[BrianT103]

I won't spend my time speculating on the hint, however I will say that it is difficult for me to ignore the number of indicators that have appeared over the past months that seem to suggest FIRST is moving to a 4v4 format for 2013. The smaller KOP chassis dimensions, new 4" wheels from AM, and the fact that 2012 saw a driver station in what once was an area solely reserved for human players all seem to support this idea. I suspect the new size requirements for 2013 could be 28" by 32" in order to help offset the space taken up by an additional 2 teams on the playing field. Moving to a 4v4 would be a win-win for FIRST and FIRST teams. Teams would be happy due to the increased number of matches it would allow them. More teams would be playing Saturday afternoon, helping to inspire more students. From a business perspective on FIRST's end, the move would be a home run. They would increase their "capacity" significantly while maintaining a similar amount of expenses for all events. Championships would become even bigger this year, and the amount of matches teams would have would increase notably. The move would also make a big dent in attempting to help make FIRST more affordable for all (more registration fees vs. identical overhead). The change would also buy time (a couple years) for FIRST to figure out what they are going to do with the rapidly unsustainable qualification structure of championship.

Lastly, and this is more of a wild guess that what was stated above... If the game is indeed 4v4 I predict that we will see a mostly open field that is void of major obstacles like last year. The major reason being that the GDC would be cautious not to "clutter" the field with the addition of 2 more teams on the playing field.