2011 Game Hint #1

[WhiteShadow1474]

Originally Posted by Mr_I

We need a "mini-me" robot to do some "outside of the box" activity (like so many did in 2002).

Does that mean 2 control systems? That could get expensive

[EricH]

Originally Posted by rsisk

Or, the more relevant anagrams LEAVE TILT, COOL MOTION. Maybe you have to go across a tilting mechanism to leave an area of the field. Scorekeepers award extra points for cool dance moves during the bonus period at the end of the match.

Nah, the bonus points are for keeping the tilting mechanism with neither end on the floor. Whoever or whatever is on top of it is worth double points as well (and trapping Chuck Norris is worth infinity, Dave, Dean, and Woodie are 500 apiece, and trapping Andy Baker is worth double infinity).

[Mr_I]

Originally Posted by WhiteShadow1474

Does that mean 2 control systems? That could get expensive

Not necessarily ... the mini-me could be tethered.

[jmanela]

Originally Posted by Mr_I

Not necessarily ... the mini-me could be tethered.

Doesn't OCCRA have mini-robots that play along side the big robots in their games?

[Joey P]

The woman in the picture is American Pop Singer "Little Eva." Her number one song was in the year 1962. The song is "Loco-Motion." Now if you look up the definition of Locomotion, it means movement or the ability to move from one place to another. This relates to the column that she is holding onto in the picture. It seems that this years game is going to have to do with crane work. I think we are going to have to move objects to different places on the field.

[MarkoRamius1086]

I have read the majority of the thread (I have perhaps missed a few hundred posts since the last time I was on yesterday...) and have come to a few conclusions, some more relevant than others.

We know who is in the picture, and we know what she is with. Little Eva with an unknown, generic, column.

We know that she sang the big shot song "Locomotion." If I was going to put money on anything, there would be some kind of theme this year involving "Locomotion"... no whether that is the name of the game or a game element, I do not know.

The column is unspecific, not having a top of bottom. This depicts a tall cylinder. Something to climb vertically?

We know the image is reversed from its original version. The relevancy of this is... questionable.

We know after many long years (20 years infact) the GDC will most likely make the game pieces something easy to acquire, as last year they got soccer balls. Some theories say tennis balls, I do not know the accuracy of this "Red Herring."

Many people are emphasizing on the simplicity of the game. Complex games are not something a new spectating crowd can keep up with.

I dont think that they will have a tethered robot... thats a whole nother system teams and programmers have to deal with. (This is more of an opinion now that I think about it...)


At this point I have a few questions. Did anyone find the original version of this picture, and if so what is different? I am wondering if there is anything different in the column or other primary pieces of the picture.

I think they picked this picture for a reason, for the two things in said picture. Eva, and the column. They could have picked any picture with her, but the picked the one with the column.

My opinion: This picture has two big points, Locomotion and Column.

My guess: A game themed around railway systems with some kind of end game column climb.

My $0.02
Happy Holidays!

[~Cory~]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...wXhclJlkFUpzIw

[~Cory~]

First Hint


Real image:

[AllenGregoryIV]

OK here is my idea after reading all of this thread. A lot of this is completely conjecture but it would be a fun game anyway.

The 2011 FIRST game will be called Locomotion. It is the 20th anniversary so I expect some recycled game dynamics.

- Played on the standard sized field. (too expensive to change that now, too many regionals, and too many teams have practice fields setup)

- Scoring objects are big and little balls. (i.e. 1996, 2001, 2004 and etc). The large balls can be used to cap the goals, to gain more points or as a multiplier and defensively to stop the other team from scoring in a goal.

- There will be 5-8 movable towers similar in dimension to the 2001 game (10 year anniversary). The towers may have some sort of device that allows for them to be linked together, possibly magnets, so you are able to build a train of the goals. Either way you will be able to hold multiple towers and drive around like a train. possibly using your alliance partners to assist in making it longer. The number of goals that are in the train will be a multiplier for the points in the goals at the end of the match.

- There will be 2 stationary scoring goals (made of steal pipe) that robots can score balls into and also can climb at the end of the match. These goals will be shorter and wider than the mobile goals so robots can shoot into them. The goals will be located on raised platforms that robots must climb to reach the goal. Points will be awarded for being on the platform and not touching the ground and more points will be awarded for being in the air hanging on to the scoring goal. Potentially even more points for a certain height above the platform.

- Vision targets of some kind will be on each goal

- Human players will be able shoot the balls into the goals.

- This makes the field easy and cheap to build. A couple of the mobile goals and one of the stationary goal platforms is all a team would need to practice.

- Line tracking is going to be useful in autonomous (just throwing that out there on a complete guess but it is an easier challenge for teams that don't want to try vision)

The biggest problem with this is that it is the old style game where there is a limited number of scoring objects and balls must be counted at the end of the match. I am trying to figure out a way to eliminate the problem but so far not much luck. Perhaps the stationary gaols will be built with a funnel and hose that feeds the balls out after they are digitally counted.

[~Cory~]

Sorry if this has been posted already...
Here is some analysis:

First look at the two zoomed in. You can see photoshoping lines in the hint version around the pole. Also the pole is only a portion. The original is a marble poll.


GIF animations generator gifup.com

However, there is this image to contend with from last.fm It is the same, but reversed.



The image is also used as an album cover:

[~Cory~]

Analysis: There are two different pictures This set

and this set:

[chemipanda]

Originally Posted by ~Cory~

First Hint


Real image:

that isn't the real image the real image is a mirror of our clue.

[CrazyCarl461]

It is about time for another compilation game. The last one was in 2004. FIRST Frenzy had elements from the previous four years: The hanging bar from 2000, the large multiplier balls from 2001, the mobile goals from 2002 and the slick HDPE surface from 2003.

There have now been six games since that game, all with unique scoring objects: tetras, poof balls, inflated tubes, trackballs, orbit balls, and soccer balls. Some aspects of previous games, such as orbit balls, they know to stay away from now, but several of those elements could make a return.

It has been a while since they have had a game that requires a big pick-and-place arm so I think we might see that coming up. That may just be wishful thinking more than anything else, though.

[Grim Tuesday]

Picture is reversed. Collum is reversed. Whats the opposite of climbing?

Getting lower. Never been done in FIRST. Maybe the end game is a "get lower than 12 inches" competition.

[pandamonium]

except it isn't Wilma Rudolph...