2013 ACTUAL game hint!!!

[CrazyHorse]

Originally Posted by coalhot

Sorry if I misread something, but all that Frank said is that there was no mistake made on the page. We assumed that the KOP frame dimensions may have been a mistake, since it was different from last year, and 8 isn't too far from 0 on the keyboard. That being said, it seems as if it's a rule change, unless the longer parts of the frame are hidden somewhere else. You can never rule out the sneaky GDC.

I think he was replying to my message about what Frank said. Haha

[JJackson]

Keeping with the idea of three, could we see three differently shaped game pieces? Maybe tetras, track balls and rubber-maid containers.

[jee7s]

Replying to my own post...I forgot to account for the 8" of wheels in those designs, so they are indeed 28"x38"

But, I suppose that begs the question that others have alluded to: What about the designs that are already out there for 28"x38". Sure, teams could be required to redesign, but there is an economy to FRC. What about the suppliers that have based designs on (and hence produced parts for) that footprint? Are they all just out of luck if the dimensions are changing?

Or, prehaps the dimensions aren't changing, but the kit bot is different. A 30" long dimension plus 8" of wheels is closer to the 38" we are used to. It just means that the kit bot frame doesn't "wrap" the wheels as it has in the past.

...As always with the hints, we are all merely speculating.

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by jee7s

Or, prehaps the dimensions aren't changing, but the kit bot is different. A 30" long dimension plus 8" of wheels is closer to the 38" we are used to. It just means that the kit bot frame doesn't "wrap" the wheels as it has in the past.

...what?

[jee7s]

I was merely suggesting that others may be reading too much into the dimension of the "kit bot" (AndyMark Drive Base Kit) that comes with the kit of parts. Just because the longest dimension part in that chassis is 30" does not mean that the maximum length of the robot is 30" or anything less than 38". Using that same c-channel frame, one can construct a robot with a 38" outer dimension using frame parts that are 30" long.

[coalhot]

Originally Posted by jee7s

Replying to my own post...I forgot to account for the 8" of wheels in those designs, so they are indeed 28"x38"

But, I suppose that begs the question that others have alluded to: What about the designs that are already out there for 28"x38". Sure, teams could be required to redesign, but there is an economy to FRC. What about the suppliers that have based designs on (and hence produced parts for) that footprint? Are they all just out of luck if the dimension are changing?

Or, prehaps the dimensions aren't changing, but the kit bot is different. A 30" long dimension plus 8" of wheels is closer to the 38" we are used to. It just means that the kit bot frame doesn't "wrap" the wheels as it has in the past.

...As always with the hints, we are all merely speculating.

This is all speculation. The only solid hints are the KOP sizings.

This is interesting though, if you think about it. None of the boxes seem to include the game piece, and from my experience, the veteran KOP is about half to 3/4 full. which means the game piece is either small, or inflatable (or not included with the kit).

That being said, we've had balls in the game for 4 out of the last 5 years. I have a feeling that this game piece is not going to be a traditional round ball. It may be some other ball though. Also, with all the "3" hinting, something is going to be radically different. It's about time too...

[coalhot]

Originally Posted by jee7s

I was merely suggesting that others may be reading too much into the dimension of the "kit bot" (AndyMark Drive Base Kit) that comes with the kit of parts. Just because the longest dimension part in that chassis is 30" does not mean that the maximum length of the robot is 30" or anything less than 38". Using that same c-channel frame, one can construct a robot with a 38" outer dimension using frame parts that are 30" long.

While that may be true, there are downsides of using multiple pieces of c-channel to span a distance. Two are rigidity and mounting space. If i'm not mistaken, AndyMark used to ship 4 pieces of 38" C-channel, and let teams cut it down. Why wouldn't they do the same if there wasn't some sort of change?

EDIT: AndyMark sells C-Channel in 35" lengths. That makes me think that they had to fabricate a part especially for this KOP, a special part.

[Ekcrbe]

Two problems I see with the protruding-wheel theory are:

1. I don't think the kitbot will have 8" wheels, meaning the max reasonable long dimension is ~35" (30" + ~2.5" each way from a 6" wheel)
2. Losing or moving the front and rear bars on the kitbot doesn't seem like an intelligent move to make, given that the kitbot is intended to be a plain base to work off of, and not specialized to a specific design.

[ehochstein]

Another question about the KoP... We've heard a lot about the Kinect being in the game this year... I do not see a mention of it being in the rookie KoP though. Can anyone confirm/deny?

[jee7s]

Hey, I may be wrong here. I agree that there are complications with protruding wheels. But, AndyMark does in fact make a general chassis (albeit pricier and more complicated than the "kit bot") using their NanoTube products that have protruding wheels. And those can be built off of to make a specialized chassis.

To me, it just seemed like there was no dissent to the idea that the allowed dimensions of the robot were changing. I wanted to present an argument that given all of the evidence we have, the assumptions being made here may not in fact bear out. ...Or they may bear out and we may be playing with smaller robots. We'll see on January 5.

[coalhot]

Originally Posted by jee7s

Hey, I may be wrong here. I agree that there are complications with protruding wheels. But, AndyMark does in fact make a general chassis (albeit pricier and more complicated than the "kit bot") using their NanoTube products that have protruding wheels. And those can be built off of to make a specialized chassis.

To me, it just seemed like there was no dissent to the idea that the allowed dimensions of the robot were changing. I wanted to present an argument that given all of the evidence we have, the assumptions being made here may not in fact bear out. ...Or they may bear out and we may be playing with smaller robots. We'll see on January 5.

I think AndyMark breaking from the traditional KOP Kitbot is enough change to warrant us talking of it as a hit. I may be completely mistaken though...

[Brandon_L]

Originally Posted by CalTran

...what?

Example ('scuse the paint):


I wouldn't trust that on my robot, bent wheels/axles due to impact don't seem like fun.

[coalhot]

Originally Posted by Brandon_L

Example ('scuse the paint):


I wouldn't trust that on my robot, bent wheels/axles due to impact don't seem like fun.

Quick question, how does the bumper cover the extended wheel, and how do you prevent someone from ramming whatever bumper you have over those wheels into the wheels? seems like more of an issue than anything...

Edit: did't see the last line. But still, the question stands.

[CalTran]

That's what I thought. I don't think the KoP bot is going to that. The idea of the KitBot is something that rookies can easily compete with and I'd hate to imagine what would happen to that design the minute it gets t-boned.

Back to the game hint:
Any other revelations about what the string of numbers means?

[Kevin Selavko]

Originally Posted by Wiifi

Another question about the KoP... We've heard a lot about the Kinect being in the game this year... I do not see a mention of it being in the rookie KoP though. Can anyone confirm/deny?

Perhaps we will all get a new one in case any were broken/lost.