[AJunx]

FIRST 2005 Game Idea

Title
 Puck Pandemonium
 Donut Disorder
 Donut Discord
(as you can see, I’m still searching for a decent name)

Before I go into a detailed explanation of this game, let me establish the basics. The goal of this game is to put rings (or donuts) on vertical poles mounted on moveable pucks. In order to add some engineering challenges and some spice to the game, each robot starts on top of a octahedral puck, like those used in past FIRST games, which is 6” tall. In order to score points, robots will likely have to dismount from the pucks, manipulate the pucks, and manipulate donuts. To add yet another engineering challenge, a bonus will be given for any robot ending the match on its puck with that puck in the appropriate scoring zone. This game includes a number of ways to score points as well as ways to de-score opponents’ points. Puck Pandemonium will allow for both aggressive defensive and offensive strategies that should make it extremely fun to play as well as to watch.

The rules I have listed are meant to give you an idea of the game structure rather than provide a complete set of rules. I have provided a not-precisely-to-scale diagram of the field for this game as an attachment. If you have any questions or comments please let me know so that I can make improvements to the game.




Field
 The field will retain the dimensions of the 2004 field.
 The robot playing area will be 48 ft. long by 24 ft. wide.
 The total area of the field will be 64 ft. by 24 ft.
 The playing surface will be the same carpet used in 2004.
 On one side of the field, the carpet will be colored blue in the area between 9 ft. from the wall and 19 ft. from the end wall on that side of the field.
 On the other side of the field, the carpet will be colored red in the same fashion.
 The remainder of the carpet will be colored gray (as usual).
 In the center of the field will be a 4 and ¼ in. platform measuring 5 ft. wide by 10 ft. long.
 In the center of the platform will be mounted a pole 2 in. in diameter and 7 ft. tall (measured from the base of the platform).
 On both sides of the platform, two poles will be mounted, each 2 in. in diameter and 5 ft. tall (measured from the base of the platform). Each pole will be 20 ft. from the end wall on its own side. The two poles on either side will be located 4 ft. apart and 2 ft. from a line bisecting the field lengthwise.
 One pressure sensor (similar to those used in Stack Attack) will be located on each side of the playing field, centered between the two side walls and set against the end wall. An infrared beacon will be placed above each pressure sensor on the end wall.
 There will be four octagonal ‘pucks’ having a diameter of 4 ft. from flat side to flat side. Each puck will have 8 casters and its platform height will be 6 in. Each puck will have a single pole 2 in. in diameter and 4 ft. 6 in. high (for an overall height of 5 ft.) located on the puck at one of the puck’s eight vertices.
**Editor’s note – see diagram of field on last page.

Game Piece
 The game piece for this game will be an inner tube or tire approximately 15 in. in diameter and 4 in. in thickness; from here on out, they will be called donuts.
 The donuts will be of three different colors.
 Those donuts starting around the 7 ft. pole will be colored yellow. There will be 10 yellow donuts.
 Those donuts starting around the two 5 ft. poles in the blue carpeted area will be colored red. There will be 10 red donuts on each pole.
 Those donuts starting around the two 5 ft. poles in the red carpeted area will be colored blue. There will be 10 blue donuts on each pole.
 At each human player station there will be 5 yellow donuts. These donuts may only be used if a robot has triggered the pressure sensor on the opposite side of the field during the autonomous period.

Robots
 Robots are to begin the match having dimensions no greater than 30 in. (long) by 24 in. (wide) by 42 in (tall).
 Robots will compete, as in the 2004 game, as a red and as a blue alliance.
 Each robot will begin the match being entirely supported by one of its alliance’s pucks (colored red or blue), with no parts of that robot extending past the edges of the puck.

Autonomous
 The autonomous period will start at the beginning of the match and will continue for 20 seconds.
 In order to gain access to the 10 yellow donuts for the human players on an alliance, the pressure sensor on the opposite side of the field must be triggered during the autonomous period.
 If, during the autonomous period, a robot triggers the pressure sensor on its own side of the field, the 10 yellow donuts will become available to the human player on the opposing alliance.
 If the pressure sensors have not been triggered by the end of the autonomous period, the human players will not be allowed to use the donuts (and therefore not take part in the scoring action).

Scoring
 There are two distinct ways of scoring in this game: 1) placing donuts on the poles located on pucks and 2) being on one of your alliance’s pucks within your alliance’s scoring zone (the red or blue colored zone as defined in the field section) at the end of the match.
1) Donuts on Poles
 When placed on a pole located on a puck, each yellow donut counts 10 points for whichever alliance’s puck it is on.
 When a blue donut is placed on a pole located on a blue alliance puck, it counts 5 points for the blue alliance.
 When a red donut is placed on a pole located on a red alliance puck, it counts 5 points for the red alliance.
 When a blue donut is placed on a pole located on a red alliance puck, it descores any donuts below it for the red alliance.
 When a red donut is placed on a pole located on a blue alliance puck, it descores any donuts below it for the blue alliance.
 Once a donut is on a pole located on a puck, it may not be removed.
2) Robots on Pucks
 Any robot ending the match wholly supported by one of its alliance’s pucks that lies entirely within that alliance’s scoring zone, will receive 50 points.

 The total points possible for an alliance are:
10 yellow donuts on the center pole X 10 points each = 100 points
20 yellow donuts from human players X 10 points each = 200 points
2 X 10 red/blue donuts from poles X 5 points each = 100 points
2 robots X 50 points for being on puck in scoring zone = 100 points
= 500 maximum possible points.

**Editors note – 500 may seem like much too large a number, but please keep in mind that the 2004 game had an even higher maximum number of possible points [21 small balls X 2 sides X 5 points each X 2 (multiplier) + 4 small balls X 10 points each X 2 (multiplier) + 2 robots X 50 points for hanging on the bar] = 600 points). Despite this potential, time limitations as well as the competition between the alliances kept scores down in 2004 and will do so in this game as well.