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davidthefat
05-12-2010, 20:59
Now I think that automation of robots will beat out any human driver in a maze type of game. It will be very hard to keep track of where you are going and where you went with just a camera. With automation, the robot can keep track and it will be a lot faster than humans controlling it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L9rkLAskWU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bproY7G2t4o&feature=related

hg273
05-12-2010, 21:22
Taking a slightly different approach to the blog, I'm running off of the title "The view from 30,000 feet". According to wikipedia, mount everest has a max elevation of 29,029 ft.

Check out the CD Thread about the new collegiate FIRST competition. The game called "Best Trajectory" has all of the elements discussed here. Square moveable goals, and a large mountain in the middle. Plus tennis balls are the game objects!

More information can be found on page 25 of the manual posted here:
goo.gl/​01muw

MarkoRamius1086
05-12-2010, 21:31
Taking a slightly different approach to the blog, I'm running off of the title "The view from 30,000 feet". According to wikipedia, mount everest has a max elevation of 29,029 ft...

What if thats just it. There's a big mountain on the feild? Instead of two bumps or one "mountain", it's literally an angled feild? It would get higher as you got towards the middle!

(Im not good at this guesstimate stuff so dont riddicule me if im way off what everyone else is thinking.)

BJC
05-12-2010, 21:40
(Im not good at this guesstimate stuff so dont riddicule me if im way off what everyone else is thinking.)

Hey, your guess is as good as anyone elses. (except Dave's, I'm pretty sure that guy doesn't know what he's talking about.)

:p

Dominator1619
06-12-2010, 16:04
Did some thumbing through the new manual for 2011 and found a light bulb in section 1 ( last years section 0 ) which wasn't in last years manual. So possibly the return of lit vision targets?

dag0620
06-12-2010, 16:24
So I had a dream last night about Kick-off and what the game is. I don't like this idea, but I thought I'd better put it up here just in case...

The field is a simple set-up. Theres 1 big Ramp in the middle (double Sided). Each alliance is then given an equal amount of Tenis Balls. The teams then need to try to get all of their tenis balls over the ramp to the other side while trying to stop the other alliance from getting tenis balls on their side. The Finale had the addition of an extra big tenis ball that is worth a certain amount of extra points (the details were fuzzy, it was a dream). The alliance that has the least amount of balls on their side wins.

Take of this what you will.

davidthefat
06-12-2010, 18:17
So I had a dream last night about Kick-off and what the game is. I don't like this idea, but I thought I'd better put it up here just in case...

The field is a simple set-up. Theres 1 big Ramp in the middle (double Sided). Each alliance is then given an equal amount of Tenis Balls. The teams then need to try to get all of their tenis balls over the ramp to the other side while trying to stop the other alliance from getting tenis balls on their side. The Finale had the addition of an extra big tenis ball that is worth a certain amount of extra points (the details were fuzzy, it was a dream). The alliance that has the least amount of balls on their side wins.

Take of this what you will.

Problem: its too simple for a FIRST game. Most FIRST games from what I have seen have multiple levels, this one is just superficial

Andrew Schreiber
06-12-2010, 18:24
Problem: its too simple for a FIRST game. Most FIRST games from what I have seen have multiple levels, this one is just superficial

Which would be how many? By my count the overwhelming majority have been flat or the levels were "superficial".

2005,2006 (superficial imho since many teams didn't go up it),2007,2008,2009... Flat

2003, pretty much the described game.

2004, robots only needed to go on the step(s) to hang and even that was optional.

hg273
06-12-2010, 18:25
Problem: its too simple for a FIRST game. Most FIRST games from what I have seen have multiple levels, this one is just superficial

I disagree, if anything the last few years have given us simpler and simpler games. Or if not simple, at least ones that were easy to track and follow from a spectator stand point. A game where the audience could instantly tell who won sounds like something that the GDC would strive for.

EricH
06-12-2010, 18:42
Which would be how many? By my count the overwhelming majority have been flat or the levels were "superficial".

2005,2006 (superficial imho since many teams didn't go up it),2007,2008,2009... Flat

2003, pretty much the described game.

2004, robots only needed to go on the step(s) to hang and even that was optional.
2003, the ramp. Basic strategy: Attack the stacks, climb the ramp and sit on top. And the ramp was huge...Don't forget the small bar beside it. If you couldn't go to 14" high, you're going over the ramp. Not unlike the described game, except that all the objects started on top and you wanted as many as possible.
2002: Flat.
2001: Flat, except for the bridge (and rail across the field) in the middle. Bridge was used a lot.
2000: Flat, with a ramp and a limbo bar in the middle. Also a hanging bar above said ramp. Ramp got a lot of action, especially at the end or if a non-limboing robot needed to change field sides (happened a lot).
1999: Flat, with a mobile flat surface. Said surface (known as the "Puck") got a lot of robots on top of it at the end of the match.
2004: For many robots, the step was not optional to hang. A few hung from the floor often, but most at least went onto the lower platform. (Some were capable of either.)

There will be a flat base to the field, but what goes on that flat base to make it interesting/non-flat/a challenge can be a major obstacle to design to avoid.

davidthefat
06-12-2010, 18:59
Or maybe I just over analyzed everything

cd5696
07-12-2010, 22:46
what if the robots hung down from a structure built above the field?

PAR_WIG1350
07-12-2010, 23:24
the structure could impede the view of the spectators

Burnley
08-12-2010, 03:42
Wow,I can't wait too!I hope it comes as soon as posssible!

Jester Jackster
08-12-2010, 09:16
when are they going to give out the clues?::safety::

Kimmeh
08-12-2010, 13:20
Days, weeks, months, who knows!

Well, considering there's a month until Kickoff, it's probably not months away. However, anything else is possible!




Bonus points to anyone who got the Eeyore reference! :D

Robert Cawthon
09-12-2010, 09:57
(Im not good at this guesstimate stuff so dont riddicule me if im way off what everyone else is thinking.)

None of us are, really. Sometimes the person that is way off eveyone else's thinking is the one closest to the mark. I am thinking of the person that came up with a Zamboni from one of the clues dropped by Dave before Lunacy. He said that it indicated a game played on ice. Not very many people thought that it was on track, but, with the 1/6 gravity simulation, driving on ice was a fairly accurate approximation. Riddicule should never enter into this thread (except maybe those who will not give up the thought of water games and continue to expouse it but even then, some do it just to be funny) since we are all taking shots in the dark. :)

HumblePie
13-12-2010, 07:27
Since few really know, just thinking out loud.......

Except for the Lunacy year, our playing surfaces have typically been indoor/outdoor carpet. It's highly practical in terms of installation, teardown, and wear during the competition season. If the GDC wanted to mix things up a bit, how about taking a rubber-backed carpet and install it upside down??? We've had a slippery surface, so why not a sticky one? It might make wheel and drivetrain selection interesting. It might also bear some relation to the first red herring we all saw.

sircedric4
13-12-2010, 14:06
That seems like a great idea, however the cameras don't seem to be up to speed yet (ours sent back approx. 1 frame per 10 sec. of time...:()

I thought about this in the off season, and as an alternate for the curtain across the whole driver station, keep a little bit at both ends open so that the human players can see the whole field.

The human players can then try to relay information if the camera isn't working. It'd be a mess for sure, but challenging and what I would feel is a good "bonus round".

tonystark_23
13-12-2010, 23:32
Couldn't we use a different camera than the one provided to us in the KOP?

EricH
13-12-2010, 23:38
Couldn't we use a different camera than the one provided to us in the KOP?
Ask again when the rules come out in January. Last year, you could.

But the problem is getting the information to the driver's station fast enough for it to be useful. If you couldn't get it better than a couple frames a second or so, it's pretty much useless. And you can't use anything other than the standard equipment to get the info over there.

indubitably
14-12-2010, 10:36
Since few really know, just thinking out loud.......

Except for the Lunacy year, our playing surfaces have typically been indoor/outdoor carpet. It's highly practical in terms of installation, teardown, and wear during the competition season. If the GDC wanted to mix things up a bit, how about taking a rubber-backed carpet and install it upside down??? We've had a slippery surface, so why not a sticky one? It might make wheel and drivetrain selection interesting. It might also bear some relation to the first red herring we all saw.

That is actually a great idea, it would push people away from the standard 4 or 2WD and would give teams considering swerve a lot to think about; 4 wheel independent would be much more effective over any crab drive in this case.

Portnoy
16-12-2010, 04:38
Wow,I think it's a little early!

unionylibertad
21-12-2010, 17:26
well we already got our first game hint! :D

Kage
21-12-2010, 22:33
wow, CD is quite mellow haha, I remember last year and the year before that, there was a FLURRY of activity on the day the first game hint came out!
I'm coming back as a first year mentor this year, so I hope the game is challenging ;)
I get to teach all the youngens the ins and outs...

EricH
21-12-2010, 22:46
300+ posts in about 12 hours isn't a flurry? Well, at least we haven't managed to crash any websites yet.

Tyler Hicks
21-12-2010, 22:56
I would definitely say there was a flurry....look at the Game Hint thread.

So the clue is pretty questionable, and has all of us very curious. I'm actually more excited for kickoff than I am for Christmas!

I've been waiting to see a "capture-the-flag" type game, but we will just have to wait and see. 18 more days!

Gir_450
21-12-2010, 23:13
What our team has found that is a huge event in history is the triple conjunction between Uranus and Jupiter (This happens in January). These planets, as we all know, were named after roman gods. The pillar in the hint appears to be of roman architect. Now here's where conjunction comes in, the woman is Little Eva, whose biggest hit was in 1962 and it was titled "Loco-Motion". Locomotion can refer to trains, and trains can refer to conjunctions. Therefore, we are possibly dealing with some sort of train game =P :D

EricH
21-12-2010, 23:49
Friendly reminder: Let's keep the hint discussion in the hint thread, please.

dag0620
22-12-2010, 06:16
wow, CD is quite mellow haha, I remember last year and the year before that, there was a FLURRY of activity on the day the first game hint came out!
I'm coming back as a first year mentor this year, so I hope the game is challenging ;)
I get to teach all the youngens the ins and outs...

CD was going crazy yesterday. the diffrence is it was all on one thread.

Just for the heck of it I browsed around other threads and there was nothing going on in them!!!

Heres hopeing to Clue #2 being on it's way :rolleyes:

CHHS_METALSKINS
24-12-2010, 20:30
I over heard at one of the first lego league contest someone said its going to do with tennis balls?

EricH
24-12-2010, 20:37
That was a red herring, not official. If someone does know something, they aren't telling. If they are telling, they don't know anything.

Either that, or they were talking about the collegiate challenge pilot.

Carter12s
02-01-2011, 12:33
I have looked over a list of previous years games and here are the assumptions that I think can be safely made about next years competition:

1. The game will most likely take place on carpet; while water, dirt, and gravel have all been discussed as field materials, the problem is that each of the individual fields are required to be completely disassembled and moved every week of the competition. The added complexity presented by an aggregate field material is more likely to do harm to the overall competition process than to help.

2. The game will be played on relatively flat ground; While previous competition have required slopes and inclinations no competition has ever required massive substructure to the field. This assists in the transportation of the field as well as the ability for spectators to observe.

3. The game will involve a object and a target; whether that object is a ball, puck, or hoop cannot be determined and whether th target is a basket, goal, or teammate, cannot be known.

4. The game will required at least two subsystems for the robots: a drive train, and a manipulator. In general these two systems will be independent and able to be separably designed.

My conjuncture as to the nature of the game will be played on a field with many columns which make navigation difficult. The game will involve a rubber foursquare ball, since most other common balls have already been used. Robots will be required to dexterously maneuver these columns to score, and a special focus will be place on teamwork.

I hope this helps you in your last minute pre-season plans. Good luck!

kazzykaty
02-01-2011, 21:16
water game...

Everyone always thinks a water game... and it never is.

Nick Lawrence
02-01-2011, 22:14
In 2009, I simply said it had something to do with the moon, as NASA is one of FIRST's biggest sponsors, and being it their anniversary for landing on the moon that year, it kinda made sense. I said the entire game will be moon and space themed, I was right.

In 2010, I said the game would be a heavily modified version of soccer. World cup being that year, and hints on Bills Blog gave that one away pretty early. I was right again.

Maybe I'll go 3 for 3 this year.

PREDICTION:

The 2011 FRC game will be a territorial based game, kind of like capture the flag. The field will be divided in half width-wise by a set of stairs, and a platform. The main game piece will be oversized tennis balls, a flashback to the 1992 FRC game. This is the 20th season of FRC, after all. The object of the game will to be have the most oversized tennis balls on your side of the field. Balls will start either on the field, or dumped on the field like the playground balls were in 2004. For balls to count, they will have to touch the ground. It's possible that FIRST will make a rule stating you can only hold x amount of tennis balls at a time, but that would be unlikely.

So, if I'm right, you need to think about the 1992 game, the 2004 game and the 2006 game.

Karibou
02-01-2011, 22:15
Everyone always thinks a water game... and it never is.

Everybody always makes the joke that it will be a water game...though most of us do know why it won't happen.

Patz
18-01-2011, 02:25
I still love the computer-games best,regardless of the type.

ESPbomb
27-01-2011, 15:48
You said it all right there :p The game isn't even finished yet :rolleyes:

The game hasn't even really started yet. NO COMPETITIONS

fishex99
28-01-2011, 02:59
hello!::rtm::

davidthefat
30-01-2011, 22:56
I predict a game with a football(s). (Will.I.Am -> Super Bowl -> Football)

dragonman
06-02-2011, 17:01
water game...
I want a water game so bad and this year at kick off I was getting excited when the kept bring tubes out

PAR_WIG1350
06-02-2011, 19:32
We've finally done it, we've started talking about the next game before even a single official match has been played. :yikes: :yikes: :yikes:

One question, why are we doing this in the thread that was meant for discussing the 2011 game? Shouldn't we start a new one for the 2012 game, or better yet, sleep on it for a MONTH or so and then start a new thread. I foresee people getting the 2 different discussions (2011 and 2012) confused, thus, I believe it is best to separate them.

acrease77
06-02-2011, 20:09
FIRST will be 21 next year! meaning FIRST has reached drinking age! lol.
I say water game

Robby Unruh
06-02-2011, 20:27
Is it too early to say upside-down game?

Superllama12
07-02-2011, 08:41
A water game, obviously!

Actually, maybe it will have to do with global warming or something. Whatever it is, it can't be better than this year's, soley because of minibots

NyCityKId
07-02-2011, 10:56
OMG I've created a monster :ahh:

bmlarson12
09-02-2011, 00:05
FIRST will be 21 next year! meaning FIRST has reached drinking age! lol.
I say water game

It is important to notice all of the parts that are already waterproof.

WhiteShadow1474
11-02-2011, 02:08
Actually, i happened to hear somebody discover a secret about FIRST and how the GDC makes up the games.

First, they release game hints. The kicker is that they just pick random images with no meaning. They then look at chief delphi and look for the most elaborate and realistic game that somebody suggested. They then spend 50 straight hours making a game to match the description. But i guess we're giving them an early start!

LV1601
13-02-2011, 15:05
It is like this tread is making our own poison for next year.:yikes:

KeatonM
23-02-2011, 11:55
INB4 Wate-- Oh wait. Never mind.

I think it's much to early to see. I mean, Bag N Tag '11 was yesterday.

Although, I think a fishing game could be fun, although the likelyhood is low, I think.

You would have a two-floor field, and you have to pick up game peices from the bottom floor, when your robot is on the upper floor.

cd5696
01-03-2011, 21:45
OK, if we're going to start talking about next year's game, We need a new thread.

Blair Frank
23-03-2011, 03:40
It's always a water game.

Norman J
23-03-2011, 08:45
This thread really really needs to die.

turtlesteve2
23-03-2011, 09:36
As we all know the challenge is normally based around something that going on that year like this year is the 20th first competition so it is there logo so since next year is 2012 and it is the end of the world it will obviously be based around that.

Robert Cawthon
23-03-2011, 12:57
This thread really really needs to die.

I agree. Moderators, lets close this one and,
CD fans, wait till after St Louis to start next year's guesses thread. ;)

javonliugd
24-03-2011, 15:19
Hellishly benevolent, I determination definately be returning because i start off my consequent after task.

maria3johnsons
28-03-2011, 05:55
I want a water game so bad and this year at kick off I was getting excited when the kept bring tubes out


Totally agreed with you... Water games are very rarely developed, would love to play some new water based PC games!!!

SenorZ
28-03-2011, 22:31
I'm just going to go ahead and start discussion of the 2013 game, if you don't mind...

Seriously, it gets earlier and earlier every year. But we as teams will know little or nothing until next January. Sure, it's fun to speculate. But to do that while well over a third of the teams still have at least one event left is just a little premature...

...he knows something! diverting our attention.

I'm thinking Fibonacci numbers...

demosthenes2k8
28-03-2011, 23:11
1123581321345589144233377610...
Clearly, it means that the robots are going to have to autonomously deal with patterns, and since, as lim h->infinity, fib(h)/fib(h-1) approaches phi, there'll be a huge emphasis on rectangles and the color yellow.

In all seriousness, though, can someone lock this thread, at least until this year's game is basically over?

RoboTigers1796
28-03-2011, 23:42
It seems that we only function from Jan-April and then oct. to register..lol

but it most likely going to be a mock-up of a mainstream game or challenge
we already did soccer, nascar, and basketball sort of so its deff gonna have balls

FYI minute to win it has become very popular...

Andrew Lawrence
28-03-2011, 23:58
I know this is just a wild guess, but I believe that the 2011 game will involve building robots that have to pick up tubes shaped as the FIRST logo pieces, and place them on pegs on their side of the field. At the last 10 seconds of the match, robots will deploy a "minibot" onto the pole, and the minibots will race to the top for points. The name of the game? LOGO MOTION.

I know this is just a crazy guess, but hey, you never know! :D