Enhancement: New attributes to implement

Question

Today Groundspeak released 4 new attributes. See https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2020/09/four-new-geocaching-attributes/.

Of course this means changes to challenge checkers to cope with new attributes. And I hope everyone will update their caches pages to suit (I already have updated mine).

Solution checker:
The cache page has a solution checker. This more of an attribute of the cache page than an attribute of the cache itself. It could have been automatically applied on existing caches but has not (yet?). Applied automatically on new puzzle/unknown cache types that have a Solution Checker

Challenge Cache:
This is a compromise from earlier requests to make challenge caches their own type, but as I see caches still  being published with "challenge" in their title that are not challenge caches, I wonder if this attribute will get correctly applied by cache owners. It has not (yet) been automatically applied to PGC's list of challenge caches. Only available on a puzzle (unknown) cache type.

Bonus cache:
Cache is a bonus cache. Only available on a Puzzle (unknown) cache type.

Power Trail:
Cache is part of a power trail

Answer 1

This is the related question: https://project-gc.com/qa/?qa=25103/positive-attributes-new-ones-were-added-will-there-be-more and has the link to the Release Notes.  Having read through it myself, the Release Note link is a great reference and will answer a lot of questions.  Something to keep in mind is the deadline that HQ has established to submit a list of power trail caches to them by 30 September for those COs who own them.

Answer 2

You say “I wonder if this attribute will get correctly applied by cache owners. It has not (yet) been automatically applied to PGC's list of challenge caches.”

We do not believe that every legitimate challenge cache  which is live (or archived) will get a Challenge Cache attribute given by the CO. Many COs are no longer active. Up until yesterday there used to be a team of project-GC members who looked at caches which had ‘challenge’ in their title but may not have been challenge caches at all, and moderated them, saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  Some of these caches will still need flagging up and moderating. We hope the moderating team is reinstated. 

Comments

you can not modify attributes of archived caches. Therefore no archived challenge cache will ever get this attribute. The same for all other attributes -- they can be added only to active caches.

---

The list of Challenges created by the community (challenge moderators at Project-GC) has been sent to HQ, and that list will be used when they are applying the new attribute.

---

That is a good news for challenges.

---

Great news from magma1447 that the list has been sent to HQ. Wouldn't it be an idea, though, to keep the moderating team and periodically send further lists in the future as well for those that have still escaped the net?

---

All new Challenges should have the attribute. It's up to reviewers to handle that. In case they don't have it, or geocaches which shouldn't have it have it, they should be reported. This will from now on be handled by HQ and their extended arm (reviewers).

Answer 3

Think as always

1. it will take time to get known by CacheOwners

2.esp. challenge chaers are not always done / programmed by CO itself. This will additional take some more time.

For me we already got 4 Bonus Cache attributes and 1 Challenge Checker attribute as some Owners already changed there setting.

First I will wait and second I will look for new caches who have already implemented the attributes. So It is a challenge to get back to fulfill all 107 positive/negative attributes and loop this.

Do reviewer also check attributes ? If not we will see Event caches with these attributes very soon.

Comments

reviewer checks all cache listing including attributes if they make sense.