[FRC Blog] Audience Displays and a Favor

[Conor Ryan]

Originally Posted by Libby K

Here's another observation, and this might just be me.



As I'm watching the Palmetto webcast, I'm inclined to read the blue bars (and the blue tower #) as "This is what the blue alliance has accomplished so far", since it's on the same side of the screen as the blue team numbers.

However, now that I've watched matches for a bit, I understand that the blue bars mean "strength of blue Outer Works, as done by the red alliance" - same with the tower.

Did anyone else get the same confusion at first, or am I just really bad at reading the display?

I super agree, rather than filling in with white, filling in with the other Alliance's color might make it more intuitive.

However, the new Audience Display is makes watching Webcasts much easier! I kind of wish there was a flash to get my attention when something subtle changed, but hey I like it.

[Rangel]

Originally Posted by engunneer

If you think of it like a hand to hand video game like street fighter, the display makes more sense to me. On your half, you have your score and your remaining health.

Yeah but losing health doesn't effect your points. It would be different if everyone started with x points and teams lost points when their defenses and towers are attacked.

[cadandcookies]

Originally Posted by engunneer

If you think of it like a hand to hand video game like street fighter, the display makes more sense to me. On your half, you have your score and your remaining health.

Yeah, the visuals and gameplay of this game are heavily influenced by video games. This way of doing it makes sense to me, even if it's a but different than what you'd expect based on previous years.

[XaulZan11]

Originally Posted by Rangel(kf7fdb)

Yeah but losing health doesn't effect your points. It would be different if everyone started with x points and teams lost points when their defenses and towers are attacked.

^This. Unlike in video games, you don't really care about your remaining health. It is not like you lose if you reach 0.

I find it weird that when blue scores, something happens on Red's side of the screen that doesn't affect Red.

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by engunneer

If you think of it like a hand to hand video game like street fighter, the display makes more sense to me. On your half, you have your score and your remaining health.

That does help when *I* think about it, and after fully understanding the scoreboard... but what about my mom in the audience who's never played Street Fighter?

Just because a lot of this community plays video games doesn't mean it's intuitive to the folks from 'outside the tent' FIRST has been trying to bring in this season...

Edit: Beat me to it.

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

^This. Unlike in video games, you don't really care about your remaining health. It is not like you lose if you reach 0.

I find it weird that when blue scores, something happens on Red's side of the screen that doesn't affect Red.

[Jake177]

Originally Posted by Libby K

As I'm watching the Palmetto webcast, I'm inclined to read the blue bars (and the blue tower #) as "This is what the blue alliance has accomplished so far", since it's on the same side of the screen as the blue team numbers.

This definitely threw me at first. I can understand the logic behind the layout, but I think it might be a little more intuitive if the center section was flipped. That would align an Alliance's score and team numbers with the end of the field where they are scoring, and presumably spending most of the match.

[dodar]

Originally Posted by Libby K

Here's another observation, and this might just be me.



As I'm watching the Palmetto webcast, I'm inclined to read the blue bars (and the blue tower #) as "This is what the blue alliance has accomplished so far", since it's on the same side of the screen as the blue team numbers.

However, now that I've watched matches for a bit, I understand that the blue bars mean "strength of blue Outer Works, as done by the red alliance" - same with the tower.

Did anyone else get the same confusion at first, or am I just really bad at reading the display?

Im having to readjust my thinking every like minute during matches to account for this. Its really annoying.

[Caleb Sykes]

Originally Posted by dodar

Im having to readjust my thinking every like minute during matches to account for this. Its really annoying.

Same here. Watching the LED displays on the defenses and towers helps for me to get it right.

[engunneer]

Originally Posted by Caleb Sykes

Same here. Watching the LED displays on the defenses and towers helps for me to get it right.

Same, though the far low bar in the webcast can sometimes look lit when it is actually damaged

[Boe]

Whats going to be even more annoying is when the webcam is on the opposite side of the field and the sides of the score don't line up with the side of the field.

[TJP123]

Originally Posted by Libby K

Here's another observation, and this might just be me.



As I'm watching the Palmetto webcast, I'm inclined to read the blue bars (and the blue tower #) as "This is what the blue alliance has accomplished so far", since it's on the same side of the screen as the blue team numbers.

However, now that I've watched matches for a bit, I understand that the blue bars mean "strength of blue Outer Works, as done by the red alliance" - same with the tower.

Did anyone else get the same confusion at first, or am I just really bad at reading the display?

Now it makes sense. I was wondering how Blue had so few points after crossing so many defenses, and red had so many after just one. I thought they were just putting up dummy scores and graphics.

I can read it now, but the other way is more intuitive to me.

[sdangelo]

Originally Posted by Conor Ryan

I super agree, rather than filling in with white, filling in with the other Alliance's color might make it more intuitive.

Good idea, I second.

[Jared Russell]

Originally Posted by Boe

Whats going to be even more annoying is when the webcam is on the opposite side of the field and the sides of the score don't line up with the side of the field.

This is always really confusing. Seems easy to fix though!

[sdangelo]

I'd also like to point out that the little arrows indicating whether a team has moved up or down in the rankings are almost irrelevant this year. The rankings this year are based on metrics that can only go up, rather than averages that can rise and fall. That means that the only way a robot can possibly move down in ranking during a match this year is if a robot on their opposing alliance overtakes them. This seems to be pretty rare, and most (if not all?) matches that I've seen have ended with all the robots on both alliances rising in ranking.

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by sdangelo

Good idea, I second.

Filling in with the opposing alliance's color has the potential to be even more confusing when the bars are half red/half blue. Or if all the defenses have been damaged, it could be misinterpreted as all of them at full health. I like how the white is a clear indicator of which defenses have been weakened/damage. My only critique would be for the white to fill in from the right side of the bar for the red alliance (to better align with arcade fighter/video game health bar conventions).

After watching a few matches, understanding the display is pretty intuitive. Good job, FIRST!