2006 Official Game Hint Discussion

[Andrew Blair]

Hey, I think ArkoRobotics is onto something:


So, look at the shovel: What's it pointing at(shovel's show)? ORO - What type of past sounds like ORO? ORZO! And by the way, orzo is a long, rice shaped object. Almost like a football. It also means barley in Italian, which is even more football shaped!


Coincidence? I think not! So, it seems there is reasonable evidence that we are using footballs this year. This definently supports the baton hint interpretation. But, decide for yourself. Wouldn't be the first time we were all wrong. The ORO is also kinda on a butte type thingy, once again supporting the butte type field obstacle. Eh, sounds pretty sound.

Dave, kudos to you and the GDC! It would probably take me the entire off-season to create the game hint, let alone the entire game! Like Elgin said, it seems like much of the things you post are thought out and significant. Well, alot of them are thought out...

[Jon Jack]

Originally Posted by Andrew Blair

Hey, I think ArkoRobotics is onto something:


So, look at the shovel: What's it pointing at? ORO - What type of past sounds like ORO? ORZO! And by the way, orzo is a long, rice shaped object. Almost like a football. It also means barley in Italian, which is even more football shaped!


Coincidence? I think not! So, it seems there is reasonable evidence that we are using footballs this year. But, decide for yourself. Wouldn't be the first time we were all wrong. The ORO is also kinda on a butte type thingy, once again supporting the butte type field obstacle. Eh, sounds pretty sound.

Dave, kudos to you and the GDC! It would probably take me the entire off-season to create the game hint, let alone the entire game! Like Elgin said, it seems like much of the things you post are thought out and significant. Well, alot of them are thought out...

One word: Brilliant!

less than two weeks left until we find out for sure.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by raf4far

And i find it weird that FIRST didnt write out the whole robots instead they put 'bots so idk it just weird.

Originally Posted by Mme.Miscellania

It's interesting that the clue is in the form of an extended haiku (8-10-8).
Now, haiku are normally 5-7-5 patterns, so maybe this year's competition has an alternating number of robots on the field - maybe one robot out of six is chosen to sit out a round, and get put in the next round.

The wording of this clue was chosen very carefully, as Mme.Miscellania found that this clue is in the form of a 8-10-8 haiku. If they had put "robots" in instead of "'bots", this would not be a haiku. I really think there is something behind the poetry behind this clue. The obvious lack of capitalization and punctuation leads more credence to the fact that this is in fact poetry. So why 8-10-8 haiku?

Can this 8-10-8 be refering to something in the game? Will there be a 10' high goal/hanging bar on the center ramp/stairs, and two 8' high [possibly mobile] goals at each end of the field? Or can the form of a haiku (which starts out at a set value, increses by two sylables, and then goes back to its original value, as in 5-7-5 or 8-10-8) lead us to something in the game? Will there be something that is flat, goes up 2 feet (or inches) and then returns to normal in the field? This would lead us back to the Butte idea.

Would there be a simple 2x4 flat on the ground that spans the width of the field, requiring teams to have at least 2" or ground clearance if they want to go past/over it? Dave did mention this post in reference to someone talking about implementing a mecenum drive this year. With a 2x4 spaning the field, a mecanum drive would prove to be a difficult drive system to implement successfully.

Okay, now to another issue. There will most likely be a rectanglar field this year, with a similar [if not the same] size to last year's field. The field will most likely not become bigger. Let's go back to the regional logistics issue. Some competition venues (especially off-season events held in high school gymnasiums) simply cannot hold a pentagonal or hexagonal field with 15ft plus side lengths. When FIRST actually did have hexagonal fields, there were no off-season competitions to worry about. That is all changed now.

This year's game (at least playing field wise) will probably be similar to 2003 or 2004, with a large step/ramp in the middle of the field. This will be the case because of television/audience viewing. In the 2005 game, as exciting as it was for the drive team/coach to try to keep up with everything on the field at once, the audience was often at a loss for what was going on. In their minds, all they saw was robots going everywhere, deposisting "little triangles" on top of seemingly random "big triangles". At least with the 2004 game, they could tell pretty easily that the point of the game is to get more balls (both small and big) into your goal than the opponent does into theirs. Let's all remember that a large portion of the audience doesn't spend six weeks memorizing the rules of the game.


With about two weeks to go until Kickoff, let's start trying to actually make a game out of all the suggestions/ideas so far in this thread. I may be no Car Nack, but using previous ideas from this thread, I am trying to make a game to go along with them.

Let's take this clue deciphering to the next level.


Here's what I thought up, the new 2006 FIRST game: "Sky High Frenzy"

This year will present us with a simple objective - get more of your alliance's color footballs into the goals. There will be a 3x3 game, with a field the same size the 2005 field - 27' by 52'. I am guestimating that there will be a pentagonal ramp (with maybe a 1/3 angle, and 8 or 10 foot sidelengths at the base) in the center of the field, with a flat top. This flat top will have one neutral (aka "low goal") in the center of it. Either alliance will be able to score footballs into this "low goal". Footballs in this "low goal" will be worth 5 points each. To prevent a robot from simply pushing footballs into this pit (or from robots falling into into it), a 18" wall (made of aluminum pipe and green Lexan panels) will surround it.

In the middle of this "low goal" pit, there will be a 10' high "high goal". Any footballs in this will be worth double (10 points each). This high goal will also be neutral. Whoever has more balls in the center goal (which includes the "low goal" and the "high goal"), will gain a 2x multiplier for all of their balls in the center goals.

Each alliance will also have one mobile goal, measuring 8' high. Each alliance will only be able to score in their own mobile goal.

There will be eighty footballs scattered about the field, with forty red ones and forty blue ones. There will be an additional eight footballs for each human player of the correct alliance color. This makes a total of 128 footballs. The footballs will be in four rows of twenty each on the field. To make the game interesting, one set of each alliances' balls will be located on the oppisite end of the field. Robots will be able to score the footballs themselves, or pass them to human players (like 2004), who would throw be able to throw the footballs into any of their three goals (their own mobile goal, the "high goal" or the "low goal".

If a team gets onto the ramp at the end of the match, they will get either a 20 or 25 point bonus. There will only be room for one robot one each of the five sides of the pentagonal ramp.


Okay, enough brainstorming for me for one night. Now its your turn to make revisions, additions, propose entirely new objects, or make a totally different game. Let's all get that pinkish grey blob in our heads into high gear by Kickoff!

[amos229]

wow. i have just one question how are you guys coming up with this. i have heard of thinking outside the box but this blows the box up also. i also think that many people are still skipping somewthing crucial. the bannana in the blue bot picture. i think that the bannana represents a low coefficient of friction surface like a few years ago. just my opinion

[Ian Curtis]

While I'm not quite ready to take the plunge like Art has, I did notice something of interest. In this picture by Mr. Lavery Mr. Shovel-bot is shown surrouded by a line. Upon examination such a line exists no where in the 2005 animation. I don't have the '04 or '03 animations available and they appear to have been lost in the shuffle on NASA's website. However, I don't recall said lines on either field, nor do I see them in picture from the photo gallery. Unless we are being hoodwinked, which isn't exactly a new phenomenon, we are looking at part of the '06 field.

Mr. Shovel-bot is almost entirely enclosed by the blue line, except in the top of the picture you see the line ends. From the supposed size of these robots I can gather that we are seeing around 4 feet of at least an|_ shaped line, more likely a |_| shaped design. This begins the question, why is the robot facing the line? Are we viewing the loading zone of 2006?!!

So the whole point of this post? Folks, there aren't going to be people scoring footballs or whatever the game object is. There will be people giving said object to the robots for the robots to score.

PS: I'm still trying to figure out what that bannana is there for. Is it hiding something?

[Paul Copioli]

I read every darn page of this thread.

With that said, no one has mentioned the fact that Joe Montana went to Notre Dame. Notre Dame's colors: green and gold. Does it mean anything? I don't know.

I am putting my money on footballs as the game piece. I am putting someone elses money on 1/2 the time you play offense and 1/2 the time you play defense.

-Paul

[amos229]

well, i dont follow footbal can someone help me out. who is joe montana. i know stupid question but cant help aking. other than that i gotta agree with pual. wait a minute if this thread has sucked paul in wheres JVNeun?lol . well thats it for now

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by amos229

well, i dont follow footbal can someone help me out. who is joe montana. i know stupid question but cant help aking.

No problem, I don't follow sports too much either, I just know of Joe from other people loving the 49ers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Montana For you.

Oh, and for all the Montana state references, here's one for you.

"In 1993, the town of Ismay, Montana temporarily changed its name to Joe, Montana in an honorary gesture."

1993 huh? What was the game again in that year?

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by amos229

well, i dont follow footbal can someone help me out. who is joe montana. i know stupid question but cant help aking. other than that i gotta agree with pual. wait a minute if this thread has sucked paul in wheres JVNeun?lol . well thats it for now

Joe Montana career capsule.

We're probably talking about the greatest QB of all time. (And this praise is coming out of the mouth of a die-hard Cowboys fan!)

One thing about Joe Montana that hasn't been touched on, is that he won two Cotton Bowls while playing for Notre Dame. I have no real insight as to what that could mean, but I'm sure one of you will come up with some sort of theory.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

No problem, I don't follow sports too much either, I just know of Joe from other people loving the 49ers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Montana For you.

Oh, and for all the Montana state references, here's one for you.

"In 1993, the town of Ismay, Montana temporarily changed its name to Joe, Montana in an honorary gesture."

1993 huh? What was the game again in that year?

The 1993 year was called Rug Rage.
http://www.firstwiki.org/Rug_Rage

and each water-filled ball is worth one point.

Everybody has perceiving a water game as a game where robots are submersed in water. What about a game where you must manipulate water? Has anyone ever thought of how to manipulate a fluid?

[Mike Schroeder]

five 'bots tangling with pasta -- Not sure about this, but i am betting it has something to do with the robots being tethered
a game piece obsessed with a shovel's show - Something scoop able
and seeing Montana's green heights - on/near/around the rockies in Montana there are an awful lot of Golf courses

My guess is the game piece is Golf balls, a whole lot of them being scooped up

[Henry_Mareck]

Well, after reading this entire thread after getting home from vacation, i have my own conclusions.
(the numbers with decimals are a result of my laziness to replace all the ones after it)
#1. I think 5 robots is unlikley, but still possible
#1.5. I think the 5 prime idea was great. I am all for 3v3 again.
#2. Footballs seem likley. However, so do batons. pvc with footballs on the ends?
#2.5. I think there will be a raised, center object. A pentagon shaped object, that has ramps coming off of each side. 5 spaces for robots, one team does not have a chance for extra points at the end. Maybe a goal in the middle, but maybe not.
#3. The fully listed-out game a few posts ago seems possible enough, but do you wanna set up up to 80 footballs on every two minutes? 5 or 10 green footballs seems mor likley. (like vision tetras?)
#4. I think "oro y plata" means "gold and silver" in spanish. (correct me if im wrong). Maybe there will be a few gold + silver objects worth Über points
#5. Thinking back, is Montana too far north to have significant spanish speaking segment of population? maybe its french.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Henry_Mareck

#4. I think "oro y plata" means "gold and silver" in spanish. (correct me if im wrong). Maybe there will be a few gold + silver objects worth Über points
#5. Thinking back, is Montana too far north to have significant spanish speaking segment of population? maybe its french.

1) It is spanish, and that's what it is meant to mean on the flag itself.
(I'm glad somebody finally mentioned this. - I won't have to explain myself in depth when I come up with my long hypothesis post later on. w00t.)

2) When the flag was made, the country was still divided up into territories. Spanish settlers could of had a larger role than they do now in Montana at the time as opposed to the assumed large population of French(Canadian) who are now currently just north of Montana in Canada and may be in Montana as well.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

(I'm glad somebody finally mentioned this. - I won't have to explain myself in depth when I come up with my long hypothesis post later on. w00t.)

you've been hinting at this for a while...just how LONG will the post be anyways???

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

you've been hinting at this for a while...just how LONG will the post be anyways???

Oh.. it'll be a doozy.. I'm just glad I won't have to share everything I thought of.. cause some people are starting to stumble upon some connections.

Tomorrow probably.