Wherigo

[+beatrizsubtil]

Hey Guys!

 

Although i'm not new to Geocaching, been around since 2012, i'm not always finding containers and going on adventures due to work and stuff...but there's this one type of cache that is always in the back of my mind, i feel a complete idiot because i still don't get it!

 

I'm talking about the Wherigo caches...those little tiny caches that drive me completely crazy. I have an Oregon 400T GPS from Garmin and it does have the option to do the wherein caches, but i never get them you know.

 

So...my request is, would you please create a little guide to us, new souls in the Wherigo cache types so that i can understand whats supposed to download, if the cartridges from the site are supposed to go on the gps....and so on...

 

Thank you all so much!!!

 

(oh...and i started this topic, because i didn't find a more recent one on the matter...nor "understandable")

 

Edited June 26, 2017 by beatrizsubtil

[+Touchstone]

The Oregon's have always (to the best of my knowledge), been a bit buggy, as far as running the Cartridges. There are some better options out there that run on mobile phones and so forth. There is a Subforum dedicated to all things Wherigo, the Getting Started section is a good place to start. Link for reference:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showforum=60

[+beatrizsubtil]

Thanks so much!

[Ranger Fox]

Seriously: ask your question in that subforum and you'll get a lot of help. It's a good community.

 

Would you mind if I made a preemptive answer? No? Great, because I was going to do it anyway!

 

Here are some steps you can take to load a cartridge onto your Oregon. Please note where the GPSr is concerned, I'm going off memory. Anyone can feel free to correct me.

1. Connect your Garmin Oregon to your computer. Your GPSr should show up like any other USB drive. This is the same way you use to copy pocket queries to the device.
   
2. Find a Wherigo cartridge you want on geocaching.com. That's the easy part, right? It seems you've seen something on the map. I'm going to go with Clube dos Poetas (GC3D9YN) because it's probably close to where you live.
   
3. Look at the geocaching.com cache page. While I try to encourage everyone to link to the Wherigo cartridge web page via the "related link" feature at the top of the page, this cartridge does not do it. That's fine. Look through the page for a hyperlink to the cartridge. In this case, the author has placed two hyperlinks to the cartridge page, even one called This Wherigo Cartridge. Click it to go to the listing on Wherigo.com.
   
4. You will need to log in at Wherigo.com if you haven't already. This site uses the same user name as password as geocaching.com. I've noticed another bug on that site. If you've been signed in for a long time, it might look like you're signed in and it'll even say your user name in the upper-right corner. However, it'll also have the "Sign In" link below your user name. You'll have to click that link to sign in again. I don't report site bugs to Groundspeak anymore because no one fixes them.
   
5. On the cartridge listing page, you'll see a blue button called Download in the left column. Click it.
   
6. The site will ask what player you're using for the cartridge. Select "Garmin Oregon" from the drop-down list, then click the button with the text "Download Now".
   
7. When the save file dialog appears (depending upon your browser settings), navigate to your Oregon and find the folder called "Wherigo". If your Oregon has two drive letters associated with it due to having a memory card inserted into it, you might have to look at both drives. This folder will be right off the root of one of the drives. Save the file to this folder.
   
8. Once the file has finished downloading, disconnect your Oregon.
   
9. Let's check to see if the file loaded correctly before you leave home! Power on your Oregon and go to its Wherigo app in the menu. Make sure the cartridge shows up in the list.
   
10. Navigate to the geocache's posted coordinates. Use your preferred method: handheld GPSr, car GPSr, cell phone, or just regular navigation because you know the area.
    
11. Go back to the Wherigo app, select the cartridge, and start playing it.
    

 

Now, while I could look through the cartridge and tell you what to do next, I'll stop here with the specific directions. Instead, I'll give you general pointers.

 

Those who create Wherigo cartridges have a lot of freedom as to what they can offer within their cartridge. That said, there are things in common with cartridges. When you start the cartridge, you might see some text and images if the author wants to tell you something. After that--or just right away--you'll come to the main screen Wherigo uses with cartridges. This screen has four options on it: where to go (locations/zones), what you see (characters or items in the field), what you have (your inventory), and things to do (tasks or a checklist, which I think might not see much use in most cartridges these days). The most important thing is to check the locations option, which is the first on the list. This will tell you where to go.

 

Once you get to a location--called a "zone" in Wherigo lingo--one of two things generally happens (or both). You might trigger some text or a question, or something might show up on the section option--the one that tells you what you see. If the first, read and follow the directions. If the second, it's likely a character with which you can interact.

 

As I said, Wherigo gives people a lot of freedom to create things. Usually, you'll see something normal. Other times, you might be treated to some sort of other type of crafted game. As far as abnormal, I created what I call the "arcade" type of Wherigo cartridge, where you play an actual game. For example, you might play a game of Battleship, Trivial Pursuit, or Whack-A-Mole. Close to you is a reverse Wherigo (at least from what I can somewhat tell from the description), which means you'll ask the cartridge how far away you are from the cache, then try to get closer and ask again. You'll likely know when you're about to play one of these specially-crafted cartridges because the geocache description will have more instructions than usual. The point is, not all Wherigo cartridges offer the same experience, so I can't be specific as to what to do. As long as you know about locations/zones and that you might have to interact with things inside a location, that'll take you far.

 

Finally, let me give you a big warning. The Garmin Wherigo Player has a critical bug. To explain it, you first have to know this: once you cross a boundary line to a location, that triggers whatever the cartridge does next. So, anyway, the bug. If you cross that boundary line and the cartridge asks you a question, be careful about moving around too much. If the Wherigo player thinks you exited a location and reentered it, the player will ask you that question again. This means it will try to show you the question (or a message) when you already have a question displayed on the screen. The Garmin Wherigo Player does not handle that situation with any grace: the GPSr will turn itself off! Yes, you read that right: off! So just be careful. You do have a margin of safety, but I still wanted you to be aware this can happen.

 

---------------

 

If you have any other Wherigo questions, please ask them in the Wherigo forum. I don't monitor the Getting Started forum. I only saw the word "Wherigo" on the main forum page, so I clicked in to see what the discussion was. Anyway, there are several people--myself included--that like to help others in the Wherigo forum. Even if it's a basic beginner question, we don't mind answering it, so don't feel like you'll get anyone belittling you for asking for help. It's a nice place.

[+hzoi]

I did not have much luck using our Oregon for Wherigo caches. In addition to the bug Ranger Fox describes above, I found that Wherigo caches often were just too much for the Oregon to handle as far as memory use.

 

If you have a smart phone, I recommend the WhereYouGo app. edit: and at least on my phone, WhereYouGo is associated with Wherigo files, so that when I hit the download button on the Wherigo cache page, the file automatically opens up in WhereYouGo.

Edited June 26, 2017 by hzoi

[Ranger Fox]

I found that Wherigo caches often were just too much for the Oregon to handle as far as memory use.

Yeah, I noticed that way back in 2008 when the Oregon came out. I was experimenting with modeling park visitors within a Wherigo cartridge. In other words, the characters actually moved around on a predefined course and speed, updated every second, to mimic where someone walking around a park would be in that moment in time. Due to the experimental nature, I tested it thoroughly on the Garmin Colorado, which was the only GPSr at the time capable of playing cartridges. When I released the cartridge, the Oregon came out the same week. The first person to play the cartridge was rude in his log, considering how much time I put into testing it on the only device that was available at the time:

So how does a cache sit around in Greensboro for over a week with no finds? Perhaps it is because the "cartridge" is faulty and crashes. Perhaps it is because nobody understands what is really supposed to happen here. Perhaps it is because the cartridge runs to SLOW to be any fun. Perhaps this cache should be disabled until the bugs are worked out. Since the cartridge cannot be saved, once it crashes it's... GAME OVER

 

[red]Sadly, GC.com will not let us ignore this crap.[/red]

So after borrowing the guy's Oregon, I saw the GPSr had fewer resources than the Colorado, which was weird because you'd think a GPSr that came out after another would be more capable. So, anyway, I worked on and tested the cartridge in a torrential downpour. I was drenched after I finished making sure it would work on an Oregon!

 

Please note I tend to test the limits of what can be done with Wherigo and my cartridges aren't normal. The limit, by the way, was creating Tetris to run on Wherigo. While it'll work well on an emulator, it's too much for the GPS receivers. The apps don't update their maps on zone events and some of them don't show the shape of zones, so Tetris cannot be run in the field and I have not released it.

 

Also, any cartridge that uses sound cannot be played on a Garmin GPSr. The very, very sad thing about that is that, as a cache owner, you cannot tell people the cartridge cannot be played on the Garmin Wherigo Player. The reviewers in my state will not allow you to mention that product despite it being an officially-licensed Groundspeak product. You also cannot mention the name "Pocket PC" because it's another product name, so you can't tell people that if they were to play using a Wherigo app, they needed to download for the Pocket PC format because all the other formats will strip the audio out of the cartridge. Utterly ridiculous.

 

 

If you have a smart phone, I recommend the WhereYouGo app.

Yes, cell phone player apps are better. Did you know the Android app is not officially recognized by Groundspeak and, taking a strict view of the forum's terms of use, cannot be mentioned in the forum? Fun fact. (I won't tell if you don't.)

[+hzoi]

Did you know the Android app is not officially recognized by Groundspeak and, taking a strict view of the forum's terms of use, cannot be mentioned in the forum? Fun fact. (I won't tell if you don't.)

Was not aware of that; in fact, given its utility (and that it's free), I find that very surprising. Thanks for the heads up; I'll comport my future Wherigo posts accordingly.

[Ranger Fox]

Thanks for the heads up; I'll comport my future Wherigo posts accordingly.

Don't worry about it; you're fine. Talk about WhereYouGo all you want in the Wherigo forum. There's some history behind all this that makes it okay. I'm not in this thread to moderate; I'm in it because I'm part of the community.