Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Fultz
When talking about the game, try to keep high level for the first part of the discussions. More on this one to follow.
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To add to this point, think about this years game. If you began talking about keys to the game, did you say -
"shoot baskets"
"drive up onto the bridge"
"cross the barrier".
By using those terms, you immediately began to design your robot, by thinking "shooter", "traction wheels", "big wheels", etc. While you may have ended up there with your design, you keep your ideas more open if you think about it like this -
"get balls through the hoops"
"be balanced by the bridge"
"get to the other end of the field".
By thinking of the key elements in these "higher" terms, you can be more open about the "how" - "how" to get the balls through the hoops (shooter, conveyor, tube system), "how" to get onto the bridge (drive, fly, be carried, crawl up the side), and "how" to get to the other end of the field (drive over barrier, drive over bridge, jump, get pushed, flip, walk).
Some of these examples are a little extreme, but the point is to stay at a high level of discussion early so that you don't lock your thinking into a design idea too quickly.