Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

not the last two years...
actually, 2004 was pretty interesting IMHO

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

2008 (giant trackball), 2009 (orbit balls), 2010 (soccer balls) have all been years using a ball of some sort.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

i say there is a 90% chance that they will not use balls this coming season

id say there's a 55% chance that pool noodles will be used

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

clowns are scary!

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Is that 55% a chance of pool noodles being used outside of bumpers, or are you suspecting that there's a 55% chance of bumpers being used?

Edit: I also found this in the spotlights. It was from last year's thread about Dave's "hint" http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...2&postcount=44

(someone please tell me that I'm not the only one laughing about how train tracks came up LAST year as well)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

^as game pieces :)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

You're not the only one... :)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Can you imagine the numbers of destroyed pool noodles as a result of that? I think it would be unlikely they are the game piece, but the shape would be interesting.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Apparently, the Lunacy's hint was a Moonfish. That had no connection with the game play what so ever, but had connections with the name and theme. Now what if the locomotion is a hint about theme? Locomotion = Railroads = Wild Wild West? Possibly a "desert" themed game. The purpose of the game is to move and posses water bottles or something. Since when you think of desert, you think of lack of water. Possibly capture the flag or something similar to the railroad building. Where the alliances try to conquer more ground than the other alliance before the timer runs out. Just like how the Union Pacific and Central Pacific were doing in the late 1800s

Or territory control like in the civil war. More railroads led to the Union victory. The more railroad you control, the higher chances of you winning the game.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

It had a direct connection with gameplay. The surface was meant to imitate the moon's reduced gravity with reduced friction.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

What if it is a different type of locomotion?

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Do you remember the 2009 Orbit Balls? I don't believe that a single one made it out of that competition perfectly in tact.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Like the video of the NCAA 10 locomotion a few pages back? Or like literal Loco = crazy motion? or just movement in general? Or referring to the various other art forms titled "locomotion"? Who knows?

BTW this was posted using the class mate running Puppy Linux:yikes:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Classmate with Pupply Linux FTW!!!!!

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Perhaps giving yourself an opportunity to understand it better. Do a search for it. It's a great word to apply to the science aspect of things that you enjoy. Look at it in the context of motion. Don't necessarily make assumptions and giant leaps without doing some work. That's what I am saying.

Jane

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

http://wikileaks.com/
They know what the game is but someone in FIRST caused the site to don't work






just a joke - we will know the game at the kick off

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5OoQadZTPk

maybe the human players will have to do the dance? that would be fun xD

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Infinity minus infinity equals infinity. Simple math.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Maybe, but she was also awarded a golden disk... Perhaps we'll have to throw and catch Frisbees?:D

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Aren't all buttons arranged in a vertical pattern? XP
But I agree that her arm may indicate climbing.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

2011 is going to have the World Championships Beach Ultimate 2011 with Ultimate Frisbee... :D

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Locomotion--> trains
trains are articulated vehicles
maybe they have modified the bumper rules to allow some type of frame articulation.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

... Still not pulling out my hair Dave. :)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Agreed! Not quite as aggravating as past years, although it is interesting to see all of the connections showing up here and there...

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Oh man... Haven't you ever heard the saying, "Don't spit into the wind?"... Please don't challenge the guy to come up with harder clues; don't you realize the power he has over us?

Dave, they didn't mean it, really, ask them! This is a wonderfully challenging clue, and I'm sure no one has come even close to guessing... ;)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

both of Little Eva's albums have to do with trains, The Loco-Motion, and Back on Track. Lavery's summer picture shows a trip to the trainyard. Put the 2 together and you have kind of the like the lunacy game, in that you probably will hauling around a "trailer train". As for the game pieces, the trailers could be the game pieces, so the team that has the most trailers hooked on, wins the match. Just a thought...

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

here's the image that first probably used

http://www.spectropop.com/gallery/d/...Little+Eva.jpg

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Which had already been posted 6 times in this thread.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

All I know is that I'm gonna sit back, enjoy my Haagen Dazs, and listen to Eva. It is very fun to speculate with you guys!

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Something to consider about Penn Station is the copious use of columns in its original construction. There's also a lot of interesting info on the wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsyl...2.80.931963.29 Including that fact that Penn station has been in operation for just over 100 years and one month.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I'm guessing the challenge is to stack rectangular bars up on the columns look here in this picture title: http://people.csail.mit.edu/hanna/Egypt/index20.html

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Well, I was thinking. Little Eva is a human, and humans are mostly made of... WATER!
Also, she sang locomotion... and what's sort of power is used? Steam Power! Steam is the gaseous form of what liquid? WATER!

All roads lead to a water game. ;)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

The game might be about stacking bars atop of the columns, this hint is just like the hint from lunacy where they gave a fish called the "moon fish" but here its about the column and what its used for. maybe they mean as in the way they would set up the columns to create buildings. this game might be one in which we must stack something

http://people.csail.mit.edu/hanna/Egypt/index20.html

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

newlyweds don't count.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I feel like this is along the right track, pardon the pun.
But putting two and two together, there has been a lot of hits towards trains.
the game peice I doubt will be round this year, how many years has it been since it's been something other than round? perhaps it may be a "trailer"
hmmmm sooo many possiblities :ahh:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

HER NAME IS LITTLE EVA. SHE WAS A SINGER. SHE SANG THE SONG LOCOMOTION! THE ONE THE BEACH BOYS SING!

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

A student team member pointed out that is a picture of Little Eva. She had a hit dance song Loco Motion that was a later covered by another group. It is pointed out that the picture is a cover picture and it is reversed. Lettering is also missing.

Maybe we will be doing a brand new dance.:) :) :)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

what i think is that it may have something to do also with some of the other people that recorded this song
some of the others that recorded this song are:Grand Funk Railroad, Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin, Kylie Minogue (who had very big success with it worldwide), Sylvie Vartan, and La Toya Jackson

what really to me stood out of all of these was Kylie Minogue
so im not sure if that could help, but yeah thats what i came up with so far based on the song Locomotion

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Someone awhile back posted that EVA is NASA's term for "EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY"

Thought #1 FIRST likes to keep NASA happy - they give us funding.
Thought #2 FIRST has a big push for FTC to grow.
Thought #3 FIRST is giving FRC teams a discount if they start a FTC team.
Thought #4 FIRST Choice has FTC parts as one of the choices.

In keeping with the train idea, what if the FRC robot had to tow a small FTC size robot? - In which clue #2 will hopefully tell us what the small robot needs to do.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

wouldn't it have to be 0 though? the commutative property of addition...

infinity - infinity = infinity...
-infinity + infinity = -infinity... right?

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.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Wouldn't this be equivalent to lim x->infinity (x-x) ? This would equal 0 since x-x = 0
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i...nfinity+of+x-x

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Nah, to evaluate the expression "x - x" you have to assume substitution of both occurences with the exact same real numeric value (however large). Infinity is not an actual number or value; it is the concept of increasing without bounds. In other words, the limit approach (while correct) is not equivalent to actually trying to subtract one infinity from another...

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

So if infinity is a concept...is mathematical manipulation of a concept possible?

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Here, put your tongue on this flag pole....







.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

The best way to get it off is with a nice hot glass of.....:eek:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I was thinking of an available warm liquid not usually found in a glass. ;)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

dlavery is at it again with the multiple blank lines.
But why use multiple lines unless you wanted your post to be tall?
Like a pillar...

And the comment itself: "Here, put your tongue on this flag pole...."
yet again, pillar/pole.

View from 30,000 ft? tall/climbing/vertical.

My guess? maybe trying to retrieve a flag from a pole for bonus points?

and of course, Little Eva's "Locomotion": "come on baby, jump up, jump back"

Could be anything at this point. Ah well, only a few more days left...

edit: Also, http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/se...archid=3178682 shows the posts. Multiple instances of multiple blank lines...

Final note though, maybe we could be following the wrong track. "Lavery red herrings: Numerous. Random sayings, faked pictures, comments about whack the Billfred being the game, you name it. Epic red herring was the morse-code signature spacing for the 2010 season. And yes, some herrings are red when Dave posts them. Typically 3-4 or more per season."
via. EricH http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=88042
Also, the multiple lines goes back to Feb. 19, so unless the GDC finished early...

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I'm not trying to knock the idea of a water game but how would that be cost effective? Plus the water would need to be above ground. But if it does have anything to do with stairs you could look at team 71's robot from I believe 2002.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

After finally going through all 500 and something posts, I have come to a conclusion.

This may mean nothing but last year at the Las Vegas regional, my mentor was having a very interesting conversation with Bill Miller and Bill asked what would you like to see in next years game. There was then a pretty interesting conversation of having an obstacle course. I think the game is going to be just that. The way you might play it is by moving a trolley around a simple obstacle course around the field. Robots could get through the obstacles faster by performing certain tasks giving that "Veteran Team" advantage over rookie teams. Throughout this obstacle course, many features from past games will be involved such as getting past stairs. Of course this is just an educated guess and may be totally irrelevant to what the game really is but this is just something to think about.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Now lets say that is this year's game, how would one score? Would it be based on time, the number of "short cuts" taken or what?

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Kinda depends on what you mean by "mathematical". If you mean just real-number arithmetic and algebra, then no, infinity is not a real number, and cannot be manipulated as if it were.

On the other hand, math is a lot bigger than just arithmentic and algebra, and all of its various fields and specialties can just be considered to be "manipulations" of "concepts"; i.e. math, including arithmetic and algebra, is purely conceptual. Numbers themselves (of any sort) are just concepts with which we associate symbols/digits for purposes of communication (the numbers exist in our heads independently of their symbols).

I know, I know, I got kinda abstract for a game hint thread, and what's this got to do with Little Eva anyway? :cool:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

It probably wouldn't be based on time but how many obstacles you got through before time expires and if you finish the obstacle you would most likely go through it again.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

i was part of that conversation along with my advisor at the LV Regional.. i do agree with you.. he [Bill] had mentioned how people think robots should be more autonomous just like dean kaemon had suggested to people.. this could be interesting

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Dave: I take it that NASA is volunteering their training tanks for competition use? Otherwise, we're all going to have a tough time!:p

Shalmezad: You've got the wrong start date for the blank lines. Well, it may be the right day, but it's been at least since 2005. I'm pretty sure Dave just wants to have his signature somewhat down from the text in the post, and a period (or, as was the case last fall, Morse Code) is about the only way to do that without vBulletin helpfully removing all the blank space.




.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

so.. im just violently confused.. another thread posted this "lavery summer vacation" or something like that.. enjoy the headache.. train.. and stairs.. + dave.. NOT COOL.. ::rtm::



if i was not allowed to post something from another thread i apologize in advance

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

That was JVN being a confusing meanie. That picture is just a picture of Dave (and others) while on vacation during the summer, and it has no intentional relation to this year's game. JVN must have thought that it was funny after the topic of trains came up in this thread. Just to keep things straight, Dave Lavery is the only one currently interfering with this thread who knows what the game is, so nobody else knows how relevant the train picture may or may not be.

...so if the game DOES involve stairs and trains, JVN will be regarded as some kind of psychic hero.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

A keyword search indicates this has not been mentioned before in this entire thread. I doubt that is true, but hey.. searches never lie right? :rolleyes:
Anyways...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Litt...B-24_Liberator

Very interesting little bit of history there with a blatantly obvious name connection.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I noticed that First says "check out the 2011 game hint"....does this mean they'll only give us that one hint? I don't remember if they usually put a #1 by it.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I think JVN just wanted an excuse to spend 4 hours sweeping the shop floor.

From Facebook:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Because I am bored and have no life, I have decided to make a diagram and a list of possible obstacles if the game were an obstacle course with a train theme.

Obstacle List

Getting over stairs
Shooting a ball into a lunacy-like goal
Going over a bump to activate 2 switches that must be held down at same time while on a corn field
Throwing a ball(maybe not as big as overdrive) over a goal
Shooting a football into a high goal while scoring a soccer ball XD
Etc

Note that if no robots can do a task then they will have to take the longer way by driving around.

Again this is just an educated guess.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Dave posted an explanation to that effect 2 or 3 years ago.
Maybe it means we'll have to participate in some kind of Training...?:rolleyes:
The short answer is "we don't know". Some years there is only one clue, some years there are more than one. We will not know for certain until Kickoff.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Some are metric. ;)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

It's another Australia reference and in the North Territory.

It's about time you joined in, Elgin! You've shed a different light on the use of tracks/tracking.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Now this is a very confusing hint and still is throwing us all for a loop. Love all the ideas being tossed around. I am wondering if since we are going for the 20th anniversary, if we will maybe be doing a repeat or a remake of "Maize Craze".

Reasons why it could be:
1. "Locomotion" can be used to move and haul trailers around the field to herd tennis balls.
2. The columns look just like trailers.
3. The fact she is holding onto the column like the robots could use to haul them around the field to make it more interesting.

Just figure I would throw my hat in the ring. See what others are thinking.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

This is another key idea. I mean a lot of other games fall into this picture.

"Zone Zeal" was moving trailers that you had to latch onto and move around and collect balls in there
"Raising the Bar" had to deal with the stairs
"Aim High", "Stack Attack, "Ramp and Roll" all had ramps to climb up to score points.

I mean there is multiple different ideas. Maybe there taking the best of all the worlds and pulling out one piece in each game and make it an awesome 20th anniversary game!!

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

never thought about the pole looking like a trailer but it does. Since she is kind of holding it from the front, and that guy in JVN's train picture is trying to push it, maybe its like a reverse Lunacy game where instead of the trailer being ni the back of your robot that it has to be connected in the front of your robot.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

As opposed JVN already being regarded as a technological hero.

Or perhaps Dave got some very good ideas while on vacation ......

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Just one thought...

2009 Lunacy - Besides the Name being mooned theme, Lunacy also means commotion, craziness, and just no sense.

Locomotion - Same idea can also mean craziness and commotion.

I can't make a conclusion out of this, but a similarity I noticed and wanted to throw out there.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

I believe the woman in the photograph is a young Little Eva. Could it be that we're going to do the Locomotion? Swing hips... jump up... jump back... make a chain. Whoa Whoa

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Alright, this is the original image.




Look at what it says at the bottom: 1650 broadway.

The year 1650 had many things in it, also both it and 2011 start on a Saturday. Coincidence?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1650

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Just an FYI. Dimension Records (the company that made this all happen for little eva) is a record company company that was concentrated on girl group sounds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimension_Records

Is that what first is all about. Finding the hidden talent in what others could not see before?

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

i feel like im the only one who noticed that dlavery changed his avatar to a train... and when you put it with his summer vacation pic and that little eva's big hit was locomotion either hes got a thing for trains or the game is trains... but its almost like hes tryin to make it too obvious so basically i have no idea:confused:

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

No, my friends and I have taken note of it too. We just feel like it's either a red herring or not. Which gets us nowhere.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

it just seems like everyone is overanalyzing everything but with dave something crazy might be exactly right ya know? i love this :D

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Only to those people who spent their holiday deciphering game "hints". The rest of us are just enjoying a laugh!

-John

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

This thread is getting very repetitive.

We should start doing this.

http://xkcd.com/307/

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

hey wasnt there something in this thread about a robowrangler discussing game hints and the consequences thereof being 4 hours of shop sweeping duty?

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

"Do what I say, not what I do."

Edit: JVN, sorry if you took offense, I was joking.
I really respect you. (perhaps I should have used a sacastic smily?)

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

You're implying hypocrisy that isn't present.

The point was I didn't want our students expending brainpower trying to figure out the hint -- I assure you, I haven't. In fact, I haven't even looked at the hint. Someone at work told me "it has something to do with trains."

-John

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Wait, are you saying that this is an xkcd-themed game? BEST... GAME... EVARRRR!!!!1!!!11!!!!eleven!!!!!11!!!1!!

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

This is on its way to becoming a train wreck.

It has been a great ride though. I've enjoyed this game hint and many of the posts. It's easy to ignore or overlook the repetitious ones and fun to talk about the good ones that introduce new thoughts or perspectives.

My thinking behind the game hint tradition is that it was started as fun and continues to be fun for those who care to participate. For those who don't - who cares? If a jigsaw puzzle is set up in a room, does it require that every person who walks into the room attempt to add a piece to the puzzle or is it there for pleasure, enjoyment, and fun problem-solving for those who choose to participate?

If someone chooses to play games on a phone or the computer, does that mean everyone has to? Nope.

Jane

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

This probably has nothing to do with anything, but has anyone seen Dave's new profile pic on FB? It is a rendering of one of the game animation robots but it is a little different than any of the ones from past years:

1. It does not have bumpers
   
   And
   
   
2. It has what looks like a tiny tail on tha back

Now, this was just changed on the 22nd, so it is most definitely new. Whether it is for this years game or not beats me. I just watched all of the game animations, and if it is one of the already made ones, it is most likely 2007 because of the wheels, the lack of bumpers, and the tail thing (Flag holder). I am pretty sure this means nothing, but it was just something to do while I was in my state of boredom.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

COuld you post the picture or a link to the picture on Dave's Facebook?

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

Attached is the image. I do not think it really anything to worry about, this robot has been in past videos. Also, we know bumpers are required, Bill said so, and we all know the video's are usually not game-rule accurate anyways. But, still an interesting find.
Edit: Wasn't he the one that got flipped in the 2010 video? :) He was also on the blue alliance in the 2009 Lunacy animation, but with bumpers.

Re: 2011 Game Hint #1
 

He was in every one I found, just different versions. 2007 was definitely the closest though because of the bumper-less bot. This is the one in the 2010 animation that got flipped, but the 2010 one did not have the, "Tail." If you look at the 2007 Game Animation, you can tell that it is the exact one. The tail is the Flag holder to determine the alliances.