[Andy Grady]

Hello everyone,

Most gameplay points that I saw have already been made by others, though I don't think you need to push a tube against a wall to pick it up. Roller claws seemed to deal with floor pickup very well.

A couple of pointers for your first week event...

1. Get your minibots secure. Many times teams were penalized because minibots were just falling off of robots under normal robot movements. Even worse, sometimes those minibots were hit by big robots...not a good thing.

2. Make sure all your software, firmware, etc. are up to date. Most of the delays yesterday came as a result of teams not updating to the most recent software updates. If you do this, you will raise your chances of not missing your first practice round on thursday.

3. Always come to the field with a full battery. Battery voltage dips heavily as more load is placed on it. The C-Rio will reboot if battery voltage gets too low. Make sure you are always equipped with a battery that has ample voltage checked by meter (slightly over 13 volts or more is a good guideline)

4. Know the rules. Many teams were getting penalized needlessly because they were doing things that were just puzzling.


These are just a few things that will make life easier on you, and on the FTA's and staff on competition day.

Good luck to everyone!