Team Update - 4/16/13
 

Taken from the FRC Manual, 4/16/13: http://frc-manual.usfirst.org/Updates/0#term 107

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

I am skeptical that the new practice field policy (running back to back 2:15 minute matches with FMS) is an improvement. It turns a 15 minute practice slot into 4:30 of running time. It also implies (unfortunately) that inevitable FMS related delays will now be present on the practice field as well.

If you want to tune autonomous, you get two shots and you're out.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

From the practice field policy document:

Tuning autonomous would be a good use of one of the practice field goals.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

I foresee the "Four regional practice field goal setups" being way more crowded than the actual practice field for the reasons that Jared mentioned.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

Not if your autonomous moves your robot any distance. I doubt they will let teams drive their robot autonomously in an ad-hoc area with a bunch of goals.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

I believe they're referring to the 1/3 field setups that were available at many regionals (Pine Trees, and CTR at the least), in which case it'd be as useful as a practice field is at any of those regionals, with the addition of two full practice fields for mock matches.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

I have to say, using FMS and basically putting the practice field on a match schedule seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

It takes a small army's worth of people to get teams out to their official matches on the dome floor, on the field and playing. I can only imagine what it will be like in a less "official" environment.


I fear that if the practice field begins falling behind for one reason or another, the first thing to go will be your 2nd practice match. I also fear that if a team forgets to say close a pneumatic valve or plug in a wire, being in a 'match' setting will not allow these types of issues to be corrected on the spot. A mistake like this could mean waiting in the filler line for an hour could be a total waste of time...

-Brando

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

It doesn't say anything about a pyramid in these areas, only goals. Without a pyramid plopped down the proper distance away from the goals and discs placed in the right spots underneath and at midfield, it's going to be hard to test what our team needs to test.

Still, just having goals will certainly be useful to a large number of teams.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

Do we know if these tethered fields will be open Wednesday, or does the Hours of Operation section apply to both types?


I wish FIRST would offer some kind of rationalization (or warning/response period) when they make changes like this. Running matches is not what most teams I know look for on the practice field. If there's no pyramid on the tethered fields, we'll be lucky if we can climb at all.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

Now I'm really hoping we don't have any problems with our climber because right now it doesn't look like we have an area to test in and view it up close to diagnose problems.

Why does FIRST do this?

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

I suspect that the practice field setup will end up being a net plus for teams testing autonomous pickup/defense modes. I also suspect that team members will be pressed into service to reset the practice field whilst their team is out there.

Brandon - spend that hour in line making sure that your pneumatics are closed and charged. The match cycles on the competition field are going to be tight, you start a match with an open pneumatic valve and it will be a greater loss than a practice field match.

Wetzel

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

Practice fields will not be open Wednesday Evening.

The Rest of the Schedule is as follows:

Thursday 7:30AM to 8PM

Friday 7:30AM to 6:30PM (Closed for Opening Ceremonies, 8:15-9am)

Saturday 7:30AM to 10:30AM...

Not sure what the 10:30AM Close time on Saturday Morning is all about, I hope that it has something to do with them being reserved for Elimination Alliances or something like that.

Relevant Document: http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default...ice_Fields.pdf

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

Suggest watching Q625, though I'm not expecting an answer.

I also asked Q626 (if everyone agrees, can we practice individually for 15 minutes), but I think we know the answer there. Actually, I don't even know how hard it is to switch the FMS between these two options.


Dustin,
Yes, that's what I'm referencing, but I don't see anything on there that indicates those hours of operation apply to the tethered "regional practice field goal setups". As written, it seems they only apply to what FIRST has capitalized as "Practice Fields", which are the full-size, wireless practice match fields. I'll work under the assumption they're the same hours to be safe, but it'd be nice to know for planning Wednesday.

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

If it's like last year, there won't be enough time for all elimination round alliances to get practice time after alliance selections are over.

Y'all have fun with that! :)

Re: Team Update - 4/16/13
 

The way I interpreted the document is that the Goal Setups (we should call this shooting galleries or firing ranges or some other more interesting name) operate the same hours as the other practice fields - though it would make sense for them to be open instead of the full fields on Wednesday night since they - in theory - only need one volunteer to operate.

Now that I think about it, if there isn't somewhere 'safe' to shoot discs on Wednesday night things could get interesting...

We were lucky enough to be able to get onto the practice field last year without too much hassle. Then again, our pit was 25' or so from the field so that helped...