Tether rules?

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by bduddy

Recycle Rush is a fantastic engineering challenge

No argument!

Originally Posted by bduddy

and a terrible game.

Actually, it's rather like golf. Just about everyone who enjoys watching golf is (or at least was) an avid player.

Originally Posted by bduddy

It's up to you whether this is a net positive or not.

I think I've already answered that.

At first, I thought this game was too simple - the main game pieces have handles, for crying out loud! Then, as we started to break down the scoring, availability of game pieces, and dynamics, this has actually become my favorite game, and second favorite challenge (behind Ultimate Ascent) in my four years being in or near FRC.

In order to continue to inspire the next generation of technology and business leaders, the FIRST GDC must continually invent new games, and try not to reuse concepts in the same 4-year period. By the nature of this, each game will have strengths and weaknesses relative to the others.

I believe that FIRST has also done an intentional service to these students by including a "placement" game every few years. By my count, this is the 8th game with a primary stacking/hanging activity, with the first being Toroid Terror in 1997. The GDC does this even though placement games like Recycle Rush and golf have less spectator appeal. Why would they do this? How many commercial robots throw exercise balls or frisbees or mini basketballs through goals? And how many commercial robots pick up, align, and precisely place rectangles and cylinders and other well-defined but oddball shapes? I expect that we'll see flying game pieces and defense the next two or three years and a placement game again in three or four years.