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Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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I think had FIRST announced the theme as part of the game at kickoff, this announcement would've been received better. It just feels like HQ is trying too hard to make it a "thing". I've seen ads on sites I visit for Stronghold, and if the first impression of FRC someone gets is a cartoon trailer and a medieval theme, they'll think it's just some ren fair re-enactment using robots or something. We have nerds under the tent. What we want are more engineers to want to mentor, and more of the other crowds of kids. As far as the standard is concerned, it'll be great to have another display of our brand, logo, and sponsors. I could care less about badges and streamers and that nonsense. Our standard will probably just be a professional display that reflects our team. It's a neat idea, and would've been even cooler if they just told us "you can have a team display above your driver station now, here are the specs:", instead of integrating it with the theme. |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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Also, I don't remember there being a lot of groans over teams who won the 4 banner awards at an event being able to cut down the nets in 2012. Why? Great game with a neat theme that wasn't forced. We're projecting the 2015 experience onto the 2016 theme. It's not entirely unfair, but it's a conclusion drawn from incomplete facts. |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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Brando |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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I know some students on our team will be pumped to spend a few hours on this. I don't see anything wrong with it, it's really no different than a game-themed team flag that gets posted before a match. Plus you get 2 months to spend an hour or two making it. Not that big of a deal. |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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However, there are many schools of thought on how to operate FRC to achieve this. FIRST thinks shotgunning rookie grants, diluting championships, and layering on frills is the answer. Some people think embracing nerdiness is the answer. I think those people live in a bubble. :/ |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
If we're spinning empty rhetoric, what evidence is there that "bubble" doesn't exist around those who feel that FRC isn't "cool" enough?
"Geeky" and "nerdy" are trendier than ever. Video games have become a part of mainstream culture. The upcoming Star Wars film directed by JJ Abrams is likely going to be the biggest blockbuster in movie history. Comic Con is now a huge mainstream event, and comic book movies top the box office charts. Star Trek and the X Files are returning to TV. Mediocre reviewed Hobbit films grossed over $3B worldwide. You see members of the audience at NFL games in what can only be described as cosplay. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a internet demigod. "I F***ing Love Science" is a massive social media presence. It's time to capture the zeitgeist of pop culture geekiness and convert it into honest-to-goodness appreciation for STEM. There are still plenty of "geeks" and "nerds" who appreciate the pop culture and video games, but don't know what goes into them. It's time to take the fans of science fiction and fantasy and make them fans of science. "Normal people" are far more open to the nerdy aspects of culture than you expect. Do I love "theme games?" No. I don't. But the ridiculous vitriol expressed towards every decision FIRST has without any consideration of the possibility is tiring. There's no reason to think that a theme game will be any worse than a "non-themed" game. We've done sports games and "non-themed" games for decades, I'm open to the possibility of trying something else. I'm open to the possibility that maybe Disney and FIRST HQ might know something about game design and public appeal that I don't. I'm fine that my personal vision of FIRST is not 100% congruent with FIRST HQ's. That doesn't mean I'm "in a bubble." Cut out the ridiculous vitriol. It's tiresome. Be productive. |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
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Everyone overreacts to this because they don't have a robot to build. If it were January there'd be a handful of posts on this thread. Build season can't come soon enough. |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
I think it's a decent idea. I don't think the standards have some huge negative or positive effect on the competition other than aesthetically matching the "theme" witch is good.
The theme itself doesn't strike me as invasive really. It's more like adding a paint job to a car than changing out engine components. To me it really doesn't feel much different than just naming a game. Like how Aerial Assist has "aerial" referencing launching balls and "assist" referencing the assist/passing system. 2015: "recycle" = cans/litter 2013: "assent" = climbing pyramid 2012: "rebound" = basket ball hoops/ball 2011: "logo" = FIRST logo parts 2016: "stronghold" = something about game play just as it usually has Thus I don't see how naming something and having a new cosmetic option for teams would detract from the game design. I'll bet any game could be framed to fit many different names and "themes" but ultimately the flow of the match, the difficulty level, and the spectators understanding are what will make it fun to watch or play. These things can be good or bad regardless of theme or name. And to the cynics saying FIRST might compromise the game for the theme, what if they made a good game and found a theme to fit it instead of the other way around? |
Re: FRC Blog - Something New - Team 'Standards'
I would like to see teams using retroreflective tape on the standards. This could theoretically enable teams to find known landmarks on the field for better autonomous.
Actually, it doesn't even need to be retroreflective really, just a color and shape you can identify at a distance. I'm seriously going to ask one of our students for a unique Zebracorn logo for this purpose. EDIT: As pointed out below, the retroreflective tape idea is a no-go. |
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Maybe Disney Imagineering is EXACTLY what we need to increase appeal. |
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