The 4 Big Questions!

[Andy Grady]

Ok guys, we are now a month away from Kickoff, it is time to get the ball rollin and start to throw around some wacky ideas about this years game. To do this, I propose 4 questions to everyone on the board. In addition to any comments that you make about someone elses answers, also include in your post 1 answer to each question.

Here are the 4 questions...

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)

Question #4: What will be the most contraversial rule?

Good Luck! I'll post my answers after lunch!
-Andy Grady

[Andrew]

Here are the 4 questions...

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
50 lb Curling Stone

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
A cage containing the human players

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
Synthetic Ice in the center of the field

Question #4: What will be the most controversial rule?
2:00 minutes of full autonomy (no more remote control)

[Rich Wong]

[quote=Andrew]Here are the 4 questions...

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
50 lb Curling Stone

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
A cage containing the human players
QUOTE]

Done that- FIRST Game 1995 BC

You know FIRST never repeats a game.


PS- I agreed with Mike; too many RC-Car-robots in the last two years.

[Mike Soukup]

Thanks Andy, we can always count on you for a good FIRST related question. Lets try to keep it on topic.

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
Cheap volleyballs in the middle of the field, half of them red & half of them blue (at least I'm hoping it will be something that's more fun to throw around than the bins)

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
Some tall non-movable goals near the player stations where the balls are placed for scoring. The scores will be tallied at the end based on the number of balls of each color in each goal. I envision that the goals being placed at opposite ends of the field will put an emphasis on fast bots that can move quickly from end to end. There will also be some scoring based on robot position but I can't come up with anything original right now, my mind is tainted by previous games.

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
Carpet like all the previous years, but there will be large movable obsticles in the field that don't count for points. They're only used for blocking other robots. The obsticles will put an emphasis on maneuverable bots that can get around blockades or strong bots that can bust through blockades or hold a blockade in place.

Question #4: What will be the most contraversial rule?
They'll move autonomous to the middle and most teams won't be able to adapt and we'll see much of what we did last year where teams have unsuccessful autonomous modes. Or they'll move autonomous to the end and what I previously stated holds true plus the end of the match will be the most boring we've seen in years.

I'm probably wrong about all 4, but I had fun anyway. Lets hear some other wild ideas.

Hopefully FIRST will give us a game that forces us to create a variety of robots. After 2 years of games dominated by short boxes on wheels we need some robots that extend vertically or have arms.

Mike

[Madison]

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
Large diameter PVC pipes

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
A ferris wheel-like structure in the middle of the field.

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
Stairs

Question #4: What will be the most controversial rule?
Human player period moved to the end of the match.

[Andy Grady]

Great answers so far, lets keep this going!

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
Different colored flags.

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
A large pyramid with holes in it.


Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
The pyramid (Made of plywood may I add)

Question #4: What will be the most controversial rule?
Teams will be allowed to activate the opposite alliances autonomous mode at one time per round by pressing the infamous red button on the field!


As for what others have said so far, I really like the curling stone object, however Rich is correct when he says its been done. Canada FIRST, Robocurl. Probably one of the oddest, yet interesting competitions I have seen. I also like the idea of having stairs as the main playing field feature.

[Sachiel7]

Oh oh, let me try!

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
Balls, but probably something we havent used, like balls 1/2 way filled with water, or sand, or just weighted (I know water-filled balls have been used, I think)

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
A Large Central Column. There are 2-4 (I haven't made up my mind yet ) " deposits" or slots for balls to go in, and there are triggers around the field which drop out the floor of a deposit, making all the balls fall to the bottom level of the column. Balls in the top are multipliers, balls in the bottom are your base. There are openings on 2 sides of the base but they are only so high, so it's tricky to try and get your single points out to attempt to multiply them.

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
Mainly, the column. The sides are made from a more spread-out mesh, that is strong, so bots can climb on it. Also, on the 2 sides around the column, there are 2 small "speedbump" type ramps.

Question #4: What will be the most controversial rule?
Hmm. I think that being allowed to block switches that dump the deposits and blocking the top of deposits would get controversial.

Oh and the game's called "Column Crisis"

[Dave Scheck]

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
Frisbees

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
A ledge above the opposing player station

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
A 4-sided staircase with a pedestal on top. If you're object is on top at the end of the match you get bonus points.

Question #4: What will be the most controversial rule?
The starting area will be subdivided into quadrants. The opposing alliance will choose which quadrant the robots start in. Autonomous mode in the beginning would have to figure out where it was.

[Arefin Bari]

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)

books....

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)

there will be shelf in the middle of the field... take the books and stack it on the shelf...

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)

a part of the field... full of sand... and stairs where will be your homezone...

Question #4: What will be the most contraversial rule?

either run the auton at the end of the match to go kill the other bots... or get back to the stairs...


its probably stupid... but whatever...

[Pat Roche]

Well I have no answers for these questions...but did sit next to Woody on the plane back from the Championship last year and he said something about a black box that all the robots drive into and then see which ones come out

-Just thought I'd share

-Pat

[Mike M.]

alright andy here's one for ya
Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
Footballs
Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
a stairway in the middle of the field that the footballs have to be placed on top of
[b]Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
the stairway is made of a wire mesh
Question #4: What will be the most contraversial rule?
teams pushing others off the stairs
just my thoughts

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by expiredzbyte

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)

books....

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)

there will be shelf in the middle of the field... take the books and stack it on the shelf...

its probably stupid... but whatever...

Do you get extra multipliers if your robot follows the Dewey Decimal system in stacking the books?

[Andy Grady]

Looking at a few of the answers people have come up with, I think there are some very valid ideas that have been thrown around. I think the most likely answer that we will be seeing this year will be some sort of stairs as a few people have mentioned. Though I think that FIRST may be getting a little tired out with ramps, I dont believe they would want a flat field again this year. Imagine this....each alliance has a moveable goal, and you get a multiplier for each level of steps you ascend with goal in hand. Sounds like it would call for some very exciting moments. Imagine last second dashes for the top step, knocking over your opponent and their goal in the process to win the match in a blaze of glory!

Good Luck,
Andy Grady

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Do you get extra multipliers if your robot follows the Dewey Decimal system in stacking the books?

dude that was just a guess... i wasnt even serious... i really didnt think about the whole concept that i posted.... you can guess....

[Elgin Clock]

Question #1: What is the object? (i.e. Balls, Bins, Tubes, Floppies...)
Something that will allow it to be manipulated by robots and people, so.. Since it has never been done before I guess i will go with hula hoops and nerf footballs.

Question #2: What is the goal? (i.e. Large moving tower, puck, goal post...)
Gotta stick with my original guess and go with: A 55 gallon (see thru?) drum or drums (maybe on wheels)

Question #3: What is the special playing field surface trait? (i.e. Ramp, Water, Corn...)
I agree with M. Krass and will say Stairs.

Question #4: What will be the most controversial rule?
Autonomous at the end.. or tipping and pinning rules like every other years
Or, going with the hula hoop and drum guess, "When is a hula hoop totally scored on a drum, when it is completely around it, or partially around it?"