[FRC Blog] When is a Game Hint not a Game Hint?

[EricH]

Doesn't ANYBODY remember the 2007 game hint? It showed a SCORED GAME PIECE.

And nobody got the hint fully right.


Think about that for a minute.

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by EricH

Doesn't ANYBODY remember the 2007 game hint? It showed a SCORED GAME PIECE.

And nobody got the hint fully right.


Think about that for a minute.

It's the first time I see this hint and I love it

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by EricH

Doesn't ANYBODY remember the 2007 game hint? It showed a SCORED GAME PIECE.

And nobody got the hint fully right.


Think about that for a minute.

Not true - someone figured out the hint the same day it was posted. The image is gone, but Greg managed to correctly predict the game piece and the method of scoring fairly quickly.

Pedantic points about old game hints aside, I think this announcement is pretty big. Obviously, something is different enough about this game that we need to know about it two months in advance. That's unprecedented in FRC. In the era of ample COTS parts and a relatively stable set of rules, the main reason I can see FRC wanting to tell teams in advance is to avoid having them stocking up on parts they would need any other year, but not this year. Or possibly to prepare to drive and play on a drastically different field surface. To me this advance notice, combined with the several comments about how this is a game specific hint, implies that the hint will reveal that the game will be drastically different from anything in years' past.

[Ari423]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

...the main reason I can see FRC wanting to tell teams in advance is to avoid having them stocking up on parts they would need any other year, but not this year. Or possibly to prepare to drive and play on a drastically different field surface. To me this advance notice, combined with the several comments about how this is a game specific hint, implies that the hint will reveal that the game will be drastically different from anything in years' past.

Possible, but I would have thought that after the general disapproval of Recycle Rush (which I don't share) the GDC would go for something more traditional. I guess anything is possible, we'll just have to wait and see.

[mastachyra]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Not true - someone figured out the hint the same day it was posted. The image is gone, but Greg managed to correctly predict the game piece and the method of scoring fairly quickly.

Pedantic points about old game hints aside, I think this announcement is pretty big. Obviously, something is different enough about this game that we need to know about it two months in advance. That's unprecedented in FRC. In the era of ample COTS parts and a relatively stable set of rules, the main reason I can see FRC wanting to tell teams in advance is to avoid having them stocking up on parts they would need any other year, but not this year. Or possibly to prepare to drive and play on a drastically different field surface. To me this advance notice, combined with the several comments about how this is a game specific hint, implies that the hint will reveal that the game will be drastically different from anything in years' past.

Maybe the field shape is different. This might need to be revealed for off-season competition planning. A triangular or circular field might not fit in some high school gyms.

In any case, I am very interested to see this thing.

[Daler99]

Originally Posted by mastachyra

Maybe the field shape is different. This might need to be revealed for off-season competition planning. A triangular or circular field might not fit in some high school gyms.

In any case, I am very interested to see this thing.

That would be quite interesting. I hope the field isn't the shape of the FRC logo.

A triangular field with three alliances would be interesting...

~Daler

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by Daler99

That would be quite interesting. I hope the field isn't the shape of the FRC logo.

A triangular field with three alliances would be interesting...

~Daler

I'd rather do an hexagonal field than a triangle one for three alliances...

[Daler99]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

I'd rather do an hexagonal field than a triangle one for three alliances...

You are right; a hexagon would make more sense. Personally, I'd like the field shape to stay the same as it is now.

~Daler

[Doug Frisk]

Originally Posted by mastachyra

Maybe the field shape is different. This might need to be revealed for off-season competition planning. A triangular or circular field might not fit in some high school gyms.

In any case, I am very interested to see this thing.

At some point I can see FIRST changing the dimensions of the field, but given the number of fields in private hands any change that make their investment worthless wouldn't be well received.

So from that standpoint I would think that triangles and circles are very unlikely.

[Rangel(kf7fdb)]

Originally Posted by EricH

Doesn't ANYBODY remember the 2007 game hint? It showed a SCORED GAME PIECE.

And nobody got the hint fully right.


Think about that for a minute.

I think I sort of got this last year's right (This was also before the leak)
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...&postcount=149

In all honesty though, I don't think anyone could get the significant details of the game right with just the hints. Well except maybe for 2007.