Originally Posted by Phyrxes (Post 1313642)

I'm indifferent towards the game object, but this year's senior class has had three games with limitations to the number of game objects a robot can manipulate. Maybe its time for a "Max" capacity game to make a return appearance.

Originally Posted by mrmummert (Post 1313116)

Hello...

I've been reading a lot of posts in this thread and other related ones.
One thing i've noticed coming out of First are some vague references to
the past and some weird date typos which go into the future. (which First
shortly takes back down and corrects ) Now don't
go off on another thread on this...but what if in some weird way the 2014
game has something to do with the "Back to the future" movie? or is a hint that maybe we are going back to the past (as in a past game) to play it again in the future? (The number 3 hints might mean we are playing a old game but with 3V3 instead of 2V2?)Granted the movie came out in 1985 (and I and II came out in 1989 and 1990) Perhaps i shouldn't post this as its probably gonna open up a new can of worms. Well get your Flux Capacitors and Delorians ready.

Originally Posted by Foster (Post 1313697)

Ok, so I'll bite. You are the GDC, given the current field size and 3x3 teams. Show us your "baseball" game.

Originally Posted by jar24 (Post 1313712)

I wont be exactly baseball, because lets face it, those would hurt alot if hit by them, and also damage other teams robots, if it is baseball themed it would most likely use wiffle balls, or something along those lines, when I proposed the baseball idea I knew it would automatically be different.

Originally Posted by Foster (Post 1313716)

Ok Wiffle balls. 2 bases? 4 bases? Auto pitcher like at the batting cages? We know it would be "different", otherwise the "Mets" would be short for the "Metals" :rolleyes:

How different, spin those wanna-be GDC braincells up!

Originally Posted by TheMadCADer (Post 1313702)

It's time for both another tube game and another stacking game. This year there will be vertical poles on the field that you put tubes on in stacks.

Originally Posted by tondogone (Post 1313636)

See this would make a lot of sense for a few reasons. Everyone has been saying that this year will be a ball game via the ball game intervals. Also, my team has been thinking that a small game piece such as a small tennis ball or baseball due to the other ball games the past few years. So due to the tennis game in 1992, a baseball themed game is due. We've done soccer, baseketball, discus, lets see some baseball!

Originally Posted by Cmac3082 (Post 1313807)

Hockey might also be something we could see this year. Maybe with lunacy wheels to simulate the ice.

Originally Posted by Martian86 (Post 1313826)

If we did have some variation of baseball with wiffle balls, I hope it's not a shooting game. Wiffle balls are painfully inconsistent when they fly.

Originally Posted by Jay O'Donnell (Post 1313830)

Glad I have a book on the physics of wiffle balls! (Yes I'm serious)

Originally Posted by Jay O'Donnell (Post 1313830)

Glad I have a book on the physics of wiffle balls! (Yes I'm serious)

Originally Posted by Jay O'Donnell (Post 1313830)

Glad I have a book on the physics of wiffle balls! (Yes I'm serious)

Originally Posted by jar24 (Post 1313899)

whats the ISBN so the rest of us can get this?

Originally Posted by Rynocorn (Post 1268447)

Here is my baseball game for next year. It was in another thread but your comment made me want to share it with you guys.

I'm holding out for a baseball game next year. Here's what I have been thinking about.

Game- First baseball

Pieces- whiffle balls (baseballs) (ideally a lot of them on the field at a time >100) and large colored cubes (players)

Field- there would be a high wall on either end acting like a fence on either side of the court which robots will have to shoot balls behind in order to score points. There would be a batters box (rectangle of tape) somewhere on the field from which teams could shoot over the fence safely (like key in 2012). The bottom of the goal behind the fence can be sloped so the balls will run off the side and be counted easily like 2010. Also, in the middle of the field, there will be 4 boxes that are something like 4-6'' (that's supposed to be inches) tall with one for each alliance and 2 neutral ones all arranged in a baseball diamond shape.

Goal of game- to score the little balls into the goal over the fence and also get points by getting your robot onto your alliance box (the bases) at the end of the game or putting the large cubes on top, or both for with increasing points for the level of difficulty. Or, the bases could be used in a manner like 08 where robots have to race around the bases. Having robots have to do all these challenges would give varied robots and not one method of winning.

Gameplay- since baseball does operate in turns with teams alternating playing offense and defence, there could be an element of strategy like Aim High with maybe only one scoring zone along the long width of the field where teams each can score during a 50 second period and then the final 20 seconds the score will go to both teams (co-operation points)


This is just an idea I have been thinking of and I think it would be a pretty cool game to play with. I also like the idea of lots of scoring pieces and also big scoring pieces, both of which this game would have.

Originally Posted by Cmac3082 (Post 1313807)

Hockey might also be something we could see this year. Maybe with lunacy wheels to simulate the ice.

Originally Posted by Jay Burnett (Post 1314621)

I think hockey would be difficult enough without some sort of slick surface or traction limiting wheels. Also i just don't see the GDC regulating wheel options just because of the limits that would put on the creativity of the teams and the all around failure that was Lunacy. Also, real hockey players seem to have very good grip and turning abilities.



That said, I do think hockey would be a very interesting game if played on maybe a white carpet. (refer to my post on page 15)

Originally Posted by Zmarken (Post 1314633)

If the references in the blog posts are actual hints, then I think there are three possibilities

It could be baseball, but hat trick is an unofficial term.

It could be hockey, but there's no home runs.

Or... It could be cricket (no clue about home runs on cricket)

To keep with the ball pattern, hockey would be street hockey.


...or they could be screwing with our heads. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Originally Posted by Zmarken (Post 1314669)

Kickball would be interesting, and I didn't get the who's on first thing at all.

I think instead of a breakaway variant, kickball could be an overdrive variant, (actually, kickball or baseball), to have something similar to running the bases.

EDIT: could the "lots of moving parts that need to work together" mean another co-opertition aspect? If it's not that, then maybe it could refer to different types of game pieces instead of just 1 this year?

Originally Posted by 4404 PCH Colts (Post 1314678)

Oh man I can't be that old to the point that people don't recognize Who's On First, can I? So the original blog post had a Dr. Who reference. Someone on here mentioned that Who + First = Who's on First, which is an old Abbott and Costello skit involving baseball. It's a classic comedy routine.

Originally Posted by M. Lillis (Post 1314702)

Hat Trick: "three or more homeruns in a game" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat-trick)

Again, three is a recurring theme

Originally Posted by rwkling1 (Post 1314704)

Yeah, my guess is that the hat trick is just another reference to the number 3. So there will be something with the game this year with 3. I'm not sure if it's referencing hockey or just the number three, since there have been a couple of references to baseball.

Originally Posted by nickmcski (Post 1314717)

Three alliances possibly?

Originally Posted by rwkling1 (Post 1314718)

That's what people have been saying for the past few years, but my guess it's something we'll never guess.

Originally Posted by nickmcski (Post 1314723)

The GDC said they tend to plan games 2 years in advance, since there was a spike in FRC teams was a few years ago it's a possibility for 3 alliances this year.

Originally Posted by nickmcski (Post 1314723)

The GDC said they tend to plan games 2 years in advance, since there was a spike in FRC teams was a few years ago it's a possibility for 3 alliances this year.

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery (Post 1314626)

Originally Posted by M. Lillis (Post 1314702)

Again, three is a recurring theme

Originally Posted by wilhitern1 (Post 1314926)

The cost isn't too bad. And I'd bet that First could get a deal from the manufacturer since they'd be ordering a huge bucket of them... They'd play well on some interesting surfaces. Anybody played with them on carpet? I wouldn't expect that to be the best surface.

I wonder about the safety issues, though. Last year, I didn't see any frisbees thrown that I couldn't have caught. But I've seen slap shots that I don't think I'd want to try to stop even in the pads. (I'm no hockey player)

Neal

Originally Posted by Jay Burnett (Post 1314936)

Idea! They could leave the floor as is (concrete, wood) to save flooring costs and provide a better surface for the caster pucks. Most of the venues are already floored with one of those two materials, so the variations in the playing surface wouldn't be that much

Originally Posted by raptaconehs (Post 1313753)

Let's bring back the corn field from 1992 for 2014. I think we are due for a corn field.

Originally Posted by M. Lillis (Post 1314702)

Hat Trick: "three or more homeruns in a game" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat-trick)

Again, three is a recurring theme

Originally Posted by Kevin Thorp (Post 1314965)

I was thinking about the Street Hockey idea and the lighted tape measures. Check out this glow in the dark Street Hockey Ball:



Maybe during the Autonomous Period or the End Game the playing field lights go out and the glowing balls are randomly dispensed onto the field? The goal(s) could be ringed in lights



The robot flashing lights and "bling" lights might be distracting, but there could be a rule about the colors of lights you're allowed to have on your bot.

Originally Posted by wilhitern1 (Post 1314926)

I wonder about the safety issues, though. Last year, I didn't see any frisbees thrown that I couldn't have caught.

Originally Posted by coalhot (Post 1315015)

From @FRCTeam on twitter


Interesting...

Originally Posted by NoahB (Post 1316543)

oh man.... here comes the water game suggestions

Originally Posted by czielinski (Post 1265481)

I know it's very early but I wanted to start a discussion about the 2014 FRC game. I know that this year many were thinking about a stacking game but any ideas for next year's game?

Originally Posted by Joshua25801 (Post 1320236)

Has anyone found the weight of the ball this year?