December Design Competition 2014: Tubular Touchdown

[Jay O'Donnell]

Originally Posted by Bryce2471

Is there a limit to how many game pieces of either type that a robot can hold?
Can the human players throw the footballs through the inner tube slots?

No limit on the amount of game pieces a robot can hold.

Yes, a human player could throw a football through the inner tube slot.

[Whippet]

Thank you so much for this! I was just wondering whether or not it would return.

Also, is there any chance we could get the CAD files in .stl format?

[wasayanwer97]

Originally Posted by Whippet

Thank you so much for this! I was just wondering whether or not it would return.

Also, is there any chance we could get the CAD files in .stl format?

I'll see if I can get .stl versions up soon. (I'll edit this post when I do)

EDIT
A .stl file of the entire field can be found via the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1pxzqp4jun...Field.stl?dl=0

Feel free to message/reply with any questions or issues.

[AllenGregoryIV]

I quickly read through the rules like I would a real FRC manual and took notes. Some of my questions are useful to this exercise, and some of them clearly aren't (there won't be FTAs on this field). Some of the questions I ask in the notes, get answered later on the manual as I kept reading.

Here are my notes. I like game rules in general so take my notes with a grain of salt, I get that a lot of the questions don't need answers for this CAD challenge.

Overall I like this game. The two end games is a neat idea it gives something for a plowie to do during the end game.

We'll have a football game one day and I wouldn't be mad if we got some variation of this game at some kickoff in the future. Nice work.

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

I quickly read through the rules like I would a real FRC manual and took notes. Some of my questions are useful to this exercise, and some of them clearly aren't (there won't be FTAs on this field). Some of the questions I ask in the notes, get answered later on the manual as I kept reading.

Here are my notes. I like game rules in general so take my notes with a grain of salt, I get that a lot of the questions don't need answers for this CAD challenge.

Overall I like this game. The two end games is a neat idea it gives something for a plowie to do during the end game.

We'll have a football game one day and I wouldn't be mad if we got some variation of this game at some kickoff in the future. Nice work.

Thank you for the compliments, and thank you for the notes you've taken. We agree that there are some very valid concerns in there that will affect the majority of teams, and we'd like to get them cleared up as soon as possible.

How do the balls get out of the field during the auton shooting, there seems to be space behind the goals, do they only count if they clear the driver station?

If balls do not clear the field then there is no need to clear or re-enter them. They will simply just sit in the place where they've fallen. The only requirement for the balls to be scored is to make it through the Goal Post.

How do you determine in a different zone, completely or just touching it?

We did not clarify because we believed that out of the many ways of interpreting the location of each zone and which you are in, any possible method you can think of will be a valid one that will not give one advantage over the other.

What is the mobile goal base made out of? Is it perfectly round? Weight?

The mobile goals are made out of Lawrencium and are as round as we can get them. The weight was an oversight, but they should weigh in at around 50 lbs.

Will hanging intertubes interfere with the ones above and below since there is only 18” between each peg.

The CAD says no so I say no.

24 pegs on each goal for tubes, and 33 tubes per team

The pegs are long enough to hold two tubes.

Rules about pinning goals? Field barricade / flow of the game rule?

Teams will need to consider goal control as an active part of the game alongside scoring.


Like you said, many of your comments were greater related to if this were a real game, and since it is mainly a design a strategical analysis exercise I've skipped some of the notes in an effort to not make an extremely long post or to crowd the thread with information that may confuse teams. That being said your analysis was so thorough that if the chance comes I would love to see you be a member of the FRC GDC.

Please define "grasp".

Really though, the word is what it is. You know what we intended as creators of the game. Please don't lawyer each and every word.

How would a FOOTBALL entered into a MOBILE GOAL by a human player be scored?

With 2 points and a high five from the nearest ref. Personally, I wouldn't count on it as a reliable strategy since the goals are always subject to motion.

Please clarify starting locations of the MOBILE GOALS.

Are strategies aimed at preventing the opposing alliance from scoring (without damaging the opponent, causing them to foul, or descoring scored elements) an encouraged and intended part of this game?

So.....defense? Yeah....defense is allowed.

[WHSLewis]

If a mobile goal is knocked over (I know it would be hard to do since the base is pretty large but...) and the football/tubes fall out, are they not counted in the final score of the match? Is there a penalty for that?

[wasayanwer97]

Originally Posted by WHSLewis

If a mobile goal is knocked over (I know it would be hard to do since the base is pretty large but...) and the football/tubes fall out, are they not counted in the final score of the match? Is there a penalty for that?

Any alliance that knocks over a mobile goal will incur a penalty of over 9000 points as per G4.

[Bryce2471]

The mobile goals can't both be in th center of the field at the same time.
Unless you've got some trick up your sleeve!

[Chris is me]

G1: When placed on the field, each robot must be:
Confined to its STARTING CONFIGURATION
Positioned so that they are facing their GOAL POST with the field guardrail to their left

What does "facing" mean? Is there a defined "front" of the robot? Isn't there always a field guardrail to the left of a robot? I have no idea what this rule is trying to say.

[Jay O'Donnell]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

What does "facing" mean? Is there a defined "front" of the robot? Isn't there always a field guardrail to the left of a robot? I have no idea what this rule is trying to say.

It means that if one were to face their goal's side, their robot has to be on the left side of the field. Think of Breakaway's autonomous mode starting positions.

[IronicDeadBird]

So I hear defense is an option...
Since the footballs aren't (or at least I do not believe they are not) designated to a team does that mean you can interact with game pieces that your opponent are in possession of?

Originally Posted by IronicDeadBird

So I hear defense is an option...
Since the footballs aren't (or at least I do not believe they are not) designated to a team does that mean you can interact with game pieces that your opponent are in possession of?

Footballs are not alliance specific, so if you can find a way to retrieve footballs from another robot in a way that ensures the other robot is not damaged, it will not be against the rules. That being said as a judge I wouldn't say it's a particularly smart strategy.

[Orion.DeYoe]

Not sure if I'm interpreting G4 correctly however doesn't the part against breaking the plane of the floor make it impossible to pull the goal over the speed bumps without incurring a 9001 point penalty?

[Orion.DeYoe]

Are footballs scored in the mobile goals in autonomous considered scored like teleop?
This question leads to another: when are scores assessed? Are they assessed when the match ends or as events take place? If you knock a tube off the peg (not unlikely by any standard) is it descored?