Cheesecake: How far is too far?

[Foster]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

I'm fine with teams giving out as much sugar and eggs and cream cheese as they want, and even helping a receiving team to bake it into a wheel of delicious dessert. But I've reached a position where I think giving an entire homemade cheesecake is something that should be discouraged.

I agree with this position. Some of my most memorable events were when teams showed up after the six week build with something that really wasn't going work or in a few cases even roll. A number of the 3 digit teams arrived with people, worked with the "to be cheesecaked team" worked out a plan. They would then search all the teams "allowances" in the pit area, and in a few hours help build a robot. I'd like to see some way for this to continue.

But I don't want to see teams "find a box" and rip it down to install full items. I think Alan's line of help you get parts and assemble, but it's not a bolt on thing. I think the COTS line may be good, but will a point get reached that VexPro makes the "VexProBurglar" (tm)?

But the concept of going to an event, seeing something cool and adding it in should always be there.

Originally Posted by waialua359

I miss the 6 week build season.
FRC is looking more and more like the VEX challenge. If that's the case, I hope FIRST makes some changes in the near future, so that I can eat right, sleep right, and not put my personal life on hold for 2 months not including the competitions we attend.

*cough*FTC*cough*

But to be fair one of the things I like about VEX is the design/build/compete/get crushed/redesign//build/compete/get crushed/redesign ... cycle. It's the way the world works (cough*iPhone6*cough) but it's a shame that designs will converge to just a few dozen. If you saw the VEX Worlds, there were lots of variations, but lots of similar designs.

While it's a little out of context: Newton: If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. We do that all the time, RI3D, VexPro / AM / etc COTS parts, years of cycle engineering drive trains, etc.