FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Posted on the FRC Blog, 12-18-2013 15:37: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...hoice-Progress

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Hat trick = Hockey game.

Three's keep coming back into play in every message though...

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

I can't tell if they are purposely trolling us with all the random sports references now or not.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Blog was posted a minute too soon...

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Obviously a game hint: This year's game has something to do with sports. (makes the difference between precision and accuracy somewhat clearer, eh?)

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Guess I will go there, Hockey is played on Ice and ice is made of water.

Water game.

First and last time I ever go there, I promise.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Return of regolith?

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

No. Please no. If there was something worse than the MiniBots, that was it.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Floor hockey maybe? So it's not a slippery surface, but still hockey

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Now let's talk about what the blog was actually trying to say.


I assume FIRST Choice will open the second or the third of January. It also looks like we'll see a total restructuring/reformatting of how FIRST Choice is done, which is kinda disappointing, but FIRST and AM know it needs to be done.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

I don't expect a change in the visible process of FIRST Choice. I expect they're working on correcting the underlying issues with the infrastructure.

/cue obligatory ACA website reference.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

I call game hint.

Hockey is the emulation this season.
A goalie to block scoring, 2 v. 2 offense and defense.
Pucks (see 1999)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Trouble_(FIRST)

Although the pucks will be much smaller. They may be Roomba's!

Penalty boxes (too difficult) and power plays would be interesting.

Regolith may or may not happen. It wasn't such a bad thing and fit the theme of lower friction on the Moon. I hope not, but we have a bunch of leftover wheels from that game.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

I like the idea of power plays... Instead of an auto period at the start, each robot could randomly be dropped into auto, with limited control ala Overdrive. 2:15 matches, each robot gets dropped in for a different 15 second auto period, with 5 seconds between each auto period and the last 5 seconds for end game.

I hope I'm not giving the GDC diabolical game ideas now!

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

I think something of a similar nature would be very interesting to game strategy, where each robot on the alliance takes turns going through a 40 second 'power play' during teleop where their scoring is boosted a la autonomous mode the past two years. It would require fluid and dynamic match strategies to work with the teams focusing on letting the power play robot score, or focusing their defense on a specific robot on the opposing alliance.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Hat trick, three strikes. They are clearly saying there will be 3 robot on each alliance!!!

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Back to the topic of this thread....

Thank you FIRST for keeping us in the loop and I am glad to hear the progress being made to produce a better system for everyone!

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Who designed the FIRST Choice site? Was it the same outfit that designed Healthcare.gov? :deadhorse:

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Ouch?

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

One thing that I wish FIRST Choice would do is to open the 3D printing lottery now so that those teams will not be waiting to get their printers after kickoff. I don't think it's fair that our team has one now and we are able to design and print parts currently to learn how to use the printer when there an award that is now available for it. I would suggest that FIRST and AndyMark allow the teams that wanted to participate in the lottery to have their main lead mentor send an email with a priority list of their printer choice to the FIRST Choice email. This way would also provide FIRST Choice with less traffic when they fully open up *hopefully on the 28 as well as give those teams a chance to "mess around" with the new technology.

I would also like to thank the hard work and straight forwardness that the FIRST KOP staff as well as the AndyMark staff has been with the FIRST Community involving FIRST Choice. I hope that you all know that the service that you are providing is VERY helpful for many teams. Again Thanks.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Really?

I don't really think theres anything anyone can do about it. Its not so much unfair, maybe an advantage, but the lottery costs credits and we're not getting credits until FC opens up.

This really, REALLY, has not been said enough lately. I double this.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

Not to long ago, there was group of mentors who spearheaded a transparency compaign for FIRST. Over the last couple years, I believe we've seen the fruits of some of that labor. That includes honest admissions when problems arise, and insightful reports like the einstein report where FIRST was not afraid to identify what they had done wrong and right.

This is exactly how they should continue to operate going forward. It's a phenomal improvement. It's also an example of a company that's stated undeniably "We are not afraid of being wrong." It's a lesson a whole lot of engineers could learn.

Thank you to that group of mentors for creating such a huge culture shift in FIRST, and thank you to Frank and the rest of the folks at FIRST for doing it right.

Re: FRC Blogged - FIRST Choice: Progress
 

This was actually what I thought of upon reading some of the comments in this thread. For those curious, here's a link to the original thread with the letter sent to FIRST