Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

That is the bar on the bottom of the field. If you look at the field wall, you can see a field tape reflection, and a normal colored carpet.

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

That would be cool. You would need to spend 10 sec or so of teleop to position the robot in the correct spot before Auto. I could see many teams needing to utilize the Estop if the robot was not in the correct position though. Would want dead reckoning to be executed when the robot is facing the side field scoring station.

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

Going back to the whole '97 '99 thing. During the supposed 1999 clip it says something about alliances being introduced. Maybe by leaving out the 1999 footage they are hinting that alliances will be disbanded. Not sure what that would mean for eliminations and such but it just hit me. This sounded much better in when I started typing...

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

Can you imagine the pain of the veteran teams who position their robot perfectly just to have a kitbot pull in front of them last second using momentum.

It's an evil thought yet

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

I think most of the replies are overthinking the situation. "Change is Coming" is also reflected in the history - each clip showed some change taking place, and this year will be no exception.
Not trying to be a pisher, but given that the venues are already selected, we can pretty much count on the following assumptions being preserved:
Game played on a surface which can be laid over a concrete floor -- not a "water game" (or a "space game" or an "air game", for that matter) -- my personal favorite concept of launching rockets to harvest comets to deliver water to a moon colony is right out!
Field size not too much larger (certainly no larger than a basketball court)

We know up front that the control system will change (roboRio vs cRio, new PDB, pneumatic board, and so forth), but the game hint says that ain't all:
Rules we have come to accept as canon but which we can probably figure that at least one will change:
robot size (changed from 120" to 112" frame perimeter just 2 years ago, di'n't it?)
2 alliances of 3 teams
weight limit
bumper rules
carpet as a surface
And finally, the rule I hope they really are keeping: "if it ain't forbidden, it's allowed"

The bottom line is that SOMETHING changes every year, and this year is no different. This isn't a clue as much as a reminder (or perhaps a warning)!

My personal take on the real clues so far (large lightweight and long units in the KOP) is some sort of game in which the opposing alliance(s) robots (or trailers towed by those robots) are targets of a peculiar attack involving 60" long arms. 'Taint worth much, but that's my take so far.'

GeeTwo

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

I do not think that is white floor in the video. I think it is the aluminum base of the field perimeter

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

Its not the kitbots fault. The veteran team should have anticipated the positioning and had a sensor that would detect the bot and enable to crab drive to move 3ft to the left and then execute Auto. Its never the kit bots fault. LOL

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

after reading through every single post so far i have concluded on four possible scenarios:

1. game using recycled game elements from previous game different one

2. recycling theme similar to jr. fll and fll

3. possible white floor idk if i see it or not can't tell

4. the mix-up with the 1997-1999 game


these seem to me t be the most valid scenarios so far

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

Four team alliances create some interesting possibilities:
1) More "teamwork" based games like Aerial Assist. Four teams could help insulate alliances against a weak or broken member.
2) With more of the robots on the field at any time, match times could be longer. The total number of matches could be reduced, while giving each team the same number of matches.
3) Elimination alliances could be 5 teams (one as the backup bot). That would allow all 40 teams at a district qualifier to be in the eliminations. (I'm not necessarily in favor of that).
4) A four-team alliance would require the field to be about 6 feet wider (one more driver station panel at each end). Doesn't work for two strips of standard width carpet rolls, but maybe the floor won't be carpet...
5) They probably had to modify the field control system to work with the new RoboRio. Convenient time to add a couple more channels for larger alliances.

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

That was a joke, the 2014/2015 (jr) FLL game is based around education.

So, my input so far:
1. The field perimeter will be basically the same (ie. Not triangular), but who's to say there won't be some sort of triangular zone within the field?
2. There is no way that they accidentally RECYCLED footage from 1997 for the 1999 section of the video.
3. The recycling has to be important. As my previous point implied, maybe something from the 1997 game will be reused this year?
4. That long box in the kit of parts, as many people have said on that thread, has to be something we can't easily replicate and is critical to the game, or its donated raw materials.
5. I really, really hope they're not recycling and modifying the 2014 game, because if not it means theres a huge change coming, which is what I was hoping for this year.

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

Indeed, that's how it worked in 2001. 5 teams were crowned champs that year I believe.

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

Here's a screenshot of the white floor, possibly a rail though... But looking at 2014 there was no rail there on the guard wall...

https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=...Gdsoa3LlkCDF5s

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

The recycle bin was a red herring. It simply meant that Aerial Assist is trashed for now but will be reused again someday in the future.

In apocalyptic terms, "Change is coming" could possibly be translated to "The End Is Nigh". (The recent Mayan "end of days" was supposed to be a "change" rather than doomsday. "Nigh" is translated to "near" or "close".)

End game confirmed.

Re: 2015 HINT DISCUSSION
 

But there are no district events in PNW MAR and IN with 40 teams, only half of the NE events have 40 teams and there are even a couple of the FiM events that don't have 40 teams.

The capacity of the PNW events was set at 32 teams, and there are 2 that haven't filled up.