2013 Game Hint!

[ksafin]

Alright lets work through this. Never going to give you up was a music video that appeared in 1986, the same year that Denmark won their first gold medal in the summer Olympics in the javelin throw. Javelins were first used by the romans to counteract their opponents calvary. The term "cavalry" originates from the dinosaur "cavelirous ursa". So the only logical thing the game could be is.. Robot dinosaur battle.

[Jay1986]

I don't know if this has already been discussed but in the song, rick repeats

"We know the game and we're gonna play it"

Updated previous game? maybe

[dellagd]

Originally Posted by Jay1986

I don't know if this has already been discussed but in the song, rick repeats

"We know the game and we're gonna play it"

Updated previous game? maybe

I thought that too, and thats what scares me.

Personally, I think thats pretty lame, because there will be two distinct groups of teams playing in such a scenario.

Those who played the game once ago, and those who didnt. Unfair advantage, maybe?

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by dellagd

I thought that too, and thats what scares me.

Personally, I think thats pretty lame, because there will be two distinct groups of teams playing in such a scenario.

Those who played the game once ago, and those who didnt. Unfair advantage, maybe?

If it's not a recent game (aka past 3 years), then there won't be any returning students. It's kind of hard to quantify the impact returning mentors can make, however the further back you go, you get fewer of them as well.

Further, with sites like the blue alliance, if it is a replay of a previous game, then everyone can learn the exact same information: how to play the game and what designs did well.

Also keep in mind that aspects of games have already been replayed recently. LogoMotion was similar to Rack 'N Roll when it came to picking up and hanging tubes. Rebound Rumble involved picking up and shooting balls, much like Aim High.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by dellagd

I thought that too, and thats what scares me.

Personally, I think thats pretty lame, because there will be two distinct groups of teams playing in such a scenario.

Those who played the game once ago, and those who didnt. Unfair advantage, maybe?

I'm not so sure there would be an unfair advantage, especially if it were an old game.

Take Maize Craze for example. You could exchange the corn to (something equally obnoxious like) ping pong balls (try driving on those ). Change the balls (for scoring) to bean bags (floppies anyone!!!), and maybe a few other tweaks .....

A game we all know (hence the rick-roll hint) but not giving any advantage. ***for that matter, Maize Craze would support the 4 thumbtacks (4 robots/teams) as well ***

[dellagd]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

I'm not so sure there would be an unfair advantage, especially if it were an old game.

Take Maize Craze for example. You could exchange the corn to (something equally obnoxious like) ping pong balls (try driving on those ). Change the balls (for scoring) to bean bags (floppies anyone!!!), and maybe a few other tweaks .....

A game we all know (hence the rick-roll hint) but not giving any advantage. ***for that matter, Maize Craze would support the 4 thumbtacks (4 robots/teams) as well ***

Sure, totally agree. I was referring to a COMPLETE repeat, or a near complete one. Like Rack 'n Roll vs. Logomotion is fine.

I am just saying that if they we to repeat something really close, like for say, Overdrive, teams with mentors that played through that whole season + offseason event would have a pretty good idea what mechanisms work and what dont, and how to build them. Heck, they might even still have the robot in their shop.

I dont know, independent of the team age thing, it just seems like a bit of a cop out for the GDC to me as well.

Also keep in mind that aspects of games have already been replayed recently. LogoMotion was similar to Rack 'N Roll when it came to picking up and hanging tubes. Rebound Rumble involved picking up and shooting balls, much like Aim High.

I mean sure, you could say that using the same carpet on the field lets teams use pretty much the same drive train, or same set, every year, but the lower you get the 'complexity' of the game, the harder things are to change year to year. I completely get the re-use of game pieces.

[Dustin Pepper]

Assuming this is a real hint, the song is off of the album, "Whenever You Need Somebody." Maybe back the 2v2 with a reserve, but 2v2v2 each with a reserve? That would be kinda cool.

[pokemonmegaman]

The most logical conclusion (seeing that it appears multiple times for multiple different reasons) would be that the game something to do with the number 3. Whether this is a 3-way match between 3 alliances, triple sided game pieces, or 3:00 matches, we don't know yet. Also, a water match has been brought up several times in this thread, and we are going off of one Facebook post for that.

Originally Posted by ksafin

Alright lets work through this. Never going to give you up was a music video that appeared in 1986, the same year that Denmark won their first gold medal in the summer Olympics in the javelin throw. Javelins were first used by the romans to counteract their opponents calvary. The term "cavalry" originates from the dinosaur "cavelirous ursa". So the only logical thing the game could be is.. Robot dinosaur battle.

Reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PSueHOY-Jk

[Bob Steele]

Originally Posted by ksafin

Alright lets work through this. Never going to give you up was a music video that appeared in 1986, the same year that Denmark won their first gold medal in the summer Olympics in the javelin throw. Javelins were first used by the romans to counteract their opponents calvary. The term "cavalry" originates from the dinosaur "cavelirous ursa". So the only logical thing the game could be is.. Robot dinosaur battle.

Genius!!

i would never have made this connection...
We are going to stock up on Dinosaur parts and possibly Danish Javelins...
( I think Walmart just dropped those items from their online store though...
this, in itself, is a hint....

Cavelirous ursa... the bear like dinosaur....


In truth, scouring the large box, sporting goods and toy stores for items that they are discontinuing after Christmas is a reasonable approach to finding out what the gamepiece may be....

I'll get on that right away....

[CrazyHorse]

Originally Posted by ksafin

Alright lets work through this. Never going to give you up was a music video that appeared in 1986, the same year that Denmark won their first gold medal in the summer Olympics in the javelin throw. Javelins were first used by the romans to counteract their opponents calvary. The term "cavalry" originates from the dinosaur "cavelirous ursa". So the only logical thing the game could be is.. Robot dinosaur battle.

Made my day.

[Elong451]

Originally Posted by ksafin

Alright lets work through this. Never going to give you up was a music video that appeared in 1986, the same year that Denmark won their first gold medal in the summer Olympics in the javelin throw. Javelins were first used by the romans to counteract their opponents calvary. The term "cavalry" originates from the dinosaur "cavelirous ursa". So the only logical thing the game could be is.. Robot dinosaur battle.

Oh god rotfl.

Seriously though. There is a guy in one of my classes that says "Water game" like it's a thing but he has no idea about robotics. It's creeping me out.

[Woolly]

Hm... pins... rolling... Rick Astley...
Bowling?

Or potentially, since a rick is a stack of some sort of crop plant, it could be a game about stacking something (tetra or Rubbermaid tote anyone?), and potentially knocking it over with what I would presume would be a type of ball.

[mwmac]

Originally Posted by Woolly

Hm... pins... rolling... Rick Astley...
Bowling?

Or potentially, since a rick is a stack of some sort of crop plant, it could be a game about stacking something (tetra or Rubbermaid tote anyone?), and potentially knocking it over with what I would presume would be a type of ball.

Could be, check out last year's FTC game animation http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...easons-archive , its got bowling, knocking things over and stacking....hmmm

[Gregor]

This year's FLL game also has a bowling mission.

[Shifter]

Three minute match duration per Rick Astley still photo.
At the centerline of the field there are eight duelling tree targets (something like this: http://www.kisstactical.com/catalog_...oduct_id=11725). On every tree each of the eight individual targets has a different color on opposing sides (red, blue, yellow).
Prior to the match, the red alliance secretly pre-stages colors on targets on four of the eight trees (north side of the field). Blue does the same for the four other trees (south side). Alliances can divulge the target color pattern to the opposing alliance prior to the match or not (aka rick-roll).
The hybrid portion of the match starts when the tarp (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh....php?p=1192364) is pulled back revealing the trees and target color combinations.
Two of the three alliance partner robots begin the match tethered together (explains the reference to a number of "couplers" in FIRST Choice).
During the 45 second hybrid mode, robots attempt to create columns of targets facing them that match their alliance's color (like the game Connect Four) by selectively shooting targets on the trees. Less advanced teams use the IR remote while more advanced teams use the Kinect to steer, detect color and aim.
A sub-total score is captured automatically at the end of hybrid.
Similar play continues in tele-op.
At the end of the match, Connect Four type scores are tallied. Alliances get bonus points for maintaining their two-robot tether (www.andymark.com/FIRST-Choice-p/fc13-009.htm) throughout the entire match. Extra bonus points are awarded to both alliances if, at the end buzzer, one robot from the red alliance is tethered to one robot from the blue alliance.

Either that or a robot tug of war.