Hi guys!
I just noticed that they have finally released the materials for the 2011 Excellence in Design Animation!
Find it here!
I feel like I have a lot of exclamation points in this post 
all I can say is What a twistā¦ at least from my perspective
Yeahā¦it would have been nice to have this backstory earlier. I know my team is going to be making some changes.
Yeah my team just spent the last 3 hours rebuilding and redesigning our idea(s)
Iām currently debating whether keeping to the Iiko mythology as proposed by Autodesk is worth revising my teamās work over. We have some really neat concept work, and Iām reluctant to give it up at this point.
Thereās not really any reason to go with the āofficialā designs, is there? I mean, I donāt think theyād dock points for straying away from themā¦ Unless I missed something.
I think our team is going to keep our general storyā¦I would like to think that it is their fault that they posted the information almost 15 days too late.
Also, is everyone else pronouncing āiikoā with an āeeā sound (just like āecoā) as opposed to an āIā sound?
yeah, Iiko as in eco I think it is a play on the fact that they want some eco-friendly ideas to save the Iiko worldā¦
Yeah, that is what I was thinking.
Apparently, subtlety is not key 
well we were under the influence that the iikoās had regular technology, but closer reading on specifics said that technology is like magic. Apparently Acid Rain caused by pollution wont be our idea anymoreā¦ 
Actually, they seem to have similarly advanced technology to us (solar panels, etc).
Also, we have some creative freedom so your idea is fine. It even mentions pollution as a problem.
If technology is like magic to them - how did they ruin their environment? That tends to happen when we invent technologies, but fail to see their consequences. We were lucky in that we decided that the Iiko have almost destroyed their planet, but humans come to help. By chance, our idea fits into the backstory. But when Autodesk posts this information so late, and fails to communicate, animation seems to be an afterthought. I would like to find an official channel to talk to FIRST/Autodesk about this. Every year, the animation topic is posted late, with very few details, and itās due a week before the robot ship date!
- a mentor since 2005
Nope, they said you can use your own model if you like. But following the story they had in the rules would be important. They just say that the iiko are expereincing environmental problems and they view all technology as magic. It also says it could be a problem on land, or in space so they could have spaceships.