Re: GC6JTW4 --- Geocaching abroad - MDCLXVI

I need some help with a new challenge checker for the following idea:

- geocache founds within seven countries are necessary
- founds not limited to special cache types, every type is is valid
- the seven single steps are M-D-C-L-X-V-I (Roman numerals, this means of course 1000-500-100-50-10-5-1)
- founds in Germany should be excluded

So I hope everything is clear and it will be possible!? :)

Thanks in advance!

Bergfex2000

What do you men by:
- the seven single steps are M-D-C-L-X-V-I (Roman numerals, this means of course 1000-500-100-50-10-5-1)

1st country: 1000 Founds
2nd country: 500 Founds
3rd country: 100 Founds
4th country: 50 Founds
5th country: 10 Founds
6th country: 5 Founds
7th country: 1 Found

All countries have to be different and Germany isn't allowed within these seven.

What's the rational behind excluding Germany? Just seems like needless discrimination to me. Why shouldn't a German cacher be able to qualify if they get 1000 caches in their homeland?

I fully understand Bergfex2000's intention...:)-D
But why not change the ALR's into a exclusion of the profiles home country? Would this hit the intention?

TeamFlashSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I fully understand Bergfex2000's intention...:)-D
> But why not change the ALR's into a exclusion of
> the profiles home country? Would this hit the
> intention?


Challenges are not allowed to be based on home locations, and then neither home country in any way. So excluding "home country" isn't allowed. I assume that's why Germany was excluded instead. If located in Germany, it's the home country for everyone living close. Foreigners gets the luxury of avoiding that problem.

I think, I have to get used to the new rules... 8-) :S

TeamFlashSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think, I have to get used to the new rules...
> 8-) :S


It's actually not new, but I have seen quite a few cases where the reviewers has missed or ignored it. It might also be that they haven't seen "home country" as serious as "home coordinates". But with the old rules, I would say that it wasn't possible for the cache owner to actually verify the home location of someone.

I guess it's theoretically possible the reviewers would allow this in some countries now as well, but I doubt it.

Is this kind of request to difficult? Our reviewer was quite fast again and is waiting for the checker now. Me too, of course. So please help! :) Thanks a lot in advance! :)

Bergfex2000 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is this kind of request to difficult? Our reviewer
> was quite fast again and is waiting for the
> checker now. Me too, of course. So please help! :)
> Thanks a lot in advance! :)


It's not super hard. I am sure someone will get around to it.

The thing is that many challenges are the same as others, then it's just about matching a configuration with the challenge. That normally takes 3-5 minutes.

Your request requires a new script written. I would say that takes about an hour, depending on how experienced with the checker system the programmer is. Remember that the script writers are volunteers and actually don't get anything for helping out, besides fame.

I like the concept of the challenge and have been thinking about doing one similar, so I would be happy to write the script... but I wont be able to get to it until the weekend. If someone else has time to knock it out before then, go for it.

I will write a challenge specific checker for this to get published. Will generalize it over the weekend.

OK, the script is written and I've tagged your cache.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. http://project-gc.com/Challenges/GC6JTW4/21069

If the reviewer objects to the excluding Germany it's an easy change to the config section.

Thanks for creating the script and the checker! It seems to be still deactivated/inactive, so please have a look at it and make it public. Until now our reviewer had no difficulties with my exclusion of German founds, but of course the cache isn't published yet. I'll give an update on it! :)

Sorry about that. It has been enabled.

The checker seems to work quite correctly, I have copied the related link into my cache listing and submitted the cache for publish. Thanks again to TravelingGeek for this excellent work!!

Some little remarks about the script, the checker results into the following text:

Ich habe [Bergfex2000](https://www.geocaching.com/profile/?u=Bergfex2000) verwendet, um zu prüfen, ob ich diese Challenge erfülle und ich habe es geschafft.

**M Czech Republic 2306 Finds **Qualifies!**
**D Austria 536 Finds **Qualifies!**
**C Spain 463 Finds **Qualifies!**
**L Poland 460 Finds **Qualifies!**
**X United States 230 Finds **Qualifies!**
**V Brazil 195 Finds **Qualifies!**
**I Turkey 163 Finds **Qualifies!**

I think there should be some additional ** after all the Roman numerals to make them bold into the log text.

Also the link should be another, in my understandig it should be the following: [PROJECT-GC](http://project-gc.com/Challenges/GC6JTW4/21069)

What do you think about it?

A challenge cache needs to appeal to and be attainable by a reasonable number of cachers. Your reviewer may ask for a list of cachers from your area who qualify. ::o

Our valued Susi already asked me for that.. 8-)

The list seems to be a very short one as far as I can see it. You may know some Czech cachers who fulfill the requirements...B)-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2016 12:46PM by TeamFlashSTL. (view changes)

I just ran this checker and it tells me I still need 50 caches to qualify for levels X, V and I. These levels only require 10, 5 and 1 find respectively. It might be just a typo in each of those output lines but you can't tell from Bergfex2000's output above either.

There's a minor error on line 119 of the checker script. It won't affect whether or not a cacher qualifies, but will affect the output for people without enough countries.

TableInsert(html, "<tr><td>" .. LevelLabel[x] .. "</td><td></td><td>0</td><td>You needed to find " .. LevelLimits[ThisLevel] .. " to qualify for this level" .."</td></tr>")

should be

TableInsert(html, "<tr><td>" .. LevelLabel[x] .. "</td><td></td><td>0</td><td>You needed to find " .. LevelLimits[[b]x[/b]] .. " to qualify for this level" .."</td></tr>")

Challenge published.

The checker also tells you that you fulfill the requirements when you got not only one cache abroad...::o

@TeamFlashSTL:

Now write fifty times: "I won't use my sock puppets anymore!!"

:P

(:D this was not my request, ManuFTL noticed it and I double-checked it...:P



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2016 10:15AM by TeamFlashSTL. (view changes)