Okay, kids, put down your pens.
Okay, not really, but here's my first thoughts -
The game, which is yet to be assigned a super-rad name, is played on a field matching the dimensions of this year's field, just so we can keep those nice folks at FIRST from having one extra thing to do next season. The player stations, however, might need to be slightly rearranged. Might not.
Game time is 2:00. Two alliances of two robots on the field at a time. Blue and red.
2003 Field Plan
2003 Scoring Bin
The game is reminscent of 2000, with two team colored scoring bins on the field, and balls worth varying amounts of pointage scatter about the field. There are, however, several items of note that make this game unique.
First, though, let's start with the basics. Note, please, that the actual numbers of balls on the field can vary some from what's shown. I'd like there to be at least a few more.
Yellow balls = 5 pts.
Green balls = 1 pt.
Red balls = -1 pt.
Robot in Zone = 5 pts.
Two Robots in Zone = 15 pts.
Three Robots in Zone = 20 pts.
Four Robots in Zone = 30 pts.
This requires that the robots be entirely within the zone, so no tethers or other questionable devices.
Also, please keep in mind that the scoring itself could probably use some playbalancing.
Now, the central octagon is formed by a railing that's approximately 3' tall. It is permitted that a robot may pass above or beneath this railing.
Each bin is formed of PVC piping to facilitate easy calculation of the score by the teams and the refs. Each bin is free-swinging about a pivot located high up on its side. As such, any robot that cannot fit below the goal or under the octagon border can pass by, though they'd strongly risk tipping the goal.
Each different point value ball is a unique diameter as well. The goal and 5 pt. balls should be designed to take that no more than 2 can easily fit inside a goal, and also so that 1 pt. balls cannot be inserted past the larger balls. However, the smallest -1 pt. balls can still fit. I expect teams to engineer clever ways around this, but I like this because it makes sprinting for and scoring 5 pt. balls less advantageous than in 2000.
The game is played for 2:00, with any number of different strategies. Finaly qualifying point calculation is still something of a play balance issue. I'm strongly interested in another system similar to this year's multiple of the other alliance. I particularly like the idea of the losing alliance receiving your score, also. This is somewhat difficult to balance, though, because 0's and negative scores are very likely.
What I expect to happen in a typical game scenario might go something like this -
At the start, one blue robot tries to head into the scoring octagon, while the corresponding red robot tries to interfere.
On the other side of the field, the blue robot runs down the line of -1 pt. balls. The other red robot is free to enter the scoring octagon as well.
In the scoring octagon, each of the robots battles over the 3 five (5) pt. balls. Meanwhile, each of their bins are swinging like a pendulum.
From here, so many different things could happen I can't even imagine them. It might be advantageous to dump an opponents bin and collect the points from there, or to empty a bin full of balls to fill it with a smaller, lower scoring group of balls.
It could very advantageous that robots have a way of getting out of the scoring octagon *without* dumping either goal, to facilitate scoring in a robot zone. This could mean that robots get 'trapped' inside.
The world is your oyster
If something's not clear, let me know and I'll set the world right