Quote:
Originally posted by M. Krass
If they were to make additional, non-scheduled practice fields available, that might go a long way toward alleviating the need for practice rounds on Thursday. It could also turn into a zoo.
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For the past few years, at the Silicon Valley and LA regional competitions, there have been practice fields (sometimes half of a field, as at SVR this year, but at least it was something) where teams have been able to wheel their robots, and test whatever they'd like. From what I've seen, it's fairly easy to keep it from turning into a "zoo."
A couple of the forseeable problems with practice fields are that a) you can't count on everyone using the teather when they're practicing, and b) if the venue isn't large enough to accomodate a practice field, you might be well out of luck.
You could very easilly trust teams to be looking out for other teams who are practicing with their radios, and have announcements concerning the need for everyone to cooperate in this matter (it's uncommon to find a team deliberately doing something wrong, like this).
Concerning spacial issues, setting up a half of a field, or even just main field objects (the center ramp and platform from 2003, for instance, or the middle barrier / bridge from 2001) without the entirety of the field. At SVR, this year, half of the ramp was constructed against the edge of tbe bleechers, in one of the far corners of the pit area. It provided a huge amount of assistance to teams, including my own. If it hadn't been there, we wouldn't have been able to get our autonomous programming done, at all.
Mad props and thanks go to team 254 and NASA Ames for providing that field setup.
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Oh, I forgot to mention specifically that teams can provide these practice fields themselves, and that just because FIRST doesn't provide it, doesn't mean you can't practice on it.
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Durn. This post is more about regional situations than the Championships. Oh well.
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