[FRC Blog] Stop Build Day When?
 

Posted on the FRC Blog, 7/21/15: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...BUILD-DAY-WHEN

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Hey, at least my birthday isn't the week(end) before stop build this year. Guess this means I can actually remember it this year. Maybe.

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Already? Alright folks, time to start extrapolating game hints from everything Frank says!

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is this year hockey hype or still trying for the nonexistent water game?

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Given the source of the video, I think this year's game will be called "Big Bang". I'm still trying to determine if that refers to some random episode of said show being the next hint in the chain, creating a universe, or blowing something up. Given FRC patterns, I think the last is the most likely. Most CD users will probably go for the first option.


Myself, I'm getting ready to watch the mayhem unfold...

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Well, in the blog post URL, the title is in all caps (...blog-STOP-BUILD-DAY-WHEN).
Does it mean anything? Maybe. Did Frank expect that to be found? My money is on yes...

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Gotta build a robot like Barney, got it.

...On second thought that may not be the best idea.

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Wow, Frank. I haven't even had an honest semester's work at college before I drop everything and try to figure out next year's game. Well played, sir.

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Just wanted to point out that Stephen Hawking would have to circle electronically...

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STOP BUILD DAY WHEN is an anagram of WHITELY POUNDS BAD...return to Lunacy with lighter robots, anyone?

...it's July. I'm ashamed of myself.

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Neat, birthday bag day

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All I know for sure is that, if the school keeps its scheduling the same, my team will have no school in the last week of build season... I envy them for that...

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This week push back puts the Las Vegas Regional during our spring break... :yikes:

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I'm hyping on hockey :P although I'm good with anything that's fun to watch now, since I've graduated and will mostly be a spectator or volunteer

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Not hockey...likely a ball game.

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Field hockey is played with a ball ;)

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I forgot hurling as well...

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So does anyone know which episode of Big Bang Theory this is and what Sheldon is looking at and doing? :ahh:

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Stephen Hawking episode... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SN1_RepifQ

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Season 5, Episode 21, The Hawking Excitation.
i have nothing better to do till kickoff...

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I think it is this episode: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2450064/...ef_=tt_stry_pl

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I bet you're right.

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It is from the end of the Extract Obliteration, where Sheldon and Stephen Hawking are playing a game of Words with Friends. Sheldon just threw the game to prevent Hawking from disliking him, and Hawking said "I really enjoyed our game, Doctor Cooper. Or should I say Doctor Loser? Do you like brain teasers? What do Sheldon Cooper and a black hole have in common? They both suck. Neener-neener."

Frank's use of this video could mean a few things, and since I have nothing better to do right now, I will describe them.

#1: Next year's game might have something to do with Words or Friends. Friends = alliance size/composition?
#2: Next year's game might use voice commands to drive the robot, possibly during an auto/hybrid period similar to 2012's Kinect. (Notice also how the BBT episode is from 2012)
#3: Throwing the game might be useful next year especially if you want to have a certain "friendship" (see #1)
#4: Stephen Hawking will be the guest speaker (or electronic speaker) in St. Louis next year. (wouldn't that be cool?)
#5: Frank wants us to overanalyze his use of a Big Bang Theory video while he secretly plans a water game.
#6: Frank just used the video to tease everyone about how "he knows the game" - but that can't be it. We all know that everything Frank posts has an intricate hidden meaning pertaining to next season.

I do want to point out, though, that even if this post has absolutely no game hint, Frank did tell us that he knows the game. Therefore, they are planning well in advance compared to last year's (seemingly) last-minute game choice. FIRST GDC already knows what they are going to do for next year, so I really hope they understand the negative feedback they received for this year's game and know how to fix it for next year.

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Games are planned out 3 years in advance, with changes occurring based on feedback, balance, ect. There was an excellent video FIRST did on it, I will link it if I find it.

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The 3 year in advance is a relatively recent change, and based on a bunch of anecdotal evidence the 2015 game was reset/bumped in and changed the order of the games. Unsure if this means the 2016 game is actually what was intended for 2015 originally.

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So I went to Google to find an anagram solver to see what "neener neener" could be. Google says, "Did you mean nag a ram?"

Goats in 2015, sheep in 2016? :rolleyes:

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This is what I was referring to in my previous post.

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http://wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram...ner&t=1000&a=n

NoGameIn2016 Confirmed.

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I believe that the "goal" was to have games planned for 3 seasons in advance. I do not believe that has been achieved...

WRT the BBT episode, could be as simple as Frank hinting at a return to WLT rather than QA.

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A return in WLT is a big hint in and of itself, if that's true. At the least it means every match will have a direct competition between the entities on the field, rather than a race against every team at the event or directly against the clock.

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Inspired by the hashtag #BoringVideoGames, I feel it is my duty to say that a possible title could be, (ahem),
Tote Simulator
I have little to do until school starts.

But in all seriousness, hopefully we won't have to suffer through the Snowpocalypse again. We seriously lost two weeks of school to snow, including bag-and-tag. (But we don't work out of the school, and the main roads were safe to drive that day) Granted, the snow days after gave us much needed rest :cool: but still.

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Will be released before 2016, mark my words.
Oh wait, someone already has.

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If we can't win matches in quals in 2016, I'm not even gonna participate in 2016.
This year, 5254 had a "record" of 1-4, because the only time we could win or lose matches was in finals.
20 had a "record" of 2-3.
I want big numbers in those records again (hopefully more on the left).

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Why are they pushing the start date back a week? (January 9th)

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The 2nd was too close to New Year's Day.

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The first Saturday of January is the 2nd, because that is so close to new years day FIRST decided to push kick off back a week to accommodate people traveling for the holidays.

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There are issues with KOP Transportation and storage when the first weekend in January gets to close to new years - between holiday and weekend schedules, kits would have to be shipped much earlier, with local storage options identified and paid for. Keep in mind that many kickoff locations are at Schools, which are effectively shut down between Christmas and New year's! Generally, that means kickoff is never earlier than Jan 3.

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This was not a 'change' to the calendar. The 2016 calendar has looked like this since at least early May:

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For those of you that like to plan ahead, in 2021, kickoff should be Sat 9 January. Unless FIRST decides to give up on all that "Build in the Winter" stuff and go to Kickoff the second Saturday in June :eek: (*)

(*) Which would work. (**) It has the semi-champs done by Labor day, does not interfere with school testing, allows more people to attend as spectators since they don't need to take students out of school. Only downside is IRI would move into October, but Indiana is really nice in the fall.

(**) But we've beaten the "move the FRC season" to death in other threads....

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Going back in history, the 2010 kickoff was also January 9th.

Perhaps FIRST should codify Kickoff like US general election dates (Tuesday after the first Monday in November). Henceforth, Kickoff will be the Saturday following the first Thursday of January.

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Pretty sure by that point we'll have to make more radical changes to deal with having #4champs.

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:ahh:

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I know... good news, right? On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a solid 5.2!


...sorry, it just had to be said. :D

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More likely, because the kickoff event sites wouldn't be available on Jan 1 to get kits set up for distribution.

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The last minute game design seems the only reasonable explanation for the 2015 game.. :rolleyes: And more seriously, I hope they took into account the feedback over the last 3 games, both negative and positive.

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"Stop Build Day When" is an anagram of "Lousy Width Bedpan". So Dave Frank's given us a clue not only as to the function of next year's robot, but the dimensional limits, as well.:eek: