Help Finding a Way To Do Something Similar To Certitudes

[+Avid Cacher]

Hey, everyone.

 

I've got a multi-cache that I'm slightly overhauling. If you're curious how it works now, see the cache page. I'll explain how I'd like it to work after I change it, and then explain why I need your help.

 

What I want to do is have cachers answer a series of riddles on their computer before attempting to find the cache. There are four legs to the cache, so there'd be four riddles too. If you get the answer wrong, you keep trying until you get it right. Once you get the answer right, you'll get partial coordinates to the corresponding leg; the missing numbers would be found inside the previous leg. For example, when you solve the riddle for "Leg One to Leg Two," you'll get a partial set of coordinates. The missing numbers would be found inside the container at Leg One, allowing you to complete the coordinates to Leg Two.

 

The problem here is figuring out how to set this up. I've already set everything up in an Excel Spreadsheet and it works perfectly. You put your answer to each riddle in the "Your Answer" column and if it's right, the partial coordinates will automatically display in the corresponding "The Result" column via a formula that I set to be hidden from view so people can't see the answers. I planned to upload it to my Media Fire account so people could download it for free via a link I'd put in the cache description, but then I realized that not everyone has Excel on their computer.

 

Certitudes is a website that allows you to connect your cache to it, allowing people to enter what they think the coordinates are and find out if they're right or not. It's used primarily for puzzle caches, and would work wonderfully for me too if it had the functionality of entering a word or phrase and receiving coordinates if the word or phrase was correct. Unfortunately, it doesn't do that, and I don't know of any other way to accomplish this! I've tried making a spreadsheet in Google Documents, but it doesn't allow you to hide formulas, so people could cheat and see the answers too easily. Free survey websites are my next best choice I think, but I don't know if any of them can even do what I'm looking to do... They'd have to allow me to write a question, have someone input an answer, and then display the coordinates if the answer was correct (containing keywords).

 

Does anyone know how I can do this, or am I thinking too far outside the box here?

 

Thanks,

Patrick

[Keystone]

There are some listing guideline provisions that you should keep in mind during your planning:

 

Geocache listings that require additional website registration, installs or downloads are generally not publishable.

 

Cache listings that require a cacher to visit another website will not be published if the finder must create an account with, or provide personal information to, the other website. In the interest of file security, caches that require the installing or running of data and/or executables will likely not be published. The use of memory sticks and similar devices is not permitted.

 

Certain files (specifically .TXT files, .PDFs and all audio files) may be acceptable inclusions on cache listings in the interest of allowing greater cache creativity. These downloads must adhere to all geocaching guidelines and include the following text above the link:

 

"Alert: You are about to download a file that contains further details needed to find this geocache. As the cache owner, I represent that this file is safe to download although it has not been checked by Groundspeak or by the reviewer for possible malicious content. Download this file at your own risk. [insert link here]"

 

[+Touchstone]

Something like Intercache/Wherigo would probably accomplish what you're trying to do, and have the advantage of actually working in the field, rather than sitting at home. I think Excel and any other downloadable form would run up against the following portion of the Guidelines:

 

Certain files (specifically .TXT files, .PDFs and all audio files) may be acceptable inclusions on cache listings in the interest of allowing greater cache creativity.

 

You might want to check with your local Reviewer before heading down that route.

[+Avid Cacher]

There are some listing guideline provisions that you should keep in mind during your planning:

 

List of quoted guidelines from above.

Ah, I forgot about those! That basically rules out the Excel idea.

 

Something like Intercache/Wherigo would probably accomplish what you're trying to do, and have the advantage of actually working in the field, rather than sitting at home.

I haven't the faintest idea what Intercache or Wherigo are, or how they work. I'm assuming either one would require the type of the cache to be changed (to a Wherigo cache for example), which isn't something you can do. I'd have to make a whole new listing, which I don't want to have to do. Thanks though!

 

What I think could work is setting up a new gmail account specifically for this, and setting it to auto-reply if the subject line contains certain keywords. Users would e-mail what they think is the answer to that address and get an auto-reply with coordinates if they were right, or be asked to try again. Maybe that would work?

 

EDIT: I think it'll work! Gmail has a Lab called "Canned Responses" that can be used to setup automatic responses by screening received e-mails for keywords and then sending a set response instantly.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Avid Cacher

[+K13]

If you are radically overhauling the current cache, making a new and different experience, why not archive the existing one. Then implement your new one, as the experience will be different for the finders. As another posted, check out the Wherigo Topics and you may find just what you are wanting to do. I recently completed a Wherigo which took me to three locations then the final. At each location, a question was asked, and when I answered correctly, I was given the coords to the next location. It works with many Garmin GPS and with smartphones as well.

[+Semper Questio]

Gotta go with K13. If you are changing it that much, it should be a whole new listing.

 

And maybe a reviewer can step in and asnwer this, but if you are introducing questions that have to be answered before going out, then would the cache not have to be listed as a mystery/unknown type instead of a multi? I'm not sure which takes precedence, but I would thing the mystery aspect wins out here.

[+palmetto]

Agreeing with those who say archive your listing for this much of an overhaul

 

Also note that the listing guidelines don't allow "email me" for coords. It's in the Logging of all Physical caches section - before going very far with this, contact your local reviewer about an email auto-responder.

 

At least one of the common geochecker sites does what you want. Ie, enter a word, get coords. I've seen this set up before - cacher solved for phrase, got coords.

 

Try one of these, see if they do what you want

 

http://geocheck.org/

http://www.geochecker.com/

[+dprovan]

Cache Me If You Can uses certitude to implement a linked list of answers. The certitude "bonus info" each time gives you the next question and provides a link to the next certitude confirmation window. (In case you didn't realize it, certitude allows "keyword" answers, it doesn't have to be coordinates.) I don't know exactly how multiple certitude confirmations were created based on just one cache, but obviously it can be done.

 

Pbqr Oernxre has its own web site. Once you get the next answer, you tell your browser to go to the web page http://whatever.net/answertoquestion.html in order to get the next question.

 

Not only should you not change your existing cache because the change is so major, you really can't change your existing cache: it's a multicache, and what you're describing is a puzzle cache and would have to be the unknown type. Besides, why archive the first one? Just add to the fun by creating a second cache with new questions and, of course, a new final location.

[+Avid Cacher]

Before I made these changes, you still needed to answer questions to complete the cache, and it was published without a problem. You needed to have a smartphone in order to finish it, because each leg required you to answer two questions to get the missing number(s) from the North and West Coordinates. However, they were questions that were answered with a number, and I didn't do any answer checking (people would look the questions up on their phone after getting to each leg).

 

For example:

 

Leg 1 to Leg 2

N 42° 36.A65 W 078° 55.B14 ◄◄◄ Not the actual coordinates

Clue A: What is 1 times 1? ◄◄◄ Not the actual question

Clue B: what is 1 times 0? ◄◄◄ Not the actual question

 

So, the changes I'm making really aren't that much different; you still have to answer question, but now, you don't NEED a smartphone to complete it, and I don't have to deal with trying to find a way to put the coordinates and clues in each container without having to replace them a lot when they get wet (I made a separate topic for that if you want to check it out). If it was actually a big overhaul that changed the nature of the cache by a lot, I would archive and re-list. But in this case, it's pretty much the same thing I'd say.

 

Anyways; I will check out Geocheck and Cache Me if You Can. Geochecker doesn't do what I need it to (I've tried it already).

 

Thanks!

[+Avid Cacher]

Big update!

 

I've gotten everything working, and there are no e-mails, downloads, etc. required. I found a website called Zoho Sheets which is very similar to Excel, but on-line, and completely free. It allowed me to upload the Excel spreadsheet that I made and have it be made interactive for others to use. They need not register on the website, download anything, pay for anything, etc; it's completely free and easy.

 

On the topic of whether or not I should archive and re-list; I haven't decided yet. How I have it set now is only slightly different from how it was before (see the post above this one), so I don't know if it merits archiving and re-listing. People who completed it before might not feel the need to redo it, especially seeing as the legs would still be in the same place as they were before, and they'd know where they were still.

 

Thanks, everyone! Be sure to check out the cache page to see how it's set up!

Edited May 2, 2014 by Avid Cacher

[+Touchstone]

Beta test complete. Works as expected.

 

Good luck with the cache!

[+Avid Cacher]

Beta test complete. Works as expected.

 

Good luck with the cache!

Awesome Thank you.

 

What did you think of the riddles? I tried to go "medium" on he difficulty scale, lol. I know some REALLY complex riddles, but didn't want people pulling their hair out or giving up.