Possibility for 2016 Game

[RomeroFRC5012]

Originally Posted by Yamin

This year in the reveal video FIRST seemed to lean to how much they wanted people to not only use pool noodles but to pick them up with the robots. In this season I personally did not see a single robot do this and I would not be surprised if this made Dean a bit disappointed. So I am thinking for the 2016 game he may try and reuse the pool noodles and make the game more focused on them. Thoughts?

Personally i think that they will reuse the pool noodles but at a later date

[mwmac]

[quote=RomeroFRC5012;1492807]Personally i think that they will reuse the pool noodles but at a later date[/QUOTE

Easy prediction: noodles will be reused next year...Bumpers!

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by mwmac

Easy prediction: noodles will be reused next year...Bumpers!

I hope so! No bumpers = no contact =

[EricH]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

I hope so! No bumpers = no contact =

There are so many ways I could respond...But I think I'll go with geezer mode.

[geezer] Back in my day, bumpers were these things that were totally useless! They took weight away from other components, and nobody else had them either! We had full-speed, metal-on-metal contact that could be heard from the top of the stands, and we liked it! I don't know what this generation is coming to, they think bumpers are required! Well they oughtta build stronger 'bots is all! Nothin' wrong with a robot using welded 1/8" tubing in the drivetrain and not a bumper in sight![/geezer]


Bear in mind that bumpers were OPTIONAL my last two years as a student ('06 and '07). Before that, you built to take whatever hit you. (Or developed OTHER means of defense--though I do recall hearing something about weight-transferring bumpers from Las Guerrillas back around the '05 timeframe when a lot of teams ran wedges on their robots).

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by EricH

There are so many ways I could respond...But I think I'll go with geezer mode.

[geezer] Back in my day, bumpers were these things that were totally useless! They took weight away from other components, and nobody else had them either! We had full-speed, metal-on-metal contact that could be heard from the top of the stands, and we liked it! I don't know what this generation is coming to, they think bumpers are required! Well they oughtta build stronger 'bots is all! Nothin' wrong with a robot using welded 1/8" tubing in the drivetrain and not a bumper in sight![/geezer]


Bear in mind that bumpers were OPTIONAL my last two years as a student ('06 and '07). Before that, you built to take whatever hit you. (Or developed OTHER means of defense--though I do recall hearing something about weight-transferring bumpers from Las Guerrillas back around the '05 timeframe when a lot of teams ran wedges on their robots).

I meant that if bumpers are not required, it's because there will be no contacts... I want contacts and I would prefer metal to metal hits... It's sad that we can't even ram from too far anymore...

[EricH]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

I meant that if bumpers are not required, it's because there will be no contacts... I want contacts and I would prefer metal to metal hits... It's sad that we can't even ram from too far anymore...

I don't think so. I suspect that there will be a thorough retooling of the bumper rules, and that the required bumpers (or at least the amount of required bumpers) will be looked at very carefully...


...Because bumper construction is one of the best indicators of quality out there! And there are a lot of teams out there who can barely make a bumper that is legal as it is, let alone a solidly-constructed, high-quality bumper. OTOH, the teams that take the time to make the bumpers right generally have high-quality robots as well.

[Yamin]

Originally Posted by EricH

There are so many ways I could respond...But I think I'll go with geezer mode.

[geezer] Back in my day, bumpers were these things that were totally useless! They took weight away from other components, and nobody else had them either! We had full-speed, metal-on-metal contact that could be heard from the top of the stands, and we liked it! I don't know what this generation is coming to, they think bumpers are required! Well they oughtta build stronger 'bots is all! Nothin' wrong with a robot using welded 1/8" tubing in the drivetrain and not a bumper in sight![/geezer]


Bear in mind that bumpers were OPTIONAL my last two years as a student ('06 and '07). Before that, you built to take whatever hit you. (Or developed OTHER means of defense--though I do recall hearing something about weight-transferring bumpers from Las Guerrillas back around the '05 timeframe when a lot of teams ran wedges on their robots).

That is a good point however I believe that the bumpers allow for more competitive games though such as arial assist which would not have been as fun without bumpers due to the fact that penalties would be easier to receive and robots would be extremely worn by the end of the competition. However in games like recycle rush or other minimal contact games bumpers should be optional.

[Brrch]

Originally Posted by ENIAC

I remember during the 2011 lead-up I was very excited with all of the speculation involving trains. I had it in my head that the game was going to be one where there was no steering, all robots were on rails (think roller coaster track) and there would be heavy focus on object manipulation. Every year since, I have hoped for a game involving trains, if only for the sheer largely-impractical glory of it.

Imagine if Recycle Rush was on rails, and robots could switch the railroad of the opposing alliance.

[ShotgunNinja]

My predictions:

• Triangular game piece
• Endgame involving lifting
• Vision targets or IR beacons which go unused
• Option for coopertition points with opposing team
• Rubber ducks glued to every single driver station
• Bumpers
• A football carried by the MC at every event
• Emphasis on programmed robot-to-robot comm OR field positioning system
• No water or footballs in the actual game

[pandamonium]

If they were going to reuse a game piece I think that inner tubes would be a strong possibility as vertical stacking would be a very different game. If they wanted to fix and improve an old game I think that the 2009 concept of robots carrying or being targets could be done better. Have a 3 foot deep basket attached on top of robots with a smaller game piece like tennis balls. Improving old games is pretty much what they did with recycle rush as it is very close to 2004.

As far as new game pieces go footballs are the next logical choice for a complex sports based challenge that would still be easy enough for rookies.

[MaGiC_PiKaChU]

Originally Posted by ShotgunNinja

[*]Vision targets or IR beacons which go unused

You don't say

[Robert Cawthon]

If you want to shoot things and have an interesting target, have bowling pins (plastic, of course) set up on the field. Shoot tennis balls at them. Robots cannot pass midfield. Scoring is done at the end of the game by how many pins left standing. Defense can either block balls or reset pins knocked over. Simple rules. Speed of ball and vertical angle must be limited but other than that, almost anything would go.

[BBray_T1296]

Originally Posted by Robert Cawthon

ISpeed of ball and vertical angle must be limited but other than that, almost anything would go.

Vertical angle could be solved with a wall/ceiling preventing balls at unwanted trajectories.

How would you catch a robot shooting a ball too fast? Refs wielding radar guns? If they did some sort of inspection in the pits, I think people would intentionally force their shooter wheel to spin slower (Software limiting) that they would only engage for the inspection.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by BBray_T1296

How would you catch a robot shooting a ball too fast? Refs wielding radar guns?

The easiest way would be to mandate a maximum distance between launch and the ball hitting the floor, and a maximum distance traveled between bounces. You can't realistically measure it exactly, but it's something you can have a ref watch for.

[Knufire]

They've already had a launch velocity limiting rule before, in 2006.

Originally Posted by 2006 Game Manual, Section 4, Rule <S02>

Muzzle Velocity - No ROBOT may throw a ball with an exit velocity of greater than 12 m/s (26.8 mph).
As a reference, a ball traveling at this velocity when leaving the ROBOT at an angle of 30º from
horizontal with no spin will travel approximately 35 feet. A robot that violates this rule will be considered
unsafe per <S01>.