[cglrcng]

Originally Posted by magnets

That's not right at all. First of all, money for performing well is a bad thing, but defense is a perfectly fine thing to do. That's like bribing a team to play the game a way that some random person thinks is right. This brings back bad memories of agreements in 2003.

It was announced yesterday in full view and voice to all in AZ (and over the stream to the world watching), that our specific team was the original responsible party many years ago, for the very first (publicly known), incidence of collaberation between teams (and that it was also very controversial at the time), but that it is VERY accepted today as "a way of naturally just doing business", to be successful across the FIRST community.

And it is!...Teams collaborate often throughout the community, they sometimes build together, or work out of the same lab or shop, they contact one another often, they practice together, they even sometimes plan to compete together in eliminations (oh really! Ahhhh. Eyes wide). Sometimes, even the actual game is designed to force or reward coopertition amongst red/blue opposing alliances. And some teams even have official FIRST Regulation Field Setups purchased for them by their sponsors as I found out recently. Life isn't fair. And it wasn't ever meant to be.

There were no secret financial rewards, the reward was only an, open & publicly announced & published, further personal event sponsor incentive for all the teams to attempt to do their best on the field during the event (To score at least 200 points for each alliance, and it was never actually accomplished), and said VOLUNTARY SPONSOR INCENTIVE was proper, again voluntary, and was offerred to ALL who participated.

It wasn't sketchy. And it acheived the desired results....Though nobody during the event even qualified for the intended reward. So, please put away the tinfoil hat. </;-) (I was only giving a suggestion that will not occur, and is not expected to occur, of how to possibly further to discourage battle bots, and elevate this particular game to it's desired end goal of Humans using Robots designed to accomplish specific tasks, instead of Humans using Robots to keep others from achieving their goals and accomplishing said tasks...the art of defensive strategies).

The FIRST experience is built and run daily on sponsors asking us each to do our best for them (and showcase them in full partnership also), and financial support is traded on to complete that mission using both parts and dollars and tons of other support.

As a side note...Our specific team never collaborates anymore w/ other teams, except on the field of play itself of course, call it hard lessons over the years and now ingrained in our specific 2 digit long time in existance team (and that probably hurts us now more than ever, during this present age of extreme team collaboration that, we may have historically just BTW helped to create during years past...Remember that was very controversial when first introduced)....But, you will not find any debut vids released of our teams robots until it hits the field at the first event (usually Week #4).

Actually, I tried (to personally change our own team culture this year if others were willing, I would have presented it to the team for acceptance or rejection), here during this particular build season. I received no responses whatsoever, except, after another prod post, I received a few of...."Talk to us after the build season." It never happened so, we collaborated onfield again instead of before we reached the field. And it will again in 2 weeks (though the offer is still always open). I realized early on after reading the game rules the very first time, that the teamwork was needed early on for this game to be highly successful is all.

This game needs team collaboration to be highly successful on field....And it shows when it is done well. Those that do collaborate will be highly complimentary to each other, and should be highly successful as the game seems to be designed, as a pure team game, rewarding teams that are more willing to work together. Not so much for teams that will not. (Though the stats will still be kind to them also if outstanding robot design and task completion is there). I have witnessed teams choosing a really high # seeded team...No other game would you usually find that.

Deals are born and made between teams daily, the games are based on playing in an alliance forcing collaboration.....That is not sketchy. That is just downright smart!

Not to be anti-GP...But, to quote you......"First of all, money for performing well is a bad thing...."

Someday, some employer is either going to get a real steal by hiring you as you will perform at top levels without the associated "bad financial reward"...Or, he will be very sorry, because you personally will not perform because of the idea that...."First of all, money for performing well is a bad thing...." (Not trying to pick on you personally please understand...Just look at the statement, and think about it honestly a minute first......OK?)

The capitalist based business world succeeds above all others, mainly because "Money for performing something well, is a GOOD THING!"

Trading labor, time, knowledge, product, and or services for that so bad & evil money, it is the engine that drives our economies worldwide. If you think it doesn't drive the FIRST Community also...Try surviving a single season without those (things you may consider "evil"), and absolutely necessary SUPER Great Sponsor $$$$'s, and many teams do every year. It isn't easy. It's downright nearly impossible at a high level. (The volunteerism provided across the entire community is the VERY important fuel and access, along w/ all those VERY important Sponsor $$$$ engines, providing us the actual technology!)