Field Stripping Competition

[Schuyler]

I've got the goods for it, if you all still have the space/patience for it. Anyone officially or unofficially give me the green light & I'll dig through the collection & make a plan for this year.

Also, while I am loathe to not participate, if speed picking needs any help, let me know.

[big chopper]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

I've got the goods for it, if you all still have the space/patience for it. Anyone officially or unofficially give me the green light & I'll dig through the collection & make a plan for this year.

Also, while I am loathe to not participate, if speed picking needs any help, let me know.

You should explain what "Field Stripping" is before you get strange responses.
--bc,

[valanx]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

Basically take a lock apart and put it back together so it still works, unless you do it like I did which somehow offended the organizer, who is a douche anyway. =D

There are a few rounds to the competition, but I don't know if Schuyler is going to keep the same format. Those rules are posted I think in last year's forums.

[big chopper]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

Basically take a lock apart and put it back together so it still works,.....

Locks? Well there you go!
I thought Field Stripping was taking guns apart and putting them back together.
--bc,

[Schuyler]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

Locks? Well there you go!
I thought Field Stripping was taking guns apart and putting them back together.
--bc,

Exact same idea, just with locks.

And much like taking a gun apart and putting it back together, you don't want to end up with extra parts at the end hastily swept onto the floor...otherwise you might end up thinking the contest organizer is a douche when he disqualifies you :P

[valanx]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

Your rules "Put it together to that the lock works when I put in the key"

Did the lock work? Bet your ass it did. All one pin of it.
Not my fault your rules did not clarify having the entire lock functioning. I think the MIT guys bribed you.

[Schuyler]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

heh, I'll be very explicit this year

[TheCotMan]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

[PSA by thecotman]
It has been common in contests to reward the first successful attempt at meeting the explicit requirement of the rules for a contest while cutting corners. In this way, contests are "hacked" socially as much as they are through technical skill.

Sometimes the hole is left for other players to abuse, and sometimes the game rules are changed to allow the first abuser the advantage but everyone else no such advantage.

This doesn't mean the person t hat exploited the contest rules should always win, but it is really nice to reward those that defeated your rules with something, even if it is mentioning their attempt with respect and praise.

The scavenger hunt is probably the most active with the application of the above, as they have historically offer partial points for "kind-of" meeting the requirements of an item/action for point score, but Lost @ Con Mystery Challenge has also done this, as people find many ways to defeat the same challenge before proceeding to the next step.

It took me a few Defcon conventions to learn that some rules were intentionally made weak so people would exploit them, and find an advantage over other people that didn't even try.[/psa]

Enjoy!

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

i go through that with Gringo Warrior, often in the two "bonus" categories of disabling the guard and making oneself inconspicuous. i've always wondered how to make things fair... when one player comes up with some righteously new trick (say, "locking" the guard back in the cell by throwing him there, then re-picking that door lock back into the "shut" direction) all the ones who came before wish that they thought of it, and everyone who comes after can use said trick for "free" if you wish, without having to think it up on their own.

[valanx]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

My comments have been heavily laden in sarcasm, just so you know. We joked a fair amount about the one pin lock. I don't want people thinking there is some sort of argument going on here.

For gringo, you could give bonus for innovation on first time uses of an idea and then give a lower bonus for subsequent uses by others. Still, the guy with the binder clips at Shmoocon has my vote for coolest ever. That pretty much embodied the spirit of the game to me.

I've had things I've done pulled apart in ways I hadn't expected as well. That is kind of the challenge in making a challenge. It has to be breakable but not too easy. You never know who is going to show up, so it is hard to get that balance. That's why I like the three levels of difficulty in Gringo. If only you could incorporate the mannequins more often to give a real prison experience...

[Schuyler]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

Fully agreed on hacking contests! This is more a running gag between friends, though. I mean, don't get me wrong, I considered my contest hacked at that point. ...Did you even have a spring in the lock? I can't remember, now...lot of metal swept to the floor.

What would you guys think about a team lockpicking event? I've been kicking some ideas around for a while. Think we could get anyone to actually participate? I know that we don't have much of a critical mass when it comes to participants in the actual competitions, figure the prospect of getting a team together might be daunting.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

What would you guys think about a team lockpicking event?

could be pretty cool... i know i have at least one idea there. maybe something will unofficially take place in the village in terms of team games.

you folk know how we do things... you keep an eye on the big board and watch the contest area for whatever happens. there's never a shortage of cool gear as prizes, and free drinks for all players is the norm.

[Schuyler]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

TOOOL Vs. LI Vs. FOOLs ?

Could be epic.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

TOOOL Vs. LI Vs. FOOLs ? Could be epic.

now that would be fucking great. like the a Fraternity vs. Fraternity kegger challenge.

basically... i would submit the following for conditions of the contest:

* people (either the public or members of teams) are allowed to submit locks, as long as they come in three identical models. in fact, ideally it should be FOUR identical locks... keyed alike, etc.

* a total of TEN locks are chosen from all the submissions... these are categorized and marked

* one of each of the ten locks is placed into a large grab bag. there is a grab bag for each team, and possibly one more grab bag for either an ad-hoc team or for just "public challengers"

* teams each sit around a table, with plenty of observers

* at the sound of a starting whistle, the bags are opened and teams can go at it... with anyone attempting to open any locks they can. anyone who gets a lock open announces it and holds it up. the lock that was opened is verified and logged on a score sheet

there are SO MANY amazing ways that this could rock. i would submit the following additional rules, etc...

* all tools and implements to be used by any team must be present on the table before things kick off. if one team has tools that are unbelievably more awesome than anyone else's (different in functionality but not in fabrication) then these tools could be either voted off or other teams could share them or find some from other sources.... for example, if one team has an elecrto-pick and the other two teams don't, it either must not be used or the other two teams can ask around to see if anyone has one. or the other two teams could waive their use of one, etc.

* locks should fall into three categories... easy, medium, and hard.

there should be two easy locks - maybe one combo dial lock (that you can either pop open or get the combination) and one super shitty TSA-compliant lock

there should be six medium locks - hardware store variety, typical of what is out there in the real world in some way or another

there should be two hard locks - the kind that people are like "oh, shit, why'd you even bring that??" which most teams will likely not get open. if they do manage to get them open, that may be the clincher.

* an overall time limit of maybe a half hour should be imposed... this is not a game about cracking medeco locks (except for maybe the couple "hard" ones) and all sort of wicked shit, but about frantically trying to open the types of locks we encounter most often in day-to-day situations.

* filming should definitely be allowed

what sort of wicked name can we come up with for this contest??!?! (if we come up with a name, it should become a new thread... i want to see this happen!)

[Schuyler]

Re: Field Stripping Competition

now that would be fucking great. like the a Fraternity vs. Fraternity kegger challenge.

basically... i would submit the following for conditions of the contest:

...

Love the above. My concept was a relay concept, but the above sounds like a cluster...pick, which would be exciting as hell. Especially if reps from all 3 are at a big ol' table together. I'd say go ahead and completely rule out non-hand tools. We're lockpickers, after all.

We could have this as the closeout of the village. "You've learned from them all week, now see who you should have been paying attention to!"