Re: I'm back with some advice
 

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...87&postcount=6

Talk about answering questions before they are asked!!!

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Well that is just plain creepy. Nasa has obviously perfected both time travel and mind reading....

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I think its probably safe to say no sand and no water. They're not going to put the game in an environment that will be detrimental to electronics, gearboxes, and motors.

Corn would be a clear choice if an alternate playing surface was going to be used.

However, I feel this blurb is more to stop teams from beginning their builds early, which IIRC is against the rules.

/haven't been involved with FIRST in a while
//its good to be back

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I'm on board with this. I just hope that the GDC didn't set their sights to high and say "we're giving them all these new libraries, it'll be easy" like they did with the camera in 2004. I hope they applied some common sense and made the major change the control system and left the game to something manageable. There are going to be enough challenges with the new control system. Give us a year to figure out how to use it to its potential before throwing something insane at us.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I agree that it's the standard "don't anticipate" warning. In spite of my joking above (which I fear may have been taken too seriously), ya never know what will come out of GDC. Maybe a climbing or a hanging game, maybe ramps or floor bumps, maybe another race game like 2008. Maybe not real water, but change of surface -- your robot can be on one surface or the other. Like either you're a ramp-bot or not.

And if you think about it -- all the games have been simple (well, all the ones I've seen for the past couple of years). There have been "add-ons" that make parts of the game more difficult, as well as simpler alternates for letting everyone get to play.

They actually used corn in the "Maize Craze"? When I saw Andy Baker's old video of a match I was wondering what was all over the floor. Then it hit me -- maize -- corn. Corn?!? Wow -- how did the robots perform with all that corn in the gears?

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Personally, I think we should look to the FTC for direction. I think we may see the addition of 'rough terrain' areas on the playing field.

Sadly, something gives me the feeling there will not be water involved. :(

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I'm voting against the entire field being some sort of crazy, difficult to navigate surface, be it sand, bumps, water, or a mobility denial system. All of the really difficult mobility challenges in the past 5 years were optional. Plus FIRST has gone to a lot of trouble the past several years putting out a kit-bot that guarantees everyone should have a robot capable of at least moving around the field. I can't really picture the GDC wanting to return to the heady days of rookie bots hobbling around the field getting high-centered on 2" pipes, having wheels fall off, etc.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I echo this thought. For this introductory year of the new controller, I can't see how they could expect us to master that, and build to a complicated playing field/game.

Now the next year 2010, Katie bar the door..............:ahh:

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

If they do add something to the field, it won't be something like a Mobility Denial System. Something a lot simpler.

Personally, I think Bill is trying to scare us.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

There was a request that went around to Northern VA teams asking for help in mentoring the new rookie teams this year. Perhaps we are moving back to that realm of thought for at least a year. Rather than thinking of it as a restrictive end for rookie teams, perhaps we could think of it as a more open-ended forum for new teams with fresh ideas?

Time to dig up those old RC helicopter drawings I have stashed away...

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

That would suck shrinking the maximum dimensions... but at IRI they were displaying the new Kit Bot frame for this up coming year, and it was the same dimensions we are used to. I even think the representative said that Rush used the frame this year for competition so they could see how it works.


Keaton

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

Still don't buy it. Every kickoff, Woody's going on about how we've provided teams with this easy to build kit-bot, flexible programming environment, etc. This plus the new controller make the push towards more interesting programming clear. Forcing teams, any teams, to struggle to move removes the focus from programming and showing off the new control system. I'm with Cory on this. The game will be just as "simple" as years past, with added emphasis on autonomous and programming.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

3 years ago, they introduced the vision system. This year, they will be unveiling a smelling system.

Mark my words.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

I believe what you saw was a Rush mentor starting up a business, Team 221 Robotic Systems, and not a pre-release chassis for the KoP.

The chassis is discussed in more detail here.

Re: I'm back with some advice
 

That bin of balls is the playing field.

That kid is your robot. :D

or maybe he's the game peice? :D