Re: Next Year's Game?
 

how about limited wheels, eg 1 or 2 wheeled robots.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

hey what do you think the new game element will be any design ideas for a scoring element?

baloons anyone?

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I highly doubt that balloons will be used. Game pieces that can be broken so easily are not a good idea.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

thats true but its not like the baloons are expensive and they are easy to aquire by all teams both vets and rookies

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

But still...the game pieces have to endure an entire match. I don't know if balloons would cut it, slight pressure would make them pop.

Unless the point of the game was to pop a crapload of balloons*...
WAIT. I'VE GOT IT.
Guys, we're going to be playing with bubblewrap this year.

*Which I can't see happening, that would be EXTREMELY wasteful and we would probably fill a couple thousand landfills with balloon scraps alone.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

My ears probably couldn't stand the noise from all that bubble wrap... X__X

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I think you missed the point.

It's because balloons are fragile that they would make a great gamepiece. Consider the challange of NOT popping them :D

[idle thought]... Maybe we shouldn't be giving Dave any hints about gamepieces right now :P [/idle thought]

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

That WOULD be a challenge, and I did originally see it from that point.
However, as much as I hate shooting down ideas, unless we can find balloons that just deflate instead of popping (do those exist?), I have the feeling that we would end up with a ton of balloon shrapnel, which would have to be disposed of :/

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

Yes, large mylar balloons. Volunteers will randomly hide Cabbage Patch dolls under them, and the robots will be responsible for calling the local media and authorities. The robot that successfully gets the most journalist hacks and gullible law enforcement officials to show up at the event wins the match. ;)

I'm still a fan of the idea of using foam footballs. Almost everyone can relate to a football-based game.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

i wanna see something fast with a ramp, something really worth watching.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

:rolleyes: ...so says the fantasy football addict.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

footballs although they would make for an interesting game piece but they are difficult to work with. this years vex game has footballs and they are so hard to minuplate in every fashion

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I highly doubt that FTC and FRC would use the same game pieces, then FRC and FTC would be too similar and the challenge would be sorta boring.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

Water is unlikely for practical reasons although every year it gets a lot of discussion.

What would be unique and more practical than water is sand. Reliability and maintainability would be bigger issues with sand.

The only real downside I can think of is that it would slow down the match rate if the Field needed to be raked after each match although a play it as you find it philosophy might work.

Just my two cents ... keep the change

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

You could always have a field that changes from the outcome of the previous match! That would really make strategy an on-the-field thing. Of course it would have to get raked maybe every 20 matches...

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

A non-Newtonian fluid would be the best of both worlds: not (exactly) water, but would return to its former shape after each match after a brief resting period.

Who's ready to pick bananas out of Jello?

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

A non-newtonian fluid? Sand? Sounds a lot like Maize Craze (Year 1)

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

Water games are highly unlikely... I dont think anyone should really get their hopes up. (I could be wrong, but its improbable)

I noticed the thread that stated that the game clue was Haagen-Daas cups, Crackerjacks boxes, and coke cans. I am thinking that there are multiple game pieces, but since the game clues are so obscure, I could definitely be wrong... >__>

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

Interesting idea but I am not looking forward to hearing people whine about how it isn't fair or about how they would have won except for the team before them left the field in a bad state.

Im not making any predictions but I will put down a wishlist:

Fairly Scored (hasn't been a problem)

Penalties are reasonable (no 2008 G22 style rules that vary drastically from ref to ref, No 2005 style Human Load Zone penalties, 30 points was ridiculous)

Penalizes teams for only playing aggressive defense (ie, a box on wheels ramming is NOT a viable strategy)

Having a bad alliance partner doesn't completely screw you over

Several ways to contribute (make jobs so distinct that it is IMPOSSIBLE to build a jack of all trades robot)

Readily available game pieces (the last two years have been HORRIBLE for this, I know that soccer balls and footballs may seem boring but they are cheap and easy to get)

Go back to carpet, or tell us we will be sticking with the regolith for a couple years (I understand not wanting to give away the game but that stuff isn't cheap or particularly easy to store)

Change up the robot sizes (the last time this changed was 2005)

Don't try to "level the playing field" (2004 was one of my favorite games, NOT a level playing field. Forcing people to think about moving in that 3rd dimension will spark all sorts of interesting ideas)

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

maybe they could make a rocket? maybe air based games are this year...
who knows? Knowing them they are definately gonna throw us for a loop this year too keep vets on their toes

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I like the wish list thing. I just hope they look and watch us...

-Human interaction with playing. But nothing where we get a basketball player to win.

-A volume requirement that is more specific to the challenge/game pieces. Smaller robots are my friends.

-Challenges of movement. With a big emphasis on 2 dimensional movement.

-The robot has to function for the team to succeed. Frayed wires, failed systems and a good human player got my team to the championship finals. I feel bad for the end result of our robot...

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

hahaha yeah deffinitly play a game on Jello.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

That's a very good wishlist, Andrew. I agree completely with all of them (except maybe changing robot sizes).

I'd like to see a game where we can think outside the 28x38x60 box again. Being confined this year was a nice change, but I liked having parts that could extend, such as arms and claws. However, I guess that that depends a lot on the game.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

To be honest, I found those strict size requirements forced us into creating a much more robust bot...in the end, that lead to the bot performing at it's optimum despite wear and tear. The only thing that worries me...and this will be my second year in FIRST, so keep in mind that I have ONLY Lunacy under my belt...is that those claws or extensions could be very, how you say, detachable? ;)

Unfortunately, critical detachment goes hand in hand with depression.

...but to be honest I just want next build season to hurry up and get here. Give me any game, any requirement, and I'll be more than content to spend large fractions of my life and energy devoted to playing it :D

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

:D You aren't the only one :D

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I've only seen a few that unintentionally detached. One of those could have (and probably would have on any other field) been a DQ. The only other time I've really seen detaching was 2004, when a number of teams put up a hook on a pole, then pulled the pole down and winched themselves up. I wouldn't worry about it. Watch 2005, 2007, and 2008 matches to convince yourself.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

While talking to Woody, he was hoping for an off road or uneven surface game so is something like that was chosen it would throw everyone off. If off road was chosen I'd say they would use hardened red clay so it doesn't possibly damage the robot components. ::safety::

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

Do you guys think Dinosaurs could have anything to do with the next game?

On Bill's Blog, he did mention dinosaurs a bit...

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I think "juggling" is more of a keyword than dinosaurs. Doesn't the GDC include a professional circus performer this year?

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

My thoughts on Bill's blog post...

Delta: Either as in a river delta, or delta as in the greek letter delta, which means a multitude of things (in physics/chem, it's normally used to represent a change in a value, i.e. delta T would be change in temperature). Or the GDC just likes messing with us, and Delta has some meaning that I'm not aware of :/
(I'm really inclined to think river delta...River Rage, Delta field, "taking shape"...)

Dinosaurs: Either really old-fashioned things, or we actually have to build bots that fight them. Or, just a random mention of dinosaurs that are coming in for an exhibit or something.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I would like to see something fast paced, so it is exciting for all the people who have to watch it. People would also need to build strong fast robots, which would make for interesting engineering.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

or dinosaurs meaning a game piece from the past is going to come back for the 2010 season

start building the tetras again guys

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

1) Good idea!

2) NO! Having Tetras come back as a game piece would stink more than having your grandma come back as a zombie! (Would we still have to act GP in this case? I mean, she is watching us but only so she can eat our brains)

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

There is something worse than tetras that could come back. The tetras were at least pretty durable.

We could get Sterilite containers built into a wall at the start of the match again. (2003) Those things broke like crazy. So did the rotating light covers on contact with the bar crossing midfield.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I just took it to mean that this was the fourth type of field they've tried out because delta was the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

I'm inclined to go with the "change" definition, because it's a change in field construction.

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

That would be something, Scott

Re: Next Year's Game?
 

Fun fact: tomorrow will mark my third night as a zombie.


A change in field construction... D: (more drastic than this year's switch to regolith?)