What is the best tactic for finding cicada cages in A Tale in the Desert?

Question

I'm looking for more insightful comments than "run through the desert with your speakers turned up" or "go where you think others won't." Do you have any specific tactics that have worked well for you? Things that aren't on the test's wiki page -- that seem to be working so far, and best of all -- have helped you pass the test in previous tellings.

Before the Oyster test introduced swimming (in T4?), there was a whole ferry-chain, island-hopping game involved in cicada placement. Talking about that would be a great answer if it weren't for swimming having negated the issue. What other kinds of things like that are there?

Answer 1

It has been a couple of years since I played, but I noticed the following -- the harder it is to get to, the more likely it is to have a cage.

Helpful?

Answer 2

OK, so I've continued to play and I just passed the Test of Singing Cicadas over the weekend. Here's what I decided.

1) Go to Maia. The further north you are on the T5 map, the younger the cicada cages tend to be.

2) There are many cages out in the map's extremities, but that's not all. There are places pretty close to The Nile where no one ever goes. And there are cages there. Some of them are mine, but there are lots of others too. You can do pretty well if you're being a casual cicada hunter by going outside the useful build-zone, but not particularly far outside.

3) Group up your goals. There are great places to find the important resins for Raeli Ovens or look for mushrooms or plant and check Fenec Traps. Combine your goals so that you have a better reason than just cicadas to be out in the boonies.