Thoughts on the rules?

[shroomAzoom]

Alright, every year I tweak the rules for the SCC to try to balance the competition with fun. Let's start with some simple ground rules and then we can begin to change things up.

• Hide: 1pt
• Find: 1pt
• FTF: +.5pts

Okay, now we modify... Last year it became obvious that to "win" the challenge all you had to do was max out on hides. At the ECC we mitigated against that by putting a cap on the number of hides. So, what if we said a max of five hides?

That would do, and we'd all have a good time. However, another way of addressing this would be incorporating some sort of diminishing return on hiding:

• First Hide: 4pts
• Second Hide: 3pts
• Third Hide: 2pts
• Fourth Hide: 1pt
• Fifth Hide: 1pts

Then we can up the points for finds, thus:

• Find: 2.5pts
• FTF: +1pt

This would allow those who can only hide a few caches to still be "in the running" with those who can hide many. Those who hide all five of their caches have a guaranteed 11pts. For the cacher who seeks those five caches they have a potential 12.5pts, not guaranteed, but the potential is there. Plus there is a small FTF bonus. Mmm, yes, I like the smaller FTF bonus. It's still gives incentive, but will keep things close.

Now, what about cache categories? In the past, they have encouraged some very creative caches. So, like the ECC, each cache hidden must be in one of the following categories. And each hider can only hide one cache in a given category. What categories can we employ this year? (Assume all caches are small or regular sized unless otherwise noted.)

• Multi cache: 3+ stages
• Trail Puzzle cache: to be solved on the trail.
• Silent Puzzle cache: no text in the description.
• Magnetic cache (Not on a train )
• Large Cammo cache: 5L+ cammoed cache
• Hidden in plain sight: urban hide, visible from 20m away.
• Anti-cammo cache: brightly coloured.
• Homemade cache: No ammo cans, locknlocks, peanut butter jars, etc.
• Night time only cache
• Off the beaten track: 750m or more from nearest parking.
• Where it's Wet: Requires wading, swimming, or hidden underwater.
• McGuyver cache: special equipment required.
• Micro cache: just a little cache, but not a needle in a haystack.

Notice the lack of micro (or nano) in a pine tree?

And of course, just for fun, guess the number of caches hidden for the SCC. The closest guess without going over wins one point.

And what should the boundries be? Last year we said within 50km of the wrap-up event. What say we tighten things up a bit this year and try to keep things within the city limits (with perhaps a modification on the McIntyre ward, as it's huge!) Or maybe keep the radius under 20km, or within some other boundries? There should be plenty of good, unused locations to hide caches, and we might even bump into each other a bit more like we did in the ECC.

So, any thoughts? Am I completely out to lunch?

[jleecollins]

I like the idea of set radius from the wrap-up event , but extend it out to McKenzie in the east.  (mainly because I have a great puzzle cache set up near McKenzie.   It will take a bit of driving around to get the various items to solve the cache location).

My other ones fall within the ward system except for one which is just outside to the east (not the McKenzie cache).

I would also like to see the multi-cache as minimum of 2 stages.

As you are aware, I have set up 6 caches to be released for the event.  If we are limited to 5, I will probably release the 6th earlier so it would not be included in the event.  But it would be nice to have it included and get a point.

I mainly setup the six because I was able to get up to Thunder Bay last week - probably the only time I will be able to get up there until the event.  Too bad the rules didn't come out next week before I came up.  My wife and I keep coming up with great ideas and spots for caches.

Jim

[shroomAzoom]

I've created a special logo at lunch that you might want to use on your Spring Cache Challenge caches this year. It will work like the NWOG logo you can add to your cache descriptions, except that it links to the SCC forum.

Code: [Select]

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nwogeocachers.com/forum/index.php/board,9.0.html"><img src="http://nwogeocachers.com/assets/images/NWOGSCC2009.jpg" border="0" title="NorWest Ontario Geocachers" /></a></p>
Just copy the code in the above box and paste it into your cache description. Be sure that you have "The descriptions below are in HTML" box checked.

[JungleBus]

We like the idea of the point system the way you have it Shroom, it still encourages hides, but nobody can just run away with it.  I think 5 is a good cap.  I think we like the idea of a radius a bit better than just city limits (mainly because I don't actually know if I know all the city limits, and sometimes it's nice to be able to hide stuff a bit farther, but really long drives during the SCC seem difficult when there are so many caches)  The categories for the caches seem good and just needing your caches to be in different ones - just wondering if we could allow one to just be a regular cache?   

One other thought that we had, and guess we want to see what others think of it.  What about a -1 if noone finds your cache?  It just seemed like last year there were a lot of caches that noone found that were either too far, took too long or were too hard.  That way you can still hide hard caches, but have to decide if you want it to be REALLY hard then you might get the -1 and in the point system you have -1 doesn't seem like a really big penalty, maybe just a small deterrent?   Not sure if this is too subjective or not - or just too many rules..but we thought we'd throw it out there anyways to see what others thought. 

Whatever the rules end up being we're really looking forward to the Challenge, and having fun starting to think of some caches   Thanks for all the thought you put into it Shroom!! 

[shroomAzoom]

Good thoughts Junglebus. I'm curious to hear what others think.

I'm cool with using the radius again, just maybe reigning it in a bit. Here's a link to the city limits, just so everyone can have an idea of what those would look like.

The -1 for non-found caches is a great idea. It would definitely provide incentive (for folks like me, thinking of two of my ECC caches) to ensure your cache wasn't messed up for the event, causing people wasted time. At the same time, no one did our Picturesque Waverley Park cache at the Challenge (but I bet if I hadn't said it would take more than an hour, some would have attempted it and finished it for the SCC in less than an hour. 

Looking back at my suggested categories, I think what I was trying to suggest with "Homemade cache: No ammo cans, locknlocks, peanut butter jars, etc." was a cache constructed of natural materials. Think RagBag's ConCollege #3 (?), my Now You See it..., GOTP's Someone's Building Block, or JungleBus' Nosey.

[shroomAzoom]

The cache page is online at geocaching.com now! 
http://coord.info/GC1MHZQ

[shroomAzoom]

Just so we can kick this around a bit more, here are two Google Earth KMZs to give you an idea of potential boundaries. One is an overlay of the Thunder Bay municipal wards. McIntyre ward looks huge, until you look at a circle with a radius of 20km centered on the intercity area.

I'm surprised that McKenzie is so far out. It never seemed that far to me. On the other hand, Sturgeon Bay seems way out there, and it's about the same distance. Kakabeka seems way out there as well (more than 25km from the intercity area.)

So, we could try setting a radius distance, which I was leaning towards too, but it seems we'd have to set it way out there to encompass some areas we'd like to include. Or we could use the city limits and then add on Shuniah? (Here's a PDF map.) It goes out to Dorion almost.

What about a "radius" plus 11/17 east to the McKenzie River south to the lake to include the whole Lakeshore Drive area? Sounds complicated? I'd rather keep it simpler.

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[ChrisDom]

I have plans for some caches in the Murillo and Rosslyn surrounding areas.  The 20km radius works well for these ideas. 
Has it been decided that 5 caches are the max?  I don't want to get carried away.