Re: Game Hint #2
 

well of course. They end statements. Otherwise we couldn't use the riddle.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Sure, but so do periods. And while my grammar skills are lacking I would probably have used commas unless I was writing code.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Ok, taking this idea one step further, your car is actually moved through the Chunnel on a train, so maybe there is something to shuttle your robot through the tunnel. Also, another special thing about the Chunnel is that you drive your car on the opposite side of the road after you pass through. So maybe you have to drive clockwise around the arena but if you go through the tunnel you have to drive counterclockwise.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Okay ,srry for stealing some previous thoughts, but I am just meshing, then together to what I think may be fit for the game.
First of all I like to reiterate my point before of rough terrain, I think that will most definitely be ramps or a raised areas in the game, another thing is the get connected part of the hint, I still believe is referring to the robots ability to communicate to other robots, as well as the camera being able to detect a certain area or object, maybe the zamboni thought is referencing slick surfaces, as mentioned before. I don't think the locations, have to much to do with it personally.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I can fill in your missing areas. 2002 had a bonus; get part of your robot into your home area.
2002 was another "feeder" game, but it was also a shoving match.
2003 was pretty much a shoving match--the stacks were attacked if you tried them. That, and the ramp was a battlefield.

Sensors were present in 2002 and 2003; they were light sensors. Some of the bins (2003) and all of the goals (2002) had reflective tape if you wanted to go autonomous.

I don't think the pattern goes deep enough to draw a firm conclusion. You could be right, but I'm thinking probably not.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I think this has some good ideas. But I found something that may help support it. For a long time FIRST has used WPI to host videos and stuff for volunteers, but also videos from conferences. So, I looked around for a while and found the '08 workshops. I have no idea when these were, or who was able to attend them, but they show the cRIO so they were probably over the summer or something. (http://first.wpi.edu/Workshops/2008CON.html) Of the presentations there are lots that have the presentation linked, but also a few that dont. For example, the presentation called "Underwater FIRST! What if Your Next Project Takes You to the Edge of Your Comfort Zone?" does not link a video. Why would FIRST / NI have a video about FIRST Underwater? I still think a water game is not it, but then why would they have this workshop? I am not making it up, check it out at the link above. The rest of the videos seem 'normal' and reasonable activities for frc teams, but this one sticks out to me as an outlier.
Anyways, as another idea for the locations, does anyone know the team numbers for a team that is based in each of these spots? If there even is one? Perhaps combining them will give coordinates for something since they have used coordinates before? or, would the letters of the states which have a city with that name be re-arrange to form a word or phrase? Just some thoughts...

Re: Game Hint #2
 

There isn't a team in Paramount, CA. Closest team would be either FRC 2174 to the north, FRC 1438 to the south, FRC 1135 (defunct) to the east, or one of the South Bay area teams to the west.

CA, AZ, MN, DE (assuming that it's in Delaware)
Amazed C--Hmm, that sounds promising. Or maybe Maze CAD? Ouch.

CA, AZ, MN, NH (If New Hampshire)
????

If in England
CA, AZ, MN, UK
?????

Re: Game Hint #2
 

has FIRST ever used a rough or slick terrain? i dont remember them ever doing it. I still want to see them use EZ-Glide synthetic ice.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

This is what Colin and I came up with...

Take your machine out of the shop on Colorado in Paramount;
-Tele-operated control,drive and position your robot for autonomous
-Robot Starting position may be on a ramp,(Colorado Mountains) and Paramount can also mean of chief importance, meaning the robots may have to get on the ramp at the end of the match for all important bonus points.


stop by and get connected on Central in Phoenix;
-Autonomous operation may not be at the start of the match. "Getting Connected" may mean that you start autonomous after you get your robot in position after maybe 10 or 15 seconds of driver operation, robots are disabled(Stop) and then you "get connected" with you code or robo-coach to make a play.
-With Microsoft on Central Ave, the Windows reference might be referring to these 10-15 seconds as a "window" of opportunity.



drive by and make a pickup on Minnetonnka in Minnetonka;
-I think it means Lake Minnetonka, in the town of Minnetonka, in January it's frozen.
-I think the playing surface in this "area" of the field will be HDPE, or a type of Ice Substitute.
- What you have to pick up remains to be seen.


then head to the field on Evergreen in Dover.
-If a football field reference maybe there are zones on the field like 2002


Only 21 more days!!!!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

The opah is circular like a hockey puck or a curling stone (or what ever its called). Fish are slippery like ice. I like the ice game idea. That'd be fun :)

Re: Game Hint #2
 

They have. 2003, 2004, 2006, all on top of ramps or platforms. 2003 and 2004 were HDPE; 2006 was Lexan above diamond plate ramps.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I don't know how this would be pertinent, but it's interesting:
Minnetonka City Hall is at 14600 Minnetonka Ave
Paramount City Hall is at 14600 Colorado Ave
I can't find where Pheonix City Hall is now, but back in 1888, it was on Washington and Central. (Apparently it's not any more.)
However, Dover, DE City Hall is 15 East Loockerman Street. Disappointing.

Other than that, the W-S-N-E idea and the Zamboni shop seems like a very good bet.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

kool so they have used on top of platforms, now if only this year its ice everywhere BUT on platforms... lol

i still think that this game should be ice fishing where u must stick arm through hole in ice(floor or platform) and use camera to find the "fish" or mobile object, and then u get points for fishing them out.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

catching up on my reading!
I like the post, but this last part seems sort of out of the blue. Is there something that indicates a football field? Maybe I've been a cadet for too long, and field+Dover makes me think of Dover AFB and airfields, not football fields. Evergreen makes me think of Evergreen International Airlines. They fly for the Air Force sometimes, and I think they land at Dover. Though, "flying" an alliance partner home might be difficult.

Apparently, there's also an Evergreen Farms in Dover, DE. They sell Christmas trees, so it's not really a "field"-type farm, but still. I also like the Dover England white cliffs, though I can't find an evergreen connection. Also, maybe not just another part of the field, but a ramp (cliff)? As to ice-fishing, I'm not sure how the rest of the clue would tie-in, but sure sounds fun! Especially with the cRio camera setup.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

ok the first line say's
"Take your machine out of the shop on Colorado in Paramount"

last i knew you couldn't be on a state, but you can be on a river

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Does the Colorado River a) flow through Paramount and b) have a shop on it?

(Next question: is there a Central River? Minnetonka River? Evergreen River? And can the above questions be answered for those rivers, should they exist?)

Re: Game Hint #2
 

paramount is an adj meaning: having superior power and influence

controlling the auto period would grant your team first offence period perhaps

central is defined as: serving as an essential component so there is something of extreme importance to game that may be controllable

not finding much useful info on Minnetonka

evergreen means: a plant having foliage that persists and remains green throughout the year

so there will possibly be a (green) goal that both teams can score in during the whole match

idk just thoughts

Re: Game Hint #2
 

The Colorado River flows through Colorado, Utah, Neveda, Arizona, and the California Border.

The only one of the other locations that has anything to do with water is Minnetonka which means "Great Water" and the Minnetonka Lake flows to the Mississippi River.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I think this guy's in on it.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Isn't the "Good morning teams" a stock phrase used at the start of all bill's posts? But aside from that, keen101 may have something.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

While talking to one of my mentors today (jerry) i had this crazy idea that makes allot of sense to me....

evergreen - earth (name)
minnetonka - water (lake)
paramount - air (airport at the end of it)
pheonix - fire (located on the upper edge of the Sonoran Desert)

Elemental?.... but what does it all mean.... i was counting on the forums to figure that out before my brain has a system failure and crashes.... (ill reboot and be better by morning) -- this seems like a real big coincidence to me...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANYONE FROM TEAM PINK HERE?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Opah ("moon fish") = planet

Mars = planet

Mars = Ice

Ice = Zamboni

Re: Game Hint #2
 

So now all we need to do is find Heart- with your powers combined, I am... FRC!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

OPAH = Heart?

Go Captain Planet!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

he's a hero

Re: Game Hint #2
 

This is quite possilby the most twisted logic I've ever had to use on anything, but here's what I've found. If you look at the capitalized words in each line, you'll see the letter are (in order by vertical column, first column first) are CCME, and PPME. Now, this means nothing to me. But, I reversed the orders, so its EMCC and EMPP. But this still means nothing, not to me, at least. So I noticed each set of letters ends in a double set of letters (CC and PP). So I thought maybe it might just be supposed to mean EMC and EMP. So I looked those up and may have found something. EMC can stand for Enviromental Modeling Center, an organization that better predicts atmospheric occurances. So I thought maybe this challenge may have something to do with weather. But I didn't find anything like that on EMP. So I went back, and I noticed that EMC can also mean Electro-Magnetic Compatability. I also noticed EMP can mean Electro-Magnetic Pulse. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those terms for magnets? Maybe we're doing something with magnets this year. But that is still some twisted logic I used, so that might not be it, and by might, and mean probably. And even If I am right, how does the fish fit in? Ouch... my head hurts.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I got it! We all have to make EMP machines. Last robot standing wins!
JK.

But yeah, that's some pretty twisted logic.:yikes:

Re: Game Hint #2
 

With everything said and this quote from Dave I think we are still heading toward a water game. :D

In a thread taking about things rookies must know Dave said:
Find it here.http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...7&postcount=14

Matthew Forman
MorTorq 1515

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Maby the game is how you may have to travel to different areas in the arena

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Unless your alliance partners deploy a faraday cage over your robot, or you have one built in; you had better have a very good autonomous program.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Just throwing this out there, but did anyone do a search on teams that are in this area. Like in that order there might be a message with their names together. Ya know, something along the line of Sim-Chickens. That sorta thing. but when we put them together, it might make something that makes sense. :ahh:

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Phoenix is also a mythical bird that bursts into fire and is reborn from its ashes (think of Harry Potter)

Re: Game Hint #2
 

That elemental idea is genius! Why couldn't i think of that!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

You know, this thread proves that the GDC is pure evil! Everyone has a different interpretation or crazy idea to solve it, yet it'll make perfect sense once the game is revealed.

Once again, the GDC is pure evil. (Dave, Aidan, and Bill get the "pure evil genius" rating which is slightly worse.)

HAPPY
 

see... somebody thinks im smart!

this could be the best moment of my life...:D :D

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I like this a lot.

Take your machine out of the shop - air
stop by and get connected - fire
drive by and make a pickup - water
then head to the field - earth

And consider we have a fish for game hint 1...that could have something to do with water.

And also consider what we call things that are on the field: game elements. We could be using 4 game elements are are completely different.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

So we have to build robotic fire fighters?

Re: Game Hint #2
 

or a robotic captain planet

Re: Game Hint #2
 

!!!! Captain Planet, he's our hero
Gonna take pollution down to zero !!!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Earth - Dover
Fire - Pheonix
Wind - Colorado
Water - Minnetonka
Heart - Gracious Professionalism.

I so hope we have Captain Planet references in this new game...so we all can photoshop Dean to look like Captain Planet.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I predict a record-breaking, simultaneous world-wide "OOOH!" on kick-off day
:).

Re: Game Hint #2
 

WAYY ahead of ya

Re: Game Hint #2
 

That picture is made of win.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

lol at this page of comments. love it

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I am not very good at these clues, but I was looking at the maps of these places on Google maps and found a link to clue #2 by Eric. It was created yesterday before the clue was sent.

I searched

the field evergreen, dover de

on Google Maps.

If you try to get driving directions it yields GPS coordinates for 4 sites.


Colorado in Paramount @33.894789,-118.16147

Central in Phoenix @33.292916,-112.083155

Minnetonka in Minnetonka @44.93915,-93.47994

Evergreen in Dover @39.164141,-75.673828

Hope this is of some help to you,

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I predict speechlessness seconds, followed by 50% cheers of excitement, 45% groans and 5% "The Water Game is next year!".

Re: Game Hint #2
 

please can someone help me explain my element idea... i cant connect it:confused: :confused:

Re: Game Hint #2
 

This thread is still going?!?!?!!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

It's only halfway through December....don't be surprised if the game hint discussion continues after kickoff! :P

Game Hint #2
 

Hint:
Take your machine out of the shop on Colorado in Paramount;
stop by and get connected on Central in Phoenix;
drive by and make a pickup on Minnetonka in Minnetonka;
then head to the field on Evergreen in Dover.

What I think is that the first thing you do is move your robot out of a place from point 1 and then take it to point 2 and then do something there and then go to point 3 pick something from there and then score at point 4.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Minnetonkas are shoes. I have a pair and they are awesome. My thought is what do shoes have.. souls.. There are fish that are souls. I think we are going ice fishing. 4 ramps from each direction making a pit. We will then have to reel in something out of this pit. Like game pieces!! Just my 2 cents!!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

:ahh: If we are going ice fishing the moon fish used to have to be longline fishing and they were considered good luck so fishers gave them away. So You would have to give it away to maybe a bucket at a side of the field.:ahh:

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Paramount can mean the top, or a high rise, like into the air...Meaning an element of Wind.
A Phoenix is a mythical fire bird...connecting to the element of Fire.
Next to the city of Minnetonka, is Lake Minnetonka and many other small bodies of water. (map of the area)...Meaning the element of Water.
And Evergreen is also a tree that grows in the earth...obviously the element of Earth.

See if that helps.

Edit: here is some more tidbits of info:

From Wikipedia - The Greek Classical Elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Aether) date from pre-Socratic times and persisted throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, deeply influencing European thought and culture. The concept of essentially the same five elements were similarly found in ancient India, China, and Japan, where they formed a basis of analysis in both Hinduism and Buddhism, particularly in an esoteric context: the four states-of-matter, plus a fifth element to describe that which was beyond the material world (non-matter). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_element

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Elements eh? Maybe there are secitions in the game pertaining to each element? Go through fire? Over water? On land? Yet in the air?

Im not sure but I have a feeling that once the game is revealed...people will be laughing at the things they came up with

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I was thinking about the longline fishing regarding the seamount. Change of depth, maybe.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Hey guys, first time to the forums. I'm a member of team 167, from Iowa City, The Children of the Corn Robotics. I'd like to share a completely different set of crazy ideas about the clue:


"Take your machine out of the shop on Colorado in Paramount;"
Released in 1941 by Paramount pictures, "In Old Colorado" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033753/) was a movie about a conflict over water rights between two workers. Perhaps the main plot--a territory battle --is the main game we play. We have to claim as much territory as possible, perhaps by stealing units of X from each other.


"stop by and get connected on Central in Phoenix;"
Central transport international has an office in Phoenix http://www.centraltransportint.com/S...aspx?zip=85043. It's a large shipping company--perhaps we have to carry a lot of things from one side to another (back to the territory battle), such as whoever ends up with the most units of X on their side wins.


"drive by and make a pickup on Minnetonka in Minnetonka; "
The use of "pickup" and repeat of "tonka" sounds like trucks. A tonka truck could be a dumpster, a pickup is a truck that could also carry lots of things, which would be necessary to transport the units of X onto our playing field.


"then head to the field on Evergreen in Dover."
To get from Dover to Evergreen (delaware), you take DuPont highway. DuPont is a huge sponsor of nascar, which could mean the game involves a race against each other or just against time. There was also an automobile company (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Pont_Motors) known for quality and style. Also, they started out making marine engines for WWI--so perhaps the whole event is UNDERWATER!!

and finally, about the fish:
The large eyes of the Opah fish sounds like a camera tie, which seems very probable for an autonomous mode. Also, the opah fish has a "telescoping mouth", which could certainly work with the whole "take as many to your side as possible" game; a gaping mouth that opens and then closes around a bunch of units of X then lets them go once on their side.

So, i had fun taking this in a different direction :) If any of you are going to the Milwaukee regional, you should track me down and say hi!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

We have to go Through the Fire and the Flames to carry oooonn?
( I'm sorry I couldn't resist myself :[ )

On a relevant note, I think the elements concept might be a little too complex. Having robots deal with four different types of terrain might hinder variation. "Hey! This might work...."
"But what about when it has to go over _____ terrain?"
"Oh yeah..."

Re: Game Hint #2
 

i know....... i already connected to the elements but cant connect to the game or to the fish...:confused:

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Oh, well in that case...you won't be able to connect this hint to the fish hint because there is a good chance the fish hint has to do with something completely different to this location hint.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I agree with GeeForce, i think he's done his research. also upon looking at the map he posted, there are four evergreens, so i was thinking that there might be four goals or in-zones where you have to score, but also that you'll have to work with other teams before you can get there. this was just one of my thoughts and i'd like to hear what you have to think.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

different terrains possibly

Re: Game Hint #2
 

AHAHAHA omg i love you!:)

Re: Game Hint #2
 

That is exactly the kind of hint the GDC would give out. Well done.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Hey, my first time posting here as well. I just want to say it seems like this is getting overlooked a bit. Being from very near Minnetonka, I wish the hint was something geographical, but I think this part of the hint has got to have something to do with the trucks. "pickup" just seems too good to pass by, there must be something to do with carrying and dumping. I'm no practiced expert at this deducing business, though, that's just what I'm getting!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I really like the idea of the robot having to go into autonomous mode 15-20 seconds into the game. Then they would have to "fish around" for something. It would find it, and then give it to another robot, maybe passing it through a window, and it would start some kind of relay or territory war?

Re: Game Hint #2
 

people, be reasonable
It's a multiple-functional arena
there will be a height
get throw something
pick up something
drive
go back to the height
down up down up
there may be ice, water or slippery stuff on the carpet
thats what i see FIRST is offering
i don't even think they would do anything with hockey, cuz from what i see so far, the time for the game must be miminize
and if still a 3 vs 3 game, you don't have enough room for a crazy hockey

and i am still doubting my assumption about the multiple-functional areana

Re: Game Hint #2
 

and to analyze the function of a fish
and these places, and delivery, and height, and slippery

the entire game is totally different from the past
i don't know how the hints look like in the past years, but i am sure here it is


i don't even think ice is going to be on the arena
you will have to invest a huge money on getting enough of ice and to make sure it's cold enough not to melt
look, the 2nd day of the game is a full day competition, what are you going to do with an ice?
no way~
delivery, it is always the point of a game - the task

so here is what i think
1. all the robots start at the same line, but they are lock inside a cage or behind a block of something
2. they are now running, the autonomous mode will lead it open its way, rushing throw a line
3. now, they stop and the game task starts, the driver must drive it throw a height of something
4. pick up something
5. turn around or go down the height, go under and rush back to the start point

the problem is, how do you get bonus points and how do you cooperate?
it's not a single robot game, you will have buddies on each side....

Re: Game Hint #2
 

oh i just have another idea about how teams work
you will have robot to do certain tasks
water is possible

1. you need to pick up one thing from a height
2. you need to go throw a water section, to pick up another thing

if 2nd is true, your robot cannot go throw a water,. and it's dangerous, because the robot is compose of chemical and electrical stuff....
you will need your robot, or a team to pick up a wooden board, place it above the "river", and the robot is going to go across the "wooden bridge" to pick up the stuff

well, this idea is going to fail because again witht the saftey....
oh well... forget it LOL

Re: Game Hint #2
 

i would defeinity say this is the game
just like what i think as soon as i read the hints

but the arena is limited with space.... last year's arena was really small compared to some of the past years' games
but i don't know
i think we both got the track

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Holy Mackerel!

(Sorry)

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Four corners of a competition field? And you win if you control the majority of them by the end of the match? I still think that the auto part of the competition is not going to be at the beginning....

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I really like these game speculations. The game this year sounds like it will be good.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

The fish combined with the idea of picking something up somewhere implies we might be "fishing" for some item out of a box or something of the like. Dover in England is famous for its cliffs, so we may have to place the previously mentioned item on some high "cliff", or must climb such an obstacle.

Central in Phoenix may mean the center of the arena, and getting hooked up means there may be something there we need to activate (have the robot flip a switch?).

Minnetonka is a smaller city just outside of St. Paul, or just off of the political center of Minnesota.

This gives only an abstract idea of what could go on, but may help nonetheless.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Maybe there are different platforms or sections on the field where the robot needs to do specific tasks.
The riddle repeats the word on
connected on central in Phoenix

Re: Game Hint #2
 

a movable and changeable platform?

Re: Game Hint #2
 

i also think that the idea of having auto in the middle or end would be cool, but as far as i can tell from the controller it would be not possible. Unless FIRST has coded a way to over-ride this, the driver station is set so that the 2 way switch to choose auto or tele will only run auto if the unit boots up with the switch that direction. now i know they have the competition port and stuff at the regionals, but for safety, the units will not allow people to switch from tele mode to auto mode without resetting, which they would not have people do because of the delay. sorry to burst any bubbles, and please let me know if i have mis-analyzed the new DS.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

i thought about this with my team, and we thought maybe the field had elements (out of robot control) that moved. say, for example, a giant revolving door in the middle. that doesn't make much sense, but you see the point.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

During the beta test, We could switch between autonomous and Teleoperated mode at anytime without resetting the DS.
I have not set up the actual KoP control system yet but I am almost certain that they have identical functionality.
Please double check your observation.

-Borna
Team 39 - Beta tester

Re: Game Hint #2
 

"Take your machine out of the shop on Colorado in Paramount;
stop by and get connected on Central in Phoenix;
drive by and make a pickup on Minnetonka in Minnetonka;
then head to the field on Evergreen in Dover. "


Sounds like a truck drivers route to me lol.

maybe we have to start of with or hook up to trailers and deliver fish!!!:eek:

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I dont know about ice, water, or slippery stuff on the carpet but there is nothing to say that they kept the field as the previous years.... Maybe there is no more carpet. I don't think they will be putting water on the floor but I could see the GDC using Diamond Plate or a plastic as the playing surface this year.... There are infinite possibilities for playing surfaces and was thinking of this last year when our driver was practicing laps on a polished wood floor, :D kinda looked like a scene from Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift:p

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I think it looks like a shark.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

0.o never saw that before....

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Take a look at post 298 in this thread.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Don't know if this was mentioned, but could Dover refer to racing. The monster mile is in Dover DE. Maybe we get to do high performance racing over an obstacle course. Making a pickup and drop-off sounds like moving some kind of game piece around like we have every year. I wonder if it will be similiar to last year. We have to get off a starting block and then race while moving pieces.

thats my $0.02 worth

Re: Game Hint #2
 

I still think the hook-up part means that you will physically hook your robots together and then play......"Red rover, red rover, let blue bot come over.":p

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Do you think that the game might have to somehow do with the game Monopoly (Our coach thought of this one)?

Re: Game Hint #2
 

look at the outline

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Sounds Like Stack Attack :ahh:

Re: Game Hint #2
 

it does look like a shark when you do that...

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Yikes ... it took a while to get to the end of the thread! ... but I wanted to read it all before I posted.

I really like the elemental theory ... not sure if it's relevent to the '09 game, but I like it nonetheless. ;)


I'm not much for raining on brainstorming ideas, but I've really gotta' doubt the N/S/E/W theories. I live in (near) Phoenix, and there aren't very many of us Phoenicians that consider ourselves "southern" ... there are hundreds of better cities to reference as "southern". They wouldn't have picked Phoenix if they were trying to hint at South.

The number 4 pops up a lot. 4 types/colors of flesh in the Opah (a non-schooling fish) makes me wanna' predict no alliances ... but I'm unsure if the powers-that-be are willing to remove that "mainstay" feature of our matches. Our regionals and/or nationals would take longer if it's not 3v3 matches. If it's only 1v1v1v1, promoting and/or eliminating 2 teams per match, will take more matches to complete.

And with the growing number of teams ... the ability to pull off an event in a long weekend becomes threatened if we only advance/eliminate 2 teams at a time.

Perhaps the allies aren't pre-determined, but rather, get determined based on your autonomous performance. a la the "get connected" reference the clue.

... enough rambling for now ...

Re: Game Hint #2
 

About the slippery surface - has anyone looked at the FTC field?

It has PVC rollers on part of the field that you may have to drive over.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Actually, hooking your robots together is an interesting idea. We've had mobile goals in the past that you had to pull to an end zone. Maybe we're supposed to make robots that can link together to pull the goals. In reference to the fish clue, it would be a "longline" of robots. :)

I'm picturing a large goal, placed in the center of the field on a big sheet of HDPE "ice". Your robots will link up so that when one robot is touching the goal it is completely on the ice and the linked robot is on the carpet. The third robot can collect balls to place in the goal, help pull, or go bother the other team to prevent them from scoring or pulling.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Back in 2005, people thought the consistent reference to three meant something. It did, and now we have 3-team alliances.

I wonder...Are we getting 4-team alliances:ahh::yikes:??? *dives under the nearest panic shelter*

Re: Game Hint #2
 

can anyone help me out? im rying to get a solid list of businesses on the specific streets but all the map pages i go to give me businesses near it. help a brother out?

Re: Game Hint #2
 

A scary thought, but it could be fun!

Re: Game Hint #2
 

i found something cool with the fish. upload it onto photoshop flip the image horizontally. then blow it up and put the brightness to zero. it looks like an encyclopedia entry? thoughts?

Re: Game Hint #2
 

Thoughts?

1. Your in the wrong thread.
2. It is the next page in the book from which the picture is scanned.
3. 1 and 2 would not have occured if you read the hint #1 thread.

Re: Game Hint #2
 

i realized that as soon as i posted it. and i reposted on the right thread already. sorry ;). but i dont think that anything is irrelevent. the FIRST people are smart enough not to make mistakes likt that. refer to my first post on this thread. any help?

Re: Game Hint #2
 

two things

Bently MFG group inc opn colorado ave in paramount california... leading manufauture of high tech gaskets... ie circles

Patriots square park home of the circlular urban design on central ave in pheonix

...... see the connection...... i do.....

Re: Game Hint #2
 

is the field released already?