Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

My prediction is that, in practice, the audience selection will be as good as random. Of course, teams will still put lots of effort into figuring out which defense they ought to cheer for. Which is actually kind of neat, in that team members in the stands will feel like cheering is strategically important.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

First thought when I heard that we had an audience selected element was
"Great now we need to scout the audience too."
What I remember happening is I saw the field, and then I started hearing rules and at a certain point I went "Nah too many rules I'll just wait until I have a paper copy."
Even after getting the paper copy I said "nope waiting for Q+A"

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

G39: ROBOTS are prohibited from launching BOULDERS unless they are in contact with the opponent’s TOWER or carpet in the opponent’s COURTYARD, and not in contact with any other carpet.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

I was thinking more of a pole with springs at the bottom, when you go under the bar, it would flatten against your robot, but afterwards, it would come back up.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

There is a thread on this, no good answers yet though http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=141201

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

Nope, that would be against the rules. They state that you must meet the conditions of being in contact with the boulder through a defense as you move the boulder through. You cannot shoot over the defense.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

Is this also valid for autonomous? Because that would make a 2-ball pretty impossible. (can't wait to see a team prove me wrong) :yikes:

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

If a rule is stated in the game manual without mention of time period limitations, then the rule is active for the duration of the match, including autonomous. The only way to possibly make a 2 ball auto would be to take your preloaded ball through the Outer Works, score it, go back to the neutral zone, pick up a ball (without going over the center line), go back through the Outer Works again and score it.

Difficult? Yes.
Impossible? No.
Worth it? Maybe only at the highest levels of play.
Will teams do it? I wouldn't be surprised.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a team have their alliance partner drop a ball in the courtyard during autonomous which the first team could pickup and score. Obviously, the circumstances would have to be perfect, but stranger things have happened, especially during eliminations.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

Good news on that front, if you take a look at the field drawings you'll see that the defenses are all on casters that slot into holes in the defense platforms. The arrangement of the casters will prevent any of the defenses from being installed backwards.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

As for the cheering to determine the defense, I bet that most refs will select something that hasn't been used much if there is no noticeable difference in the cheering volume. Let's be honest, for the most part the cheering will be equally loud (or quiet) and the ref will just pick one.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

FIRST needs to come up with a cool name for the elite field setup crew who will be responsible for setting up the defenses.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

Thank you based kamen

Anyway, the more I think about this game, the more I like it. The audience thing is silly, and the theme feels rather forced, but the concept behind the defenses is clever. Scouting this season doesn't just impact picks and strategies; it has an impact on the way the entire game is played, as opposed to how individual matches are played. The fact that the tower is adaptable to the highest levels of play is really nice, as this is a dynamic that has been missing from most FRC games. I like the way the defenses are organized, as they force you to have a challenge, while still providing a couple easier methods to cross. The options in each group (except D, kind of) feel meaningful, and the differences between them actually impact the gameplay. On top of that, there are a lot of viable ways to play this game, and I expect to see many types of alliances put up ridiculous scores this season, unlike years past where one playstyle was dominant above all others. Every match will be unique, and that in itself is exciting.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

Points are always good, at every level of play. Unless you're damaging your robot consistently while attempting 2-ball autos, it seems worth it to me. I think there will be plenty of early season matches where 30 points would be the winning score.

I won't be surprised either.

Re: FIRST STRONGHOLD Discussion
 

That's not a terribly likely scenario. The audience selection rules note that a selection is for an entire ROUND of matches, not a single match. So one audience selection is going to be good for 10-ish matches. And in your scenario, it will affect Team A and B, since the choice for the last round will be in effect for both their last matches.Alternate game plan: Start in the COURTYARD as SPY BOT. You'll have a straight shot at the goal, then you just have to get out, grab a boulder, and get back in for the second shot.Ed, I'm pretty sure castle designers/builders were called engineers. But maybe it's more glamorous if you say it with a Ye-Olde-English accent?