View Single Post
  #141   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 06-03-2007, 14:20
dlavery's Avatar
dlavery dlavery is offline
Curmudgeon
FRC #0116 (Epsilon Delta)
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Herndon, VA
Posts: 3,176
dlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond repute
Re: "Random" match Schedules

Wow. I take a few days off to work on my real job, and come back to find quite a little firestorm going on here.

I won’t make any attempt to answer all the points that have been discussed here, but will try to hit a few of the highlights.

FIRST is already VERY aware of the problem with the match pairing algorithm. When the alliance assignments for the first set of matches was generated last Thursday evening, the issue became obvious, and they started to pursue a solution to the problem.

There is no need to call your Regional Director, yell at the Event Managers, telegraph your Senior Mentor, e-mail FIRST Headquarters, or petition your Congressional Representatives about your displeasure with the issue. FIRST already gets it. They can spend their very limited time reading your correspondence or solving the problem, but not both. Where do you want to have them focus their energies?

The match pairing algorithm is working exactly as it was designed, and it is not generating the match pairings by mistake. Unfortunately, the algorithm itself is fundamentally flawed, and was not developed with the appropriate constraints and priorities as defined by FIRST (random mixing of partners/opponents, reasonable time between matches for each team, scalability for various numbers of teams, variable match-to-match cycle time, etc. etc. etc.) factored in to the algorithm.

The new software developers implemented the algorithm based on their own set of heuristics for a "desirable" mix of teams in the alliance assignments. These heuristics are inconsistent with those used by FIRST, and were not what either FIRST or the GDC intended. Whether this happened by miscommunication, oversight, or misinformation, I don’t know and it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that FIRST recognizes their heuristics were not used, they recognize that the situation needs to be fixed, and they have communicated that to the software developers.

Keep an eye out for the next Team Update for information from FIRST regarding their plans to get the problem solved. My understanding is that FIRST has committed to making sure that the situation is corrected, that their priorities for match pairings will be used, and the match pairings for Week 2 competitions will be significantly improved.

-dave
__________________
"I know what you're thinking, punk," hissed Wordy Harry to his new editor, "you're thinking, 'Did he use six superfluous adjectives or only five?' - and to tell the truth, I forgot myself in all this excitement; but being as this is English, the most powerful language in the world, whose subtle nuances will blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' - well do you, punk?"
- Stuart Vasepuru, 2006 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest



My OTHER CAR is still on Mars!!!