The Hint in the Blog

[weaversam8]

Frank's recent blog post about something new for 2015 can be found here (http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog-NASA-Grants-and-Something-New-for-2015).

Wait. Isn’t the new game always, well, new? Yes, but that’s the point of this note. Every year we try to do a little something different. Sometimes a lot of something different. No one should look at any rules from prior years and think “They would never change that”, because we may. Number of teams on an alliance, number of alliances in a match, match length, bumper rules, field surfaces, robot size, every element from prior year games is carefully considered anew every year. You should make no assumptions. This is all we can say, and all we plan to say on this. All will be revealed on January 3, 2015!*

Frank

*Looking at this, if I were a team, and knew nothing about the 2015 game, I might be nervous. Knowing the game, though, I think there’s nothing to be nervous about. OK, almost nothing.

Let's analyze this. If we split the string every 7th character, then run an anagram decoder on the first result, it decodes to tiwai. Google defines tiwai as:

Tiwai Point
Tiwai Point lies at the entrance to Bluff Harbour on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A spit which extends from the western end of the Awarua Plain, it lies between Awarua Bay to the north and Foveaux Strait to the south. Wikipedia (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=16&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CH0QmhMoADAP&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTiwai_P oint&ei=E7c_VPqJEYiONvfvguAO&usg=AFQjCNHfUzNT8n4iaJINvHBmYVTioKG0rw&sig2=ue2F6UYo_RP5L_T9uYf_Cw&bvm=bv.77648437,d.eXY)

Another thing to note is that the 7th result of the 7 letter split is the word "Yes"

Coincidence? I think not.

[g_sawchuk]

And here we go again....

[aldaeron]

Thanks for spending the time to decode the hint. But what does it mean?

<rumormill>

...

[Whippet]

If you subtract "ai," or Artificial Intelligence, from Tiwai, you'll get "Tiw," which has three letters.

What else has 3? Half-Life 3.

No autonomous mode and Half Life 3 confirmed in one hint!

[Kimmeh]

Is it December?
No.

Does the post say game hint?
No.

Is this a game hint?
No.



What should you take away from this blog post?

Just because the rules haven't changed for years, doesn't mean they won't. The game was once played on corn, for crying out loud. Things may change. Things may not. Just remember that they can. "You should make no assumptions"

All will be revealed on January 3, 2015.

[weaversam8]

Is it December?
No.

Does the blog say game hint?
No.

Is it a game hint?
Yes.

[weaversam8]

The first letters of the sentences are: WIYESENNYTAFLKO. There's YES again!

[weaversam8]

That string can be rearranged to form YNSNOWFLAKEYETI

[Caleb Sykes]

Hmm...
The post was created at 14:41. The fourteenth word is "of" and the 41st word is "prior". If we take the first letter of both of these words, we get "op". The post was also conveniently posted in October, when Frank could very easily have posted it anytime throughout the month of September, which means the number 10 has some significance. The country that has the 10th highest population density is Saint Marteen, which has national languages of Dutch and English. If we translate "op" from Dutch to English, we get "on", and if we plug "on" into an anagram solver, we get....

NO

Clearly Frank is sending very mixed messages in this post.

[mrnoble]

'tis the season for happy trolling!

[wilsonmw04]

This is great!

http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/stephen-colbert-popcorn-gif.jpg

please continue.

[weaversam8]

The following can be found in WIYESENNYTAFLKO.

Skeleton,
towlines,
nations,
twinkle,
seafowl,
intense,
sonnet,
linens,
skyway,
eons,
walk,
sofa,
soil.

[Whippet]

soil.

Soil has water in it. Water game confirmed.

[weaversam8]

It can also translate into INSANELY WET.

[alexis tuggle]

It can also translate into INSANELY WET.

WATER GAME!!!

[Anthony4004]

And this is why I love everyone on CD. Thanks for making my morning guys! :)

[dubiousSwain]

https://medium.com/@averageFRCkid/the-hint-in-the-blog-post-the-real-story-d97f473b32b4

an alternative theory

[Henrique Schmit]

https://medium.com/@averageFRCkid/the-hint-in-the-blog-post-the-real-story-d97f473b32b4

an alternative theory

Snow that will melt and turn into water...

[Oblarg]

A+ thread. Would read again.

[weaversam8]

https://medium.com/@averageFRCkid/the-hint-in-the-blog-post-the-real-story-d97f473b32b4

an alternative theory


I got a blog post? :P

[Derpancakes]

I'm assuming nobody here noticed the 'hint' hidden in the blog about the KOP opt-out? The render of the AM14U2's cross-section reveals lower wheel holes. Can we assume there will be terrain this year?

[Oblarg]

I'm assuming nobody here noticed the 'hint' hidden in the blog about the KOP opt-out? The render of the AM14U2's cross-section reveals lower wheel holes. Can we assume there will be terrain this year?

Looking at the pics, if we have 4'' wheels standard then I'm still seeing less than an inch of frame clearance, so no.

[therobo-titan]

Tiwai Point is surrounded by bodies of water. The "think big, be big" comment from the other game hint thread also points to the ocean. It all makes sense now: Water game confirmed.

[Shrub]

Wouldn't that imply ocean game? Unless the robots are so small that it's to scale of the field being an ocean.

[therobo-titan]

Wouldn't that imply ocean game? Unless the robots are so small that it's to scale of the field being an ocean.

This is the most shaky part of my argument, I'll admit. But I am willing to go out on a limb and say that ocean = water.

[FlamingSpork]

The following can be found in WIYESENNYTAFLKO.


soil.

If you remove the s in soil, it says oil. It must mean that it has something to do with oil! If we combine this with the water game theories, it has to be involved in offshore oil drilling.

[Whippet]

If you remove the s in soil, it says oil. It must mean that it has something to do with oil! If we combine this with the water game theories, it has to be involved in offshore oil drilling.

If you remove the il in oil, you get o. The o kind of looks like a Logomotion/Rack N' Roll/Toroid Terror tube.

Tube game confirmed!

[75vs1885]

Thanks for spending the time to decode the hint. But what does it mean?

<rumormill>

...

it means that we will have championships at this location

[OAXACA]

I feel like everytime Frank posts something, his words get turned into a game hint

[Michael Hill]

I feel like everytime Frank posts something, his words get turned into a game hint

Welcome to ChiefDelphi.

[Brandon Ha]

I feel like everytime Frank posts something, his words get turned into a game hint
Welcome to ChiefDelphi.

Actually,
Welcome to FRC. The League of Reading between the Lines.
|empty|

[Michael Hill]

Actually,
Welcome to FRC. The League of Reading between the Lines.
|empty|

I was poking fun at that and that it was their first CD post.

[billbo911]

....This is all we can say, and all we plan to say on this. All will be revealed on January 3, 2015!*

Frank There is your hint.

There will be no hint this year.

Now that's something new!

[Daniel_LaFleur]

I feel like everytime Frank posts something, his words get turned into a game hint

Dave Lavery had it far worse (and his posts still get twisted into game hints) :P

[Caleb Sykes]

Dave Lavery had it far worse (and his posts still get twisted into game hints) :P

On this note, I just saw this relevant quote up on the spotlight section:

For years, Dave Lavery couldn't fart without people trying to interpret it as a game hint.

[tindleroot]

There is your hint.

There will be no hint this year.

Now that's something new!

So, the game hint is there is no game hint.
Since past years have had game hints, there must be something different this year.

There has never been a water game before!:yikes:

[OAXACA]

Plot twist: there is no game this year :ahh: :ahh: :ahh:

[ivers123]

Has anyone considered that, if this is a game hint, it simply means that all the examples Frank gives of things that CAN be changed WILL be changed for this year's game? "Number of teams on an alliance, number of alliances in a match, match length, bumper rules, field surfaces, robot size" What if this years game will involve change in all these areas!

[BBray_T1296]

field surfaces

Regolith!

[TheTurk]

field surfaces

..........water game.......

[Whippet]

field surfaces

.................... Corn pit.................

Anyone? No? Ok.

[Calvin Hartley]

.................... Corn pit.................

Anyone? No? Ok.

Talk about a throwback. (I'm sure you're aware of this, but). That was well before any of this year's students were born, myself included. (Though I'm now no longer a student.)

[Derpancakes]

Talk about a throwback. (I'm sure you're aware of this, but). That was well before any of this year's students were born, myself included. (Though I'm now no longer a student.)
Ah, Maize Craze. That hearkens back to the days of FTC-sized bots, full tethers, and small, friendly competitions! (At least the friendly part is still widespread XD)

[Marcow]

Frank has 5 letters in his name. Frank has been frc director for two frc seasons. 5 - 2 = 3. A triangle has three sides.

Frank is illuminati confirmed.

[Calvin Hartley]

Frank has 5 letters in his name. Frank has been frc director for two frc seasons. 5 - 2 = 3. A triangle has three sides.

Frank is illuminati confirmed.

Half Life 3 Confirmed.

[JayNico]

If you subtract "ai," or Artificial Intelligence, from Tiwai, you'll get "Tiw," which has three letters.

What else has 3? Half-Life 3.

No autonomous mode and Half Life 3 confirmed in one hint!

I think he's on to something.