Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

Man I missed out, I never had giant Lego's when I was a kid! Your right though those would make great game peaces. :]

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

That's an exhibit - a full LEGO model of Manchester's historic Millyard- from the SEE Science Center, a museum that shares a building (and founder) with FIRST. So what this says is - yes, they took it in the GDC game lab (or at least in someone's office).

aaand now I'm done with this thread. I will make my usual disclaimer: GO OUTSIDE, OR SOMETHING. Go do something other than FIRST for a little while - after all, in January, your life is consumed!

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories about corkboard but I like the 3:00 minute match speculation.

In every round of matches, you have fixed time and you have variable time. Fixed time includes field reset and robot settup. These are basically the same every year at 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Variable time is the match itself. you can add 45 seconds of match without increasing the fixed time one bit. This means that a robot gets more guaranteed time on the field at the sacrifice of one or two total matches.

I'll illustrate with the district model because that is what I am most familiar with. Over the past few years we have dealt with match turnover times of roughly 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Multiply that by 80 matches and you have 8 hours and 40 minutes of qualification matches to play with. In reality a little more because of inevitable delays, but an equal amount of time should be reserved for delays in either presented scenario.

Now, lets say we add 45 seconds to each match to bring it to 3 minutes. That makes total match turnover time 7 minutes and 15 seconds. First of all, this added time ought to decrease some stress on volunteers, and cause an overall smoother competition flow. Second, if you divide 8 hours and 40 minutes by 7 minutes and 15 seconds, there is time for 72 matches. If we assume 40 robots at the competition and a traditional 3 vs. 3 style game, there is a reduction from 12 qualification matches to 10.8. So, probably a loss of one match depending upon how they treat the non-whole number.

Despite the loss of one match, each team has gained an extra 6 minutes of field time, which should not only be more enjoyable for students, but improve the quality of rankings and scouting. These extra six minutes should improve the sample size by which each robot will be evaluated, thereby giving teams truer results in their scouting data. It's akin to getting an extra month of sampling when evaluating a baseball player. The peripherals of the robot will have a better opportunity to normalize the randomness of the results much like the extra moth of playing time for the baseball player, and regression will pull unlucky teams closer to their true talent level, meanwhile luckier teams will regress in the opposite direction and design flaws have a better chance of being exposed.

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

Lyric:

Please...Not Overdrive...

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

Oh, now you're just ruining all my fun! I can't go outside or my boss will yell at me, and I've gotten all nostalgic for my old Lego's today!

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

The Lego facts are pretty interesting in themselves. I am very curious to what the game might be. If they're attempting to cross games again, much like Logomotion with FTC, it's now time for a link for FRC and Lego League. However, these wouldn't be your ordinary legos...:yikes:

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

I wouldn't be surprised if alliances needed to work together to build a structure, lego style.

In other words, pick up building blocks from a dispenser or a field, and construct a specified object while working with your alliance partners.

Of course the goal would be to build the object faster than the opposing alliance.

And suddenly, Minecraft, on water, with robots, in FIRST.

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

How about giant foam legos?

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

This is the result of a Google image search using the image's URL - http://bit.ly/RU6lct

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

YES PLEASE! That would be such a fun game to watch. Robots have to build things out of giant foam legos for points!

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

YES PLEASE! That would be such a fun game to watch. Robots have to build things out of giant foam legos for points!

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

LEGOs would fit the trend that this year is a nonsport, and would be a great game piece. But i think its less about the LEGOs and more about the giant 3 on the side of the building

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

Maybe...

Three minute match separated into four quarters of 45 seconds each:

Q1 = 45 second hybrid - longer-than-normal time to allow use of sluggish Kinect - robots from both alliances are allowed access to central third of playing field to capture (and never give up) open-topped drums of their alliance color and to gather red/yellow/blue balls
Q2 = 45 second period where only the red alliance is allowed to enter all three playing zones to gather balls. Blue robots may not change zones but may play defence and protect their drums. Robots employ RYB color sensor to sort balls. Only balls matching your alliance color in drums of your alliance color at the end of the match count toward your alliance's score - yellow balls represent contamination and reduce score.
Q3 = 45 second period where only blue alliance is allowed to enter all three playing zones to gather red/yellow/blue balls. Red robots may not change zones.
Q4 = 45 second endgame - robots from both alliances are free to roam the entire field. Alliances decide to have their robots hold their drums secure or leave the drums behind to climb the podium steps at mid-field. Max coopertition points if all six robots end up on the podium at 3 minute mark.

Either that or a tug of war.

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

If you pause the "Never Gonna Give You Up" video right where the picture was taken its when he was saying "up" so I'm thinking it has something to do with some sort of elevation ...a little far fetched but when aren't the hints.

Re: 2013 Game Hint!
 

Please not another foam gamepiece.

Just ask anybody who worked field reset this year... FRC robots tend to chew them up pretty quick.

At BMR it got so bad that there were barely enough good balls left to play with by the time elims started... Same for innertubes. Not durable enough for FRC play.