Puzzles Anyone?

[addisonbr]

A new Manhattan puzzle cache is coming down the pike... I'm submitting it for approval in a few minutes; depending on the back-and-forth with NY Admin (and NY Admin's schedule) it should show up in a day or two. Your sneak peak for being a part of the NY Metro Area GC Society is that it's a subway theme...

This is also a good opportunity to plug puzzle caches in general. There are some really good ones in the area that should be getting more traffic. Some of the best of the bunch (within 10 miles of Manhattan, beyond which it's difficult for me to get to):

by Avroair
17 smilies - only about four per year. This is usually the only cache more than a week old in Manhattan I haven't found. I'm close, I think. But that makes it all the more frustrating.

by childofatom
Just 5 smilies

by Fifinella and G.O. Cash
Just 4 smilies

by EastVillageFamily
19 smilies, but really 11 (a bunch of folks logged it without solving it). There is a container problem right this minute but that should be solved soon.

by Brainzane and Yossface
11 smilies

by Hushovd
6 smilies. I've actually solved this one but haven't had the chance to go claim it yet.

by Harry Dolphin and Andy Bear
22 smilies. None of them are me, unfortunately. I stare at this one for an hour about every week or so and am as far from a solution as I ever was.

[Bonick0]

I love puzzle caches. Usually I find the solution and than Peeves ends up fiding the container. Although the central park ones are giving me some trouble. Will be working on your new one soon.

[Bonick0]

I am declaring this week a Puzzle Week. After a close run for B 339 FTF, I checked the other local puzzles and this is the count so far (besides already found):

have solutions, but never got around to the finding: It begins at the strangers' gate, Required reading, NY Subway, New world cache

have solution, but the cache is in limbo: West side zoo

would love to find: Unidentified object, Bryant park micro, Patience and Fortitude, Devil is in the details, and Underground life (one of my most favorite stops)

and the light bulb is yet to go on for: Prime meridian, Beat the clock, and Baseball burlesque

Five Star New York will have to wait for warmer weather so I can do it in one shot.

I'm sure I've missed a few, but this makes for an interesting list. We'll see how far I can get. Stay tuned.

[EastVillageFamily]

We loved the Five Star NY puzzle cache so much that it inspired us to start creating puzzle caches.
Its still the best puzzle cache I've seen anywhere, and I've been looking. We hope some day to create something that fits together so well as the Five Star NY. It's worth noting that that puzzle was created by at least 3 cachers working together...

[EastVillageFamily]

I have a feeling that with the warmer weather coming there will be more puzzle caches.
This of course makes me want to contribute to the puzzle madness.

But first I am curious, what do NYC geocachers think is the most satisfying kind of geocaching puzzle?
I'm looking for ideas...
(Doesn't have to be a NYC cache)

Should we be working on another cache?
Or another ?

What do you want to be looking for this spring?

[addisonbr]

I'm not sure I have quite enough experience with geocaching puzzles to have a favorite type yet... But I can say that in general, I really enjoy meta-puzzles (where the pieces fit together to form a whole). The old Cliff Johnson games for the Mac were pretty ground-breaking in that regard. And I try to participate in Bay Area Games and BANGs when I can, and the puzzles from those events also tend to tie together to form a cohesive whole.

One limitation is that there is only so much you can do within the format of a cache listing. Five Star obviously pulls it all off very well, but that cache is a freak.

[Bonick0]

My brand new shiny puzzle was solved in three hours. There go all two days of work I put into it.

[EastVillageFamily]

I used to think that the purpose of building a geocache puzzle was to stump cachers for as long as possible.
But then I realized that it was almost as frustrating for us as the cache owners, when no one could solve the puzzle. I much prefer to hear about the finders experiences while working on the puzzle, knowing that in the end they went home happy.
I think if you get a reputation for building 'painful' puzzles, you end up with a lot less traffic at your caches.

I haven't looked at your puzzle yet because its not immediately nearby, so there's no hope of us being first or second to find, but we'll have a look soon. No matter what, its good to have more puzzle caches out there.

[addisonbr]

[peeves79]

bonick0 knows I am not that much of a fan of puzzle caches. I don't mind getting challenged, but if it is too much work than I rather do something else. I personally like the physical puzzle caches. Meaning the coords take me to a place to get info or use the cache page at that place to interpret something to find the cache, as opposed to the word play. Though that will not stop me from putting out puzzle/mystery caches. Even though I missed bonick0's puzzle week I just submitted two puzzle/mystery caches. I'm sure all you guys and girls can solve them in seconds considering I only spent like 10 minutes each on them. I am also working on a third but it is still just a concept. Like I said, I like more of a physical puzzle/mystery cache. Enjoy

[Bonick0]

See, I'm too lazy to get off my butt and actually do the searching. All I need is the satisfaction of mentally solving the puzzle.

[Tatanka49]

I'm with Peeves on this one. Too much brain drain..especially the obscure ones with no hints.

[lekogm]

[addisonbr]

Yikes. Well, I guess you're not going to like a Multi cache I'm close to listing.

It requires visiting between 30-35 different spots and taking partial coordinates from each spot to get the location of the final. I struggled with the decision to list it as a Puzzle cache or a Multi cache and ultimately (after conferring with a few cachers I respect in the area) concluded that while the cache has attributes of both, a Multi cache probably better advertises that earning a smiley requires visiting a number of different locations. It's far more of a "physically-getting-from-your-home-to-the-final" time investment than the typical Puzzle cache. I know exactly where everything is and I have yet to complete a walk-through in fewer than four hours.

The instructions on the cache page are clear, and the method to convert data into the final coordinates is equally clear. But it is certainly more complex than simple addition and subtraction. Most people will find a calculator helpful.

If the community here agrees that the Metro NY banner does not belong on this cache, I will happily refrain. I hadn't decided on that anyway, so if there is hostility to that it makes it easier for me. But I do think it's a good cache, and I also think I've selected the cache type thoughtfully.

[lekogm]

I just find it frustrating when I look at my GPSr and see there's a cache near by but suddenly it's something more than just, "here are the coordinates for stage _____." I feel that offset caches should have their own category or at least be listed as puzzle caches. All of these caches are good caches, I just feel that they're slightly misleading. Most of the caching I get to do is because I'm nearby on lunch or my buddies and I are out and like, "let's get a cache!" so it's not much of a planned thing and when you show up at a location and there's no physical container there it's kind of a downer.

Again, if there was like an, "Offset Multi" category, that'd be cool. Until then, I'm very against them being listed as just a multi.

And oh, speaking of puzzles and multiple locations and what not. I just want to say I really like EVF's Garden tour. As I'm not big into puzzle caches, going to a bunch of different caches to get the coords for one cache works great for me. Now all I need to do is remember where I put all but one of the numbers so I can score the final.