GC7T4A0 AR_Zombie Apocalypse (Unknown Cache) in Victoria, Australia created by day1976

This cache has been locked, but it is available for viewing.
GC7T4A0 ▼
A cache by day1976 Message this owner
Hidden : 7/4/2018
Difficulty:
Terrain:
Size: Size: small (small)
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Geocache Description:

Augmented Reality: This cache is part of an experiment that allows the use of Augmented Reality (AR) apps to find the cache. At the end of this experiment, Geocaching HQ will decide if this cache will be grandfathered or archived. Geocaching HQ reserves the right to archive this cache at any time if conditions change. If you have found this cache and would like to give feedback on your experience, please fill out this survey.

Tale Blazer: TaleBlazer is an augmented reality (AR) software platform. Developed by the MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program (STEP) lab, TaleBlazer allows users to play and make their own location-based mobile games. By situating games in the real world, AR games seek to engage people in experiences that combine real landscapes and other aspects of the physical environment with additional digital information supplied to them by smartphones. TaleBlazer games take place in the real world. Players interact with virtual characters, objects, and data as they move around their real location. TaleBlazer games can be played on most GPS-enabled Android and iOS smartphones. Once a game is downloaded to your smartphone, you don't need an internet connection to play your games!

To download the Tale Blazer app for android, click here.

To download the Tale Blazer app for ios, click here.

Zombie Apocalypse: Zombie Apocalypse is an AR experience that I have built using the Tale Blazer platform. Upon completing the experience, the location of a geocache will be revealed but before that happens there is some fun and games to be had. To start the experience, once you have downloaded the appropriate app for your mobile device, you need to search for the Zombie Apocalypse game by its game code, which is gffspxe. The game will then download to your phone. It is probably best to do this whilst you have wi-fi connection to save your mobile data. Once the game is downloaded it shouldn’t use any additional mobile data whilst it is being played.

Background: The world is being overrun with zombies, the apocalypse is imminent, the world needs a hero to defeat the zombie hordes and all the other grotesque, half dead forms that seem to be taking over. When every other human is running and ducking for cover, we need a hero who will stand and fight these mindless souls. Using your skills, the weaponry at your disposal and the care packages that you will receive from time to time you need to develop a way to defeat the evil that has infiltrated us and restore balance to the entire human race. Plus, there might be a geocache as a reward at the end too, so you know, BONUS!

Select A Role:
The first thing you need to do is select a role for you to play. Here you have 2 choices. The first choice is the famous Ash Williams, or Ashley Joanna William, who is the fictional lead role from the infamous “Evil Dead” franchise of movies. The second choice you have is Alice Abernathy, the lead role from the “Resident Evil” franchise of movies. Both characters are worthy of the task in front of them. However, while one character may be more versed in slaying one type of monster, the other may be better at slaying another. The choice is yours.

Map Display:
When the game starts you will see several TABs across the top of the screen. The first TAB is the map tab and it shows your location as a small blue dot and the locations of the various virtual objects that make up the play of the game. You can use the map display to navigate yourself towards these virtual objects. When you are close enough you can tap on them to interact with them.

Heads Up Display:
The “Heads Up” display is the Augmented Reality part of the Tale Blazer app. You can use this when you are close to the virtual objects that you want to interact with. As you look around the area the virtual objects will appear and you can click on them to interact with them, similar to on the Map TAB.

Player Tab:
The player TAB will bring up the role that you chose at the very start (either Alice Abernathy or Ash Williams). It will also tell you your current level of health (between 0 and 100). If you let your health drop to 0 then you die, and you lose the game. You lose some health every time you attack one of the virtual characters. How much health you lose depends on which character you chose as your role at the beginning and which virtual character you are attacking.

Gremlins:
The first kind of character that you will interact with is a Gremlin. Gremlins are like the scout party for the invading Zombie horde. You need to destroy all the Gremlins before the Zombies will show their faces (or what’s left of their faces anyway). Simply click on the Gremlin that you want to interact with. You will be given an option to attack the Gremlin. If you don’t want to attach the Gremlin, simply click on the ok button, if you do want to attack the Gremlin, click on the “Attack Gremlin” button.

Interacting With a Character:
Once you click on a virtual character either in the Map TAB or the Heads-Up TAB, then you get to interact with it. It will bring up a picture of the virtual creature that you are interacting with and tell you its current level of health. Like you, once the creatures level of health drops to 0, then it dies and ceases to exist. With most creatures that you meet you have the option to attack by selecting the Attack button, or you can choose not to attack by selecting the ok button.

Attacking a Character: If you decide to attack another character then the amount of damage that you inflict on that character will be dependent on what kind of virtual character you are attacking, which role you chose to play at the beginning and how much health you have remaining. The more health that you have, the more damage you can do to the characters that you attack. Don’t forget though, that every time you attack a character, then they also inflict damage on you too. How much hurt they cause to you again will depend on which virtual character you are attacking and which role you chose to play at the beginning.

Zombies:
Once you have dealt with a few Gremlins, you will come across some Zombies randomly roaming the earth in search of brains. This is just the beginning of what will eventually become hordes and hordes of zombies that you must later deal with. You must destroy all the zombies that you come across. The fate of humankind is depending on you.

Care Packages:
From time to time through the game you will come across Care Packages. When you come across a Care Package and tap on it, you have the option of using the Care Package. Using the Care Package will increase your level of health by 30, up to a level of 100 but no higher. You can choose to use the care package where you find it in the field of play, or you can choose to pick up the Care Package and take it with you. If you choose to pick up the Care Package, then it goes in to your Inventory. You can access your inventory by selecting the Inventory TAB at the top of the screen. By picking up the Care Package and taking it with you, then you can use it where ever you go, rather than having to return to it every time you need to restore some of your health. Once a Care Package is in your inventory, you can choose to drop it where you are standing in the field if you so wish. Each Care Package has a number of “uses” (usually between 3 and 5) which indicates how many times you can make use of the Care Package to restore your health. Once you have used up all a Care Packages “uses” then it is removed from your inventory and disappears from the world.

Humans:
Humans will come up to you occasionally too (virtual ones). You don’t need to tap on a Human in the map TAB or Heads Up TAB to interact with them, they will interact with you automatically as soon as you are close enough. You don’t have any option to attack humans (that wouldn’t make any sense, you are trying to save them), but you do have the option to talk to the humans. Its usually a good idea to talk to the humans that you meet. They may be quite scared, but they can give you some useful information and occasionally some useful objects. If you don’t want to talk to a human who comes up to you, simply don’t select the Talk to human button and instead just press ok.

Shot Gun:
Keep an eye out for this one. It makes killing the baddies so much easier! If you find a shot gun and you are close enough to interact with it, then you have the option to pick up the shot gun. Once you pick the shot gun up it goes into your inventory. By selecting the shot gun under the Inventory TAB, it will tell you how many shot gun shells you have left. It will also give you the option to either use the shot gun or to not use the shot gun. The default setting when you first pick up a shot gun is to not use it, so if you want to use the shot gun the next time you attack one of the baddies, you need to select to do so. By selecting to use the shotgun when attacking the virtual creatures, you do more damage per round to the said creature. You can alternate between using the shot gun and not using the shot gun when attacking by choosing to use, or to not use under the inventory TAB just before you attack. Once the shot gun runs out of shells the game automatically changes the option to not use the shot gun and even though the shotgun will remain in your inventory, you cannot choose to use it again unless you find some more shot gun shells.

Medusa:
Medusa is the first really BAD baddie that you will meet. She is super strong and every time you attack her, you will loose quite a bit of your own health. Plus, unless you are using a shot gun or some other kind of weapon, you aren’t likely to do too much damage to her when you attack. Also add to this that often, when you attack her, she releases one of her poisonous snakes into the world. These snakes will defend Medusa to the death and so if you attack Medusa the amount of damage to your health that you receive is compounded by how many of her snakes are around her at the time. The more snakes that she has, the more damage you will receive when you attack her. It will take quite a bit of firepower and some clever thinking to defeat this monster!

Snakes:
As we said previously, often when you attack Medusa one of her snakes is released. These snakes will hang around her and defend her to the death. Getting rid of the snakes can be tricky as you can’t just kill them with your bare hands, you will need some firepower to destroy these creatures. But given the amount of firepower that you have is limited you will need to make some choices as to the most effective use.

Assault Rifle:
Now we are getting some serious fire power! This weapon can fire 5 rounds per turn and can do some major damage to the baddies. Just as well too, because there are LOTS of baddies coming to get you. Just like the shot gun, when you first get the assault rifle the default setting is to not use it. To use it you need to select the item in the inventory and choose the “Use Assault Rifle” option. If you also have the shotgun in your inventory you can only use 1 at a time, so if you choose the use the Assault Rifle the game will automatically switch the use of the shotgun off, and vice versa. Just like the shot gun, if you are using the Assault Rifle and you run out of bullets, the game will automatically stop you using the assault rifle and resort back to using no weapon at all. If this happens you will not have the option to use the Assault Rifle anymore, unless you find some more bullets.

Zombie Horde:
With the death of Medusa comes the Zombie Hordes. Hundreds and hundreds of Zombies that just seem to keep coming. Every time you destroy one it seems that three more take its place. The mindless souls of the undead continue to march forth with their only goal being that of the demise of the entire human race. It will take all your skill and determination to defeat this army but the lives of everyone on earth are depending on you to be successful.

Boss Zombie:
So, you’ve destroyed every Gremlin that you’ve come across. You’ve annihilated the mindless Zombies. Medusa and her snakes are now nothing but a bad memory. And you’ve finally defeated the seemingly never-ending hordes of the Zombie army. What else could this day possibly throw at you? Well there is one more evil creature to destroy and the bad news is that this is one hell of an evil creature. The Boss Zombie is your worst nightmare. He is incredibly strong. Even with a lot of firepower it is going to take a long time to take him down and every time you attack him he dishes out huge amounts of damage to your own health. Forget the skills that you’ve learnt, to knock this creature over you’re just going to need to blast him away.

The End: The Boss Zombie is finally dead. You have destroyed every undead creature in the world. The remaining human beings begin emerging from their hiding spots. You have saved the world as we know it, peace is restored on the planet earth, the world is eternally grateful for your super human efforts. You are showered with praise, every country on earth bestows you their most exclusive medals and most importantly, the co-ordinates for this geocache reveal themselves.

Where to start: The best place to start this experience is at the posted co-ordinates for this geocache. Follow the trail of adventure, destroy every evil creature you meet and if at the end of the day you are successful, you will be lead to a geocache. Be sure to be observant of other pedestrians and cars whilst playing the game and best of luck on your adventure. The whole thing should take less than an hour and please don’t forget to fill in the AR survey mentioned in the first paragraph once you have finished.