[PhilBot]

To clarify Derrick's post (FTC 4240).

Although we have a full field, it is a wooden one. I think Derrick's point was that a full field (even if it's not a nice official metal/glass one) is better than a partial field.

Where we run into trouble sometimes is when the field elements attach to the side walls and the spacing ends up not being the same because the materials aren't the same.

Eg: our low goals ended up being about 1/4" higher than the offical goals. Our mechanism worked at home, but not on the real field. Although the rules say to allow 1" error on positioning, it's just not practical in some instances. Having the perfect setup is really needed in some cases. Since the plans show how to make a field element to fit on the official perimeter, it just doesn't fit the same on a wooden or plastic field.

The devil is in the details. Maybe one day we will be able to afforst a real field.