Quote:
Originally Posted by Jazonk
2. The 1/4 - 1in platform under the bump. I distinctly remember this was not in the game animation, so no one was aware that we needed to design for it.
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I seriously hope that "it wasn't in the animation" is the only justification for this. Now, if it wasn't in any of the field drawings or even in Section 6 (which, as Eric has stated, it was), then THAT is a proper excuse. The game animation is a summary of the game and doesn't explain the logistics and specifics, and shouldn't be used as evidence for anything.
(I'm incredibly sorry if this comes off as a mean statement - it's not intended as such!)
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Bumpers - As Jane said, black doesn't show up on bumpers. Black does not contrast with red and blue. I was disappointed that FIRST didn't see this problem after week 1 and say "if you wrote your team number on your bumpers with black Sharpie, you'd better bring a paint pen or a silver Sharpie to your next competition to fix them so that we know what your team number is." On another bumper note, I am both a huge fan of and a huge hater of the red and blue bumpers. It's a REALLY easy way to tell what teams are on what alliance while watching the webcast. Yet, I miss the rainbow Wildstang bumpers, the bright pink of 233, and my team's own black and yellow. It makes it significantly harder for some teams to integrate their image with their robot.
Dean's List - See above. Great idea, bad execution. Nevertheless, congratulations to the teams who were able to throw together some outstanding essays, and to all of the nominees, finalists, and recipients of the award. I can't wait to see what the future of this award holds.
Control System - I don't deal with programming and electrical aspects of the robot, so I'm not even going to attempt to comment on it. I do, however, second the voice of whoever mentioned all of the robot skeletons that we'll be seeing in the future. Most teams will not be able to afford to buy new systems each year to keep old robots running. Using old robots as demo robots is a great teaching and learning tool, and I hate to see that opportunity go down the drain so quickly.
Safety - Unless the posters say "DON'T FORGET YOUR SAFETY GLASSES!" in big, bold, visible-from-10-feet-away lettering, they actually create more of a safety hazard for those who stop to read them. At MSC/formerly GLR, people stopping and slowing down to read the posters in the hallway between the pits and the que made getting your robot down there quickly a huge problem.
The things teams try to do for the safety award these days...geez. There are teams out there who do a GREAT job of integrating safety into their program and are completely safe at competitions, but are overshadowed by those who specifically try for the award at the competitions. I'd like to see the judges look more at what teams do back in their own shops. I've never judged the safety award, but from my standpoint, it seems like a lot of the judging has become a contest of who yell out "ROBOT" louder than I play music on my iPod when the robot is still a good 20 feet away than who integrates safety into their entire program for the sake of keeping their kids safe.
Championship webcast quality - Sorry, I can't watch the matches without the accompanying sound. I can deal with slight lags and occasional discoloration, but if I can't hear what's going on on the rest of the field, then I'm watching another division.