dartymoor wrote “As a cache owner, I know that the only way not to get people leaving irritated DNFs is to spell out exactly where it is.”
But are you looking for a 100% find rate? The most popular caches certainly don’t achieve that. Make it too easy and boring and it almost becomes pointless. There has to be some element of a challenge and difficulty. Most irritated DNFs come when either the coordinates are not accurate or when it’s a micro or nano with a multitude of hiding places. That’s when you need more explicit hints or spoilers. Place a decent size container with accurate coordinates and you don’t need them.
My most popular cache by far is Bird’s Eye View which has a 20% DNF rate but a 43% favoured rate! Look how popular The Joy of Caching series is, I don’t believe the FE caches ever have hints, and the same for MP’s Pipe Dream series. A good cache needs no additional help or you destroy the sense of achievement when it is found.
