The Audience Agreement

[Brad Hanel]

Since the third obstacle is "audience decided," what if we all agree to always pick the easiest one?

[ey206208]

Similarly, could a large enough student section swing the outcome?

[jeremiahL]

I think that a relative easiest barrier would be debatable based on the area you're in and the designing process taken on by most teams, drawbridges would of course be easiest more than likely. seeing as it solely requires one to push on the obstacle.

[pbhead]

As coiner of "the noodle agreement' term from last year. This whole "loudest audience selection" thing concerns me just as much.

Small teams are not particularly 'loud', thus are penalized by this system.

One person with a Air Horn strapped to a megaphone could be pretty loud, and could probably decide the selection by himself.

Multiple people with Air horns, duct tape, and megaphones could cause damage to everyone's ears similar to Vogon Poetry.

So yea. I suspect this will have to change.

[Bryan Herbst]

I encourage everyone to thoroughly read section 5.5.10.

First, the audience doesn't get to pick any of the 8 available defenses. Each match will be assigned one of the four groups, giving the audience only 2 choices.

Second, this is only for one of the 5 defenses. The alliance gets to pick three of them, meaning if one particular defense is "easy" for that team, they should just pick that one for themselves.

Finally, as someone else pointed out, "easy" is subjective. What's easy for one team might not be easy for another.

[Spiffizzle]

As someone who is poised to serve as Herald and / or Defense Coordinator (I am the queen of reset in Maryland) for various events, I am interested in this.

According to the rules, no later than the end of the match two prior to an alliance's match, they must report their defenses and positions. Then, they are given their alliance's defense plan so that they can make their strategy during the match prior to there's.

I thought there would be an issue with this but then I read further and saw that the Match List will inform teams which category is randomized for each match, respectively.

Teams just need to realize that it says one of each defense will be on the field so if your match says the audience is picking category A, you MUST set your three as B, C, and D defenses and hope the audience applause gives you what you wanted. Which means they'll need to have a strategy if they get one they want or if they don't...

Furthermore, the judge is the Head Referee so I'm not really worried about an air horn kid ruining it. It could encourage teams to invite friends and sponsors to come help them cheer.

[EricH]

To the air horn comment: Violation of Admin Manual Section 3, could be classed as egregious behavior. I know I had a ref have a chat with someone using one at an offseason last year.

[blazingbronco18]

Perhaps a stupid question. But do we pick the defenses our opponents cross or do we pick the defenses that our alliance cross?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by blazingbronco18

Perhaps a stupid question. But do we pick the defenses our opponents cross or do we pick the defenses that our alliance cross?

You pick for your opponents.

[MarieSpartronic]

Who picks the defenses first, the audience or the alliances? Do the audience choose their defense first? Or do they pick whatever is not picked by the alliances?

[Anteprefix]

Originally Posted by MarieSpartronic

Who picks the defenses first, the audience or the alliances? Do the audience choose their defense first? Or do they pick whatever is not picked by the alliances?

It doesn't matter, since which category of defense is getting picked is predetermined based on the match schedule.

[MarieSpartronic]

Thank You! very helpful!

[Spiffizzle]

Originally Posted by MarieSpartronic

Who picks the defenses first, the audience or the alliances? Do the audience choose their defense first? Or do they pick whatever is not picked by the alliances?

EDIT: The audience selection will be picked first. (Realized I was reading "Round" as "Match" in the manual which makes me MUCH less worried about cycle time than I originally thought.)

There are 4 categories of defense and one of each must be represented on the field. The match schedule will tell the teams A,B,C,D - which will be selected by the audience per round - cycle by which every team has played one match.

EX: ROUND 1 - B, then ROUND 2 will be C, ROUND 3 - D, ROUND 4 - A and so on...

The audience will have selected a piece that will last until all teams have played with it. Then it will get switched out. They will know to plan their strategy using the other three categories.

Then matches prior to a match (by the end of Match 2), teams must submit their defense selections from categories B, C, and D and positions to the Defense Coordinator. Then the Defense coordinator exchanges the information and teams have Match 3 to make a strategy knowing the other team's selections.

[Bryan Herbst]

Originally Posted by EricH

You pick for your opponents.

My interpretation is the other way around.

Based on the definition of each alliance's CASTLE and SECRET PASSAGE (which are both on the same side of the field), I am assuming that the blue alliance's OUTER WORKS is on the same side of the field as the blue alliance's CASTLE and SECRET PASSAGE.

This means the rule 5.5.10:

Also, OUTER WORKS DEFENSE positions 2 through 5 are selected by the opposing ALLIANCE, i.e. the Red ALLIANCE selects the Blue ALLIANCE DEFENSES. This provides each ALLIANCE with a predictable set of DEFENSES on which to practice.

Would indicate that the red alliance picks the defenses that are placed leading into the blue alliance's COURTYARD, and thus the defenses that they are going to traverse.

If it were the other way around (you pick the defenses your opponents need to traverse), the last sentence in the quoted piece of 5.5.10 wouldn't make sense- you wouldn't necessarily get the same defenses that you practiced with.

[cglrcng]

Originally Posted by jeremiahL

I think that a relative easiest barrier would be debatable based on the area you're in and the designing process taken on by most teams, drawbridges would of course be easiest more than likely. seeing as it solely requires one to push on the obstacle.

Someone did not watch the video enough times (or read the rules deep enough yet).....Change "push" to "pull" please...not quite as easy to breach and defeat the defenses as first view would lead you to believe at first glance.