Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

But I want offensive contacts! I felt this year was like FLL... Doing the same task again and again... The other years you could at least have fun bumping the other robots :)

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I have a feeling that if we do have a climbing/lifting end game next year we may see a lot more PTOs.
Then again I am no Car Nack. :rolleyes:

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Two words: Tethered drones. Could have used them in Recycle Rush to place litter in the containers. Don't be surprised if the 2016 game contains more vertical elements in the game with, potentially, the opportunity for the drive team to use their skills flying drones.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Those cost a lot and break pretty easily... You sure it could happen?

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

2826 tried something like this in their pre champs release video.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Personally i think that they will reuse the pool noodles but at a later date

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

[quote=RomeroFRC5012;1492807]Personally i think that they will reuse the pool noodles but at a later date[/QUOTE

Easy prediction: noodles will be reused next year...Bumpers!

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I hope so! No bumpers = no contact = :(

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

There are so many ways I could respond...But I think I'll go with geezer mode.

[geezer] Back in my day, bumpers were these things that were totally useless! They took weight away from other components, and nobody else had them either! We had full-speed, metal-on-metal contact that could be heard from the top of the stands, and we liked it! I don't know what this generation is coming to, they think bumpers are required! Well they oughtta build stronger 'bots is all! Nothin' wrong with a robot using welded 1/8" tubing in the drivetrain and not a bumper in sight![/geezer]


Bear in mind that bumpers were OPTIONAL my last two years as a student ('06 and '07). Before that, you built to take whatever hit you. (Or developed OTHER means of defense--though I do recall hearing something about weight-transferring bumpers from Las Guerrillas back around the '05 timeframe when a lot of teams ran wedges on their robots).

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I meant that if bumpers are not required, it's because there will be no contacts... I want contacts and I would prefer metal to metal hits... It's sad that we can't even ram from too far anymore... :(

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I don't think so. I suspect that there will be a thorough retooling of the bumper rules, and that the required bumpers (or at least the amount of required bumpers) will be looked at very carefully...


...Because bumper construction is one of the best indicators of quality out there! And there are a lot of teams out there who can barely make a bumper that is legal as it is, let alone a solidly-constructed, high-quality bumper. OTOH, the teams that take the time to make the bumpers right generally have high-quality robots as well.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

That is a good point however I believe that the bumpers allow for more competitive games though such as arial assist which would not have been as fun without bumpers due to the fact that penalties would be easier to receive and robots would be extremely worn by the end of the competition. However in games like recycle rush or other minimal contact games bumpers should be optional.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Imagine if Recycle Rush was on rails, and robots could switch the railroad of the opposing alliance.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

My predictions:

• Triangular game piece
• Endgame involving lifting
• Vision targets or IR beacons which go unused
• Option for coopertition points with opposing team
• Rubber ducks glued to every single driver station
• Bumpers
• A football carried by the MC at every event
• Emphasis on programmed robot-to-robot comm OR field positioning system
• No water or footballs in the actual game

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

If they were going to reuse a game piece I think that inner tubes would be a strong possibility as vertical stacking would be a very different game. If they wanted to fix and improve an old game I think that the 2009 concept of robots carrying or being targets could be done better. Have a 3 foot deep basket attached on top of robots with a smaller game piece like tennis balls. Improving old games is pretty much what they did with recycle rush as it is very close to 2004.

As far as new game pieces go footballs are the next logical choice for a complex sports based challenge that would still be easy enough for rookies.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

You don't say :yikes:

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

If you want to shoot things and have an interesting target, have bowling pins (plastic, of course) set up on the field. Shoot tennis balls at them. Robots cannot pass midfield. Scoring is done at the end of the game by how many pins left standing. Defense can either block balls or reset pins knocked over. Simple rules. Speed of ball and vertical angle must be limited but other than that, almost anything would go. ;)

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Vertical angle could be solved with a wall/ceiling preventing balls at unwanted trajectories.

How would you catch a robot shooting a ball too fast? Refs wielding radar guns? If they did some sort of inspection in the pits, I think people would intentionally force their shooter wheel to spin slower (Software limiting) that they would only engage for the inspection.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

The easiest way would be to mandate a maximum distance between launch and the ball hitting the floor, and a maximum distance traveled between bounces. You can't realistically measure it exactly, but it's something you can have a ref watch for.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

They've already had a launch velocity limiting rule before, in 2006.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Alright. It could be done.

Also, felt I should link to the 2015-2016 FTC game animation released today, as it could be relevant in the whole "it seems a lot harder than previous years [of FTC]"

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Whatever it is, I doubt the field will be separated again. First got hell for not having defense, almost everyone agrees this was one of the not good games.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I am nearly 100% sure the step was added relatively last-minute because there was incessant moaning, groaning, whining and complaining about too much defense in 2014. I think the GDC said "Fine. Let's see how you like NO defense".

Recycle Rush makes lots of sense if you remove the step. Just replace it with another field-spanning line if totes (or fill in the landfill completely). Remove the noodles, make the stack scoring platforms on the far side of the field where you score, make the zone closes to the driver station, as well as the scoring platforms "safe" zones. Would have been a really cool game, though probably far more difficult.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

You'd certainly have to change a lot of other rules as well. A 27-foot wide bulldozer 'bot could probably push the entire landfill into the other field, causing the sort of litter that would make you beg for noodles. The best defense is another 27 foot bulldozer (or at least brace), and then you have the step all over again, this time with an inaccessible landfill.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Exactly what I was about to say, there would just be roller skates ramming into the pile as fast as possible. And it would get annoying, ur carrying a six stack with can and noodle, suddenly some one slams u, and it goes down... all over. Lets just not do anything with stacking again.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Easily corrected.

Create a safe zone near the alliance wall and have scoring there (Note: this would block line of sight) and have any knocked down stack (knocked down by the opponents) count and can be rebuilt for more points.

You'd see teams moving bins on the field, but only stacking in the safe zones (which would get crowded fast).

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Ya, the safe zone will save the stacked ones, but bots that stack from the landfill will be unprotected on the way back to the scoring zone.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

This was addressed in the 2006 game. Radar guns at inspection and (as I recall) randomly. I was not aware of any shenanigans. But, I don't think the ball speed would affect knocking down plastic bowling pins very much.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Well, not quite radar, but close enough.

The inspection gadget was a "box", open at both ends and about 2 feet long as I recall. Each end had a beam-break sensor. You got one shot through the box (usually some "lucky" team member would hold a deflector plate to bounce the test ball away from everybody else's pit).

For those of you who are interested: Calculate the time for a foam basketball to travel 2' when fired at 12m/s. Pretty simple solution to a pretty easy problem, right? Now add in bouncing off the sides on a bad hold...

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I think it would be cool to do like what FTC did this year recycling the past 2 game pieces into a whole new game... What could you do with frisbees and yoga balls? :D

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Raise the Bar: Because it isn't high enough already!


I'd come up with some way to recycle the 2004 game, using frisbees and large balls. Don't ask me what yet, but given time I'm sure I could come up with something.

To any GDC members reading this: Please forget you ever saw this post.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

The mass imbalance is greater than between pool noodles and RCs/totes. Yoga balls could deflect frisbees, but frisbees would be ineffective against yoga balls. Perhaps there's a balanced game somewhere in which the yoga balls are used for defense most of the game, but scored somewhere else for an endgame bonus that doesn't occur to me right now.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

How about we do 3 games? Shoot basketballs into the top of pyramids, then for the endgame you can climb the pyramid and place a yoga-ball on top.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

YES!!!!!!!! :D

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Has else anyone seen the new Frank Answers Friday (http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...Pool-Noodles)? Maybe… maybe you need the noodles on your bumper… to help your robot float… in water… WATER GAME 2016 CONFIRMED! :ahh:

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

It has been 7 years since we have had a mobile goal...

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

My initial thought was "no, we just had one with Lunacy." Now I feel old.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Heh. It only took them 5 years between mobile goal games last time.

Now I feel really old...

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I've put the time to good use: Finished a Bachelor's (MSOE, Software Engineering, class of '14), got a decent job after graduation, and all the while volunteered at my local competition!

We must remember that they already had the 2016 game figured out before we played recycle rush

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I read in another post (let me find out what it is :) ) that they changed the game for this year to produce better marketing footage... Since the 2015 game was not that exciting to watch, they maybe changed the 2016 game to something cool for the audience...

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

So First just posted this on there Facebook's page: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...umans-science/

Is that an Hint ? Hype train continue!!!!


Archeology Rush 2016 ??????

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Giants are a football team playing in the NFL... it's the 50th Super Bowl and First's 25th this year

2016 Football game confirmed

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

The recent game focused on a current issue, so maybe they'll do that again. Or they will go back to sports-theme (basketball, frisbee, track in Overdrive, soccer, etc.)

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I'd prefer sports I think... :)

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Sorry, I think you emphasized the wrong word. Mammoth obviously refers to Mammoth Mountain (ski resort) and/or Mammoth Lakes (town hosting said ski resort). What do we ski on? Water, frozen into snow. (The "Lakes" part should be pretty obvious where I'm going.) Therefore...

...2016 water game confirmed. Though I could be wrong, it might be 2017 or 2018.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I would like to see a football or dodge ball game with footballs or tennis balls.
You score points for hitting targets on other robots and by passing balls to your alliance member bots. Robots could be programmed to dodge or catch balls.

Build Mentor Dave

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Tennis balls would be awesome... I would love to shoot at other people :)

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Sorry, but YOU emphasized the wrong mammoth. They are still referring to the animal. The mammoth had tusks made of ivory. Piano keys are ivory. Therefore...

Piano game confirmed! :ahh: I'll be quiet now

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

Has any one though of the possibility that this game has something to do with tents? I mean (from FRC blog):

I was thinking there might be a scenario where the drive team won't be able to see the bot while doing something.

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

I've been living in a "big tent" (Episcopal Church) so long, I didn't think of this literally. I suspect that "big tent" is actually a near-homonym for "big tint", so it obviously involves Elton John and his sunglasses.

The reference to "reaching outside the tent" is obviously an inverted reference to "letting something inside the tent", in this case the camel's nose, or perhaps the whole camel.

Camels and modern machines meet most commonly at the waterfront, where camels interpose between ships and piers, serving as bumpers.

And we've already been told that pool noodles will be used as bumpers this year! That's two linkages of water and bumpers without working up a sweat.

Elton didn't write much about literal sailors; the closest I can come up with is Rocket Man. The only "bumpers" he mentions are that "It's going to be a long, long time, before touchdown brings me 'round again..".

So clearly, we are going to have much, much longer than 2:30 per match this year, meaning that we will only have one or a very few matches at each event. To misquote the most interesting man in the world, "Make the most of each match, my friends".

Re: Possibility for 2016 Game
 

2016 Aerial Aqua... Levitating above water