2012 Lessons Learned :The Positive

[BrendanB]

I loved this years game!

Bridges were a great endgame that most teams at your event could participate and we found creative ways to get those last few teams on the bridge at our last event which really made it an endgame that you just needed a drivebase for!

Real-time scoring was great!

Relaxed in game rules was nice along with real time penalties *although I wished they told you after the match quickly what penalties were called I saw several robots who kept committing the same foul in several matches I assume they never knew they were getting called for it.

The field test videos FIRST came out with was a great asset! Even after seeing the field at kickoff I learned some more after watching the videos and I'm sure that a lot of teams valued these quick vids! Hope to see more next year!

While I thought this year was going to be a year full of clone/similar robots I really saw a wide variety of robots ours was no exception!

Our team had a great two regionals this year. Our robot never had a mechanical issue so it was very relaxed as a team and the students enjoyed themselves after a long regional.

A lot was learned this year both good and bad but I for one was extremely with how the first half of 2012 went! 3467 learned a lot and our students are eager and preparing for 2013!!!

[IKE]

I absolutely loved the amount of motors allowed to be used.

More Power uh uh uh uh...

I really liked learning the limits of the 120 Amp breaker. It was painful at the time, but it turns out it will in fact limit the amount that can be drawn.

[jslokovitz]

A big lesson learned; don't trust opposing alliances to hold to their word on the co-op bridge. We strategized in every match to balance and twice the opposing alliance left us on the bridge holding the bag. I think that the co-op points were too valuable in this game; your standings were left-up to the opposing alliance. It’s a great idea, but I think the point system did not safeguard against the possible sabotage. It was a great experience one of the best games played!!!
“We don’t just build robots, we build character!”
Slok
FIRST Team 533

[jslokovitz]

A big lesson learned; don't trust opposing alliances to hold to their word on the co-op bridge. We strategized in every match to balance and twice the opposing alliance left us on the bridge holding the bag. I think that the co-op points were too valuable in this game; your standings were left-up to the opposing alliance. It’s a great idea, but I think the point system did not safeguard against the possible sabotage. It was a great experience one of the best games played!!!
“We don’t just build robots, we build character!”
Slok
FIRST Team 533

[torihoelscher]

I loved this years game.

I loved the Finale (City Museum).

I loved the Scholarship Breakfast.

I loved how the weather added intensity and suspense of the Einstein matches.

There was never a dull moment.

I didnt feel sick this year! *My chicken sandwich was pink this year and I didnt eat it!!*

My team did better than last year!!

I love EVERYTHING ABOUT FIRST!

* I posted in the negatives post because there are extremely minor things that were really bothering me *

[Joon Park]

Just as has been said, the game itself was great in so many ways, creating extremely exciting matches and unpredictable results.

I also loved instant score reports, as well as how penalties were scored. I think that made it very transparent to the spectators as well.

[pfreivald]

I loved the game -- easy to explain, with interesting (and deceptively difficult) design challenges and a lot of strategy.

Real time scoring/penalties = great.

The KOP improvements, from motors to FIRST Choice, were just fantastic.

The video tour of the field was excellent and informative -- especially the bit about calibrating the inexpensive bridge!

[keatiyeh175]

I loved the instant scoring. Even though the delay in previous years made some great tension and anxiety, being able to know who won 10 seconds after the match sure does beat shutting the field down because of scoring issues. Go Buzz

[Taylor]

My 75-year-old mother in law really enjoyed herself.
So did my 3-year-old son.

What more can you ask for?

[Wayne TenBrink]

I like the way that the GDC incorporated two primary objectives (shooting baskets and balancing on bridges) that drove the robot design in opposite directions and made you think. Tall (and top-heavy) is great for shooting baskets but lousy for balancing and vice versa. Long is more stable on the bridge, but wide is better for a triple balance. It required creativity to develop a comprehensive solution.

[PayneTrain]

I brought some friends from a nearby school to come watch. They didn't expect much when they arrived, but when we were puling off triple double balances at the end, I could hear them screaming, specifically, in the loudest I've ever heard a FIRST venue get.

This was my senior year, and I feel blessed to have played the most exciting, easy to understand, fast paced, robot-varied, KOP-open game ever. If the GDC can actually top Rebound Rumble, I might cry at the reveal.

[Mr. Van]

The Coopertition Bridge - I think it was great to have opposing alliances work together for a mutual benefit.

- Mr. Van
Coach, Robodox

[Adam Freeman]

I thought the game was an overwhelming success. One of the best design challenges in my time in FIRST (2005-Present).

One other thing I liked was that Hybrid, Teleop, Bridge, and Coop points were all tracked seperately and reported. This allowed for some cool statistical analysis, like Overall Hybrid points, TeleopOPR, etc..

It also allowed people to look further into a match to understand how it played out, specifically in elminations. If an alliance was a really high powered ball scoring alliance, but couldn't balance...you could see that in the data without watching the match.

Told a much more useful story than overall match scores.

[Dr. Shocker]

I really liked the ways that this year teams were more easily able to combine functions. last year it would have been a tad silly to put your mini-bot in your tube manipulator, but this year you got see teams who could use their bridge tipper to acquire balls, go over bumps, and maybe a couple other things I didn't notice.

[bduddy]

I liked that the seeding system this year (for the first time in a long, long time) didn't discourage defense, encourage scoring for the other team, or anything similar and instead rewarded an act of actual coopertition(TM).