Official 2005 Clue Thread

[Steve W]

They have a hard enough time now with the alliances. This time I believe that Dave is trying to throw a curve ball. WHAT, baseball again. HHHMMMMMM

[Jay H 237]

Remember, Dave may be giving us a red herring.

When it's right before kick-off, I'd trust what Dave says just as much as he'd trust allowing me to drive his rovers.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Jay H 237

When it's right before kick-off, I'd trust what Dave says just as much as he'd trust allowing me to drive his rovers.

But maybe his posts are actually clues and that is what he wants you to do.

[Bharat Nain]

Originally Posted by Jay H 237

Remember, Dave may be giving us a red herring.

When it's right before kick-off, I'd trust what Dave says just as much as he'd trust allowing me to drive his rovers.

//in good humor
One day..one day... I am going to make my own rovers and then the almighty Dave Lavery can be jealous of me

But frankly I LOVE THOSE ROVERS and I am so jealous of Dave right now!!!!

[Paradox1350]

Dave may just be messing with us, but MAN 2v2v3 would be interesting.

[Damian Manda]

Finally finished reading this whole thread after three days.

I think the multiple mentions of three in the clue (triple play if you take the baseball theory and three subjects) indicate the presence of one of four options:
- 3v3 teams
- x3 Multiplier
- 3 minute match
- Putting 3 objects together = more points (like a stack)

The longer match doesn't seem practical, because with about 100 matches in the day, this is over an hour and a half longer of competition (unless they begin on Thursday!)

The baseball connection seems to strong to be ignored, especially considering the prior references to this by Dave Lavery. I see baseballs themselves as being too small for objects, but maybe a game involving stations/bases could came from this.

Their unassisted triple plays make me think of autonomous mode, but cant think of what would be between the end of the match (product/Pi) and autonomous (You and Me). Maybe this means that autonomous will be in the middle, but I fear that scenario as a programmer who never even got the IR to work last year. Even if not in this way, I see IR as playing a major role in this game.

The amethyst originally made me think of hexagonal fields, as previously mentioned, I think FIRST might be due for a change of field. Dave Lavery's post here makes me rethink this, maybe an amethyst will really be used (or is he trying to throw us off...it does only say "amethyst colored" in the clue) The lack of a low cost bill of materials may also indicate a major redesign of the field or some special element, as last year the only strange listing was the toilet flanges (see here). I did find that this was only sent out 5 days before the kickoff, a point which we have not reached this year. Maybe FIRST just hasn't had time to post this yet.

The Beatles connection seems too vague, I like the Cleveland connection better, since it relates to baseball and can be tied to the amethyst colored glasses anyways. Now what between Pi and Cleveland when looking through Cleveland?

I bet many of us (including me) are probing too far into the clue. Last year, the surface level elements were the only major clues (stairs and no shooting toward a bar). If Dave Lavery is still reading this thread, I would like to know how long you guys spent coming up with the clue, just to see how long you think about something that we can discuss for over 350 posts and ponder for a week.

[Rich Wong]

I have FIRST insomnia.... so here is another midnight S.W.A.G:

Imagine…
Your team, with 5 other teams, is called to the playing field and you and another team are given a purple card instead of a red or blue.

You do not know what side you are on, so you are now place in the middle of the field with another purple team. When the game starts the purple color is changed to red or blue and now you must defend or fight for your alliance.
The two blue teams and two red teams start on both ends but you and the other purple team are in the middle of a "cage" that is shaped like a “baseball” diamond OR a boxing ring. You must stay inside for the whole match. You pass or receive balls (assumed) to or from you Alliance for scoring. Possible? ... given all the clues so far.

Boxing gloves are optional.

[Scott L.]

Look closely and you will see something between Pi, you and me.

Maybe a team receives the average of the product of the 2 scores.
(blue score * red score)/2.

Amethyst is a purple gem, and when red and blue are mixed, they form purple, which helps t6o support this theory

[Jeremy]

OK this is what i found out

George Burns was a big time comedian/actor: You know the guy with those big glasses and giant cigar

John Neun: all i found on this guy was he was an old baseball player from the REDS

Amethyst: is acutely a blueish violet i found this out because i looked it up in the dictionary

as far as the pi and the you and me part I have no clue

[Dread250]

Amethyst is used to prevent infared light from being emitted to IR and that will jave something to do with it the whole other part is prolly the same as everyone else has said with the hexagonal field but i think maybe IR signal jamming and things in that nature might play in just my 2 cents.

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by phrontist

I've got it! John Neun, George Burns, who was in a Beatles film. John and George, get it!

http://www.cjnetworks.com/~leis/albu...les/pepper.jpg

George and John are the only too Beatles that have died

[CyberWolf_22]

Sense this is most likely the second year of the "FIRST Frenzy" games, in that FIRST draws game elements from prior years competitions. I think that they will start taking from other years competitions that were not used last year. Maybe there will be a teetering bridge across two sides of the playing field and maybe a pyramid shaped contraption to hang horseshoes or rings from like in hexagon havoc.

[Peter Matteson]

Haven't gotten through all the posts but:

1. St. Pepper the movie stars Peter Frampton, and the Bee Gees I belive, not the Beatles even though it's based on their album by the same name so strike those references.

2. There are 9 unassited triple plays in the history of baseball the most recent being two years ago and, usless fact, one of the more famous ones being exectued by John Valentin of the Boston Red Sox during Alex Rodriguez's first major league game, Seatle Mariners. This being said I think the names John Neun and George Burns have signifigance. For example a cigar shaped object?

3. The Pyramids of Giza: take their perimiter and divide it by their height, when they had cover stones and you get Pi. There fore I think there is a pyramid in the field or as a scoring object.

Pete

[Anthony Towne]

Maybe Pi refers to a circular field?

[Jay5780]

My prediction is at the bottom, but my reasoning comes first.

I think we're forgetting some of the things that have been said in past years about the evolution of the game's design...

1. The game needs to be easy to watch for the spectator who has no knowledge of the game and who can easily know who is winning.

2. Alliances have been a teaching tool, teaching us that in the real world sometimes you need to work with your competitors to better one another.

3. Programming and autonomous mode have become a major part of the game and if what Dave said is true, then IR will be BIG this year.

While wearing Amethyst colored glasses, John Neun gave George Burns the
following riddle: "Look closely and you will see something between Pi, You
and Me."

We need to look at the key parts of the hint...

1. Amethyst
Amethyst is a shade purple which is made of red and blue. Possibly the teams have to work as one large team to complete a task to get past whatever is "between" (See #4) them and Pi (See #2)

2. Pi (defined as: the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle)
The goal perhaps is round or cylindrical is shape.

3. You and Me
This represents the two teams. John Neun and George Burns played on different baseball teams.

4. "Look closely and you will see something between Pi, You and Me."
An IR "invisible fence" between the teams and the goal.

5. The baseball tie-in
Too small for the spectator to see as the main scoring object.
Maybe a knock it off the pole type of thing from last year.

6. The Unassisted Triple Play tie-in
Autonomous mode. 3 tasks to complete.


So if your still reading this or skipped ahead here is my prediction.

There will be two teams of two competing on a rectangular field. The match will start with autonomous mode, one alliance member will be activated for the attempt at the "unassisted triple play". At the end of autonomous mode all the robots will be activated and will have to work with the competing alliance to get to a cylindrical or round goal blocked by the IR "invisible fence".

Hope you didn't all fall asleep or get lost reading this. I've been trying to write it while trying to work...

Have fun this year and don't let this hint get you all too stressed, you have 6+ weeks of stress and headaches ahead, but it is all worth it as many of you know.