Pre-build list
 

This thread is now for the discussion of the lack of a pre-build list this year.

Re: Pre-build list
 

Maybe there's nothing on the playing field.:yikes:

Re: Pre-build list
 

I believe it came out on Thursday for the last 3 years. Just enough time to get the materials for kickoff but not quite long enough to absolutely infuriate you thin king of what you could possibly build.
Pete

Edit: in 2004 they made some last minute changes the night before kickoff so none of the remote kick-off fields were accurate. They may be working these issues out before sending the list.

Re: Pre-build list
 

I actually seriously thought that.. But I also notice the encrypted manuals aren't up. Maybe the FIRST staff has just returned from their christmas break, and these things will show up tommorow?

Re: Pre-build list
 

That would be an interesting game.

Re: Pre-build list
 

ROBOT TAG!!!

Re: Pre-build list
 

"This season, each team's decision regarding building field mockups may be a bit more complex than normal. The Game Design Committee feels
that an advance Bill of Materials (BOM) list might be misleading and cause some teams to buy more materials than they will likely use.

Please wait for a full set of field drawings and their lower cost equivalents to be released immediately following Kickoff. Knowing the nature of this year's challenge, you can more logically decide what to buy and build."

---**FIRST EMAIL**/2007 FRC Manual Decryption and Bill of Materials Information

Re: Pre-build list
 

Robot Wars.:D

Re: Pre-build list
 

Sounds like we may reuse substantial items from previous years or have many of the same item on the field negating the need to necessarily build all of them.

Re: Pre-build list
 

This scares me! :eek:

Re: Pre-build list
 

I'm not completely freaked out yet--they only said the decision was harder, not the actual construction.

That said, I don't know how they expect me to do my workshop at the Palmetto kickoff--they know good and well that us folks on teams will have this lodged in our heads all the way up to the reveal!

Re: Pre-build list
 

Ok teams, will you be using the field behind door number 1, door number 2 or door number 3?

Seriously though, this has me worried. Doesn't sound like an empty field to me...doens't sound like it's going to be a static field either....:ahh:

Re: Pre-build list
 

"The 2007 manual will be available to teams on our website in the form of '.pdf' files at 5 PM EST today, January 3, 2007"

getting close, eh?

Re: Pre-build list
 

Think 2005, you really only needed one goal and one tetra to minimally practice that year.

Re: Pre-build list
 

I agree that this would cause you to buy excess amounts of materials if you only planned on building one set... but how is that a complex decision?

When I see that line, I think it indicates that there will be a couple different tasks that you can choose to focus on, and they are mutually exclusive. Thus, if you choose scoring method A, you never do scoring method B.
Therefore, you wouldn't need to build anything for B if you didn't want to.

I think that the Bill of Materials will be classified by these different tasks, so they don't want to release it now, as you would buy stuff for all of the tasks. Obviously after the Kickoff, you know the competition and you can decide which stuff to buy based on the tasks you are focusing on.

Re: Pre-build list
 

Or 2002 where, in most cases, you only needed 1 goal. (Unless you're like 365 and go for all three...) Anyway, initially I was worried quite a bit about this but either a game with lots of scoring elements/goals or one like 2004 with many options and most teams choosing a couple of functions seem most likely.

Re: Pre-build list
 

I heard we'll need two 2x6x8' pieces of lumber, and one 4x8 sheet of 1/2" ply.

Re: Pre-build list
 

Care to name a source?:confused:

Re: Pre-build list
 

Isn't that the driver station requiremebt every year.

Re: Pre-build list
 

I don't recall that the Bills of Material given to teams in advance of kickoff have ever been comprehensive. In 2002, for example, I believe the BoM listed enough materials for a single goal only.

If they're worried about teams buying too much, it may mean that different parts of the field use similar materials for vastly different purposes -- and one of those purposes uses far more than the other.

Re: Pre-build list
 

all done, time to relax until saturday :)

Re: Pre-build list
 

:( where is this 2007 manual that you talk about it isn't on your web page

Re: Pre-build list
 

Re: Pre-build list
 

I am taking two things away from this:

1) The field will be minimalistic
2) There will be a variety of challenges. Why build a hanging bar and platform when all you want to do is cap the 2x ball?

Re: Pre-build list
 

I've actually heard that we will likely want to build the entire playing field, and not just half, for practice purposes at the regional in KC.

Re: Pre-build list
 

That makes it sound like it is an asymetric playing field. Possibly with different objectives in different areas?

Re: Pre-build list
 

That's certainly an interesting thought. I can't recall having a field like that. The only other bit of info offered up was that it looked to be much better than the games of the last couple years...whatever that means.

Re: Pre-build list
 

This just means that sales at Home Depot and Lowes will soar after the file is available and there could be a shortage of some supplies in areas where there are many teams close together.

Re: Pre-build list
 

Perhaps I should get a team of people on standby waiting at Home Depot to buy the supplies within minutes of when the game comes out. We couldn't possibly miss out then! :cool:

If only we knew...

Re: Pre-build list
 

Actually what you really want to do is buy the stuff other teams aren't. Sometimes it is better to be the only one who can do a particular useful thing.

So if everybody else is buying all the thingamabobs so they can practice shoving balls into the whatsit. Maybe what you really want is to buy thingys so you can build a practice whojidingle. Being the only whojidingle robot can be a real advantage come alliance picking time ... assuming we have alliances.

The GDC wants you to spend some time THINKING about what you want to do before you start buying a lot of stuff. I think that if they are making such a point about it, it might be a real good idea to pay attention, rather than paying something else.

ChrisH

Re: Pre-build list
 

Does anyone know if we will see a pre-build list for field elements for 2008?

Re: Pre-build list
 

That's a negative. Come to think of it, I don't think they released one last year. I'm also not sure if one was released in 2006, though I think so. Not sure when. IF one comes, it'll probably be about halfway through the week.

Re: Pre-build list
 

Never mind...

Re: Pre-build list
 

I have no knowledge of the 2008 field element(s). The guy on our planning committee who does know is not telling, both because he's sworn to secrecy by FIRST, and for the sheer enjoyment he gets from teasing those of us who are affiliated with teams and/or don't want to know until the 5th.

However, our fearless field-element builder has sent a few emails complaining about hard-to-get parts. To avoid disclosing the nature of the parts he has code-named them: @#$%^& and *&^%! @#$(. Apparently these have been in particularly short supply at our local hardware stores. I can't imagine what they are for...

Re: Pre-build list
 

Realizing that ChrisH is the FIRST FTA for the Los Angeles Regional (as well as an aerospace engineer), I immediately recognized that the red, bolded items in his post are in fact, very useful clues to this year's game. So, I went to buyFIRSTstuff.com and found that none of these items were offered, as a matter of fact, only the domain name is for sale...:D

So, don't buy any FIRST stuff until you're sure you'll need it!!

Re: Pre-build list
 

.... Is there a reason we had to do this in a year old thread full of innuendo and suggestion from the 2007 kickoff? I just read through half the thread before it was talking about last year. And at this point I now have no idea what we're talking about. I mean, find relevant thread, yes. But a 2007 pre-build thread is not releveant to the 2008 season, really....

Re: Pre-build list
 

I'm trying to figure out how to start a new thread from this thread (I know how to merge... but not how to split. Any other moderators out there done this before?)

Re: Pre-build list
 

From the vBulletin website:
That's on 3.0, but I imagine 3.6.4 is similar.

Re: Pre-build list
 

No such button.

I'm just going to close this thread and leave a redirect to a new one.

Please direct further discussion here