[FRC Blog] FIRST Robotics Competition Registration Update

[Golfer4646]

Originally Posted by marshall

Maybe we can get rid of bags in 2018 too.

My team may have a slight objection to that idea!

Anyway, silliness aside, there are always going to be compromises that will have to be made by one team or another with any bag day/registration process solution. If there was one perfect answer, we would have long since agreed and moved on!

I don't actually know where my team stands on either of the bag day or registration process issues.

[otherguy]

Originally Posted by dodar

They aren't getting around the system though. They are working within it; ultimate efficiency under the rules doesn't equate to illegality.

Agree. Can't knock a team for working smarter instead of harder. Maybe they didn't design it too well if they were effectively DOSing the server.

The only thing I'm upset about is not having the foresight to make a bot for registration!

[PayneTrain]

Originally Posted by Tyler Olds

I'm not in favor of those (if any) who would use a bot but part of that blame lies upon the current system that is in place of first come/first serve .

I mean, I've been a big fan of first come first serve because we get to pick based on priorities we set instead of whatever priorities FIRST would hypothetically give us to pick from. If I'm trying to avoid seeing Triple Helix at an event, I doubt FIRST will take that in to account when assigning us events.

I get the shift, but I'll miss it. This is why we can't have nice things.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Tyler Olds

I'm not in favor of those (if any) who would use a bot but part of that blame lies upon the current system that is in place of first come/first serve .

Unfortunately, FIRST isn't the only system burned by bots... just look at concert/sporting ticket sales! A report here in MN earlier this summer said that, of 10 recent concerts in the cities, over 20% of tickets were put up for resale within hours of the tickets first becoming available.

While first is changing the system (which is something I do support) next year, there really is nothing inherently wrong with a first come, first served system, and even with such a system it's relatively easy to stop bots - captcha, as Frank mentioned, would basically put an end to it for FIRST registration, and they can set up a system to lockout teams that are found to be using a bot by running statistics on page requests.

If this issue really lies with the system, then the system can be fixed without replacing it. Replacing it with a new system isn't because a few teams are using bots... it's because a new system can better serve the community with fair and easy access to registering for their events.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

That particular system would give teams with no "local" regional a disadvantage, like teams where North Star and 10k Lakes in Minnesota are the closest regionals but still a few hours away, and there are more than enough closer teams to fill the slots.

That's easily solvable by determining which event is a team's "local" regional ahead of time. The simplest way would be to determine which event is closest to each team and call that local. If, at that point, you have more teams than spots for that event, spots could be assigned randomly for every team that hadn't opted to try for a different event instead. The unlucky teams would then have to go to their second choice.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by Caleb Sykes

Did you get your quote backwards? I'm having trouble interpreting this otherwise.

Doh. I did.

[sanddrag]

So say I have a fast finger on the refresh key and a fast human mouse click. Are they going to mistake me for a bot and block my registration?

Are there teams already on this secretive "no fly" list, and us there any due-process to get off of it?

[Anupam Goli]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

So say I have a fast finger on the refresh key and a fast human mouse click. Are they going to mistake me for a bot and block my registration?

Are there teams already on this secretive "no fly" list, and us there any due-process to get off of it?

Can you press F5 and click your mouse hundreds of times per second?

[Andy Brockway]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

That's easily solvable by determining which event is a team's "local" regional ahead of time. The simplest way would be to determine which event is closest to each team and call that local. If, at that point, you have more teams than spots for that event, spots could be assigned randomly for every team that hadn't opted to try for a different event instead. The unlucky teams would then have to go to their second choice.

Back before we became a district, our team liked to travel to our events. Being forced into a local event is not something I would have looked forward too. We enjoyed playing in Trenton, Philadelphia, Rochester, Manchester, Worcester instead of always going to Hartford.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Andy Brockway

Back before we became a district, our team liked to travel to our events. Being forced into a local event is not something I would have looked forward too. We enjoyed playing in Trenton, Philadelphia, Rochester, Manchester, Worcester instead of always going to Hartford.

that hadn't opted to try for a different event instead. Teams should always have a choice.

[MARS_James]

Originally Posted by dodar

You can designate a "home event" for everyone though.

In this scenario can I pick my home event? Cause I may not want to attend the one geographically closest to me.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by MARS_James

In this scenario can I pick my home event? Cause I may not want to attend the one geographically closest to me.

I think the intent is that teams that choose the event that is geographically closest to them have a preference or advantage over teams that decide they want to travel. After all, should a team from California that lives 5 minutes from an event not get into that event because a team from Florida wants to visit the west coast? Providing a benefit to those teams that choose the closest event to themselves helps to keep costs down across FIRST, especially when you consider that there are team's all over that don't have the funding to pay for buses and hotels.

[dodar]

Originally Posted by MARS_James

In this scenario can I pick my home event? Cause I may not want to attend the one geographically closest to me.

Sure, but I think it would still have to be geographically near. Like if 179 would rather have Orlando over South Florida; but not 179 would rather have Peachtree over South Florida.(RIP Peachtree Regional)

[dodar]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

I think the intent is that teams that choose the event that is geographically closest to them have a preference or advantage over teams that decide they want to travel. After all, should a team from California that lives 5 minutes from an event not get into that event because a team from Florida wants to visit the west coast? Providing a benefit to those teams that choose the closest event to themselves helps to keep costs down across FIRST, especially when you consider that there are team's all over that don't have the funding to pay for buses and hotels.

That is only contingent on that California event being the 1st choice for both teams.

If the Cali team wants it as their #2 but the Florida has it as #1, Florida wins.
If the Cali team wants it as their #2 and so does the Florida team, first come/first serve.
If the Cali team has it as #1 and Florida has it as #1, Cali wins by "home event".
If the Cali team has it #1 and Florida has it as #2, see above.

[cgmv123]

Originally Posted by dodar

That is only contingent on that California event being the 1st choice for both teams.

If the Cali team wants it as their #2 but the Florida has it as #1, Florida wins.
If the Cali team wants it as their #2 and so does the Florida team, first come/first serve.
If the Cali team has it as #1 and Florida has it as #1, Cali wins by "home event".
If the Cali team has it #1 and Florida has it as #2, see above.

The California should still get priority, especially if they can't get into their first choice event.