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Thread: Virtual Geocaches

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Default Virtual Geocaches

    I have a quick question regarding the placement of Virtual Caches.
    We have just returned from a fab holiday in Florida where we took the opportunity to find some of the virtual caches located in the main theme parks such as Hollywood Studios (GC3338).

    It struck me that placing a virtual in the theme parks here would be a good idea. I had in mind places like Legoland, Thorpe Park, Chessington or indeed some of the other major tourist attractions. However, I have been looking around my area (SE England) and there are hardly any virtuals and am beginning to wonder if this kind of cache is either frownd upon by the reviewers or just not popular with Geocachers.

    I am also mindful of the new Challenges thing which I understand are a bit like Marmite - you either love them or hate them. Is it the same thing with Virtuals - which I don't see as being the same thing as challenges.

    Any views?
    Should I bother placing some virtuals?

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Default

    Virtuals haven't been allowed for some time now, the only ones left are the old ones and as they get archived they can't be replaced.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Default

    Many thanks for your prompt reply Marty, all clear now.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    S. E. Wales
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    Default

    Virtuals - Why no more?

    When Groundspeak stopped listing Virtual caches some cachers were very unhappy and since that time many have asked for Virtual caches to be allowed once more.

    The newly created Challenges are "the new Virtuals". They can be created in such a way that they serve to highlight a particular location in the same way that the "old Virtuals" did. Yes, some people love them, others hate them, and then there's a crowd in the middle ranks who are trying them out to see how they work and what sort of response they get from their local cachers.

    Over the last few weeks I've seen some very interesting, creative Challenges and some pretty pointless ones (IMO).

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Default

    Many thanks for the link and information.
    I can't believe they have been out of circulation for such a long time.
    I am now surprised that I managed to collect 8 whilst in Florida. Perhaps they are a little reluctant to let them go.

    I too am not sure about the Challenges thing and will most likely give them a go to see how it works.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    Church Warsop, Notts
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    Default

    Virtuals and Locationless Caches were replaced by Waymarks. There are thousands of them!
    For instance, as you mentioned Hollywood Studios, here's a list of the nearest 7500;

    http://www.waymarking.com/wm/search....n=-81.5603&t=6

    Choosing an area at random, here are the nearest 10000 to Redhill in Surrey;
    http://www.waymarking.com/wm/search....lon=-0.125&t=6

    Waymarks are grouped into Categories. You can make categories that you're not interested in disappear, and then from the remainder you can choose either to visit a waymark (similar to logging a virtual cache) or log a category (similar to a locationless).

    So with a category like Water Mills;
    http://www.waymarking.com/cat/detail...t=1&ct=11&st=2
    ...you'd see if a local water mill has already been logged and if not you could use it to set up a waymark.

    Obviously you can log a category multiple times but you normally only visit a waymark once.

    If you prefer a challenge, you could join a scavenger hunt, for instance;
    http://www.waymarking.com/hunt/detai...9-26af4b70f564

    As for "Challenges"; I'm not sure why we need them as well!

  7. #7

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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Happy Humphrey View Post
    ... As for "Challenges"; I'm not sure why we need them as well!
    I think that if Waymarking was properly integrated with Geoaching into one site then we wouldn't need Challenges to provide the "alternative to Virtuals" but we might still use them to create a completely new category of "outdoorsy things to do without finding a container".

    I said elsewhere that I'd love to be able to do one Search that would bring up everything around a specific location. Then if I saw a particularly interesting Waymark nearby we could go and log it and get not a yellow Smiley but (maybe) a Wayvie which would be (maybe) a small circular purple icon with a W in it. If we found a new waymark to add to an existing category we could do so and get a Wayvie+ which would be the same small purple icon but with a small + showing on the middle point.

    See? I've got it all thunked out.

  8. #8

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    Apr 2004
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    Shropshire
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mrs Blorenge View Post
    I think that if Waymarking was properly integrated with Geoaching into one site then we wouldn't need Challenges to provide the "alternative to Virtuals" but we might still use them to create a completely new category of "outdoorsy things to do without finding a container".

    I said elsewhere that I'd love to be able to do one Search that would bring up everything around a specific location. Then if I saw a particularly interesting Waymark nearby we could go and log it and get not a yellow Smiley but (maybe) a Wayvie which would be (maybe) a small circular purple icon with a W in it. If we found a new waymark to add to an existing category we could do so and get a Wayvie+ which would be the same small purple icon but with a small + showing on the middle point.

    See? I've got it all thunked out.
    Something like

    https://www.nearby.org.uk/ perhaps so many location based games in one place
    "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning."

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Carterton Oxon
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    Nice one Mrs B - Sounds good to me. I've tried a couple of the new challenge thingees and the one on Crickley Hill in Glos took us to the most spectacular views in the Cotswolds - somewhere I probably wouldn't have gone on spec. Am also experimenting with the idea of a Blue plaque challenge round Oxfordshire. A bit of history and education ! (first one seems to have fallen a bit flat - in home village of Carterton !!! - but will keep trying)
    Si vis pacem para bellum

  10. #10
    keehotee Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by martybartfast View Post
    Virtuals haven't been allowed to be listed on Geocaching.com for some time now, the only ones left are the old ones and as they get archived they can't be replaced.
    Corrected it for you, as this is the GAGB forum and hence should reflect all cache listing sites unless specific to the OPs query......?

    For info, it is still possible to create and list virtual caches on opencaching.org, terracaching.com, opencaching.com and navicache.com.
    Last edited by keehotee; 18th September 2011 at 02:39 PM.

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