Re: 2012 Game?
 

Sadly, no...

But the real puck would be those Tetrix motors. 1 of those worth the same as a minibot, except that you put about 5x as many out there...so the minibot is 5x more, plus a per-motor point bonus.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Don't forget unused Tetrix motor gearboxes.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

We need a like button on this like we have of facebook. Love the comment.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I bet this has already been said before, but I guess for the minibots it could be a cool idea

Like to release Minibots into a certain area of the field that the main robot can't get to, that would unlock some sort of other game piece or part of the field that would work to your advantage greatly. Or have a minibot crawl in a passage to hit something again, but horizontal and on the ground? Idk just some ideas. I don't know if the GDC would use minibots right after this year though. I hope not. Our attempt at making one was just catastrophic.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

The mini bot was way to expensive and time consuming. We went through several motors and several teams had said the same to me this summer.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Please no more minibots! At least not for a while. Not only were they time and money consuming, but they got old and repetitive really fast, and ensured a win if used in a regional. Plus, I like to have a new endgame each year.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I would like to see minibots again, but maybe worth not as many points.

I do like the idea of using minibots as pucks for a hockey game. "There's the minibot, lets get it!" *Thawk* :p

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Funny story. That's sorta what happened to us at SVR. Someone hit us hard enough for one of our minibots to fall off, and each team, including our alliance members, seemed to take turns running it over. None on purpose, but it seemed that each robot got close enough to hit it. In fact, one of our neodymium magnets is still stick to a robot that ran it over! :yikes:

Re: 2012 Game?
 

That's partly a function of requiring a single motor type that wasn't quite up to the task before teams figured out how to deal with that. I bet if they'd given the option of 2 Tetrix or a single Banebots-type motor, there would have been quite a few teams using the BB--and a lot fewer problems.

The minibot itself should return. Just not the motors from this year.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I think a new endgame would be cool. Maybe not minibots but some the robot deploys just in general. Climbing ramps at the end would be nice again. I think the last one of that (when we had to climb each other, too) was..... Aim High?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Not counting the bumps and tower hangs in 2010, that would be 2007's Rack n' Roll (other robots) or 2006 (Aim High, the ramps under the goals). Beyond that, there's the hanging bars from 2004 (and 2000), the zones to be in (2005, 2002, 2001), and the ramp to be on top of (2003).

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Even though our mentor has us building an A frame arm prototype before build season, I really think this year is going to be a shooting game. The last one they did was Aim High. (Lunacy doesnt really count as a shooting, that was more like throwing up) I really don't think they'll do an arm type game two years in a row, but we'll see wont we?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Ah! I forgot about the hanging on the bars in 2010! The years kind of blend together after awhile..... lol. The hanging bars were fun. I liked 2004's better than 2010's (I didn't play in either game though, as I was on a team between that time.).
I liked the climbing of other bots. It was a challenge for some.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I'd like to see more of that Robot-to-Robot interaction for the end game, specifically where your robot needs to have specific designs to allow it. 2007's end game might have been the coolest end game of all time - specifically the robots that actually lifted their teammates.

More A-Bombs in FIRST will really bring out the teamwork and heighten the excitement of elimination games.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I don't know if this has been posted or not, but I think it would be cool to see a game where you had to score on a robot that moved autonomously on the field. Kind of like lunacy, but with a robot that ran around the field purposely avoiding the other robots..

I can't even imagine the amount of work that would take on FIRST's part, but none the less, I think it would be cool.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

The Placebo robot returns, eh? That would be interesting...

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Or (and this is really going out there) there would be two robots that are exactly the same and simply boxes with wheels. One is Red, the other is Blue. The "human players" of each alliance become a "Robotics Team", and control these "Normal Bots", and the game becomes 4v4.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I think it would be cool if they did a robot bowling game and base the rules on bowling rules. It would be intresting what teams would do to play. =D

Re: 2012 Game?
 

http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/...2012-game-info :)

Re: 2012 Game?
 

oh lol i did know that :)

altho i ment for FRC and like an actuall bowling game with wooden lanes and oil.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Overdrive... Those trackballs were pretty close to bowling balls.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

sounds like there may be a lot of broken bots and plastic crates... the bowling ball do damage, esp. if one falls off the one of the corner ramps.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

and the humans and robots were the pins :D
i feel like adding oil to the playing field would end in disaster. like regolith but way, waaaaaaaaaaay worse

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Well there does indeed seem to be a pattern of sport then non-sport competitions. That would make this game a sport. 2012 is also the 100th anniversary of Major League Baseball. possiblity? i think so.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

A new use for the minibots. Use them as bowling balls. Turn them on and let them fly!

Re: 2012 Game?
 

They would have to be some strong mini bots but it would give us a way controlling the mini bot directions with dots on the floor.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

http://xkcd.com/413/ this could be the new minibot design :D

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I like this idea.

It seems like lunacy without the crazy floors

Re: 2012 Game?
 

For the last two years, FTC has had games that have had pieces with magnets in them, and FIRST is trying to bring all of the levels of FIRST together (as stated at kickoff last year).

What if the minibots have to do with finding special magnets pieces? It would be an interesting idea.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I don't think magnets are a good idea for FRC (aside from keeping minibots on the pole). If a strong magnet gets near our electrical, it may not go so well for the robot. We do need our code! :)

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Something that would be interesting is:

-No Human Player

-Human Player is a robocoach once again (2008), however, they control the minibot. The minibot and robot perform seperate and distinct tasks, until the endgame, where they have to meet, and performs some sort of transfer.

idk, would be interesting, and would support the stated goals of the minibot returning, and making it more interesting throughout the entire match (unstated goal).

Re: 2012 Game?
 

That would be quite interesting. What would the control system be for that? Would it be something as simple as a VEX Signal Splitter and RC controller or something on par with the wireless controls of the FRC bots? Either way, that would make for quite interesting competition.

PS That seems like Inception Robotics. Mini-robotics competition within a match of a FRC competition... =D

Re: 2012 Game?
 

the first year that there ISN'T a competition for human player.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Sounds like OCCRA, we have a separate field for tiny little VEX robots. In retrospect this is probably a good thing, considering the "big bots" weigh 10x more and go 10x faster :rolleyes:

Re: 2012 Game?
 

What if there was a FTC sized field in the middle of the FRC field and the minibots had to do some task like inside the field?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Or two smaller fields, one at each end of the FRC field? Make it easier for the "mini-bot driver" to see whats going on and it would leave the middle of the FRC field open for the big bots.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Or put your minibot field on the other side of the main field ... and let the teams figure out how to see their minibots.

I would forsee some inventive uses for a robots onboard camera ;)

Re: 2012 Game?
 

In all seriousness, I think the minibots should be relegated to simple tasks. Logomotion was a bad enough spectator game as it was, more complication with minibots would just make it worse. Breakaway was a great spectator game, and it (obviously) did not include minibots. It was a great spectator game not necessarily because of the lack of minibots, but for the lack of complication. It was, quite simply, soccer with robots! A person could walk into a regional and immediately understand what was happening. Logomotion, not so much.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I think that's the direction the GDC kind of wants to go from the hints they dropped earlier in the year right after Champs. Instead of finishing the current year game less than weeks before kickoff, they may or may not have games planned out years ahead, and something tells me part of this is due simplifying the game. I don't remember any exact quotes, but I remember reading something to that effect.

If you make the concept simple so that spectators (and by extension, new team members) can understand the game with one phrase (I distinctly remember saying "robot soccer" during the 2010 build season over 9000 times), but make the intricacies of the actual gameplay interesting, I believe that's the secret to a successful FRC game.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

How would one get to bills blog?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

This is Bill's Blog. It is a great source of information from the Director of FRC, Bill Miller. He usually updates it at least once a week with things that are happening with FRC, especially game design (like unoffical game hints).

Someone will also usually post a thread on chiefdelphi with the notation [BB] at the beginning for Bill's blog, about important blog entries such as this , so you can often find the information here if you do not remember the blog's url or just find it easier to check chiefdelphi.

~Hannah

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Has anyone else looked into Mayan games? Look at Pok-a-tok.

It was a combination of Soccer, Basketball, Racquetball, and Volleyball. It was played with a six inch rubber ball and a hoop which was placed vertically, could barely fit the ball in it and was placed twenty to thirty feet above the ground. The object was not only to get the ball in the hoop but to also keep the ball in motion. They did this with any part of their body except their hands.

Remember they have already finish this years game. and are already working on 2013. considering that they always base the game off of somthing signifigant for the corresponding year, isnt 2012 a theoetical end of world senario a big enough deal to be the theme? just sayin, give it some thought.

Pam And Trevor from Apple Pi Robotics 2067

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Where did you get this information? It only holds true for 2009, 2010, and 2011. It's certainly a recent trend, but I wouldn't say always. That's the same reasoning that leads us into the circle-triangle-square gamepiece cycle that really doesn't exist.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

My understanding of this was that the GDC was hoping to finish the games a year early so that they had a year to work out the kinks of the game. In a perfect world, this would lead to more available game pieces (gives enough time to create an appropriate supply chain), a better rule book (you really shouldn't need to send an update out a week after kick-off), and a more spectator friendly game.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Just like the balls every other year cycle?

You can add 2008 to that year list(nascar), but I think that the idea it will relate to an event for that year connects to being able to explain it to non-FIRSTers(based on earlier post). A game based on soccer or traversing the moon is far simpler to explain to people then for example Rack-n-Roll where the whole ramp, moving rack, spoilers, and vertically and horizontally aligned game pieces made the game more difficult to explain to an outsider what they were seeing.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Well since we know that there will be Kinect involved...
the possibilities are endless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlgA2nlXUF8

Re: 2012 Game?
 

A sneak peek at the KOP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlgA2nlXUF8

I know someone earlier in this thread posted something about dancing robots, and I think that they might not be so far from the truth. The kinect could be used to take your dance moves, and get the robot the copy your actions, making a dancing game an actual possibility.I am not sure how it would be scored, but it would be fun (and interesting).

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Or it's another control option that FIRST is embracing. Last year there were multiple Q&A Questions regarding the Kinect Sensor and it's legality for a control system (to which, the answer was "No" due to the Lasers in the Kinect Sensor, IIRC).

I would start actively looking for hints after American Thanksgiving (have to differentiate, there are multiple holidays in the World called "Thanksgiving").

Now, to make sure that the head mentor doesn't steal the Kinect after the season ends if we actually use it. >.>

Re: 2012 Game?
 

How about a moving target in autonomous? Maybe one that is stationary along the X-Y plane, but moves along the Z axis? :D

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Possible, but FIRST has stated that the Kinect will only be used for operating the robot (however they won't prohibit you from putting it on the robot)

http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/kinect

And it also looks like it will have some autonomous usages.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/alfredth/arc...the-robot.aspx

But you never know what someone will come up with....

Re: 2012 Game?
 

FIRST has been hinting toward the fact that the Xbox Kinect will be in the KOP this year. I'm expecting tracking some targets, or huge involvement between the human player, driver, and the robot. If you want to check any of the stuff out, I'll provide the links.
Youtube -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlgA2nlXUF8
FIRST -- http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/kinect

Looking Forward to a great Build Season! :D

Re: 2012 Game?
 

The blog post telling us that one of the three human players will operate it in autonomous mode actually tells us a lot about this years game. We can make inferences here that the other 2 human players will be distributing game pieces. Knowing that the games often involve symmetry we can start to limit what the lay out this year will be. I know this isn't a huge deal but it is a lot more than we knew about the game a month ago...

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I'm not necessarily sure that's what it's implying. I think it's just a matter of the way it's worded that gives off the idea that only one robot gets operated in autonomous.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

with the kinect now as an element of gameplay, does anyone think it may have any relation with minibots (besides its main use for operating the robot as of right now) if they come back this year? :confused:

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I think it would be cool if the minibots had to track a moving target with the kinect... Though I am one of the few people that's against the general use of minibots in future competitions...

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Based on the 2011 rulebook wouldn't the use of a Kinnect require a rules change or at least an exception regarding robot sensors and lasers?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

So far the most logical and practical use of the kinect is control via 1 human player during autonomous period, and the other 2 human players do something with game pieces. But then again, when has FIRST actually been logical and practical? :rolleyes:

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Well if you take into the account that we are getting a smaller Crio and a Kinect this year I think that the robots will have to be smaller and since the kinect has a crap ton of sensors on it (does it use ultrasonic i am not sure) it will involve Robots tracking multiply robots at the same time ( the Kinect can track up to 1 million different "joints" or points) So i am thinkg a robot with a turret but knowing first there will be a twist that no one will think of.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Since we know the kinect is going to be in the kop, does anyone have any experience in using the kinect? I know there are a lot of possibilities for this use of this sensor.

The only question I have about it is: Which programming language would be the ideal program the kinect in?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I remember my software team saying that the Microsoft SDK for it was C Sharp, but I'm not sure what other options exist.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

It would depend on the implementation of the Kinect. Odds are, the Kinect will not be robot mounted because of interference reasons.

Personally, I think we'll see the return of a 2008 like hybrid mode. Mount 3 Kinects in the Drivers station, one at either end and a third in the center, and one of your team members will be responsible for sending commands to your robot during a semi-autonomous period via the Kinect.

I'd really like to see a game with 10 seconds of normal autonomous, 120 seconds of tele-op gameplay and another 10 seconds of kinect hybrid mode. This would work really well if the end game objective were something like climbing a ramp or navigating to a predetermined position.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I agree I fully expect some sort of Hybrid mode using the Kinnect. Hopefully it turns out better than the IR one, how does a Kinnect deal with area style lighting? Does it even care?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Our testing with the Kinect shows that it performs well in a wide variety of lighting conditions, as long as it's not direct sunlight. For skeleton tracking, the infrared "range" sensor is used - which has its own emitter and is thus pretty robust to lighting.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I just hope it's not another racing game, that was quite boring.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

i hope it is, my team would gear up the cims to mechanums, and our driver moves like lightning.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Actually, I have seen people using multiple kinects on the same area at the same time. I think the laser grid is specific enough to be differentiated.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Your mileage can (and will) vary significantly when using multiple Kinects looking at the same area. Degradation depends a great deal on the reflectivity of the targets, and relative poses (positions and orientations) of the Kinects.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Extremely good blog, crystal clear and useful to employ . Amongst the most excellent in the market place.::rtm::

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Reported

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I got to thinking (dangerous, I know) that the inclusion of the Kinect hardware in the 2012 KOP might be an extension of the game theme. What if the game was modeled after a video game?

A (very) little research shows that 2012 will be the 40th anniversary of Atari's release of "Pong" (yes, I'm old enough to have owned one) and the 20th anniversary of Nintendo's release of Super Mario Kart. I could see slinging tennis balls back and forth (like "Pong") or a racing game like Super Mario. Not sure about the whole "damsel in distress" angle, though...

Remembering D.Lavery's red herring last year of the Penn tennis ball, is it possible that his parting shot to the GDC was to reveal the 2012 game piece?

Just my $0.02

Re: 2012 Game?
 

How about we combine a flying and water game? The robots start on a platform near the ends of the field, above the water. The point of the game is to grab the game pieces that are underwater, then go and drop them in some basket, so high up that your robot would have to fly to score!

I know that it would not be feasible, but it is a fun idea to think about. :D

Re: 2012 Game?
 

How about a game that uses a floor? You can drive on it with wheels, and move things on top of a floor. Floors are perfect for adding tape lines on, so you can formulate zones and boundries. The other nice thing about floors is that their surface may be altered in color very easily.

I think the GDC should look into floors as an interesting game element.

[/sillyness]

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I think the last Bill's Blog Post (today) confirms that water will not be part of this year's competition and that they will use carpet. In the blog post Bill explains that they received "an entire pallet of carpet tape". He also describes this year's field as "...a heavy field to set up when all is said and done." This could mean big game pieces or obstacles,etc...Thoughts anyone?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Im thinking of something like the year when each team had a trailer to pull around, thats why it seems to need more input for fitting it into the KOP also the metal for the trailers adds a lot of new weight.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I think, for the most part, we can rule out a game with water "in it".

HOWEVER, because of the many hints (probably fake, but just for fun), I think something relating to water is possible. I read on another thread that the 100th anniversary of the titanic is 2012. the 2012 disaster, ship sinking? Seems similar. Plus, the titanic was a ship, and ships are pretty heavy, and in Bill's Blog today he said the field was heavy, so just say'n.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Over in one of the joke threads, someone mentioned that 2012 has been designated the Alan Turing Centenary. That would be a good theme for a game. Infinitely long paper tapes/loops of carpet on rollers to simulate the theoretical turing machine? Seems like a likely topic, given the S and T in FIRST.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Football. Enough said.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Between all the water and ship related hints and the fact that 2012 is the anniversary of the titanic sinking, I wouldn't be surprised if the game involved avoiding "icebergs" or pushing "icebergs" around as a mobile obstacle.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

So I just checked bills blog and read the new post. This passage give me some ideas.

"Plan now, how will your team handle bad weather, unexpected power outages, cold and flu season, delayed shipments and anything else that might crop up during build season?"

I think this supports the claims that it will be titanic themed. The whole bad weather and unexpected obstacles seems to hint towards icebergs.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Nope. If you remember the storms in the Northeast back in February 2003, those delayed shipping by two days (teams couldn't get to their robots). The next year, KOP snafus caused another 2-day delay.

FIRST hasn't delayed ship date/bag date since then. Weather? Just get it in the transportation device. Power out? Same. Disease strikes team members? Sorry, but the time out of the lab might do them good. Ship anyway. AndyMark hits a supplier backlog? Work through it.

In other words: Plan for build delays to happen and develop contingency plans. The robot goes in the bag on Bag Day, and not after.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

And a lot of us in the northeast got hit with a snowstorm on Halloween weekend, and parts of CT got really slammed - we lost 8 days of school. From the way things look, going to be a long and snowy winter, and Bill probably wants to get that argument out of the way early.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

A few more anniversaries in 2012:

1842 - Doppler Effect -> Kinect related?
1912 - Continental Drift -> Moving field parts?
1912 - X-Ray Diffraction ->Kinect related?
1942 - First nuclear reactor built -> This could be fun:D
1952 - Polio vaccine
1972 - Prozac -> Depressed Minibots?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

people depressed about more minibots? :p

I just want a unique game this year. Something more interesting and challenging than a redo of a previous year's game.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

like maybe a unified game manipulator (not like the lunacy wheels of death) and then you get into some really cool designs to manipulate it to scoring points... idk how the new minibot idea would fit in[/quote]



that would be awesome but it could be football and the minibot could be the football :ahh:

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I enjoy this idea :D

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Combined with the Turing year, we could have something celebrating either the Dawn of Nuclear Power or the Dawn of Computing.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

If there were points awarded based on the distruction of the minibot, then I am sure many teams would come up with EXCELLENT solutions, and score many points.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Haven't some hints already been dropped at BB? Apparently there's an official list of field parts (http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2011...me-hint-1.html)

Also, this year is going to be the heaviest field since they began. Bowling balls may or may not be included...

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I personally have used 3 Kinects in the same area for 3D imaging (playing with the Microsoft API) and just generally testing different features of the Kinect with a large number in a small area and I ran into very little issues with things like skeleton tracking.

Lighting was an issue, though. If there was not enough ambient light the skeleton would tend to do some crazy things. When one part of your body is no longer visible it sort of "guesses" and starts to seem as if you are flailing your arm around.

As for a use on the robot, I can't see it happening. They are EXTREMELY fragile. If they are used, they will definitely need to be protected.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I believe there is also a problem with interfacing with the cRIO. IIRC, the only way to use it is with a Linux or Windows 7 computer.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

That's also true. I'm sure that with some work it could be done, though. I'd hate to be the one who has to hack up the cable in order to plug it into the cRIO, though. :yikes:

If Microsoft is backing this I'm sure they'd be willing to figure out some way for the cRIO to interface with the Kinect.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

One Thing I've noticed is that the games take after major events in the year, Over Drive was on NASCAR's anniversary, Lunacy on the moon landing's anniversary, Break Away during the Soccer World cup, and Logomotion on Firsts anniversary. The major thing this year is the 2012 Olympics, and now with the kinect...Human player anyone?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Holy cow, the game will feature a human player! It may also feature robots!

;)

The problem with the olympics is that they play a lot of different games. We can't really play a lot of different games in 2 minutes.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

We all know it's going to be a water game.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

My 2012 game prediction. This includes some ideas I've been kicking around for several years. The minibots are a recent addition.

I started working on this again when thi thread began back in May. The life thing intervened in June and I shelved it until Bill's comments about pallets of field elements and the high speed counters caught my interest again.

I've tried to attach some jpegs with views of the field. The field is incomplete but if I wait until I have time to finish it May will be here again. Some of the field elements are hanging in midair, mostly because I couldn't figure out a good way to model polycarbonate as transparent.

All the polycarbonate is missing. The high goals are supported by the end walls. The low goal guard rails that are hanging in the air are supported by the end wall and side wall. The walls beside the stairs and platform are polycarbonate that extend three above the platform to avoid falling robots.

Sorry about the length of the post. I sometimes get a tad verbose.

Game Design

Philosophy:

1. Flat is boring
2. Penalties are bad.
3. Aim High was fun. The sight of a string of balls flying over the alliance station or into the stands was a thrill.
4. Minibots are a good idea. The minibot race was a little dull. It needs some twist. And even a minibot needs a (mini)brain.
5. Life may be iterative, but the universe is random.

The field:
1. Four low goals, two for each alliance. Two high goals, one for each alliance.
2. Six poles for minibots.
3. Bumps to make life interesting.
4. Steps and a platform for the end game.
5. Shooters to introduce balls into play.

Dimensions:
Since the robots will frequently not be sitting on a flat floor, the robot dimensions are defined by the bumpers. The plane formed by the top of the four bumpers is the horizontal dimension. The vertical dimension is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The maximum robot starting configuration is 28W X 38L X 48H inches without bumpers. The bumpers are as in 2011. The bumper zone is 9 to 16 inches above the floor. The maximum minibot size is a twelve inch cube.

The bumps are one foot high. The platform is two feet high by four feet by nine feet. The steps are four inch rise and six inch run. The horizontal segments of the minibot poles are seven feet above the floor. The minibot scoring ring is 7.5 feet from the center of the field. The high point of the low goals is one foot above the floor. The center of the low goal guard ring is two feet above the floor. The center of the high goal is eight feet, nine inches above the floor. The high goal is 18 inches in diameter.

The game balls are the 7 inch poof balls from Aim High.

General rules:

Knocking an opposing alliance minibot off a pole in teleop while exceeding starting dimensions is fatal.

Your robot can go anywhere on the field that it can reach without damaging field elements.

Red robots start in the red rings, blue robots start in the blue rings.







Autonomous (15 seconds):
During the autonomous period the robots attempt to place their minibot onto one of the six minibot poles. During autonomous the robot may extend to a maximum horizontal dimension of 84 inches. There is no limit on the vertical dimension. The minibot poles are not assigned to a particular alliance and multiple minibots may be placed on a given pole. Minibots may be placed anywhere between the finish line and the shooter guard rail at the edge of the field. Any minibot placed after the end of autonomous will not be counted. The minibot game which begins during autonomous continues until the end of the match. The minibot game is worth 60 points divided as follows:

Number of minibots finishing Minibot finish place
1 2 3 4 5 6
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 60
2 22 38
3 10 30 20
4 8 18 22 12
5 6 10 20 14 10
6 5 10 15 15 10 5

Each minibot carries a RFID tag which is scanned before the match and assigned to the team whose robot carries the minibot onto the field. When a minibot triggers the finish gate on the minibot pole the field reads the RFID to assign a finish place to the team. Each minibot carries a wireless receiver. Once per second the FMS broadcasts the number of minibots that have finished and the seconds remaining in the match to the minibots.

Teleop (120 seconds):

During teleop the robots attempt to score balls in the goals at either end of the field. Balls in the low goals score one point. Balls in the high goals score two points. Balls scored into the goals are not returned to the field.

During teleop no part of the robot may extend beyond the frame perimeter except as noted in end game. Maximum robot height during teleop is 48 inches. Teams have 10 seconds after the start of teleop to return their robot to this configuration. Any robot extending beyond the frame perimeter or exceeding 48 inch height after the 10 seconds will be disabled. If a robot knocks an opposing alliance minibot off a pole while exceeding the teleop dimensions that robot will be disabled, disqualified and their alliance will receive a 60 point penalty. Don’t do it!

Balls are entered into play by the six ball shooters on the long sides of the field. Each shooter contains twenty balls at the beginning of the match for a total of 120 balls. Each ball shooter will shoot one ball onto the field during each five second interval after the start of teleop. All balls will have entered the field twenty seconds before the end of teleop. The time when the ball is introduced during a five second interval will be determined by a random number generator. The shooter mechanism sweeps through a 150 degree arc horizontally at a rate not correlated with the five second period. Both the time and angle at which the balls are introduced will be random. The initial speed of the ball will be 10 to 15 feet per second.

Any balls that leave the field during the match will be returned, if possible, to the shooter nearest the point where the ball left the field. The shooter will increase its shot rate to introduce all the balls into the field before 100 seconds into the match.

The maximum total score possible from the balls in the shooters is 240 points.

Human players:

Each team will have one human player in a designated HP zone during the match. The HP zones are the red or blue pads just outside the field. Each human player will have 5 poof balls in their alliance color. During teleop the human players may introduce the balls into the field as they wish. The balls can be thrown onto the field, into the high or low goals, or into a robot. Colored balls score double in a goal of the same color as the ball. Colored balls in a goal that is a different color do not score. Colored balls that leave the field will not be returned to the field. The maximum total score from the colored balls is 120 points.

End game:

It’s not really an end game since there is no time restriction but the scoring only comes at the end of the game. At the end of the match any robot that is only in contact with the blue (red) steps and platform counts 5 points for the blue (red) alliance. Any robot that is only in contact with the blue (red) platform counts 10 points for the blue (red) alliance. Any robot that is only in contact with a robot that is only in contact with the blue (red) platform scores 20 points for the blue (red) alliance. Any robot that is only in contact with a robot that is only in contact with a robot that is only in contact with the blue (red) platform scores 40 points for the blue (red) alliance. If an alliance can figure out how to stack three robots on the platform it is worth 70 points. The polycarbonate walls at the side of the steps and platform and the driver station wall are considered part of the platform. Note that a red robot on the blue platform scores for the blue alliance. While only in contact with the steps or platform a robot may extend to a maximum horizontal dimension of 84 inches. The maximum vertical dimension remains at 48 inches. Note that it is legal to stack two robots on the opposing platform to block the opposing high goal. I can’t think of a situation where this would be desirable, but the rules allow it.

Maximum total scores:

Minibot game: 60
Robots during teleop: 240
Human Players: 120
End game: 140

Total: 560

Maximum alliance score: 500

Re: 2012 Game?
 

A 30 foot long minibot pole in the shape of the St. Louis Gateway Arch would be cool. Maybe throw in a cork screw at the beginning..

Dive bomb a magnetic ball into a goal???

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I really want the GDC to see this.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

If you remember the weights on the shipping pallets that Bill posted on his blog, this would make you think twice about this field.

Though I would love to see something like that (actually, it would be very cool) it would be a little hard for spectators to follow and the costs for field elements would be very high.

@Greg Young,

Great CAD of the field. Love the idea.

Re: 2012 Game?
 

Reminds me of a gag we did last year. At NYU Poly's kickoff, there was this crazy abstract model thing, and we sent it to the rest of the team at school telling them that this was the field.

Is there a big Dr. Seuss anniversary coming up?

Re: 2012 Game?
 

I've got a breakthrough. The game piece was said to be a wacky waving arm flailing inflatable tube man by the GDC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtespeLin2c