Game Hint #1

[Mew187]

I don't know if this was discussed, but I was looking up the Moonfish and there are seems to be a couple sound programs with the same name. Like there's an audio tracker program named moonfish and a combination tracker/groovebox named moonfish. I know it's a long shot, but what about detecting a sound or using sound to find something we can't see? Does the camera have a microphone?

[Forte]

Originally Posted by Mew187

I don't know if this was discussed, but I was looking up the Moonfish and there are seems to be a couple sound programs with the same name. Like there's an audio tracker program named moonfish and a combination tracker/groovebox named moonfish. I know it's a long shot, but what about detecting a sound or using sound to find something we can't see? Does the camera have a microphone?

Interesting. One of my team's mentors was telling us about how the new Speed controllers have Ethernet ports on them for integration of speech recognition and the like. You may be on to something.

[hihihiflcl81pig]

Well there have been many people talking about text in the image, well I think that there may be some thing in there. A while ago I came across a program that allowed the use to have an image and put text into the meta of the image, and it was saved through changing shading values minutely, different for each letter. And there may be a possibility FIRST may have done that.

Another thing that I find interesting is how, and what changed in the "Original" compared to the FIRST image. Here is what I found....

Now the image is a little dark so look to my next post for more....

[hihihiflcl81pig]

Now for this image I changes the levels so that there is less contrast between 000000 and ffffff. There are three main things that stick out to me.\

1. There are those odd rectangles in the background
2. The blue spots don't match up with the spots you see on the fish,
3. The top fin has an orange spot on it, no where else do you see an orange spot.

You can also see normal jpg artifacts between lines of high contrast (The fish vs. the white background)

If there are any questions, or suggestions on how this was done, or how to further it, just contact me.

[robonerd13]

Originally Posted by hihihiflcl81pig

Now for this image I changes the levels so that there is less contrast between 000000 and ffffff. There are three main things that stick out to me.\

1. There are those odd rectangles in the background
2. The blue spots don't match up with the spots you see on the fish,
3. The top fin has an orange spot on it, no where else do you see an orange spot.

You can also see normal jpg artifacts between lines of high contrast (The fish vs. the white background)

If there are any questions, or suggestions on how this was done, or how to further it, just contact me.

Wow!!! This is really interesting.
Also me and my mom were thinking that maybe it has something to do with night vision??? or something similar like color regonition...maybe there will be part of the field not visible so we have to use the ethernet and the camera combined tofind certain items...scavenger hunt anyone?

[Nosh]

a scavenger hunt with the camera would actually be really cool. i hope it's something like that.

[alectronic]

OK, so this is my first post on CD, because I really wanted to comment on the first hint of 09. I don't know if anyone else has suggested this, but it appears to me that the image in the background of the fish is a shark, pointed the other direction. As for the prominent fish in the picture, it is clearly an Opah. This is a bit out there, but the record for weight of an opah caught in open water is 162.9 pounds. Perhaps the weight limit this year? Seems about right. As for size, they are roughly 1 meter wide, again, a possible size hint. I also saw the posts that went up a while back saying that the FIRST regional directors were looking for pools. I think anyone that has been in the program for a build season or two knows that FIRST is more clever then to send a game hint about a fish, and then have all the directors look for pools. The game is not a water game. The question that is really being posed is why would they pick this fish? As far as I have found, other then the characteristics I mentioned, the only other valuable information is that it is common in Hawaii and does not travel in schools. New Alliance format perhaps? But even that appears worthless. As for the writing in the background of the image, I have been unsuccessful in lighting it in photo shop. One last note about the sharks possibly being the thing in the background... Assuming they are sharks, maybe they are hinting to sonar. I have no idea if this is correct, but from the pictures I have seen of the new control system, there is a very prominent camera. More then ever, a challenge that is some sort of maze or obstacle course style game is likely. That would not be extremely difficult in terms of transition to a new controller, but would also not be a walk in the park. As always, FIRST has confused us all. Maybe this can at least get you thinking of some other possibilities.

[robonerd13]

Well not to get you down but FIRST probably will not change the weight limit one they will not lower it because now the main components are heavier and two they will not raise it because of OSHA Standards and health and safety requirements that they have to meet.

[Beta Version]

THE GHOST IMAGE: MY VERDICT
This will be the sixth year of clues for me, so I'm starting to get used to what they will, and will not do. And though I cant discredit the possibility, however small, that the fact that there is this background ghost image may be important, I can conclude that its contents are most certainly of NO importance.

Heres the image flipped corrected to show the background.


As you can see by the color of the letters, their distortion, the fact that they are mirror image, and the shading indicative of a copy getting darker as it reaches the spine of the book, all point toward this simply being an artifact of this picture being a photocopy. Someone even pointed out earlier that the version of this pitcure on the web that doesnt have the ghost is an older image, suggesting that it has probably been edited to remove the ghost image.

Also, you can see in this image that there are actually TWO ghost images on top of each other. One from each page. Further indicating that this "ghost" was unplanned. Or, if it was planned, its contents are unimportant, as there are two opposite pictures and lines of text on top of each other.

There is no possible way that useful information could be expected to be extracted from this ghost. Therefore, only the fact that there is a ghost is important, or, it is an unplanned artifact.

[Nosh]

something i just realized... though i cant think of how it would mean anything:

the fins are red, and sort of triangular in shape
the spots are white, and their circles
the body of the fish is blue... unfortunately it isn't a square, if it were we would have every component of the first logo
...again i don't see how this would mean anything, but i found it interesting, and if it did somehow mean something that would be great too

[hihihiflcl81pig]

Originally Posted by techalex

OK, so this is my first post on CD, because I really wanted to comment on the first hint of 09. I don't know if anyone else has suggested this, but it appears to me that the image in the background of the fish is a shark, pointed the other direction. As for the prominent fish in the picture, it is clearly an Opah. This is a bit out there, but the record for weight of an opah caught in open water is 162.9 pounds. Perhaps the weight limit this year? Seems about right. As for size, they are roughly 1 meter wide, again, a possible size hint. I also saw the posts that went up a while back saying that the FIRST regional directors were looking for pools. I think anyone that has been in the program for a build season or two knows that FIRST is more clever then to send a game hint about a fish, and then have all the directors look for pools. The game is not a water game. The question that is really being posed is why would they pick this fish? As far as I have found, other then the characteristics I mentioned, the only other valuable information is that it is common in Hawaii and does not travel in schools. New Alliance format perhaps? But even that appears worthless. As for the writing in the background of the image, I have been unsuccessful in lighting it in photo shop. One last note about the sharks possibly being the thing in the background... Assuming they are sharks, maybe they are hinting to sonar. I have no idea if this is correct, but from the pictures I have seen of the new control system, there is a very prominent camera. More then ever, a challenge that is some sort of maze or obstacle course style game is likely. That would not be extremely difficult in terms of transition to a new controller, but would also not be a walk in the park. As always, FIRST has confused us all. Maybe this can at least get you thinking of some other possibilities.

I believe that the background image of the "Shark" is the slime/wet area of another fish. That fish was probably just had the shape of a shark, and you can see it in the original images. Form that I can conclude that they took photos of a a few fish at a time, and it wasn't put in there by FIRST.

[hihihiflcl81pig]

Originally Posted by Beta Version

THE GHOST IMAGE: MY VERDICT
This will be the sixth year of clues for me, so I'm starting to get used to what they will, and will not do. And though I cant discredit the possibility, however small, that the fact that there is this background ghost image may be important, I can conclude that its contents are most certainly of NO importance.

Heres the image flipped corrected to show the background.


As you can see by the color of the letters, their distortion, the fact that they are mirror image, and the shading indicative of a copy getting darker as it reaches the spine of the book, all point toward this simply being an artifact of this picture being a photocopy. Someone even pointed out earlier that the version of this pitcure on the web that doesnt have the ghost is an older image, suggesting that it has probably been edited to remove the ghost image.

Also, you can see in this image that there are actually TWO ghost images on top of each other. One from each page. Further indicating that this "ghost" was unplanned. Or, if it was planned, its contents are unimportant, as there are two opposite pictures and lines of text on top of each other.

There is no possible way that useful information could be expected to be extracted from this ghost. Therefore, only the fact that there is a ghost is important, or, it is an unplanned artifact.

I agree with you. The first thing that I tried to do with the image was mess around with an overlay, and sharpen the text. After a few minutes I concluded that the text was illegible no matter what you do to it. Also it was in the original, so FIRST did not put that text in there as a clue.

[mcf747]

After more than 350 posts and reading the thread twice I still have very little clue.

The GDC did well...ooo how I wish they didn't.

The one thing I think is very good bet is the fact the the game field will NOT be flat even carpet. With the introduction of the new surfaces for TEC I really think we can expect something similar for FRC if not on an even larger scale.

Matthew Forman
MorTorq 1515

[lemon1324]

Let's try DaRandom Coding it...

ie we take apparently unrelated but somehow connected things and come to a very logical, irrefutable conclusion:

Opah. Sounds like Oprah. TV show, and Oprah gives stuff away. This fish is given away by longline fishermen of old. Logically connected then. TV Shows--Jeopardy--Alex Trebek--Double Jeopardy--5th Amendment--Bill of Rights--Bill Gates--Robert Gates--Defense Secretary--Navy--Water Game!

Darn, that can't be right, can it.

Let's try again

Moonfish--Earth's Moon--Satellite--Sputnik--USSR--Miracle on Ice--Ice Hockey, which is played on ice, which is frozen water--Water game!

Hmmm...still can't be right.

Lampris Guttatis--Latin--Romans--Famous architecture--aqueduct--Water Game!

Maybe if we start with just fish:

Fish--Phish (The band)--Music--Metallica--Dave Lavery wants speakers on the robots to play Metallica--Dave Lavery's other car is on Mars--Pheonix is on Mars--Pheonix found water--Water game!!

Hmm... What e'er ga'e me that idea?


(yes that last bit is a lame water game pun)

[Woody1458]

Fish out of water:

I think it is important that this isn't a picture of a swimming fish, which is actually easier to come by then a dead fish on paper. That makes me think this idea of "Fish out of water" is some critical point to the game. I would guess either there is some zone that when entered your control ability changes drastically, or there is some disabling capability whether against the other team, or your own I don't know.

btw anyone that still thinks the text matters, FIRST took the picture from this website:

http://www.australianseafoodexports....rderonline.htm

Since the did not make it themselves, they could not control what the text says