Boomerang Game

[bEdhEd]

I am sure this year's Frisbee game was more challenging than most others. Frisbees are rigid, oddly shaped, difficult to pick up, and must be thrown a certain may to actually fly effectively. At the beginning of the season, most teams were probably incredulous at the task they had for the next six weeks. I know my team was. But as FIRST teams prove every year, there is no challenge too difficult for them! Well, what about a game with more rigid, more oddly shaped, more difficult to pick up, and more difficult to throw scoring elements? Say, Boomerangs? If any future game ever involved boomerangs, Are there any ideas as to how the boomerangs can be picked up, stored, and thrown? I also have a few ideas as to how a game would be played in terms of how field elements such as goals would be placed to make a very challenging field set up. Who has some original ideas?

[bEdhEd]

I'm thinking of having a wall with a goal so that the only way to score is for the boomerang to curve around the wall and score from the opposite side.

[EricH]

I'll bite, with a few difficult to handle objects and possible games.

Bowling balls. They're slick and heavy. The challenge? Place them in elevated bins (they roll into goals via tracks from the bins). But if you place them too hard, a trap door opens and they fall out of the bins. Don't be below them!

(Skips the smaller golf balls and other similar small balls)

Footballs. The odd shape--and the lacing--make handling these a challenge. Throw or punt or kick them into a high goal. Sound easy? Until you realize that there's a muzzle velocity, and a net over the top of the field!


And I'll also throw in the other most-frequently-requested game object, the traffic cone. Slick, heavy, and tough to destroy, and can be tough to tip. Stack them, place them in precise positions (Whaddaya mean you can't see the white X on the floor from 50 feet away?), and don't let the placebo construction worker catch you messing up his line or you're disabled for 3 seconds.

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by EricH

and don't let the placebo construction worker catch you messing up his line or you're disabled for 3 seconds.

Robot Red light, green light, I like it.

I've always wanted to play with bowling pins or red solo cups (try picking those up and stacking without breaking them).

As per boomerangs:
My initial thought would be to use a spatula like lift and slide them into a stacked sort of hopper that is shaped so they only fit one way. Sounds like a frisbee bot.

The key would be throwing them. I can't see that happening with wheels very well, so I might try for a 1503 or 3847 type of scoring.

[Phyrxes]

A couple thoughts:
Although similar to a football a rugby ball would work if we are thinking "major" sports.

I would expect bowling balls or anything heavy would add some form of pad under the field to help mitigate floor damage? I'm envisioning a school Activities Director freaking out over the idea of a robot dropping a bowling ball on to carpet that is sitting on his basketball court.

Next year's senior class will have seen tubes, basketballs, and discs; they haven't seen been involved in a "max capacity" or "large object" game.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Phyrxes

A couple thoughts:
Although similar to a football a rugby ball would work if we are thinking "major" sports.

Harder to find in the U.S., too. Typical FRC game object--unobtanium.

I would expect bowling balls or anything heavy would add some form of pad under the field to help mitigate floor damage? I'm envisioning a school Activities Director freaking out over the idea of a robot dropping a bowling ball on to carpet that is sitting on his basketball court.

I think that could be arranged. Shape the pad to roll the ball out onto the field, and possibly knock something else (like a cluster of bowling balls) into even more disarray... Hmm, I like that idea!

[Gregor]

Originally Posted by Phyrxes

I'm envisioning a school Activities Director freaking out over the idea of a robot dropping a bowling ball on to carpet that is sitting on his basketball court.

How about a robot falling off the pyramid?

[kiasam111]

Boomerangs? Mate! 3132 is game!

[Michael Hill]

My only request (that knowing the GDC, will go unfulfilled) is that the game element be something we don't have to construct and we can buy vast quantities of from a brick and mortar store (Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc.). As much as I like Andy and Mark, we're tired of handing AndyMark money hand over fist for game pieces with long lead times. I want to be able to go to Home Depot and buy 10+ game pieces with no problems.

[efoote868]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoberman_sphere

Fragile, but would make a cool game piece.

[AllenGregoryIV]

I've brought this up before but Pool Noodles would be an awesome game piece. Pretty much any cylinder would be fun. Maybe some type of pipe.

[Mark Sheridan]

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

I've brought this up before but Pool Noodles would be an awesome game piece. Pretty much any cylinder would be fun. Maybe some type of pipe.

Yes a PVC pipe! Cheap, easy to find, challenging to manipulate. There is like unlimited potential, you could stack them, roll them, place them through a hole, build a structure and etc.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Originally Posted by Mark Sheridan

Yes a PVC pipe! Cheap, easy to find, challenging to manipulate. There is like unlimited potential, you could stack them, roll them, place them through a hole, build a structure and etc.

Only down side is they shatter pretty easily when you run a 150lbs robot in to them.

[themccannman]

Originally Posted by Jeffy

Robot Red light, green light, I like it.

...or red solo cups (try picking those up and stacking without breaking them).

The catch: robots must inebriated during tele-op

[Bennett548]

Originally Posted by Mark Sheridan

Yes a PVC pipe!

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

Only down side is they shatter pretty easily when you run a 150lbs robot in to them.

2005 tetras were made of PVC, and 2004 goals were PVC, and I don't remember breakage being a big problem.

I am totally behind PVC pipe game pieces: cheap, strong, readily available, potentially hard to manipulate, dangerous at high speeds.