Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

I'll throw in my two cents :)

It would seem logical that there would be some sort of coal to collect and a furnace to deposit.

Also logical would be a physical element that represented water, and one that represented steam.

Turning gears and pipes should be included and a airship/blimp/dirigible would not be too much of a surprise.

So here is a concept that also incorporates Archimedes 3 shapes that the FIRST Logo is based on.

Game pieces
"Red hot" coal =red cones
Steam particles = white spheres like whiffle balls
Water particles = blue cylinders.

Teams would have to collect and then figure out how to sort the objects...which would be rather difficult since they all have at some level a circle with the same radius.

Coal/red cones go in your alliance furnace,
Steam/white spheres go in your alliance boiler
Cold water/blue cylinder goes in the other alliance's boiler to "cool them down"

End game is a dirigible that has to turn a gear or reach a goal.

There are dirigibles for sale on Amazon that can pair with a cell phone. It doesn't seem to unrealistic to think that you could pair them with your robot.

Dirigibles are way way easier to fly and control than drones.

The motors, battery and pairing connector would come in the KOP to level the playing field. Teams would choose the inflated lifting device.

Dirigibles would be stationed on the field and only come into play at the endgame.

Coach of Team 3023

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

My speculation (without reading previous comments): there will be a game object called coal, which teams will need to move around and place in some area called the boiler. Another game object will be a cogwheel / cogwheels system which the robots will need to rotate.

Also, the game will use water covered in denim in space.

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Maybe VALVE is going to be apart of this game and we have to navigate the old 2003 Steam browser.

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Possibilities for Coal

1. Bean Bags
2. Hockey Pucks
3. Hacky Sacks
4. Racket Balls
5. Tennis Balls
6. Softballs
7. Wiffle Balls
8. Golf Balls

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

RIP vacuum cleaner....

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Feeling more like these objects are less likely (with the most likely of these being the hackey sack) because FIRST has shown an interest in making all objects that teams are possibly allowed to shoot or throw as soft as possible (in case of a malfunction where the object is shot over the walls, possibly risking injury to a human). Another likely option would be small, about 1" diameter dense foam balls that are easily compressable.

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Huh, maybe using Watson we can then predict the entire game! :p

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Except for Ultimate Ascent. Those Frisbees could do some damage.

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Yea, that is true. After Stronghold's soft projectiles though, FIRST is probably not going to lower their safety standards by allowing robots to shoot hard projectiles. I could possibly see the tennis ball, golf balls are a 100% no (although golf ball sized foam projectiles are possible).

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

First off, I am pretty stoked for this... Second... I do hope that this isn't as insanely complicated as Stronghold. I wonder what the theory-crafters on the team will have to say. I'm thinking the robot will need to have at least one item made out of copper.

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

I'll think you'll find that every single robot in FIRST history, no wait every single robot in history has had items made out of copper...

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Before 2006, no one thought FIRST would let us shoot anything at high speeds. After 2006 no one thought we would shoot a hard object like a frisbee. It's easy enough to put in rules that don't allow objects to be ejected from robots at high speeds, the game could be built to have teams picking up and dumping objects. The VEX Game Sack Attack comes to mind. They used bean bags and teams weren't throwing them very much at all because it wasn't useful for game play. Saying 100% no to anything when it comes to game design (other than water game) is normally a bad idea, things are unlikely but we've seen unlikely plenty of times (2015, 2009, ....).

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Here's what we have so far:
Steampunk Theme
Aircraft in the teaser and DLC
Game is called STEAMworks and there is a paintbrush, a hat, and an airship in the logo
Vex game has a fence, "stars", and cubes
Unusual game object likely
FTC Velocity Vortex has a rack-like object, whiffle balls, and small versions of exercise balls. There are also ramps in the corners.
AndyMark now has new USB adapters, "Tunnel Tape", Peanut Extrusion, 10" mecanum wheels, and a Peanut Chassis with two omni wheels.
The conveyor end is mysteriously scattered around the high-res STEAMworks wallpaper. It looks suspiciously like the Vex Starstruck fence.

I think there will be cubes, possibly as coal. At lest one tunnel and/or some other tight space seems likely. The field will probably be mostly open with few obstacles. There may be a fence or ladder like structure that game pieces could be placed on(minibot ladder climbing?) Maybe some mobile/rotating structure. What if the field elements themselves are robotic?

As for the pizza/wings/fried pickles thing, I think it was probably a hint at the theme. When you get a hot pizza, what do you see coming off of it? What about wings? Fried pickles? What is produced during the frying process? Steam! But what is used for frying? Oil...Maybe there will be oil in the game?

Balls were used in Stronghold, so I don't think we'll see them in STEAMworks, at least not as the primary game piece. Bean bags would be interesting though...

Who says there won't be a new vacuum cleaner? :D This may be a bit more practical...

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser!
 

Or steam could be science, technology, engineering, art, math

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

It would be really awesome if robots had to do a series of objective and then some kind of steam train whistle would be active. Or you know, fog machines ftw :p

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Not exactly my train of thought, but you may be on the right track.

Sorry, hope these puns don't derail the conversation.

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Stronghold teaser dialogue:

"Build your champion
Rally your kingdom
And face the challenge ahead…together!"

STEAMworks teaser dialogue:

"In a world powered by steam, a quest awaits teams of adventurers...
Unite your crew!
Ready your contraptions!
And prepare to take flight!"

Breakdown of Stronghold teaser dialogue:

"Build your champion" = refers to building a robot. "Champion" can also refer to a single knight; maybe a hint at the one "spy bot"/defense robot.
"Rally your kingdom" = probably saying that there would be alliances. Generic phrase for a medieval theme.
"And face the challenge ahead...together!" = "Challenge" refers to part of the game, just in a way that has a hidden meaning. "Together" implies alliances(which did exist) and that challenging should be done with your allies.

Only things it told were that there would be robots, alliances, and something called "challenging" that would be most effective if all teams on an alliances coopertated to challenge. (Is "coopertated" a word? :p)

Breakdown of STEAMworks teaser dialogue(accuracy not guaranteed):

"In a world powered by steam, a quest awaits teams of adventurers..." = "Steam" likely also refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. "A quest" refers to the game, and "teams of adventurers" refers to FRC teams and maybe alliances. Nothing special here.
"Unite your crew!" = Again refers to FRC teams and alliances.
"Ready your contraptions!" = Refers to building robots. "Contraption" is, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, "a machine or device that appears strange or unnecessarily complicated, and often badly made or unsafe." Make what you will of that.
"And prepare to take flight!" = Flying game. If "...face the challenge ahead" hinted at a game element, "...prepare to take flight" means something will fly. No two ways about it. :D :cool: Unless..."flight" refers to escaping, stairs, or the end of a dart...wait...what was that possible game piece?

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

So your saying it has co op points like in recycle rush? I'm with you there if that's what your saying:) also I think they will be incorporating ideas from arial assist and the frizbee one

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Totally agree!! Looking back, I don't think footballs have been used, it's about time!!

Re: Official FIRST STEAMWORKS Teaser and DLC Pack 1!
 

Does anyone know if you are allowed to have the gear lift extend into the robot?