Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

Although it doesn't quite follow your 3 year climbing cycle, 2000 had a hanging bar in the center of the field similar to 2004. (albeit, shorter)

I would also be interested in seeing games that are less focused on scoring as many points as possible, and more strategic. 2005 is probably the best example of this with its tic-tac-toe gameplay.

Giant Connect Four, anyone?
It would certainly fit the expected unusual object game piece.

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

While 2015 definitely falls into the "Lifting" category the OP laid out, but I think it more naturally fits into the "Unusual object" category. Mostly because the manipulation of the object was so unique related to the other usual objects.

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

How about Roomba Roundup?
Teams capture and place modified roombas into their corrals. The opposing alliance can steal the captured roombas and place them in their own corrals. The team with the most roombas win.

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

That's it! But instead of just collecting them, the Roombas will have to be placed to clean up corn in the corrals. The team or alliance that cleaned the most corn would win. Or maybe it would be Corn Cleanup, same as above, but without the Roombas, so the big robots do all of the cleaning(we're on our way to a paper airplane solution??). Possibly Roombas in a hard to reach area that could be used to assist if a team could deploy and activate it?

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

Didn't we already play that in 2012 for a match or so? :p

By the way, best way to play this one is with an unknown number of Roombas roaming the field, AND all different types of Roombas (and probably their cousins the Scubas--hey, gotta clean the pool somehow!) Significant bonus for getting them all to drive themselves into the corrals.

Oh, and the field gets cleaned every match, which makes field reset's "we're on break" jobs easier.

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

Altough the totes were definetly different from the ones used in 2003, I think the idea is definetly similar. You could also argue that 2011 had irregular objects with the non-circular tubes. Maybe a new classification for lifting games is an inclusion of a somewhat unusual game element.

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

Arguably, anything that isn't a ball is irregular.
'92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '98, '00, '01, '02, '04, '06, '08, '09, '10, '12, '14, and '16 all had balls in some form or another. Several years could defiantly be considered unusual because of their size (and the different approach that was required to manipulate them), but to not have some kind of ball as a game piece is most defiantly unusual.

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

Another GDC pattern I've been keeping close track of over the years that goes all the way back to the beginning:

1992: Maize Craze - Not a Water Game
1993: Rug Rage - Not a Corn Game
1994: Tower Power - Not a Water Game
1995: Ramp 'n Roll - Not a Corn Game
1996: Hexagon Havoc - Not a Water Game
1997: Toroid Terror - Not a Corn Game
1998: Ladder Logic - Not a Water Game
1999: Double Trouble - Not a Corn Game
2000: Co-Opertition FIRST - Not a Water Game
2001: Diabolical Dynamics - Not a Corn Game
2002: Zone Zeal - Not a Water Game
2003: Stack Attack - Not a Corn Game
2004: FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar - Not a Water Game
2005: Triple Play - Not a Corn Game
2006: Aim High - Not a Water Game
2007: Rack 'n Roll - Not a Corn Game
2008: FIRST Overdrive - Not a Water Game
2009: Lunacy - Not a Corn Game
2010: Breakaway - Not a Water Game
2011: Logomotion - Not a Corn Game
2012: Rebound Rumble - Not a Water Game
2013: Ultimate Ascent - Not a Corn Game
2014: Aerial Assist - Not a Water Game
2015: Recycle Rush - Not a Corn Game
2016: FIRST Stronghold - Not a Water Game

As you can see this pattern fluctuates every other year. If this pattern continues 2017 will not be a corn game.

Cheers, Bryan

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

So what you're telling me is... next year will be a water game :rolleyes:

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

I was looking for some cool science related things for 2017:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017

I must admit, the JAXA robot mission to the moon has me a bit concerned for the return of lunacy....

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

2010 you scored on the goals on your side of the field.

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

Not quite that strong. I believe he's conjecturing that sometime next year, at some event, there shall be played at least one match without corn on one side of the field.

An alternate conjecture:

• Odd years: not a corn game
• Even years: not a regolith game

Edit: or is it too soon?

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

But the not-a-corn game years didn't have water, and the not-a-water game years didn't have corn except for 1992...

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

Oh, please, please, GDC! Give us a corn game!

Re: FIRST 4 year game theme cycle theory
 

I think most people would say that the totes were the same idea in principle as the bins from 2003.

What I was getting at was that you can represent the pattern based on what it took to manipulate the game objects. Balls are often manipulated very similarly, tubes (regardless of shape) are manipulated with very similar claws, etc. 2015 saw interesting intakes and lift mechanisms, many of which hadn't been popular before. I don't think "unusual" necessarily means "unique".

Still, I think there is some real predictive value to your pattern, just maybe that we should keep our minds open to variations. While it looks like next year will be "unusual" again, maybe it will be "unusual" balls or something similar.