2005 
But yes, bowling balls would be cool.
48 without a sweet drivetrain? That’ll be the day.
Isn’t this the year of the water game? haha
And those tetra being flung around by robots were a hazard I don’t think the GDC considered until the game was actually payed. I can’t imagine anything like that again.
I too would love to see some ramps or something to climb again. The floor has been flat for too long.
I too would love to see the return of ramps like in 2006 or platforms like in 2004 or some other fun field obstacle but I just don’t see it happening for one simple reason: BUMPERS. Ever notice that about the time bumpers came along the field got flat? At first bumpers were optional but for the last couple of years they have been mandatory. I suspect he GDC has a fondness for bumpers for good reason. I well remember watching a 2004 Newton match when two opposing robots charged out of the gate at the beginning of autonomous and met mid field in the hardest, fastest, head on robot impact I have ever seen. I can’t remember for sure what the team numbers were but I want to say 254 was one of them. In any case, neither robot moved from the point of impact for rest of the match. Bumpers are designed to reduce the effects of such violent robot impacts. I think I read somewhere that the CRIO is rated to 50g. While 50g is nothing to sneeze at I bet those two robots on Newton back in 2004 felt much more. The recent bumper rules are the way they are for many good reasons. Heck, last year nobody was ever able to get enough traction to get going anywhere near what we have in the past but we had the most stringent bumper rules to date. As long as bumpers are deemed necessary by the GDC in anywhere near the same manner that we have become used to (bumper perimeter requirements, bumper zone, non-articulating, etc., etc. etc.) I predict that the field will remain relatively flat. Bumpers add to the safety factor and, well, we all know FIRST is all about safety and rightfully so. It is a litigious society we live in after all.
The Field will be pretty much the same size - I’m 99% sure on that one. I think there will be serious obstacles to negotiate through, over, or around. Like others have already said, we haven’t had that since 2004.
Curve ball? 4-6" wheels may not be the way to go this year. Treads or larger wheels could be needed. If teams have to use larger wheels, treads, or stairclimbers, that maybe enough of a curve ball in itself.
Rather than climbing obstacles, I think we may have to duck them. Perhaps the GDC will honor the year 2010 with a giant X suspended 3’ over the field. Scoring goals will be > 6’ high, and robots are required to navigate under the X in order to reach the goals.
Curve ball - No Game Hint #2
Or, perhaps, Game Hint #2 that is “hidden” in some web location that we must go find…
(Come on Bill Miller, prove me wrong…)
Why does this sound like Iron Chef? Today’s secret ingredient is … bowling pins!
(I think bowling pins would be more fun than bowling balls.)
And extremely tricky too – those things weigh 3lbs, are slick with wierd shapes, and are fairly durable. They seem perfect for a FRC game…
There was a team in 2007 that competed in a competition match with no drivetrain. Their drive was broken, but they were a ramp bot, so they plunked it on the field and still scored points for their alliance. There’s a picture somewhere…
Except for the cost factor… I personally have a set I got from the bowling alley I played at. They don’t replace them often because they’re expensive.
I don’t know if you are meaning 1816. In the semis at WI during the second match, the transmission failed on their robot. For the third match, they put the robot out because the ramps still worked even if they couldn’t drive around. They didn’t win the match, but both of the other robots were lifted up at the end.
I can think of one ramp-bot that didn’t have a drivetrain at all that year. Can’t say they had much success, though.
Our team in 2006 was in the proccess of converting our treds to wheels and put the robot out on block for a match. Our auton worked, at least!
Okay, you got me, Karthik!
But didn’t 148 have a little help from some friends? 
What about 111 in 2003?
Candle pin? Similar but slightly less tricky
Now something completely different; Frisbees.
<please be Frisbees>
Curveballs (not necessarily all at once):
Playing surface: A non-Newtonian fluid, like a corn starch/water mixture.
Game piece: A refrigerator box 1/4-filled with sand.
Robot restrictions: Robot must be a stationary arm. ( keep suggesting this for our FLL team, but it has yet to be implemented.)