Hockey Game Confirmed?

[Thad House]

Originally Posted by dtengineering

In 2006 I remember thinking "This is GREAT! I never thought FIRST would let us SHOOT things." and they cautiously introduced flying nerf balls with a maximum velocity limit.

Then we got to shoot ten pound earth balls. Then more nerf balls, but without a velocity limit. Then... hard flying discs!!! Then big, heavy, inflatable balls that humans actually had to catch!

FIRST would have no problem with high speed hockey pucks... all they'd have to do is put a requirement that teams not shoot the pucks outside the playing field. First infraction is a warning, second is DQ.

But there is also no reason that NHL hockey pucks are required to play hockey. As has already been pointed out, street hockey balls, tennis balls, foam pucks, old balls of tape, crumpled up paper and hackey sacks have all been used as hockey pucks.

In fact, I believe red and blue hockey pucks played a role in the FIRST VEX Challenge in 2007?

Jason

The nerf balls and the 2014 balls were not super dangerous. Even at full speed one of those balls shot wouldn't hurt a person too bad. The Frisbees were alot more dangerous, which required the nets. If an frisbee had gone into the crowd at an event, it would have been a MAJOR safety issue. I fell like the same thing would happen with any type of small balls, or especially pucks. The first time an object like that hits someone in the stands, even if accidentally, that would most likely lead to some major legal issues I know FIRST doesn't want to get involved in. So I don't think FIRST will do a small game object because of this, unless the nets can GUARANTEE nothing will go flying into the crowd.

[Pretzel]

Originally Posted by Thad House

The nerf balls and the 2014 balls were not super dangerous. Even at full speed one of those balls shot wouldn't hurt a person too bad.

I would tend to disagree that the 2014 exercise balls would not hurt anyone. I know that our robot shot those exercise balls with enough force that it took ~125 lbs of force at the end of a ~30 in level arm to disarm the catapult. They also had to put up the hockey glass in the arena at the Utah Regional because some teams were shooting the balls through the goals and out into the stands where spectators were sitting.

As to the hockey topic, would it be reasonable to expect a hockey stick to fit inside a 3x3x60in. package? Wouldn't the angled blade at the end of the stick (the part you hit the puck with) make it impossible to fit into a package with that small of dimensions? A typical hockey stick (according to Wikipedia) has a blade that is ~12.5 inches long, and the stick itself is typically 64 inches long without including the blade.

I think it's much more reasonable to assume that, if there were to be a hockey game, the package contains a net and goal frame than a hockey stick. It would make sense since a goal is 4 feet tall (the vertical posts would fit easily within the package) and 6 feet wide (the crossbar would have to be assembled in two pieces to fit within the package) and the netting could fill up the extra space and also double as packaging material to prevent damage. I do not, however, know how much a full goal would weigh though to see if it would fit within the 6 pounds allotted.

[MrForbes]

...but you can buy a hockey goal from a store, so there's no need to include it with the KOP. And there's really no need to have a hockey goal anyways, we've always had to make our own goals for past games.

[Anthony Galea]

Originally Posted by MrForbes

...but you can buy a hockey goal from a store, so there's no need to include it with the KOP. And there's really no need to have a hockey goal anyways, we've always had to make our own goals for past games.

Kind of like how you could buy frisbees in a store? Or exersize balls?

I honestly don't have any idea what the game is. I really don't buy the hockey idea, it is too obvious for it to be the hint. But they could have a custom size goal that only FIRST has, or some game specific netting. To go against that, a team could easily build a hockey net frame out of PVC.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by 3175student17

Kind of like how you could buy frisbees in a store? Or exersize balls?

I honestly don't have any idea what the game is. I really don't buy the hockey idea, it is too obvious for it to be the hint. But they could have a custom size goal that only FIRST has, or some game specific netting. To go against that, a team could easily build a hockey net frame out of PVC.

Has FIRST ever not given the game piece though? The goal would be a field element not a game piece.

[Christopher149]

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe

Has FIRST ever not given the game piece though?

Did we get soccer ball[s] in the kit for Breakaway? That's the only one that comes right to mind.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by Christopher149

Did we get soccer ball[s] in the kit for Breakaway? That's the only one that comes right to mind.

Good question, I can't remember if we did or not. I seem to remember having to go buy some.

[mrnoble]

We bought them.

[Derpancakes]

I dunno how many times this will need to be brought up, but Frank acknowledged that the 60" box will definitely make it hard to transport. If the box contained anything like balls or tiny pieces, they would have put it in a more square box. It's obviously something rigid that requires a 5 foot long box.

[hrench]

Originally Posted by Derpancakes

It's obviously something rigid that requires a 5 foot long box.

I've wondered if this were a single large 'baton' that needs to be passed from robot to robot, then into a 'goal'. Possibly a big piece of 3" dia PVC pipe.

Cooperation games are popular and passing a baton like in a running relay is a really obvious possibility to cooperate.

That would be an interesting challenge. How would we do that....?

That's my guess for 2cents.

[Jarren Harkema]

Originally Posted by Derpancakes

I dunno how many times this will need to be brought up, but Frank acknowledged that the 60" box will definitely make it hard to transport. If the box contained anything like balls or tiny pieces, they would have put it in a more square box. It's obviously something rigid that requires a 5 foot long box.

I think a lot of us have overlooked this... There are a lot more efficient ways to pack a bunch of hockey pucks or balls. I have to conclude that with both this, as well as the source code debunking, the odds of the game actually being something like hockey are pretty low.

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by Jarren Harkema

I think a lot of us have overlooked this... There are a lot more efficient ways to pack a bunch of hockey pucks or balls. I have to conclude that with both this, as well as the source code debunking, the odds of the game actually being something like hockey are pretty low.

It is at this point that I must get out my soapbox, stand on it and SHOUT "Nattering Nabobs of Negativity!"

It must be a Hockey game!!

Stepping off the soapbox now.

[mrnoble]

I give a "capture the flag" type variant (with plenty of leeway for adaptation to robots) pretty good odds this year; maybe 13/4. My second choice would be football, at maybe 15/1. Hockey is way down the list, less likely than a redux of AA or some other game from the past. "The Box" is either bumper fabric, Versa Frame samples, or the game piece. No hockey sticks, and certainly not pucks or some other nonsense. Sorry people.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by 3175student17

Kind of like how you could buy frisbees in a store? Or exersize balls?

The game piece is not the goal. We had to make our own goals for the frisbees and the exercise balls. The only goal stuff I can remember getting, was for visual processing, such as retroreflective tape, and colored cloth.

[DDSLoan96]

If it is a hockey game I dont see them using pucks but hockey balls maybe, their diameter is just shy of 3 inches and if they give us say 20 of them it is right around that 6lb mark