[FTC]: New Blog Post Complete with Our First Game Hint

[Monty Python]

http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.com/

An interesting post, specifically when Ken talks about "an improved field control system that will put more power in teams' hands."

However, I'm sure that what's really going to get people talking is our first game hint of the year, the picture at the bottom (if you open it up in another tab/window the title at the top says hint+1.gif). It isn't FIRST headquarters, that much is clear. The building itself, to me, looks like it might hold athletic events and the physical shape of the building looks kind of like a football. I know VEX's competition this year involves footballs, could FIRST be following suit?

[Rick TYler]

It's also a rendering -- not a real photo. So, maybe the game involves taking a drawing and building a structure in real-time?

Anyway -- that's not an office building, and it would be a pretty small sports arena. How about a museum?

[Chris is me]

Look at the flags. What countries, states are they for? That should help determine where this stadium would be.

This seems like a decently sized stadium, no georgia dome but a college stadium probably

[Monty Python]

Well, I think the first flag is the US flag (but I can't really tell). The second flag is definitely the Russian flag though. Bonus points for finishing the game early ala FRC 2001? Or maybe rushing around a race track ala Overdrive.

[goodsky]

Well... HINT1 is a human gene... so obviously that means that we're building micro bots to map out the genes of some unknown living organism! It'll be great!!!!



On a more serious note [or at least as serious as you can get with these game hints], by looking around the picture as much as I have time to with photoshop, I think the flag to the left of the picture looks like the USA flag from far and I can't confirm or deny that one from looking at pixels... But for the one on the right I don't see any blue to say Russia, I agree with a member of my team who said it looked Polish. Although that's if there is not insignia or anything on the middle (there's no way we would know with the resolution) it could even be Texas or North Carolina! And as for the architecture of the building... I would say it sure looks like a sports building... but you know, FIRST is my favorite sport, so how about plans to build a FIRST Stadium! (IN POLAND! Whooohooo!)

[Coach B.A.D.]

Skyler may have something there - The flag on the right is pretty obscure but definitely not Russian - possibly Poland or Yugoslavia :>)

[Monty Python]

I'm pretty sure there's blue in the flag. You can see it more clearly if you zoom in close. If there is blue, then it can't be the Polish flag, which has no blue, and it can't be the Yugoslavia flag because the colors are in the wrong order, white is in the middle of that flag (according to a quick google search) while it is at the top of the flag in the picture. So imho, I still think it's the Russian flag.

[NalaTI]

Perhaps it's just that the picture is a graphical representation.

Can that kind of thing be done in ProEngineer? At World last year I was talking with someone on the game committee about this next season and they mentioned that it would be a good idea to brush up on the team's skills in that area...

[NalaTI]

Another new picture on the FTC Blog!

This one is some kind of transformer toy... Not sure what it means, but it's all red and blue!


http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.c.../partners.html

[jlester]

It's the Cedar Park Center in Austin, Texas. Home page for the center is at:
http://www.cedarparkcenter.com.
The home of the Texas Stars Hockey Club of the American Hockey League.

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by jlester

It's the Cedar Park Center in Austin, Texas. Home page for the center is at:
http://www.cedarparkcenter.com.
The home of the Texas Stars Hockey Club of the American Hockey League.

Hmm Texas.....that obviously means the FTC game pieces this year will be miniature Vex robots.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Travis Hoffman

Hmm Texas.....that obviously means the FTC game pieces this year will be miniature Vex robots.

Hexbugs -- hundreds of Hexbugs...

(www.hexbug.com)

[ttldomination]

Or maybe the FTC GDC looked towards this year's VRC for inspiration. TBH, the VRC is a devious little game.