2013 Game?

[Walter Deitzler]

What if the game has to do with landing on Mars? There could be an autonomous where you have to get your robot to a certain part of the playing field (landing on Mars) to score points. The field could simulate rough terrain and be, well, rough. To score you could maybe have to move different pieces to different parts of the field to score (2005ish). The end game could be moving your robot to a different part of the field, but this one would be harder to get to than the rest of the field (Up a ramp? In a pit? UNDERWATER?!?!?! The possibilities are endless!) I think that an unconventional field could be fun!

[Siri]

Originally Posted by LedLover96

What if the game has to do with landing on Mars? There could be an autonomous where you have to get your robot to a certain part of the playing field (landing on Mars) to score points. The field could simulate rough terrain and be, well, rough. To score you could maybe have to move different pieces to different parts of the field to score (2005ish). The end game could be moving your robot to a different part of the field, but this one would be harder to get to than the rest of the field (Up a ramp? In a pit? UNDERWATER?!?!?! The possibilities are endless!) I think that an unconventional field could be fun!

If they were modeling it after Curiosity--which is a cool idea--I'd lean towards a "climb an mountain" endgame. (king of the hill?) The rough surface for all/a lot of the field is worrying though: sounds expensive, at least for those of us practicing on the same tile, gym floor or donated carpet every year. (Plus people would dislike it just because it resembles the L-word.)

The idea is an intriguing one, though. It seemed to me that the GDC was talking about turning more seriously/permanently to straightforward, fast-paced sports in order to increase "spectator friendliness" and answer the perennial "ok, but why bother to [stack tetras, hang tubes, drag trailera] in the first place?" question. But the idea of mimicking to some laymen-appreciable extent an impressive scientific feat, while still maintaining an interesting, friendly, strategic, everything-a-good-FRC-game-has-to-be game is really very cool, if it's possible.


My money's still on footballs.

[Walter Deitzler]

Originally Posted by Siri

rough surface for all/a lot of the field is worrying though: sounds expensive, at least for those of us practicing on the same tile, gym floor or donated carpet every year. (Plus people would dislike it just because it resembles the L-word.)

What if it is tiled rough terrain? Each tile would be the same, and then they would give you some in your KOP. Then you wouldn't have to have an entire floor of terrain, just the tiles that you got. And then you could practice on them!

[Siri]

Originally Posted by LedLover96

What if it is tiled rough terrain? Each tile would be the same, and then they would give you some in your KOP. Then you wouldn't have to have an entire floor of terrain, just the tiles that you got. And then you could practice on them!

Certainly better than buying regolith sheets! But again, it's less about having whole floors available and more about supplying 2,500 driving surfaces that are noticeably rough (but meet all other requirements) -- somebody's paying for it, whether there's samples in the KOP or not. It's an interesting game design challenge.

Just issue everyone triangular wheels (or cover the floor with really big corn kernels)

[Anupam Goli]

Originally Posted by Siri

Just issue everyone triangular wheels (or cover the floor with really big corn kernels)

everyone will be screaming in torment, saying "Wasn't Regolith an Lunacy wheels enough?!?!?"

[bduddy]

I was just looking up some trends, and since 1996 (the year before the first game not involving balls), every game in an even-numbered year has included a ball as a main game piece and every game in an odd-numbered year has not*, bar 2001, which is widely considered the worst FRC game ever. We all know the GDC loves bucking trends, but will they dare to break this pattern again? I doubt it....

* and 2009, but those orbit balls weren't really "balls", right?

[MARS_James]

Originally Posted by LedLover96

What if the game has to do with landing on Mars? !

But what if us and 2614 don't want to be landed on