Archive for June, 2015

June 30, 2015

4th Birthday Month Specials

The time to celebrate Munzee’s birthday has come again! As we mark our 4th birthday, we want to reward our players for all of their support in helping this game grow and become so much more than we thought it could be when we started. If you thought #FiestaThree was big, we can’t wait for you to see what we’ve got planned. Also, keep in mind that we like to celebrate on relevant numbered days, so watch out for days with 4 in them. Now on to the details.4thBday_720

What’s a birthday party without cake? Starting tomorrow, there will be 444 birthday cakes on the map at any time. They can be seen at www.munzee.com/birthday during the month. These cakes will only land on greenies not in maintenance mode (if a Munzee goes into maintenance mode while a cake is on it, it will bounce to another Munzee), and bounce every 12 hours.

Each cake starts with 4 candles. After each cap, it will lose a candle. After the 4th cap, the cake is gone and another will show up somewhere else. Capture points will be 100, 50, 25, and 20 for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cap, respectively. Cap on points will be 4 points each, i.e. 16 total if all are capped. Regardless of capture number, the special icon will be the full cake.

After the first capture of a cake, 4 “pieces of cake” will explode within 44444 feet. Each will provide a special capture and icon. Capture points are 44 and cap on points are 4.

We couldn’t just stop there. July 4th will be a 4x day on greenies and regular/colored virtuals ONLY (not MVM or anything other than regular greenies). This 4x day will include capture, deploy, and cap on points. This will be in effect from 00:01-23:59 MHQ on July 4th.

We’ll have more information about other events throughout the month, so make sure to keep an eye out on the blog and other social media!

June 29, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 32: We’re Heading Into Birthday Month

Our 32nd videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://static.munzee.com/podcast/Munzee%20Videocast%2032.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.
This week we talked about:

  • Crown Garden
  • Number of badges available during Birthday Month (22!)
  • 51 million captures – 1 million captures in 2 weeks!

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page.

June 28, 2015

July Clan Requirements

This month’s Clan War is all about activity points. Activities are Capture and Deploy, CapOn does not count because it’s a passivity. Because it’s also our birthday month, Greenie activity gives 4 points, and anything else gives 1 point. Socials require no movement from the couch, so they are excluded.

July Clan Requirements

#1:
100 activity points per player
1,200 activity points per clan
Rewards: 1 virtual
#2:
250 activity points per player
3,000 activity points per clan
Rewards: 1 virtual, 2 maces, 1 virtual color
#3:
500 activity points per player
6,000 activity points per clan
Rewards: 1 mace, 1 longsword, 1 mystery virtual
#4:
1,500 activity points per player
18,000 activity points per clan
Rewards: 1 battle axe, 2 longswords, 1 motel, 1 virtual, 1 diamond, 2 virtual colors
#5:
3,000 activity points per player
35,000 activity points per clan
Rewards: 2 battle axe, 1 motel, 1 virtual, 1 ruby, 2 virtual colors

June 24, 2015

Introducing New Accessibility Munzees and Crown Garden

Munzee is a community that spans continents and cultures, and we try to make our game available to as many people as possible. With that being said, we’re proud to introduce that along with our sponsorship of Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015, Skylar Conover, in her pursuit of the Ms. Wheelchair USA 2015 title, we are introducing a new type of Munzee — the Accessibility Munzee.

accessibleBluesquare_128

The Accessibility Munzee will be marked on the map with the above marker. It is a credit item and can applied to ANY greenie, including those deployed in the past. Players will be given unlimited credits for conversion, and they will be a FREE Munzee type. Points are exactly the same as greenies. Capturing an Accessibility Munzee will award a special capture and icon.

Preferred Deployment Limitations
We want to allow players to enjoy this new Munzee without having to strictly monitor and police them ourselves. That being said, these Munzees need to be deployed with people with limited mobility in mind. That means:

  • Not under an object
  • Not down a trail in the bushes or trees
  • Not above/below a reasonable height (2 – 5 feet, or .5 – 1.5 meters)

Please use common sense and have respect for those with accessibility needs.

Violations
If you find an Accessibility Munzee that violates the preferred deployment limitations, please report them via journal entry in app as “Needs Repair” then send Munzee URL to support@munzee.com.

Crown Garden
In addition to the Accessibility Munzees, we have launched a Crown virtual garden above the Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA (at site of http://calendar.munzee.com/MWUSA15/) where Skylar’s final competition will be taking place. These Munzees will be $10, and there will be a very limited amount with 100% of funds going to sponsor Skylar’s campaign and selected charity. These Munzees will award a special capture and icon. Purchasers will earn a “Supporter Badge”.

Point Structure:

  • Capture Points: 20
  • Deploy Points: 100
  • Cap on Points: 10

A Virtual Deployment Exclusion Zone (Ring of Fire) will be enforced for ~1/2 mile around the crown to protect the integrity of the design.

These can be purchased at http://store.munzee.com/mwtxusapin.html.

June 24, 2015

Munzee Sponsorship of Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015, Skylar Conover

Team Munzee is always looking for new ways to help the community and raise awareness for causes that hit close to home. In that spirit, we’ve agreed to sponsor Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015, Skylar Conover, as she continues on her journey to help others and bring home the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA 2015.

Name and Title:
Skylar Conover, Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015

Where are you from?
Allen, Texas

Tell us about yourself:
Skylar Conover, from Allen, Texas, was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015 in February by impressing the judges with her outstanding advocacy for the disability community and her positive attitude in life. At the age of 15, she was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumera/Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. She went from a stellar athlete in many areas ranging from cheerleading and any sport that involved a ball to a wheelchair that she refused to let define her life.

Skylar graduated with honors at the University of North Texas, double majoring in Rehabilitation Studies and Substance Abuse and Addictions. She also holds an Associates of Arts in Sign Language. She is continuing her education there to receive her Masters os Science in Rehabilitation Counseling in order to pursue her dream of helping others with disabilities adjust to life and accepting themselves. She continues to be involved in many adaptive sports such as water skiing, hockey, rugby, soccer, etc. Her passion is to educate those around her to empower those that are different.

Ms. Wheelchair USA’s mission is to promote glamour, self-confidence, and community service while celebrating the achievements of women with disabilities. This pageant is unique in a way that beauty is judged from within the contestants and how they perceive themselves as well as their public speaking and the platform they promote. Skylar will travel to Ohio in July to compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA. Munzee and United Access are honored to be her sponsors. Her platform is education among communities regarding visible and invisible disabilities to develop acceptance. Skylar’s motto has always been “Alter Attitudes to Conquer Change.”
Ms. Wheelchair USA program is proud to have Skylar Conover as Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2015.

What is Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy?
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a genetic muscle disorder in which the muscles of the face, shoulder blades and upper arms are among the most affected. FSHD is widely stated to be the third most common genetic disease. Symptoms may develop in early childhood and are usually noticeable in the teenage years with 95% of affected individuals manifesting disease by age 20 years. A progressive skeletal muscle weakness usually develops in other areas of the body as well; often the weakness is asymmetrical. Life expectancy is normal, but up to 20% of affected individuals become severely disabled and eventually must use a wheelchair.

I am currently one of ten FSH Society Ambassadors. FSH Society is an organization that raises funds that directly goes to Raising Awareness, Research/Treatment for FSHD. As an FSH Society Ambassador it is my job to continue to spread awareness, talk to social media and educate others about FSHD.

How did you get involved with Ms. Wheelchair USA?
I have always been an advocate for people with disabilities and I was looking for ways to further educate my community about visible and invisible disabilities to develop acceptance and understanding that people with disabilities are just like everyone else. We may do things a little different but still can be productive citizens. Ms. Wheelchair USA is an organization that allowed me to get my foot into doors to branch out further in advocating as well as show the world that women with disabilities are just as beautiful as able bodied women.

How does Ms. Wheelchair USA stand out from other organizations?
This organization empowers women with disabilities to be involved with community service, public speaking, and promotes self confidence. The pageant world boasts more than 3,800 pageant competitions when there is only 2 organizations for women with disabilities in the pageant world. In this organization the requirements are that contestant must be women ages 18 and older, should utilize a wheelchair or other mobility devices as their main source of mobility, however does not exclude women who may be able to utilize their legs, must be a resident or student in their states for two months, and can be married, single, or divorced.

How did you get involved with Munzee?
I have known Rob (Munzee President) for 8 years and he has watched my disease progress and seen me grow into the young woman I am today. Once crowned Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA in late February I was looking for sponsors. Rob and I met to talk about the opportunity and Munzee chose to fully back my platform to “Alter Attitudes to Conquer Change.” Rob saw how it fit perfectly with the Munzee 2015 theme of “New Perspective”. Excitement spread all over the Munzee Marketplace and I started playing the game. Quickly I found out that it was difficult for a wheelchair user to fully take advantage of the game. I wasn’t able to play 100% due to not being able to access all Munzees. That’s where the idea for the accessibility Munzee started! This is an opportunity for players worldwide to look at the game from a New Perspective!

Where can we see our donation go towards?
Your donations will be going to the FSH Society that directly affects Skylar Conover, Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA, to help spread awareness and reacher/treatment for a cure. It will also go to Ms. Wheelchair USA/The Dane Foundation in supporting women nation wide with disabilities so education and advocacy can continue growing.

We’re very proud to be supporting Skylar on this journey, and we wish her the best of luck!

June 24, 2015

Munzee Player of the Week: Ron Hudspeth (McRon)

As Munzee has grown over the years, the game has evolved in so many more ways than any of the co-founders could have imagined. We’ve certainly had our fair share of growing pains, but in its essence Munzee has tried to stick to its core goal of getting people out into the world. No one knows this better than those players who have been with us since the beginning. This week’s Player of the Week is Ron Hudspeth (McRon).

Who are you?
Ron Hudspeth aka McRonCapping in Berlin Tiergarten

Where in the world do you live?
In the town of Celle which lies between Hannover and Hamburg in the north of Germany.

How long have you played Munzee?
I started playing on the 21st November 2012.

How did you find Munzee?
I got introduced to the game through a work mate, “Blindauge”. He tried to get me to play another GPS game, but after a few hours crawling under bridges and around trees, I decided it was not for me. A couple of week later, he came up with a new game called Munzee. After logging in and deploying my first Munzee, I was hooked. The same day we both became Premium members and then made the biggest mistake we have ever made. We were offered virtual Munzees for $1 and, no really knowing what they were or how to deploy them, we didn’t buy any. ;( ;( I’m still waiting for that offer to reappear.

Köln Event

What do you most enjoy about Munzee?
Getting out and about with the Wife (Plueschi) and meeting up with other players either at events or if I see them capping near me then I’ll go and try to find them. I can remember watching 2 Australian ladies (Lisa and Helen) doing the Lamp Post Dance and creeping up on the Fab Four (Iain, Michelle, Maggie, and Pete). I’m also into the social side of the game in a big way which has brought me many new FB friends, some of whom we got to meet on our Florida Vacation this year which turned FB friends into real life friends.

What is on your wish list?
More special icons and badges. I like the challenge.

Köln Event 2014 with the Man himself

Tell us about yourself!
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, hence the name McRon, I grew up traveling the world with the British Army as my dad defended the Empire and ended up staying in the north of Germany, finding my wife and starting a family. Thirty-five years, four daughters, and six grandchildren (#7 is on the way) later, I’m still here. The area that we live in is great for playing Munzee with Hannover about 40 minutes and Hamburg an hour away. In Celle itself, it’s getting hard to find places to deploy LOL I work on building sites as a crane operator for a German construction firm. This also involves sites all Berlin Event 2014 with the Clanover Germany, and Munzee gives me something to do in the evenings (I’ll go and check out the local signs and lamp posts). I’m part of the 3-Länder-Clan which has been in every battle to date, winning Gold, Silver, and Bronze, with our lowest placement so far being #29.

Other hobbies include:
Almost every type of board or card game. I’m just a gamer at heart.

McRon also included some socials (one of which is on the Header Image), so cap away!

?POTW Social

June 23, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 31: “We Got Nothing To Talk About” Edition

Our 31st videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://static.munzee.com/podcast/Munzee%20Videocast%2031.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.
This week we talked about:

  • Munzee Team Building
  • Birthday Celebrations
  • The Tours have a Sponsor: HeadBro
  • Eventzee hits 3000 Likes on Facebook
  • Miss Wheelchair Texas USA
  • 3.0

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page.

June 17, 2015

Munzee Player of the Week: Lisa Wright (CrazyLadyLisa)

As Munzee has grown over the years, the game has evolved in so many more ways than any of the co-founders could have imagined. We’ve certainly had our fair share of growing pains, but in its essence Munzee has tried to stick to its core goal of getting people out into the world. No one knows this better than those players who have been with us since the beginning. This week’s Player of the Week is Lisa Wright (CrazyLadyLisa).

Who are you?
Lisa Wright, or CrazyLadyLisa, says it all really, lol

20130814_152337

Where in the world do you live?
Far off Perth, Western Australia. We are just a little isolated from everywhere!

How long have you played Munzee?
I signed up 3 years ago in June 2012, but it took a little while to get going. The bug didn’t bite for a month or so, but then it sank it’s teeth in and hasn’t let go!

How did you find Munzee?
My sister, Helen (AusTrackers), had been Munzeeing for quite a while before I was able to start. Helen and I are the top two players in Australia. Helen also introduced our sister Maria (Questing4) to the game.

What do you most enjoy about Munzee?
TRAVELING! Meeting lots of great people in Australia (near and far), Germany, England, Florida. Seeing all those new places and the back streets where no tourist has ever ventured! And the great side-benefits of exercise, fresh air, sunrises and sunsets, new bird and animal (those baby alligators were cute!) photos in the collection. The Rovers also seem to enjoy those long walks they get, lol.

Once a year, Helen and Gary (Auscapee), Maria, and I spend a week together Munzee hunting. Last year it was Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, and this year, it’s Rosebud, Victoria. It’s just great having the sisters together Munzeeing.

We have a small community here in Perth, but we get together and have fun, so looking forward to the Birthday bash we have planned.

The Clan battles are a challenge each month. Helen & I have been lucky enough to team up with some great players worldwide and can clain 5 medals for the effort, but traveling has had to be an integral part.

Love the statistics. I get myself buried in my spreadsheet of caps, deploys, and royalties (cap ons) for hours on end, updating and sorting it.

Socials, what fun are they! They have taken on a whole life of their own, from achievement awards to subject specific, they are great.

DSC_0365
What is on your wish list?

Where do I start, LOL.
Greenies need a bit more TLC. Maybe make 50 green caps a standard requirement of each Clan battle, along with more double/triple point days just for them.

Localised virtuals. Some areas Helen and I have had to revisit several times to replace missing munzees. It would be great if there was a virtual we could use that the capper had to be within say 2 feet to cap. The virtual would have all the same properties as the Munzee it replaced, mystery, ruby, etc. And needs to be a minimal cost to purchase!

Because of the limited numbers of munzees in some areas it might be nice if physicals were reset every year or two so that they can re-capped. Mind you having all those lovely red pins turn back to green/blue/… Again might freak some people out, lol. It would also be a good way of cleaning up the map as missing ones would be located before they become a special one can’t find!

Notifications back on the App for Munzee messages. Players might then read the message waiting for them!

Some way of contacting all the players in your area about events etc. Not everyone is on Facebook where most of the planning takes place. After all they may not even know there are Facebook Groups for everything munzee, and forums can be quite daunting.

Restructuring the levels, it takes a long time and many miles nowadays to level up, lol.

It would be nice if there were separate scoreboards for physical and virtual capping, as well as combined.

Please, add the beta unleash/fetch all option for rovers to the App! It is very stressful sitting in the airport departure lounge with boarding going on and one is individually fetching 321 rovers who have been out for a quick walk!

20130819_175020
Tell us about yourself!

I’m 56, widowed for 4 years and have been a Librarian at the state government Dept. Of Parks and Wildlife for 26 years. I leave home about 05.30 each work day so I can munzee before work. Not so much fun this time of the year as it’s dark, cold and sometimes wet! That time of the morning is much better during summer as it’s the cooler part of the day. One can’t munzee hunt well in 37° C+ (100° F+) days. I try and pop out Saturday mornings for a little while, and Sundays, Helen and I go out together, which is great.

I have 2 rainbow lorikeets who keep me company and a goose in the backyard (my late husband decorated eggs!).

Helen and I have done a lot of travelling, Europe 2 years in a row, mainly because the mystery virtuals turned up after our first visit, so we just had to go back, the concentrations of virtuals is amazing. We still remember with pride, that we got our 10K badge by physically capping mysteries in Lommel, Belgium. It took us all day, but we did it ourselves. Sadly, the advent of the blast (we call them budgies, much safer word to use in airports and train stations) has meant that particular personal accomplishment is not strived for by current players.

I accompanied a friend to Florida in May this year, which was wonderful. Met lots of great players, saw lots of lovely sights and munzeed to my hearts content. Driving on the wrong side of the road was a challenge as were those 4-way stop signs and turning right on a red light! And those vultures, fascinating.

Other hobbies include:
You mean there are other things out there besides munzees? LOL, when I have spare time (not often nowadays) I bead, embroider, create articles with plastic canvas (ie phone cover with personal social on it). I do have a stamp collection somewhere in the bowels of the compactus but it hasn’t seen the light of day for quite a while now. I do play that other geolocating game, to a minor degree, usually when I am out with Helen. The whole Coexist campaign is great, after all one can play both football and cricket on the same playing field, and it can be so with all geolocating games.

P.S. Please, please, please include a sensible deploy note, if the location isn’t in the name already. After all you want the points as well, and if it can’t be found both lose out!

P.P.S A big thank you for the nomination, it’s much appreciated and has been fun writing up, finding photos, and creating another Social, LOL.

3birds

June 15, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 30: Connecting With Players

Our 30th videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://static.munzee.com/podcast/Munzee%20Videocast%2030.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.
This week we talked about:

  • Periscope
  • Snapchat
  • June MunzPak
  • 50 Million Captures
  • Matt and Rob’s Trips
  • Birthday Celebrations
  • 3.0

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page.

June 6, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 29: Changes

Our 29th videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2029.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.
This week we talked about:

  • Staffing changes
  • New titles and responsibilites
  • Birthday travels
  • MunzPak

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page.