[BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

Good Afternoon Teams,

The GDC came, they saw they redesigned. Calum and Paul weren’t able to join us this weekend, so some of the aesthetics of the design may change once they get their hands on it, but we think we have the 2011 game. We were able to ‘play’ through the game several times this weekend with GDC members and FRC Staff standing in as robots and can now turn our attention to the scoring, rules, game hints and last minute diabolical twists. Robots will be required to have bumpers, so buy your pool noodles now while they are still in season. (And no, this requirement has nothing to do with the bruise on Carla’s ankle.)

We built a robot out of parts expected to be in the 2011 kit and Ryan tried it out on the prototype field. It did what was expected. I bet you didn’t know we do that to make sure the kit can accommodate the game.

We were still making changes as of 2PM on Sunday, so there is always a risk that the game will change again (We are engineers after all. We always want to make one more improvement followed by just one more and just one more after that.) But I’m excited, it looks like we have the basics of the 2011 game. Now the FRC staff and I just have to find game pieces, work on CAD drawings, bid out the major construction, build field elements, build road cases, get the manual on line and a million other little things.

Oh, and they loved the pepper bacon and Haagen-Dazs.

131 days to Kickoff
See you then!

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

Thanks for warning us early, but I'm disappointed that they will be required this next year.

Of course, the red herring is that legal bumpers are actual game pieces.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

I didn't have first hand knowledge that this happened, but I certainly had a good idea it did. What would be the point of the kit bot if it couldn't play the game??


Other than that, we've been buying pool noodles during the summer in bulk for the past 5 years.


-Brando

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

It was smart to warn teams now to buy pool noodles as they are hard to track down or expensive (read shipping huge packages) in winter.

Luckily our local dollar store seems to have them year round. I may have to go pick up a few next time I am near it as we only have a few left from last year.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

[quote=rtfgnow;972854]We were able to ‘play’ through the game several times this weekend with GDC members and FRC Staff standing in as robots and can now turn our attention to the scoring, rules, game hints and last minute diabolical twists[quote]

I think they are refferencing the 2001 game for maybe a game hint

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

...Do we need a Game Hint thread *already*? It's not even September!

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

I dont think we do but im just sayin' lol

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

Of course we do, we're FIRSTers :P

... and i wonder if his request for us to get pool noodles is because they're a game piece :O

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

He wants us to buy pool noodles now because we are going to need soooooooooooooo many to keep our robots above the water in this years water game!! :D

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

Please, please, please, use the generally accepted standard for drawings. The FIRST drawing should be the materials list. The second drawing should be the complete assembly of the field, with sub-assemblies called out by balloons with sheet and assembly number. And so on. Last year's drawings were extremely difficult to wade through and I know there was a ton of confusion among teams on the whole field and the dimensions.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

I didn't see much information from it except the robot needs bumpers...I could have told u that after Atlanta haha. I think its just a joke from him teasing about bumpers

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

<sarcasm>Agreed, if he asks for pool noodles, is clearly a water game 100% sure of it.</sarcasm>

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

Im glad you see it my way :D

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

You might be a FIRSTer if you want to contemplate a game hint in September.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

The more I dive into my college major, the more I dive into FIRST and the more I dive into wanting to one day be on the GDC, there are always things that really bother me when they talk about how they go about their process in designing a game - Such as finding where the game pieces are available for teams AFTER they are done designing the game basics. Wouldn't they rather make it a priority to find a massively large quantity of a game element to use and designing around that?

Obviously not all games require a massive amount of game elements, like last year, but then again last year had specifics to the game element. I really think there needs to be more Planning on the part of the GDC, or I hope that I've been misunderstanding what they say, which with me is always a possibility.

That said, I can't wait for the next season of FIRST!

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

I certainly hope they test the kitbot thoroughly. Many teams (ours included) assumed the 2010 frame with the wheel pods would work as-is in gameplay; unfortunately, once 120 lbs of robot was put on the chassis, it tended to bend and flex and throw chain. It would have been nice to have been aware of that before competitions (and it was a good lesson learned not to implicitly trust out-of-the-box frames without additional reinforcements).

It doesn't matter what month it is, the answer is YES! :p

Hear, hear, good sir.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

That is the biggest thing that I learned last year.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

While I concur that the game pieces must be available, certainly they could design the game with a desired element in mind. Once the design is down, they can look for a suitable source. If a source cannot be found, then the game would have to change slightly to accomodate whatever piece is available.

Hopefully they will have better luck with availability and cost than in some past years. In fairness, we have to admit that not all the shortages we encountered were due to lack of GDC planning.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

For what it's worth, determining a supply chain before determining what the game components are is analogous to deciding between the types of bearings for an arm or a lift before determining what the robot will do in the game. There are underlying assumptions that don't always hold true, so the GDC's process may be sound 'enough' given that they have a mostly-known quantity of demand. Additionally, some companies are willing to spend a little bit of money to slightly retool a production line if they know there will be many thousands of pieces ordered. The GDC may be able to negotiate with them as well, which is not something they would want to try to do before determining what a supplier might retool for.

Personal thumbs up to the bumpers.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

There are an awful lot of assumptions here that may not, in fact, be true.

The GDC process is one of the most over-constrained and insidious that I have ever experienced. It was not a joke when I once said that I have seen requirements statements for entire spacecraft that were less constrained and with fewer self-contradictory requirements. Complying with a statement like "pick a game piece and associated supplier, and then design the game around that" is no easier than answering the perennial question "which came first, the hamster or the toad?"

As an aside, if you really want to be on the GDC some day, may I make a suggestion? Starting out by telling the GDC that their process really bothers you and they need to do more planning, when you don't really even know what their process is, may not be the best approach.

-dave


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Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

What would have happened if:

2007 had used bicycle inner tubes or tires?

Let's suppose that instead of pool tubes (custom made) the GDC had gone with bicycle inner tubes, inflated. Supply chain is easier--any bicycle store worthy of the name should be able to get a few dozen tubes, neatly boxed, within a week or so, especially if the manufacturer in question knows there is a big demand coming in, and for a pretty decent price. Plus a typical bike shop carries quite a few tubes in stock-on-hand anyways, in a variety of sizes/valve types.

But the rack would have been much, much different, and so would have been gripper designs. Spare tubes would be plentiful, and so would repair methods.

But that isn't the route taken, and I think it made the game better. Even though FIRST teams had to deal with custom item hassles, the game overall was very good.

Object-dependent games may not help supply chain issues; supply-chain-friendly games may not help playability/team-friendliness.

But the indication that pool noodles will be needed is very timely, as it allows teams to get end-of-summer discounts as well as bulk discounts.

Re: [BB]: Buy pool noodles NOW
 

Look at this past year for another point of reference. A soccer ball, how simple is that. I would say these are even more readily available than a tire tube. However, as FIRST teams made up of engineers and competitive personalities, we want the EXACT ball that FIRST will be using. Yes, certainly there were some differences amongst balls, and that is why teams wanted the exact ball being used at official competitions.

The point is, it doesn't really matter what the game piece is, I feel there will always be some issue with obtaining it. Obviously there are going to be worse game piece issues than others (soccer balls vs. orbit balls). If it's not quantity, it will be price, or if its not a game piece it will be a field element. I think teams have become more adept at dealing with these issues, and I feel FIRST has made some steps to better design the games without sacrificing too much "playability".

-Brando