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

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by Daler99

Lol. That'd be something...

Each alliance need to reproduce an object in less then 2 min while playing music and altering the fabric of time and space... A pretty simple game in my opinion

[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...

[Zebra_Fact_Man]

Originally Posted by DareDad

Makes sense, but is it going to be an aerial game or a ground game? Could it be an asymmetric game where one alliance is on offense and the other on defense?

Think 2006: autonomous starts with all 6 robots kicking/shooting field goals on their end.
Alliance with most field goals made goes on offense first. Offense-Defense alternates.

New game piece that no FRC team has ever worked with. Format is 10 years old, so all students and most mentors will be new to it.

[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.

[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

[mom1155]

'inside the tent' makes me think of mergers & acquisitions. Maybe a new model for alliances?

[Daler99]

Originally Posted by mom1155

'inside the tent' makes me think of mergers & acquisitions. Maybe a new model for alliances?

Maybe (like the step, truss, pyramids, bridges, etc ) 'the tent' will be a part of the field?

~Daler

[MikLast]

Originally Posted by tindleroot

Get ready for robots that play instruments and march in time.

Over 1/2 of the team is in band? Check.

We got this game.

[Ginger Bread]

Originally Posted by Daler99

Maybe (like the step, truss, pyramids, bridges, etc ) 'the tent' will be a part of the field?

~Daler

Maybe the tent could be a new version of the tunnels on the field from breakaway?

[Daler99]

Originally Posted by Ginger Bread

Maybe the tent could be a new version of the tunnels on the field from breakaway?

Uh oh. For some reason, I don't like tunnels on the field.

~Daler

[dellagd]

Originally Posted by mwmac

I have only been able to find this mention of the GDC trying to design future games for more than one season in advance.

I believe it may be more of a goal than a reality...

I cant remember the source, but I remember watching a video of Frank discussing how they called in a bunch of FIRST veterans to discuss ideas for the 2015 game pretty shortly after 2014 concluded. I don't think they operate that far in the future, but I do believe they got ahead one year, so now they have a "backup" on standby in case of crippling issues.

Regardless, I see no indication of massive changes to the game this year. Frank has been pretty forthright so far, even just straight up telling us that bumpers will be back. Frank speaks pretty simply in this post telling us that they want to do it for promotional reasons, so I see no reason not to just trust him.

However, I sincerely hope they don't give away things such as game pieces in this trailer. Once you know the game piece, you can pretty effectively begin prototyping for manipulating it. Personally, I can't do a two-month-long "Week 1" starting in late October, so yeah, please be careful about it. With very little definitive info, the season pretty much starts early.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Caleb Sykes

I bet that it's going to be some kind of football game, and they tie the 25th anniversary of FRC to Super Bowl 50.

My predicted game name: "Halftime!"

Which means another Black Eyed Peas concert sine they did a Superbowl halftime show.

[Rangel]

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.