Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

I think he was replying to my message about what Frank said. Haha :)

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Keeping with the idea of three, could we see three differently shaped game pieces? Maybe tetras, track balls and rubber-maid containers.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Replying to my own post...I forgot to account for the 8" of wheels in those designs, so they are indeed 28"x38"

But, I suppose that begs the question that others have alluded to: What about the designs that are already out there for 28"x38". Sure, teams could be required to redesign, but there is an economy to FRC. What about the suppliers that have based designs on (and hence produced parts for) that footprint? Are they all just out of luck if the dimensions are changing?

Or, prehaps the dimensions aren't changing, but the kit bot is different. A 30" long dimension plus 8" of wheels is closer to the 38" we are used to. It just means that the kit bot frame doesn't "wrap" the wheels as it has in the past.

...As always with the hints, we are all merely speculating.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

...what?

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

I was merely suggesting that others may be reading too much into the dimension of the "kit bot" (AndyMark Drive Base Kit) that comes with the kit of parts. Just because the longest dimension part in that chassis is 30" does not mean that the maximum length of the robot is 30" or anything less than 38". Using that same c-channel frame, one can construct a robot with a 38" outer dimension using frame parts that are 30" long.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

This is all speculation. The only solid hints are the KOP sizings.

This is interesting though, if you think about it. None of the boxes seem to include the game piece, and from my experience, the veteran KOP is about half to 3/4 full. which means the game piece is either small, or inflatable (or not included with the kit).

That being said, we've had balls in the game for 4 out of the last 5 years. I have a feeling that this game piece is not going to be a traditional round ball. It may be some other ball though. Also, with all the "3" hinting, something is going to be radically different. It's about time too...

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

While that may be true, there are downsides of using multiple pieces of c-channel to span a distance. Two are rigidity and mounting space. If i'm not mistaken, AndyMark used to ship 4 pieces of 38" C-channel, and let teams cut it down. Why wouldn't they do the same if there wasn't some sort of change?

EDIT: AndyMark sells C-Channel in 35" lengths. That makes me think that they had to fabricate a part especially for this KOP, a special part.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Two problems I see with the protruding-wheel theory are:

1. I don't think the kitbot will have 8" wheels, meaning the max reasonable long dimension is ~35" (30" + ~2.5" each way from a 6" wheel)
2. Losing or moving the front and rear bars on the kitbot doesn't seem like an intelligent move to make, given that the kitbot is intended to be a plain base to work off of, and not specialized to a specific design.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Another question about the KoP... We've heard a lot about the Kinect being in the game this year... I do not see a mention of it being in the rookie KoP though. Can anyone confirm/deny?

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Hey, I may be wrong here. I agree that there are complications with protruding wheels. But, AndyMark does in fact make a general chassis (albeit pricier and more complicated than the "kit bot") using their NanoTube products that have protruding wheels. And those can be built off of to make a specialized chassis.

To me, it just seemed like there was no dissent to the idea that the allowed dimensions of the robot were changing. I wanted to present an argument that given all of the evidence we have, the assumptions being made here may not in fact bear out. ...Or they may bear out and we may be playing with smaller robots. We'll see on January 5.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

I think AndyMark breaking from the traditional KOP Kitbot is enough change to warrant us talking of it as a hit. I may be completely mistaken though...

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Example ('scuse the paint):


I wouldn't trust that on my robot, bent wheels/axles due to impact don't seem like fun.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Quick question, how does the bumper cover the extended wheel, and how do you prevent someone from ramming whatever bumper you have over those wheels into the wheels? seems like more of an issue than anything...

Edit: did't see the last line. But still, the question stands.

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

That's what I thought. I don't think the KoP bot is going to that. The idea of the KitBot is something that rookies can easily compete with and I'd hate to imagine what would happen to that design the minute it gets t-boned.

Back to the game hint:
Any other revelations about what the string of numbers means?

Re: 2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!
 

Perhaps we will all get a new one in case any were broken/lost.