Official FIRST Stronghold Teaser!

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by Ty Tremblay

What's most important is that the robot is exciting, not that the robot plays with soccerballs or foam basketballs.

We don't need a sport themed game. We don't even need a theme at all. We need an exciting game that's easy for spectators to understand and fun for teams to play.

We won't know if we have that until at least January 9, so don't be so quick to write this game off less than 24 hours after seeing a teaser.

Excellent point, you're totally right. (Though I'm certainly not 'writing off the game' - just expressing that I'm not a fan of the theme.) I only meant to speak to the idea that there's different ways to find common ground for a new spectator - and that FIRST's idea of branding as 'sport for the mind' doesn't necessarily combine with this super well.

Originally Posted by Citrus Dad

I think playground games like capture the flag (seemingly the consensus for this game), dodgeball, four square, tetherball could be good alternatives that also can capture the public's attention. We don't need to stick to the "commercial" sports.

True! IMO if it's something recognizable and spectator-friendly it's good - no matter what the theme. But that's the stuff we have to wait until January for.

I'm excited, as always, for something new - and I know sharing the trailer around the office has gotten a bunch of employees hyped for the season too!

[rlowe61]

After watching the video multiple times,
1. People are reading too much into the tents with the colored flags, imagine the tents are pits, no two are the same and all have different colors.
2. The map looks mirrored (somewhat), with a obstacle on each half (placement about like the scoring platform of recycle rush) and a major obstacle in the center, which resembles a "figure 8".

My best guess of something fun is, of course "Capture the Flag", however with a "twist". To get to the opposite side of the field, or return, you have to drive the "Figure 8" (enter in the middle, do a full 8 and exit the middle.
Imagine the collisions! Or better yet. after running half of the 8 you have to pass the flag off to an alliance partner to complete the 8 and return to your half for scoring.

We all know there are many things that can happen from the multiple possible hints given in the video.
Who knows, maybe the GDC is reading this and many other forums for hints on how to alter their plans for the game. There's still plenty of time to change the game and cut the release video. Be careful what you guess it might come true.

Have Fun and Good Luck

[Citrus Dad]

Originally Posted by EricH

Oh, right. Standard practice for taking a stronghold in medieval times generally involved some combination of three or four methods.
....(I'm ignoring #5, Siege, because that takes a tad too long.)

No, the GDC decided that they needed to surpass the 2015 game!!!

[Citrus Dad]

Originally Posted by rlowe61

Who knows, maybe the GDC is reading this and many other forums for hints on how to alter their plans for the game. There's still plenty of time to change the game and cut the release video. Be careful what you guess it might come true.

I don't think they have time to substantially change the configuration of the game at this point. It's less than 2 months to ship date. They might tweak the rules, but that's it.

[Oblarg]

Originally Posted by Citrus Dad

I don't think they have time to substantially change the configuration of the game at this point. It's less than 2 months to ship date. They might tweak the rules, but that's it.

Pretty much this. All the information I've ever seen on the game-design process indicates that the time-scales involved in setting games for each year is years, not weeks.

[Ben Martin]

Originally Posted by Libby K

SO true - I'm not sure that's the introduction to mainstream culture we want for ourselves...

For an organization that wants to brand itself as the "Sport for the Mind" and reach 'outside the tent', I don't think this 'theme' is going to resonate outside of the nerd-crowd as well as they think it is.

I think it's heaps better than Recycle Rush, and I'm sure Disney's help will make it crowd-friendly - but here's how I see it:

In 2010 or 2012, for example, you're practicing in the school, kicking soccerballs or shooting three-pointers from the key, and one of the students on your school's best Sportsball team walks by. Guess what? You've got common ground now. This is something they already 'get', and maybe they'll come to a competition to see it. Once they're there, they're hooked and want to do more FIRST. You've converted someone who didn't see the value in the robotics team, to a STEM enthusiast. Isn't that the whole point of why we do this?

Engagement from even an already-enthusiastic audience at an FRC demonstration was like pulling teeth this year, at least for us. In the middle of our summer day camp expo, a first-grader asked me: "Why would you want to make a robot that just stacks boxes? What about the cool frisbee one?" (We bring our 2013 robot to play outside with the campers, and demo FLL/FTC/FRC inside.)

I hope Stronghold will be a little more engaging, if only because all the blog posts, teasers, etc. made so far have led us to believe there's some robot interaction.

But as far as bringing people from 'outside the tent' in to FIRST? I'd pick an actual sport any day.

All we (really) have so far is the name, a theme and that there are bumpers. There is still plenty of flexibility in the theme for this to be a projectile game as well. Maybe footballs-- "Get the balls in while a robot trys to block them"--etc

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by KeeganP

In other news, how might one pick up a 1"dia PVC pipe (flag pole) off the ground? A fast, accurate mechanism that does that would be potentially tricky to build robustly enough to survive being hit by other robots. during gameplay.

The manipulators on Gripper (the robot in the video) seem better adapted to pick up and position a flagpole than a ball.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

The manipulators on Gripper (the robot in the video) seem better adapted to pick up and position a flagpole than a ball.

Because the robots in any of the game videos have always had efficient manipulators for the game pieces

[mwtidd]

Originally Posted by Libby K

Excellent point, you're totally right. (Though I'm certainly not 'writing off the game' - just expressing that I'm not a fan of the theme.) I only meant to speak to the idea that there's different ways to find common ground for a new spectator - and that FIRST's idea of branding as 'sport for the mind' doesn't necessarily combine with this super well.

I'm excited, as always, for something new - and I know sharing the trailer around the office has gotten a bunch of employees hyped for the season too!

I'm personally surprised by the theme as well. I've been very impressed with how Disney has handled certain assets (specifically lucasfilm and marvel) to make STEM seem cool and interesting to the masses. The cartoonish middle ages theme seems a little oddly positioned, especially given some of the current imagineering projects (iron man, star wars, toy story, etc). I realize FIRST wouldn't have rights to those assets, but the execution could be similar. I'm quite curious about how much creative direction for the theme came from FIRST vs Disney.

That being said, given the discussions of possible game play, I am optimistically anticipating a game that could be quite entertaining for spectators.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by lineskier

I'm personally surprised by the theme as well. I've been very impressed with how Disney has handled certain assets (specifically lucasfilm and marvel) to make STEM seem cool and interesting to the masses. The cartoonish middle ages theme seems a little oddly positioned, especially given some of the current imagineering projects (iron man, star wars, etc). I realize FIRST wouldn't have rights to those assets, but the execution could be similar. I'm quite curious about how much creative direction for the theme came from FIRST vs Disney.

That being said, given the discussions of possible game play, I am optimistically anticipating a game that could be quite entertaining for spectators.

Disney has handled those assets well by take a very hands off approach. The best decision they made after purchasing Marvel was to let them keep doing their thing.

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Torvando

I painted over all the lines on the blueprint to make it easier to see any important stuff.
Attachment 19353

In the upper right, you can clearly make out the word "LOLL". The GDC is trolling all of you.

[Electronica1]

What if the only thing relevant from the teaser is the game logo at the end? (notice the striped flag)

[MoistRobot]

Sticking with a capture the flag and defend/attack theme I'm thinking maybe a target that you fling game pieces at (bean bags?) that will raise your alliance flag (some sort of balance) while it's possible for the opposition to fling them at an opposing target that would lower your flag. You're then left with the choice of trying to raise your flag or lower the opposition's.

[Gibso23]

Originally Posted by EricH

Ya know, maybe they'll step away from the color-coded bumpers and go back to the flags of '06-'08 for alliance identification.

I was thinking the same thing until further looking at the video and there seem to be a hint that there will be bumpers in the game

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by Gibso23

I was thinking the same thing until further looking at the video and there seem to be a hint that there will be bumpers in the game

There was more than a hint in the FRC Blog previously.
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...y-Pool-Noodles