn't work perfectly if the tool is a mystery.

What options we have to understand this question better? At this moment it seems that the best approach is to replace the direct link with a verbal description without any link. Would it be acceptable if we have a "non checker" mode in the checker. A mode which never indicate whether the challenge is qualified or not and there is no wording about challenges or checkers at all.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2018 07:09PM by arisoft. (view changes)

Hello,
is it any 360° challenges 1 in ceter france 1 in center germany,
but i need 1 near french german border
so it have a point here and look for 100 kms but not on country limits
so french germany and luxembourg is allowed
and not in 1° space but in 5° space
so is easy for beginer too

anothe for find caches not found 3 mounth ago from my log
is a challenge a found cache but can not see 850 logs for it
becose is limited in france
i germany i know i have it

thanks for answer me
Heron57