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Unread 19-04-2010, 19:58
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Billfred Billfred is offline
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Re: 2010 Lesson Learned: The inspectors

In no particular order:

The ranking system. When a Championship contender decides it's in its best interest from the seeding standpoint to take a 29-0 dive (no matter how spectacular it was to watch the scoreboard climb), what does that say?

Also, while the five-point win bonus made for a great improvement in the system after week 1, how will the GDC be able to calibrate that bonus in future years with wildly different scoring? Unless you throw those first-week events under the bus, it seems nearly impossible.

Make the coopertition score the first tiebreaker after WLT record, though, and I'm fine.

The control system. My position has been clear on the reuse of control system components (I'd rather not), but I'll grit my teeth and do it. All I ask is for this system to work reliably, especially on the field. I was partially relieved to hear of no new announcements in Atlanta for the control system--now please, beat the hell out of it with the FMS this off-season!

Bumpers. I miss them being optional. I miss them being colored as we desire, if applicable. I miss being able to style our numbers where and as we desire, within the bounds of the applicable rules. I would not miss seeing a dozen or so teams at Bayou just outside the venue painting their bumpers to get their numbers on (and, generally, getting less-than-stellar results in the process).

Assuming that FIRST finds the 2010-spec bumper rules desirable, though, how about this: Give us 12" in the middle of each bumper to style as we see fit, provided that it includes the 4" numbers and that the background isn't the other color (e.g. no blue backgrounds on the red bumpers). Doing so would allow much better opportunities to brand the robots with more familiar elements (sponsor logos, slogans, pigs on rockets) to aid recognition while doing little to diminish recognition of alliance color.

No game ball in the kit of parts. See above.

Dean's List timing. See every other post about it. Wonderful intent, awful announcement timing. We'll give it a go in 2011.

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Aside: I hope everyone posting in this thread will take the time to post in the Positives thread as well.
__________________
William "Billfred" Leverette - Gamecock/Jessica Boucher victim/Marketing & Sales Specialist at AndyMark

2004-2006: FRC 1293 (D5 Robotics) - Student, Mentor, Coach
2007-2009: FRC 1618 (Capital Robotics) - Mentor, Coach
2009-2013: FRC 2815 (Los Pollos Locos) - Mentor, Coach - Palmetto '09, Peachtree '11, Palmetto '11, Palmetto '12
2010: FRC 1398 (Keenan Robo-Raiders) - Mentor - Palmetto '10
2014-2016: FRC 4901 (Garnet Squadron) - Co-Founder and Head Bot Coach - Orlando '14, SCRIW '16
2017-: FRC 5402 (Iron Kings) - Mentor

94 events (more than will fit in a ChiefDelphi signature), 14 seasons, over 61,000 miles, and still on a mission from Bob.

Rule #1: Do not die. Rule #2: Be respectful. Rule #3: Be safe. Rule #4: Follow the handbook.
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