Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Where is this water idea coming from that everyone is speaking about? I've read this whole thread &I dont understand why everyone believes that this may be a water game..

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I think infinity minus infinity is undefined. You can add and multiply (the result is still inifinity) but not subtract or divide. So (somebody correct me if I'm wrong):

inf + inf = inf
(-inf) + (-inf) = -(inf + inf) = -inf
inf x inf = inf
(-inf) x (-inf) = (-1 x -1)(inf x inf) = inf

inf - inf => undefined
inf/inf => undefined

Weird, but infinity is not actually a number, but a concept of increase beyond bounds.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

It's an old running gag on game hint threads; it will never happen (for safety and cost reasons). Some folks just like to figure out extremely circuitous/nebulous paths to that conclusion. Like everythiong else here, you can read 'em, join 'em, or ignore 'em. Sometimes they are fairly creative...

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Just an old tradition on CD. :P

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Back in the day, there was speculation that there would be water. It is possible to run an FRC robot on a soaking wet field.

However, it is logistically impossible, so it's now just a joke.

As for infinity minus infinity:
1) The origination of this hint was a suggestion that trapping Billfred in a certain field area was worth negative infinity. It isn't, it's worth a caption contest. (JVN is a caption contest and negative infinity.)
2) Depending on how you think of infinity, you could come up with zero (I have an infinite number of robots, and I give you all of them), infinity (I give you half of that number of robots), or a number (I give you all but X finite number of robots). Because there are 3 different answers to the same problem, it is not defined. (And I suppose that you could come up with similar situations to have it be negative.)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I love it when someone tells me I can't do something.






.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I know this is late, and most people have gone, but here are some more thoughts...

I like the EVA extra-vehicular activity. but particularly this link:
(From wikipedia)
1992 was the maiden year for FIRST.
also, in the 1992 EVA there were 3 "people" to repair something, working together.... similar to 3 "machines" to do something, working together in an alliance.

Like...coopertition! an idea FIRST has been particularly pushing these past couple of years. And we've had 3-person alliances for a while now.

So maybe the three alliance members are working together to grab or build something or lift each other up, racing the other alliance? This would be non-contact and a serious focus on coopertition and working together.

In addition, pillars could be holding something up, that the goal is to reach or attach an object upon the pillars, working together with your alliance? I like the idea of a second-story but am unsure how it could be truly practical. possibly like the ball-return towers of Breakaway?

Also: if locomotion and 1992 are important, then why not have the field covered in tennis balls? similar to the 1992 game of maize craze. that way, we would tie in the idea of a new "bumpy" playing field for new drive techniques, while working on top of the tennis balls to create something new.

AND: Maize craze was played with a layer of corn as the playing field. A non-smooth playing field has been built before, and having one this year would be yet another reference to the past.

So...idea for a game name? To tie in all of the concepts, i like "Working Upward" or "Building Up" or "Reaching Skyward" or something like that. In 1992 we had to herd the tennis balls, now we work on top, building upon past ideas and innovations.

......................

but another idea for a game name: Smoke and Mirrors.
why? because it sounds cool, and locomotion-->trains-->smoke...and mirrors because the picture is flipped. maybe mirrors has something to do with the task each alliance would receive, like positioning mirrors to point lasers or see the other alliance over a wall...

This will be an interesting game. We will have fun this year :cool:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Wait, what, a joke?



PS don't poke the bear!

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loco-Motion_(arcade_game)

thoughts?

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I think I've read several times now the suggestion of the entire field being covered in tennis balls to create an uneven terrain (referencing to Maize Craze and "Loco-motion"). Personally, I don't see this as much of an option because there are so many rules implemented for the safety of volunteers and competitors alike.

Remember last year, how you could not walk across the bump carrying your robot? Now imagine a floor covered in tennis balls that you've decided to walk around on for fun. Add 150 pounds of robot and it's a recipe for disaster and hospitals. I realize that some people might try to refute this argument and say they'll add the tennis balls after all the robots are on the field, but logistics of picking up and depositing THAT many tennis balls is insane. The turn over rate for matches would go from 5 minutes to 30. And in the past couple years, the push for more matches (meaning lower turn over rates) has been obvious.

Personally, I think the game is going to be called Locomotion, the game pieces will not be round (the last students to see non-spherical game pieces have now all graduated, or at least are supposed to), and autonomous will have more importance*.

*Every year there is one aspect of the game that is weaker than the others. Human Player for Overdrive for example. I think that based on opinions gathered at regionals and Championships and after, the GDC tries to improve on that aspect to make a more well-rounded game. This is why I think autonomous will gain a lot of importance this year.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

:p

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

too late!:yikes:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

FYI, it's not wikileaks.com. It was originally .org, but now has a list of regional mirrors that can be found at http://wikileaks.info/.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

There is more than one Penn station.
Double-dog dare!

(I predict that Mr. Lavery will be dousing me with water when we next meet.)::safety::

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Infinity minus infinity is undefined. Not all infinity's are created equal (since it's not a defined number), and thus you can't tell when one infinity is equal to another infinity.