Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

SPARKY Team 384 would like to thank team 836 the RoboBees and 5957 CAT 5 CyberCanes for joining our alliance. We would also like to thank the finalist for a hard fought finals: 339 Kilroy, 346 RoboHawks & 1389 The Body Electric. Special thank to the teams from Maryland making the long haul to Newport News. This event would not happen without the tireless efforts of 2363 Triple Helix, 1610 B.O.T. and FIRST Chesapeake. Nate, Matt, Todd, Richard, Kyle and all the other volunteers, referees, FTA and field crew - THANK YOU!!!
Can't wait till next year to play STEAMWORKS!

Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

The Hill's first victim.

Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

What about the Trap's losing battle?

Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

The trap presented another challenge I hadn't thought about going into the event. It looked deceptively like the hill from the driver station. So if you forgot that it was the trap and not the hill you found yourself running into a vertical wall instead.

In this case the poor pin just didn't stand a chance.

Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

I want to thank our gracious hosts for an amazing event! It was well planned and well executed! I look forward to attending again in the years to come!

A shout out to the judges, refs, and every volunteer! Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

To our new friends, SPARKY and the CyberCanes - what a blast it was to play you both! I rarely get the opportunity to be behind the glass, but this was a special treat to do so this time! I look forward to working with you both in a future district event!

A special shout out to my good friend Chuck Trautwein from 1629 - watching you interact with the kids who attended, sharing your passion, demonstrates what FIRST is really about. Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us!

Steve

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bw...HU0b0F0UUZFMVk

Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

Re: 2016 Rumble in the Roads
 

Cudos to Matt for implementing the new defenses.

The Trap: Envisioned as a defense cross-able into the courtyard, but not back out. The ramp has the same geometry as the CDF, but doesn't tilt, allowing for some wicked airtime. We didn't anticipate that it would look visually similar to the Hill, making it even more effective as a trap.

The Hill: We observed that the way most bots handled some of the defenses was to hit them going as fast as possible, powering over them. We wanted to make it harder for the drivers. The premise behind the hill was to force the drivers to cross it with more finesse. If you hit it too fast, it will flip your bot. If you cross it too slow, your bot gets stuck.

Half the fun of the competition was watching those two defenses claim victims.