Game trends

[JesseK]

The real question is ... what are NASA's greatest challenges right now? What have they recently accomplished of great significance that can be simplified and quantified into a game? Additionally, what parts of those accomplishments are easily tailored in order to facilitate some of the other challenges facing the GDC, including improvements to the game format, regional competition format, and/or funding?

Ares I multi-stage rocket
Water on the moon

Therefore it's painfully obvious that we're facing an air, space, and/or water game this year. Time to get your spacesuits, goggles and bathing suits on!

[11Mort11]

im feeling cones so its gonna be fast.

[Robert Cawthon]

I think part of it will be driving by camera like is being done with the Mars rovers. The only question to my mind is would there be enough band width?

[hipsterjr]

Originally Posted by JesseK

The real question is ... what are NASA's greatest challenges right now? What have they recently accomplished of great significance that can be simplified and quantified into a game? Additionally, what parts of those accomplishments are easily tailored in order to facilitate some of the other challenges facing the GDC, including improvements to the game format, regional competition format, and/or funding?

Ares I multi-stage rocket
Water on the moon

NASA is retiring the shuttle at the beginning of next year and Lego league's challenge this year is "smart moves." If you combine this with the train based clues, you get some kind of transportation based game, moving large or heavy objects around the field. But when you think about, that's the challenge every year so I don't know if my input has any meaning.

my $0.02

[Carol]

Originally Posted by Pikat

Or a game with multi-shaped game pieces? Like filling bins with balls, then putting those bins somewhere? We haven't seen that yet..

The closest to this was in 2001, when balls were put into tall goals, a larger ball was put on top of the goal, and then the goal was balanced on a teeter-totter.

See http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/17356

[jamie_1930]

Originally Posted by karatekid

I have a theory. I'm new to Robotics, so please tell me if this is inaccurate.
I was reading (and hearing) about the past two games-2008 (Overdrive) and 2009 (Lunacy).
In Overdrive, the main goal (as far as I can tell) was speed.
In Lunacy, due to the low friction, you could not go too fast or you would spin out.
My thoughts are, this coming year, there will be something to do with high gravity or something of that sort.
If some veterans could tell me if the opposites has had any kind of trend before or if this is just a coincidence, it would be appreciated.

I like the idea of seeing trends in the game and I've been looking at one in particular. FIRST has a long history with ramps and, when this was mentioned by a mentor at one of our recent meetings, I researched this and from looking at the trend we are overdue for a ramp game.

Also I feel like we may see a spring loaded ramp like in FTC's Face Off last year.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by jamie_1930

I like the idea of seeing trends in the game and I've been looking at one in particular. FIRST has a long history with ramps and, when this was mentioned by a mentor at one of our recent meetings, I researched this and from looking at the trend we are overdue for a ramp game.

Also I feel like we may see a spring loaded ramp like in FTC's Face Off last year.

I think the longest without one has been two years, at least if you leave out 1997-1999. Not quite overdue yet.

[Doug G]

Of the 10 past games, six of the games have included objects or field elements in which robots must navigate over or under. 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2009 are the only ones that didn't. I'm not sure you would say this is a trend, but I would be surprised to see yet another flat field in 2010. Start designing those 12" wheels!!!

[Molten]

Originally Posted by EricH

I think the longest without one has been two years, at least if you leave out 1997-1999. Not quite overdue yet.

Aren't we already past 3 years? 2007-2009 had no ramps. I guess 2007 did if you count the one's people put on their robots, but even then we are at two years.