Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Anderson
I'm fine with teams giving out as much sugar and eggs and cream cheese as they want, and even helping a receiving team to bake it into a wheel of delicious dessert. But I've reached a position where I think giving an entire homemade cheesecake is something that should be discouraged.
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I agree with this position. Some of my most memorable events were when teams showed up after the six week build with something that really wasn't going work or in a few cases even roll. A number of the 3 digit teams arrived with people, worked with the "to be cheesecaked team" worked out a plan. They would then search all the teams "allowances" in the pit area, and in a few hours help build a robot. I'd like to see some way for this to continue.
But I don't want to see teams "find a box" and rip it down to install full items. I think Alan's line of help you get parts and assemble, but it's not a bolt on thing. I think the COTS line may be good, but will a point get reached that VexPro makes the "VexProBurglar" (tm)?
But the concept of going to an event, seeing something cool and adding it in should always be there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by waialua359
I miss the 6 week build season.
FRC is looking more and more like the VEX challenge. If that's the case, I hope FIRST makes some changes in the near future, so that I can eat right, sleep right, and not put my personal life on hold for 2 months not including the competitions we attend.
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*cough*FTC*cough*
But to be fair one of the things I like about VEX is the design/build/compete/get crushed/redesign//build/compete/get crushed/redesign ... cycle. It's the way the world works (cough*iPhone6*cough) but it's a shame that designs will converge to just a few dozen. If you saw the VEX Worlds, there were lots of variations, but lots of similar designs.
While it's a little out of context: Newton: If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. We do that all the time, RI3D, VexPro / AM / etc COTS parts, years of cycle engineering drive trains, etc.