Historical Clue Histeria

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Molten

They gave us a picture of a fish with obscured text, and not only did we manage to decipher the text. We managed to crash every site that had that phrase on it.

Now, how cool is that?

Even if the exact game, and all its details, were to be guessed in the very first post ...... who would know?

What's truly amazing is how close we get in the first twenty or thirty posts. And how it continues for hundreds more... It's fun, it occupies otherwise anxious minds, and shows just how awesome a tool the Internet is.

[Josh Goodman]

I'd have to agree with Eric. 2006 was my favorite. I guess my favorite part was when it got revealed and everyone had that "Aha!" moment. It's the only game so far (I don't think) where any post was correct about any part of the game. I wish dave would go back to riddles. They're fun!

[Molten]

Originally Posted by Josh Goodman

I wish dave would go back to riddles. They're fun!

Yes...100% Yes. I can't photo shop at all and am pretty well left out of picture fun. However, most everyone can take apart a riddle and find something in it.

[EricLeifermann]

Originally Posted by Josh Goodman

I'd have to agree with Eric. 2006 was my favorite. I guess my favorite part was when it got revealed and everyone had that "Aha!" moment. It's the only game so far (I don't think) where any post was correct about any part of the game. I wish dave would go back to riddles. They're fun!

Like I said in 2004 the riddle was a quote for "Stairway to Heaven". We guessed that there would be stairs and there was, so i would have to say that 2006 wasn't the first year that someone got it right.

[Josh Goodman]

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

Like I said in 2004 the riddle was a quote for "Stairway to Heaven". We guessed that there would be stairs and there was, so i would have to say that 2006 wasn't the first year that someone got it right.

Yes, I apologize. Since 2006 was my first kickoff, I wasn't aware of the 2004 one (until now). It was the only one in "my highschool first generation".

[EricLeifermann]

Originally Posted by Josh Goodman

Yes, I apologize. Since 2006 was my first kickoff, I wasn't aware of the 2004 one (until now). It was the only one in "my highschool first generation".

Its all good, i think that the person who got it right in 2006 had a harder job of getting it right, so i give that person more credit. Also what that person got right had a bigger impact in the game did than the "stairs" did in 2004. Shooting the ball was the main way to score while the stairs where just a small obstacle that you could ignore and it wouldn't effect how well you played the game at all.

[The Zevling]

Wasn't this year's (09) clue a moonfish?

I haven't really paid much attention to the clues in the past, but I probably will start paying more attention next year.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by The Zevling

Wasn't this year's (09) clue a moonfish?

I haven't really paid much attention to the clues in the past, but I probably will start paying more attention next year.

Yep.

2003: I'm not sure if this one was the official one or not, but y=ax^2+bx+c.
2004: lines from "Stairway to Heaven"
2005: riddle about amethyst glasses, two baseball players who'd made unassisted triple plays, and pi. I don't remember the exact wording; search for the thread discussing it.
2006: See my earlier post here
2007: still from the game animation, zoomed in
2008: chain going to statues, among other things
2009: Moonfish picture and a riddle

The game has been figured out once or twice, and elements have been found, but never the entire thing.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by EricH

2003: I'm not sure if this one was the official one or not, but y=ax^2+bx+c.

Can you explain this clue? I searched and found no real answers.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Molten

Can you explain this clue? I searched and found no real answers.

The best I remember was that it was the scoring formula, or a relative thereof. Or the field shape (due to the massive ramp in the middle).

[Molten]

Originally Posted by EricH

Or the field shape (due to the massive ramp in the middle).

I thought it might be the ramp, but I can't figure out why they would have the formula for a parabola. Unless the ramp was parabolic? Oh well, they often don't make sense. Guess I'll just have to let this one go.

[ATannahill]

I believe the lines on the ground was a parabala.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by rtfgnow

I believe the lines on the ground was a parabala.

Nope, sorry. Semicircle bordered by straight lines. Centered at the edge of the ramp. Not that my team ever used that; we preferred to drive out, tweak our angle, and come straight back into the bins...

[Jared Russell]

Originally Posted by Molten

Can you explain this clue? I searched and found no real answers.

I had always heard that it was the scoring formula, but that's not strictly correct.

If that were the case, the clue should have been something like:

y = a(x-1)+b
or
y = ax - a + b

Where:
y = score
a = height of tallest stack
x = number of bins in zone, including those in the stack
b = bonus points from ramp

(The -1 is because the bins making up the stack did not count towards the total, e.g. if there were 6 bins in the zone but 3 of them were in a stack the score would be 3*3=9 instead of 6*3=18)