Quote:
Originally Posted by IKE
Can someone explain the change around '99/2000? I notice that around that timeframe the quality of the machines and the "FIRST" experience very closely resembles today. Before that it was significantly different.
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I would guess several things led to this "change". First, alliances really became the standard. The size of the field also became the standard rectangle (measuring 54' by 24' for the two-on-two games I believe).
Most importantly was the introduction of the IFI control system. Compared to previous years, it became relatively easy to wire and program your robot. Probably the most notable similarity is the field control system. If you have ever taken the time to look at the blinking lights and the LED displays for the match times, you will see that they have in fact not changed since 2000 (in many cases, it is the same physical hardware).
Basically around that time, the FIRST experience as we know it began: alliances of two (or three I suppose) with about 2 minute matches on the IFI field controller.