Hiking Trail Markers

In November AMA, it was said all trail markers with any sort of visual indicator is acceptable.

After that, in a discussion about cycling trails, @NianticGiffard said that they are acceptable as long as they are visually unique:


Answering to a question about which ones are visually unique, Giffard said:

"As you are aware, we consider any marker on a hiking trail as acceptable".

Here comes my question. If cycling route markers are acceptable as long as they aren't genric, what about the hiking trails that aren't visually unique because they don't have any visuall indicator? They are still acceptable?

Here I add an example:

I know it has a name on it, but this is a 1200km and in some parts you can see one every 300m. Is it still acceptable? I would consider this one as a generic one. (Along the route there are others containing KM or arrows which are totally acceptable).


Thank you!

Comments

  • ElwynGreygoose-INGElwynGreygoose-ING Posts: 244 ✭✭✭✭

    Walking trail markers are not usually unique. The unique requirement you quote above seems only to apply to cycling trails. I get 100% acceptance on walking trail markers and they are all the same (well, they're all the same if they're on the same trail). And they are often closer together than even 100m.

    I have not had success unless I do a lot of work and especially: (1) give each marker a unique title, (2) a description that (a) is in my own words (b) includes a compelling summary of what the trail is and why anyone would want to walk it (c) tells you where this specific marker is, or where it takes you, or what there is to see here, and include (3) a photosphere, (4) the URL for an official trail map in the supporting information.

  • TWVer-INGTWVer-ING Posts: 792 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Visually unique means something else in Wayfarer then most people assume. From the help section:

    Visual Uniqueness

    Does the nomination stand out from its surroundings? Wayspots that are easy to locate and visually distinct from the buildings and objects nearby make high-quality Wayspots and should be rated highly. If you think the nomination looks bland and will be hard to locate, give it a lower rating.

    A red metal object around a wooden pole in a nature environment stands out from its surroundings. Markers like these are designed to be easy to locate.

    What Niantic and Giffard mean by "generic", is probably closer to "doesn't meet eligibility criteria". The example of bike lane signs was given. Signs that just tell you your place on the road.

    Signs like this certainly "encourage players to cover more of the trail". So it would be a great candidate.

  • ElseSense-PGOElseSense-PGO Posts: 31 ✭✭
    edited March 2022

    Wayspots that are easy to locate and visually distinct from the buildings and objects nearby make high-quality Wayspots.

    The problem here is that this object isn't visually distinct from the other same markers every 300 meters.

    Although the other hiking trails are the same, just a metal object around a wooden pole, each of them are distinct, because they sign you a direction, they contain the KM til the next spot, they give you information... These do encourage exploration, unlike the other one, in my opinion. This is the big diference between these two kinds of hiking trails.

  • Oakes1923-PGOOakes1923-PGO Posts: 419 ✭✭✭✭

    Not sure about other Niantic games but in PG you can see wayspots at just under 500m around you. which means that on a trail with markers every 300 m you will likely only see three stops at a time. To me this is an acceptable result and folks should not be concerned with how many of a similar marker show up on a trail. Remember that a marker for a trail in essentially the anchor for the hiking trail itself, in various locations, and having multiple anchors encourage exercise and exploration, two of the main pillars of Niantic games. They are all eligible and should be accepted.

    Also keep in mind that the Visual Uniqueness criteria specifically applies to being able to pick out a Wayspot within the immediate surrounding area. IE is the anchor for the Wayspot easy to find for the player when they are at that point within the map. This helps with the real world interaction for players who choose to partake in that part of the game. It should not be used to reflect how unique the specific Wayspot is in correlation to other Wayspots. That is covered under objects that are mass produced, but as has been discussed, Niantic has clarified and views any trail marker on a Hiking Trail as a valid nomination due to the rational above.

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