[FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

This could be interesting...

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Whoa I'm already excited for the 2016 season but now I'm afraid these CD people are going to figure out the game before Jan 9. As much as I want to see game hint, I sure hope it's not too revealing.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Oh I can see how they could create a video that would you would never think it was a FRC game. Matter of fact there are lots of video's lasting 2-3 minutes out there today with robots moving around. Lots of you have seen them and you are still going "Wait, stacking totes, is that a game?!?" :rolleyes:

Looking forward to seeing the "trailer", just hope that I don't see any trailers in it. (aka Lunacy)

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

"""TENT""
TNET T-net tennis net, volleyball, water polo. yep its a water game. yes i had to go there

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

It could have a link with the fact that it is the last year with only one CMP...

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Oh wow were getting a video hint this years that is filled with many hint so excited to see the video in a few weeks :ahh:

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

The correct answer is:
Even the official game hints are (heretofore) actually hints for the game titles, which doesn't really tell you much about the game. Looking at the last eight:

• 2015 Recycle Rush: Rushing is the worst thing to do, and most teams score more by littering than recycling.
• 2014 Aerial Assist: robots didn't fly, and assists as scored in the game were a completely different thing than they were in the sports the clues were based on.
• 2013 Ultimate Ascent: It used Frisbees, but wasn't much like Ultimate. Well, we did ascend as an endgame bonus, so about 1/4 of a hint.
• 2012 Rebound Rumble: I don't recall seeing any rebounds; balls were usually picked up after they had become stationary. Not much of a rumble either; probably the least defensive interaction between 2001 Diabolical Dynamics and 2015 Recycle Rush.
• 2011 Logomotion: Sorry, those logos didn't move, just the individual elements.
• 2010 Breakaway: I don't get this name at all. It would have made more sense as a way to describe the endgame of Logomotion.
• 2009 Lunacy: Had nothing to to with the moon, though it did call the sanity of the GDC into question.
• 2008 First Overdrive: But you drove under the overpass. Though it was the one game where pure speed was a winning strategy.

I'm taking my time with this one to try to convince myself to not obsess over the game hint (again) this year. To paraphrase The Animals:

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

This is going to be very.........interesting.

I would be curious to see if anyone with some time on their hands to make a trailer using any prior years game that wouldn't give away 90% of the game.

I feel like this is going to create a situation regarding teams prototyping based on this trailer, especially seeing as though it will be "ready"(Released?) in just a couple weeks.

Over 2 months before kickoff seems like a lot.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

This should be awesome. I'm looking forward to it.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

What do you mean? The game reveal videos don't give away 90% of the game; probably more like to 30-50%. Just looking at Recycle Rush, the game reveal video gave no clues about problems and activities that were crucial to many teams' success or failure:

• How much litter got in the way of driving and scoring (and occasionally got caught inside a lift or other mechanism).
• Tetherbots, whether active stackers or passive ramps (or butlers or nets).
• Pre-capping stacks, or even scoring pre-built stacks.
• Can Burglaring, much less can battles
• Noodling cans over the wall.
• How small, cluttered, and messy the field would be.

And things people thought about or were explicitly shown in the video, but were not useful strategies:

• Robots throwing things across the step
• Vortex cannons
• Noodle Nets
• Really tall stacks (more than 6 totes)
• Noodle cones
• Robots manipulating noodles

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

No one's talking about the big story = the vanilla version of the game was developed before November.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I honestly don't see any way this turns out well. If they reveal very little of the game, it's just more fodder for the game hint-crazed crowd (which I once found interesting, but not in the past 4 or 5 years). If they reveal some of the game, it gets into a "longer build season" situation, because if I think I know what the game piece, I'm going to start working on how to manipulate it. And you probably will too.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is at least 24 pictures per second,
CD is going to explode into a 2,000 page thread come December.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Someone did it way back in 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2PVBqi9dyE

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I seriously expect that this is the case most years. Some of the more credible rumors indicate that games are at least rough-planned three or four years in advance. They just keep it under wraps until the last minute. Sometimes, the small size of the "need to know" group shows, as with the noodle agreement last year.

And as far as useless game hints are concerned, the 2009 video cited above gave no useful clues at all about the game or game pieces until the final still, when the empty cells and super cells were shown (without any sense of scale).

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Releasing a video in October lends even more credibility to the football theory. FIRST wants to create hype about the football game through out the football season. We still will not know what type of football game piece is used or how big the scoring target is.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

If by rumors you mean FIRST literally saying that they develop the games 3 years in advance then yes that is true.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I have only been able to find this mention of the GDC trying to design future games for more than one season in advance. http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/nljun11/frchighlights

I believe it may be more of a goal than a reality...

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

A more recent reference: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...idays-11112013

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I'm keenly aware that this is almost always the case.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

What football theory? FIRST has never hinted at footballs.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I don't think you "get" FRC hint theory. lol

FIRST doesn't have to ever hint at anything for us to generate theories (e.g., water game).

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I mean I think theres a chance there will be enough shown for teams to spend the next 2 months prototyping at least some aspect of the game.based on their best interpretation of the video.

I do agree that the 2009 video is a great example of what I hope this teaser is. I'm just afraid they might give away too much.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I don't think they'll give away too much... They know what to do and how to do it... The previous hints were nicely done...

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Doesn't ANYBODY remember the 2007 game hint? It showed a SCORED GAME PIECE.

And nobody got the hint fully right.


Think about that for a minute.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

It's the first time I see this hint and I love it :)

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Mind linking the hint? im having trouble finding the actual hints, just guesses on when they would come out.

While trying to find what the hint was, i found this gem:

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Post 14 of this very thread. Video.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

There are probably a few good answers to this question, including:

1. When it’s not preceded by words equivalent to “This is a game hint”

2. When it’s a video teaser for the season.

"This is a game hint" precedes the whole blog post. Uh-oh.

Now I'm focussed on "Game Stop".
Could this be like Diabolical Dynamics from 2001 where you could stop the game early to receive Bonus points?
Game History
The alliance multiplies its score by a factor of up to three by ending the match before the two minute time limit.

T'was a great way to make the match schedule.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

my bad for missing that, thank you.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

It's also worth mentioning that this year will be the 25 Year Anniversary for FRC, so I think that is playing a role here as well.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

--

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I am very excited about this trailer for the new season. It is a cool way to get students intrested in the program by showing them a glimpse of what the next year may look like. In addition for outreach and sponsors this will be awesome to show others what our next season may look like. Makes for easier explanations as well. Thanks FIRST for this new change!

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Quarter century mark, quarterbacks throw footballs.....football game conf....I kid, I kid...


However, I do think this video will be interesting to see. I'm of the belief that the video itself won't show much more than FIRST promotional clips and hype to get those "outside the tent" interested in this whole robot thing....with a little , tiny, bone of a hint thrown at us wolves.....

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

It's exactly the image of all FIRST participants when we discover the hint... :)

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Not true - someone figured out the hint the same day it was posted. The image is gone, but Greg managed to correctly predict the game piece and the method of scoring fairly quickly.

Pedantic points about old game hints aside, I think this announcement is pretty big. Obviously, something is different enough about this game that we need to know about it two months in advance. That's unprecedented in FRC. In the era of ample COTS parts and a relatively stable set of rules, the main reason I can see FRC wanting to tell teams in advance is to avoid having them stocking up on parts they would need any other year, but not this year. Or possibly to prepare to drive and play on a drastically different field surface. To me this advance notice, combined with the several comments about how this is a game specific hint, implies that the hint will reveal that the game will be drastically different from anything in years' past.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Possible, but I would have thought that after the general disapproval of Recycle Rush (which I don't share) the GDC would go for something more traditional. I guess anything is possible, we'll just have to wait and see.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I bet that it's going to be some kind of football game, and they tie the 25th anniversary of FRC to Super Bowl 50.

My predicted game name: "Halftime!"

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Makes sense, but is it going to be an aerial game or a ground game? Could it be an asymmetric game where one alliance is on offense and the other on defense?

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Then each match would be 1.25 minutes long?:yikes: It autonomous is going to be half the match. (I'm kidding, BTW)

On a (slightly) more serious note, perhaps the GDC thinks that it'll take more than six weeks to figure out how to manipulate the gamepiece. For example: one of those rubber ducks that Frank posted a video of. :rolleyes:

~Daler

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Get ready for robots that play instruments and march in time.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Other interesting 2016 Anniversaries:

100th Anniversary of Einstein's Theory of Relativity
20th Anniversary of Dolly the Sheep being cloned

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

"Introducing the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition and this year's game, 'Halftime is Relative!'";)

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Introducing "We clone the Relative Halftime!"

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Lol. That'd be something... :P

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Each alliance need to reproduce an object in less then 2 min while playing music and altering the fabric of time and space... A pretty simple game in my opinion :yikes:

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Maybe the field shape is different. This might need to be revealed for off-season competition planning. A triangular or circular field might not fit in some high school gyms.

In any case, I am very interested to see this thing.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

That would be quite interesting. I hope the field isn't the shape of the FRC logo. :P

A triangular field with three alliances would be interesting...

~Daler

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I'd rather do an hexagonal field than a triangle one for three alliances...

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Think 2006: autonomous starts with all 6 robots kicking/shooting field goals on their end.
Alliance with most field goals made goes on offense first. Offense-Defense alternates.

New game piece that no FRC team has ever worked with. Format is 10 years old, so all students and most mentors will be new to it.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

At some point I can see FIRST changing the dimensions of the field, but given the number of fields in private hands any change that make their investment worthless wouldn't be well received.

So from that standpoint I would think that triangles and circles are very unlikely.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

You are right; a hexagon would make more sense. Personally, I'd like the field shape to stay the same as it is now.

~Daler

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

'inside the tent' makes me think of mergers & acquisitions. Maybe a new model for alliances?

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Maybe (like the step, truss, pyramids, bridges, etc ) 'the tent' will be a part of the field?

~Daler

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Over 1/2 of the team is in band? Check.

We got this game.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Maybe the tent could be a new version of the tunnels on the field from breakaway?

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Uh oh. For some reason, I don't like tunnels on the field. :P

~Daler

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I cant remember the source, but I remember watching a video of Frank discussing how they called in a bunch of FIRST veterans to discuss ideas for the 2015 game pretty shortly after 2014 concluded. I don't think they operate that far in the future, but I do believe they got ahead one year, so now they have a "backup" on standby in case of crippling issues.

Regardless, I see no indication of massive changes to the game this year. Frank has been pretty forthright so far, even just straight up telling us that bumpers will be back. Frank speaks pretty simply in this post telling us that they want to do it for promotional reasons, so I see no reason not to just trust him.

However, I sincerely hope they don't give away things such as game pieces in this trailer. Once you know the game piece, you can pretty effectively begin prototyping for manipulating it. Personally, I can't do a two-month-long "Week 1" starting in late October, so yeah, please be careful about it. With very little definitive info, the season pretty much starts early.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

Which means another Black Eyed Peas concert sine they did a Superbowl halftime show.

Re: [FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?
 

I think I sort of got this last year's right :rolleyes: (This was also before the leak)
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...&postcount=149

In all honesty though, I don't think anyone could get the significant details of the game right with just the hints. Well except maybe for 2007.