Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)

[Andy Grady]

Hi everyone! Thanks for the wonderful replies to last weeks question. Here we go for this week!

Question of the Week (7/26/04):

If you could choose a playingfield surface other than carpet, what would you like it to be? Why?

As always, you can suggest any questions to me by contacting me through PM, e-mail (skrach42@aol.com), or AIM (QuietRiverRage1).

Have Fun!
-Andy Grady

[Beth Sweet]

I know it's completely implausible, but I'd love to see a game on ice. It would just be cool and present a new challenge. Or maybe (warning, another crazy thing from my mind) a surface like they have on air hockey tables and make it so the robot would hafta glide. I think that would be cool...

[Koko Ed]

How about shreadded cardboard?

[Joshua May]

I really think ice would be cool. It would require teams to worry alot more about traction and driving.

[Steve Howland]

dirt/soil - bots would have to build wheels with tires to prevent dirt clogging up the gears and getting in with all the electonics, and the tires would need strong traction. This would be tough to put together but would be fun to see!

[Steve W]

Originally Posted by Joshua May

I really think ice would be cool. It would require teams to worry alot more about traction and driving.

Very Punny.

[Ali Ahmed]

I think a field with different type of sufaces is cool. Like this past season and 2003. maybe with two extremes like ice and then rubber or something like that. But I think that carpet is too old.

[Stephen Kowski]

frankly i like the practical choice of concrete.....i liked that grating in 2003....i also like the fact that the surface changed from the carpet to the grating.....

[JoeXIII'007]

Sure, ice is a nice idea. But why not some snow on concrete? Wet concrete? Concrete with oil spilt on it? Why does concrete seem like such a great idea? Is it because it is so concrete?

So yeah, I would go with concrete. I know someone mentioned it before, but thought I'd add to it.

[Steve W]

As a voice of reason I like carpet. The big thing is all of the idea so far entitle a lot of work for setup and tear down. The base for the venues change from place to place. We have had ice with hard plastic covering. Ice with fibre board covering, hardwood flooring, concrete and asphalt. I can just see us trying to bring in 3 trucks of dirt into a gym with hardwood flooring.

[tiffany34990]

yeah i agree carpeting is goin on forever--- concrete is simple and easy for everyone to practice on--it's everywhere and so is title--but yeah not much fun--

now ice umm hard in florida to just get ice to practice on now-- all well0-it's all good

other surfaces--lol--rocks well interesting--tough but would be a nice challenge-- how about grass and dirt and all that stuff-- just keep it junk out of the gearboxes that's all

as long as it's easy to set up i'm all good-- we don't have that much to store stuff and place to practice on my team-- don't want the school to kick us out now


happy thinking of new surfaces!!!

[Arefin Bari]

just a little twist in this thread... the field size...

the field size has been same for a few years... does anyone think that the size should be changed that way more obstacles can be added in the game....?

also all the ideas that were pointed out in the thread sounds really interesting...

[Michael R. Lee]

Originally Posted by mechman108

just a little twist in this thread... the field size...
the field size has been same for a few years...

You can't really change the field size to the venues for the regionals. Like UCF you barely fit the playing field inside the gym.

Now for types of surfaces for a playing field.... what about plywood? I mean we use enough of it to make the components of the field. Actually if there is going to be multiple surfaces like in 2003, a simple field like the one in 2002 would be nice.

[Billfred]

I've got an idea...

Duct tape.

It's cheap, widely available, and traction would be FUN again!

[Rich Kressly]

I really like the multiple surface challenge, especially the way it was employed in 03. There's something about that slippery HDPE on top of that ramp that was very cool to me.

That being said flat carpet with simple field objects like in 02 made for a "go get em" kind of game that led to some awesome machines. After two years of really "busy" fields, I'd love to see the game "opened up" again.