If I remeber BAE had less than 40 teams while Nats will have a few hundred. They would have to set up a number of fields or else it would just cause more problems. Part of the challenge is to build the bot in the time allowed. It's not FIRSTs responsibility to provide extras to teams who haven't finished in time. For teams who haven't finished autonomous mode I'm sure there will be an open area where they can figure out deadreckoning timings. If said teams wanted to have a line-fallower or other system then they should of finished it during the build period. I don't mean to be harsh but in FIRST there are time constraints just like in real engineering.

Whistle while you work
 

Great input! We're working on it.

(PLEASE note that I am NOT an official of FIRST and the following statement is not an official statement BUT ...)

I would encourage any teams that have extra room in their transportation vehicles to bring their ramps and carpets. There will be a lot of room at the Reliant Complex BUT we must respect how busy FIRST is right now trying to operate all of the Regionals along with finalizing all of the details for Nationals. Please email me at Lucien.Junkin@jsc.nasa.gov and I'll keep track of what will be coming. I'll continue to work with FIRST to try to get a dedicated space for a few medium fidelity arenas.

Thanks & no promises,
Lucien

Yeah....
 

That would be a good idea for a practice field at the nationals.

Yes we (HeatWave) set up a practice field last year at nats for everyone to practice on and we brought one to UCF with us this year, but we cannot haul it with us to Houston.....sry :(

yeah, the heatwave practice field was awesome, too bad it got absolutely soaked after the first day and the carpet wasnt too usual in AI programming, but i saw many a team out there on the field

At the Canadian Regional, there was a parking lot at the back, out a roll-up door. You could drive your robot out the door, and "practice" on a rug you might have brought - until they told all teams on the second morning that we weren't allowed to leave the building with the robot ! Just as well, since it drizzled the second and third days.

This had to have been the arena - anyone connected with a robot knows that the contest improves when every team's machine is working at its best.



At this same arena, there was an 8 am bag search for team members entering to go to their pits - not looking for bombs - but searching for people bringing in the dreaded "OUTSIDE FOOD", so you would have to buy from the stands inside.

both times we have brought a field it has been rained on thursday night....last time we just threw out the carpet cause it was like 3 yrs old, but this one we are gonna have to dry out and reuse...:(

Hi All! Just to let you know we are WAY AHEAD of you guys and THERE WILL BE a practice field available to teams at the Championship event. FIRST contacted me late last week and Team 57 will bring its playing field. Is one enough? No, why you ask? Everything is bigger in Texas! So, Lucien could team #118 bring its field as well. Take care and we'll see you in Houston. Lucia-Regional Director for Texas