2011 Game Hint #1

[Bill_B]

Originally Posted by techalex

We also know that bumpers are involved, and if Bill annouced them that "early", we can assume there is a good deal of contact or at least multiple elements on the field they are trying to protect.

So here goes my one, deeply researched, wild shot at the ecology of 2011's game. Never mind how old the Lavery reference is to Boxcar Willie in his picture post. The boxcar reference merely pulls us further away from the "truth" to Little Eva's Locomotion song. (I also like the "Back on Track" album title as the name of the game this year.)

Instead, delve backwards from the location of Willie's overpass memorial in Red Oak, Texas, part of Ellis county. It's a bridge over Interstate 35E for non-rail vehicles. Prominent in Ellis county history is a relatively recent underground, technological phenomenon. Construction work on it was begun about the time of FIRST's startup in 1991, only to be starved of funding by Congress in 1993. If I mentioned Waxahatchie, would your atoms begin to quiver? Only about a third of the 54-mile circumference was tunneled even though there were 17 access shafts excavated.

Yes, that's right. I'm talking about the Superconducting Super Collider project. My guess is that the six, on-field robots will be engaging in a series of super collisions.

Scoring? Maybe we'll be carrying accelerometers?

Crowd-pleasing? You BETCHA!

Loco-motion? Crazy, man, crazy! Ever hear of demolition derby? on a figure-8 track? We are going to have a pool-noodle flattening, aluminum bending, tire-spinning, full-bore crunch-fest that will be the absolute talk of FIRST's NEXT twenty years!

[DarrinMunter]

Since "Little Eva" picture is backwards...
"Little Eva" backwards - "ave elttil"

AVE is a high-speed train connecting cities in Spain

[Cyberphil]

Originally Posted by Munter2081

Since "Little Eva" picture is backwards...
"Little Eva" backwards - "ave elttil"

AVE is a high-speed train connecting cities in Spain

Now thats interesting! Great connection! Hmm, high-speed tracks on the field?

[Grim Tuesday]

The train references just keep on popping up. However, it may just be because we are looking for them.

[VPN.vIPer]

I did some research on all the past years' game hints starting from 2003 (when they began giving hints)... they are really quite arbitrary ...
Here is a baseless brain dump...

2001 is the 10th anniversary of frc ... 1991 is when the best of little eva album was released, 20 years ago when frc began
if 2001 was as diabolical as it seems to be to me ... the 20th anniversary is gonna be worse. coming from the chairman's point of view ... somehow it might incorporate some unusual degree of cooperation as i guess they would want to celebrate their message too ... 2001 was kind of like that

one of my first thoughts was ...
since the image has to be reversed and it marks the 10th anniversary of little eva's work ... maybe it's a "reflection of the past" ... strictly from the a standpoint about the nature of the game ... well suited for the 20th anniversary...

Some keywords from getty images, which holds the image from the gems/redferns collection ... according to them the image was created 01 Jan 1960 ...Referring to style ... vertical | Referring to subject matter ... small, music, arts culture and entertainment, eva
...interpreting the pillar, something with height...they seem to like racks or tower-like goals for game pieces ... as in 1996, 2001, 2007 etc...
the height reference might also mean game pieces on rails or ladders like 1998
...could also just mean robots attaching vertically for bonus...

her hit is locomotion which implies crazy motion I guess ... maybe something weird with the robots' motions like 2009 ... that was real fun to watch ... or reflecting a new type of robot motion ... or movable goals like 2004 ...
it was released in 1962 ... 8 planets were in conjunction, some really rare thing or whatever....might relate to the lunar eclipse that happened the morning the clue was posted...about the reversal and all...
compact cars developed, united stated rocket ranger IV landed on the moon, marilyn monroe was found dead, the first american orbited the earth on the friendship 7 mission/exploration, brazil won the world cup in chile, release of the beatles first hit, first trans-atlantic tv signal was relayed ....
don't think this is getting anywhere ...
or it could be tied to something coming up this year ... maybe the cricket world cup .... just throwing that out there. XD

and just a personal sidetrack comment since they started giving out hints in 2003 ... they have alternated between balls as game pieces (though I think they should stay away from storage bins for a while...) and other things as game pieces ... if they keep that going ... guess there's a possibility of a weird piece this year since they did soccer balls last year.

mkay. i'm done.
thanks for reading...

can't wait till kickoff.

P.S. and yes ... i have read all 33 pages of this forum ...

[unionylibertad]

they have alternated between balls as game pieces

not the last two years...

I think they should stay away from storage bins for a while

actually, 2004 was pretty interesting IMHO

[rahilm]

Originally Posted by VPN.vIPer

they have alternated between balls as game pieces (though I think they should stay away from storage bins for a while...) and other things as game pieces ... if they keep that going ... guess there's a possibility of a weird piece this year since they did soccer balls last year.

2008 (giant trackball), 2009 (orbit balls), 2010 (soccer balls) have all been years using a ball of some sort.

[unionylibertad]

i say there is a 90% chance that they will not use balls this coming season

id say there's a 55% chance that pool noodles will be used

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

That would mean clowns.

clowns are scary!

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by unionylibertad

i say there is a 90% chance that they will not use balls this coming season

id say there's a 55% chance that pool noodles will be used

Is that 55% a chance of pool noodles being used outside of bumpers, or are you suspecting that there's a 55% chance of bumpers being used?

Edit: I also found this in the spotlights. It was from last year's thread about Dave's "hint" http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...2&postcount=44

(someone please tell me that I'm not the only one laughing about how train tracks came up LAST year as well)

[unionylibertad]

^as game pieces

[RoboDesigners]

Originally Posted by Karibou

(someone please tell me that I'm not the only one laughing about how train tracks came up LAST year as well)

You're not the only one...

[alectronic]

Originally Posted by unionylibertad

^as game pieces

Can you imagine the numbers of destroyed pool noodles as a result of that? I think it would be unlikely they are the game piece, but the shape would be interesting.

[davidthefat]

Apparently, the Lunacy's hint was a Moonfish. That had no connection with the game play what so ever, but had connections with the name and theme. Now what if the locomotion is a hint about theme? Locomotion = Railroads = Wild Wild West? Possibly a "desert" themed game. The purpose of the game is to move and posses water bottles or something. Since when you think of desert, you think of lack of water. Possibly capture the flag or something similar to the railroad building. Where the alliances try to conquer more ground than the other alliance before the timer runs out. Just like how the Union Pacific and Central Pacific were doing in the late 1800s

Or territory control like in the civil war. More railroads led to the Union victory. The more railroad you control, the higher chances of you winning the game.

[rahilm]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

Apparently, the Lunacy's hint was a Moonfish. That had no connection with the game play what so ever, but had connections with the name and theme.

It had a direct connection with gameplay. The surface was meant to imitate the moon's reduced gravity with reduced friction.