Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Guys,
This is a standard warning for teams who are trying to get an early start. I remind teams of this every year. The KOP is not finalized yet so the exact motors and other hardware is not fixed in stone. Not even I know what might be in the kit for the electrical side, including which battery we might be getting. Make general plans but don't set your design. Can you imagine a team that dedicates itself to casters only to find a game that has a series of ramps announced in January. Remember, it was not too long ago that teams could choose a size/weight class.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

The only thing we can glean from Bill's post that we didn't know before is..........








(Hear the crickets?)

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

For the most part we have been flat landers the past few years. How would your current frame design do with a 3 D playing field? Ramps steps and all that challenging stuff. I would love to see them bring in 30 tons of bolders, road balast and sand for the playing surface. ( never happen ) Also, for the teams that have gone with and built off of the IFI kit frame, It appears IFI is out of the supply chain. If a kit frame is included it's bound to be different.
The 6 wheel low rider frames have become the standard. Would be nice to have a playing field that would put them at a disadvantage to shake things up.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Sounds like fun, but only if you agree to recruit a few hundred friends for the set-up and strike duty for the regionals...;)

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I'm going back to Hammond for my college fall break this weekend, so maybe I'll need to have a reunion with my buddies from 71 to see what they know...:D

(Ridiculously Off-Topic Sidenote: Seriously though. I am sooo psyched to go back to Hammond this weekend!)

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Here's hoping to something wild and different this year.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

i was just talking to one of the guys on the team the other night that the field could be sand:eek:

i would think sand would be more likely than water, although still probabilly not going to happen.

maybe multi surface field, carpet with sandpit in the middle???:rolleyes:

many teams recently have gone with less than 1" ground clearance. i would be nice to see the game force these teams to redesign their frames.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Too many teams would have an advantage if it was sand. All the coastal teams would have ready-made testing grounds, with tougher conditions than an FRC field, and the inland teams would have to find sand and put it in a testing area.

Oh, and a lot of the coastal teams are already doing well. (Yes, I'm counting the teams around the Great Lakes as coastal.)

Now corn, on the other hand...

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Corn.... Like Indianna, Ohio, Michigan and other states I can't think of with lots of corn need the advantage?

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

As Grandma Lavery used to say... "be careful what you wish for."



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Re: I'm back with some advice
 

No, it's more "Like the original teams need the advantage".:rolleyes:

The reason I suggested corn is the original game (Maize Craze) was played on a corn-covered field.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Every once in a while it's good to have all the paradigms shaken up.

So I'm looking forward to seeing what the GDC throws at us :D

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Daniel,
Have you ever been hit by a red herring? I have 4 letters for you: d u c k !

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I hope we get something nice and simple but still exciting. I would be very disappointed if we saw a major leap into the unknown in terms of game design during the same year in which we all have to adapt to a new control system.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Not yet ... but I expect to, soon, now that I've taunted the game gods :eek:

Oh, and which is it ... a herring or a duck ;)