IRI (CONTEMPLATED) Rule Changes

[Eric Kosek]

Something else that might make the minibot more than just who has the fastest minibot would be to randomize which two poles each team can deploy on. Then in the last 15 seconds the bases would light up either red or blue and red could only deploy on red. Then it would be whoever could get to both correct poles fastest and deploy. This would also give the analyst a job to do in the last 15 seconds. Just an idea

[Bjenks548]

I wouldn't mind each alliance getting 4 uber tubes, with one not aloud to touch a robot at the start... Side note, my robot is not able to put up 2 uber tubes. I really think the minibots should stay a race (thats what all the teams have been working on) but I would not mind the points decreasing.

[XaulZan11]

Usually, I like very minor changes to the rules, but I don't think logomotion plays that well at a high level with the fixed max of scoring, diminishing tube scores and big point swings based on tenths of seconds in minibot races. If it was up to me, this is what I would do:

Uber tube can be scored after autonomous, but without the doubler. To keep autonomous as important, if an alliance scores all 3 ubers, they get a 4th uber placed in their driver station.

The bottom row of tubes worth 2 points opposed of 1 to get rid of the stupid diminishing returns of being a great scoring alliance. If your great at scoring tubes, you should have a bigger advantage over a good scoring alliance.

Minibot race worth 20 pts for 1st and 2nd and 15 points for 3rd and 4th*. With most minibots being super fast at IRI, a .1 difference in minibot speed shouldn't swing a match 40 points (From you getting 1st and opponent getting 4th to you getting 4th and your opponent getting 1st). Plus, does anyone really want to spend more time this summer working on minibots, in addition to spending more hundreds of dollars on motors?

*Note, with increase in auto and tube scoring points, these points values may need to be increased to 25/15 or 25/20.

[25robotix.Mo]

What about making the middle row worth 3 points, the bottom worth 2 and the top worth 1? This way teams would first fill up the middle row which would make it much more challenging for drivers to drive because of the tubes blocking their sight. Just another way to screw with the drivers

[P.J.]

I completely agree with all of the points made by XaulZan11. His seems like the best rule changes to implement to make the game both more fun while retaining the idea and feel of the game.

I wish this was Facebook so we could "like" the posts of people rather then just referencing them. That would make it much easier to judge the public's reactions to various ideas. Just a random thought.

[JB987]

Some great ideas offered already! 3 ubertubes scored earns another for teleop...check. Reduce minibot values to 20, 18, 16, 14, ...absolutely. Decrease rack's diminishing returns with 10 or 15 point bonus for each logo regardless of which row (incentive for 3rd bot to hang around and work the rack during endgame)...and insure availability of tubes by discouraging starvation strategy that is boring has heck and likely to be used more often if rack values are increased. Maybe just subtract 10 pts for each tube left in the feeder station after 30 seconds left in match and even if huge amount of tubes are dumped just prior to the the 30 second mark the opposing team has to chose how much effort they will put into tubes vs deployment preparation. Make any tube on the floor fair game for either alliance(except for those in scoring zones). Ok to go in opponents loading zone to get a tube but you risk penalty if you contact/interfere with opponent robots while they are in their feeder lane which eliminates bulk of match penalties we saw during the season. Lots of interesting strategy opportunities to consider.

[Trevor1743]

What if the mini-bots were given points based on the window in which they scored. If they reach the top in less then 2 seconds from the start of the end game they get 20 points, within 4 seconds 15 points,within 6 seconds 10 points...

[Bob Steele]

Here's an idea... How about doing logos vertically...
A logo would be worth 3+2+1 X 2 or 12 points per logo
You could have 6 logos or 72 points total
Uber tubes would score in autonomous the normal way but during teleop they would double the entire logo again.... so a logo with an ubertube would add another 12 points if on a vertical logo...

If a logo had 2 ubertubes it would be worth 2 X 2 X 12 or 48 points
if a logo had 3 ubertubes it would be worth 2 X 2 X 2 X 12 or 72 points

This would give a possible score of 126 for a rack....(with 3 high ubertubes in autonomous)

Presently the max score is 108 for a full rack... this would raise the full rack score to 126 AND give the lower tubes more value at the same time because they would be necessary for making a logo.

Another completly different approach COULD be to have the ubertubes double the entire logo they are on... but i think this is too many points. Given the rules as they are for logos... a logo doubling ubertube idea would mean that a logo on the top with 3 ubertubes would be worth 108 points by itself... this is too much .... so this wouldn't work...I suppose you could allow only a single doubling of a logo. no matter how many ubertubes were there... but this would net 96 additional points available from 2 high logos doubled and 1 middle doubled...

Just ideas....

[Bongle]

How about 5-4-3 scoring for the top-middle-bottom rows?

This fixes:
1) Tube vs minibot relative strengths
2) Diminishing returns (bottom row is worth 60% of the top row)

[JB987]

Originally Posted by Bongle

How about 5-4-3 scoring for the top-middle-bottom rows?

This fixes:
1) Tube vs minibot relative strengths
2) Diminishing returns (bottom row is worth 60% of the top row)

Ahh, the elegance of simplicity...a great idea as long as you ensure a disincentive for tube starvation as I stated in previous post and you reduce the scoring differential between first and last minibot places (20, 18, 16, 14). You still have the excitement factor during endgame, continue to reward faster minibots and every tube placement will become more critical than previously, keeping the excitement level high as spectators focus on every placement right up to the end. 5, 4, 3... easy change logistically too.

[meaubry]

1) introduce a 5th scoring pole to provide an additional scoring opportunity that only one or the other of the alliances may potentially (if successful) utilize - special rules apply for robot interaction at this scoring pole - located in the center of the field.
2) minibot scoring on the 2 assigned poles can occur pre-end of game with reduced points, adds an additional element to when to deploy minibot and secure points (10 points for any bot that is successful pre-end of game).
3) 5th scoring pole can only be used during end of game time period
(potential scores if no minibots are deployed pre end of game 1st=20, 2nd=15, 3rd=12, 4th=10, 5th=5)
4) Play out the entire time - allows tube scoring a few more seconds than if the match ends based on minibot race ending.
5) scoring on wall revised - any lower logo counts the same as logo row above it - if there is a completed logo directly above it, otherwise it stays the reduced amount.

[Jack Jones]

Why not just play Aim High again?

[Paul Copioli]

I'm sure this is just assumed, but I never saw the rule change for the serpentine this year. So to make is an official request:

Make alliance selection non-serpentine (or the same as last year's IRI ... I don't care either way). So 1 picks first in both the first round and second round of the draft. If you still pick your own partner in the third round, then that can be serpentine.

I love all the other proposed changes by Fultz.

[jtdowney]

Originally Posted by Paul Copioli

I'm sure this is just assumed, but I never saw the rule change for the serpentine this year. So to make is an official request:

Make alliance selection non-serpentine (or the same as last year's IRI ... I don't care either way). So 1 picks first in both the first round and second round of the draft. If you still pick your own partner in the third round, then that can be serpentine.

I love all the other proposed changes by Fultz.

Chris didn't mention it in his post but it is on the IRI website.

[nighterfighter]

Originally Posted by meaubry

1) introduce a 5th scoring pole to provide an additional scoring opportunity that only one or the other of the alliances may potentially (if successful) utilize - special rules apply for robot interaction at this scoring pole - located in the center of the field.
2) minibot scoring on the 2 assigned poles can occur pre-end of game with reduced points, adds an additional element to when to deploy minibot and secure points (10 points for any bot that is successful pre-end of game).
3) 5th scoring pole can only be used during end of game time period
(potential scores if no minibots are deployed pre end of game 1st=20, 2nd=15, 3rd=12, 4th=10, 5th=5)
4) Play out the entire time - allows tube scoring a few more seconds than if the match ends based on minibot race ending.
5) scoring on wall revised - any lower logo counts the same as logo row above it - if there is a completed logo directly above it, otherwise it stays the reduced amount.

1-A 5th scoring pole? Eww. Would make it seem very congested.

2-Would be an interesting tactic if any team could score on any pole, but I think you would still see teams waiting until the end.

3-See point 1.

4- Yes. Definitely.

5- THAT seems like a perfect way to do it. It would essentially make all 3 rows worth the same amount of points, if you can score in order...