Mobile/immobile objects on field

[Steve782]

For the past three years, I (and some other people) have noticed a pattern with objects on the field. Every other year, FIRST has switched from a field with stationary objects to objects you can move around.

2001-seesaw ramp and bar across the middle of the field, immoble
2002-3 180 lb goals, mobile
2003-ramp and bar across the middle of the field, immoble

My guess for the 2004 field is that it will be similar to the 2002 field. I think it will have objects you can move around, with no stationary objects anywhere.

[VinceT]

there seems to be a very large amount of wood in that BOM for there to be no stationary objects

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally Posted by Steve782

For the past three years, I (and some other people) have noticed a pattern with objects on the field. Every other year, FIRST has switched from a field with stationary objects to objects you can move around.

2001-seesaw ramp and bar across the middle of the field, immoble
2002-3 180 lb goals, mobile
2003-ramp and bar across the middle of the field, immoble

My guess for the 2004 field is that it will be similar to the 2002 field. I think it will have objects you can move around, with no stationary objects anywhere.

Although... that pattern doesn't go back any further. 2000 had a large stationary field (though 99 had the puck... a moveable object). I think trying to form trends like that is no better than a guess. We'll just have to wait and see what happens on Saturday.

[Mike Soukup]

Originally Posted by Steve782

For the past three years, I (and some other people) have noticed a pattern with objects on the field. Every other year, FIRST has switched from a field with stationary objects to objects you can move around.

2001-seesaw ramp and bar across the middle of the field, immoble
2002-3 180 lb goals, mobile
2003-ramp and bar across the middle of the field, immoble

Carry your theory back far enough and you'll notice that it breaks down:

1992-1994: don't know
1995: immobile goal posts
1996: mobile center goal, but very hard to move
1997: immobile spinning tree in middle
1998: immobile ladders
1999: mobile puck
2000: immobile goals
2001: immobile seesaw with mobile goals
2002: mobile 180 lb goals
2003: immobile ramp

FIRST does not follow patterns. FIRST does not base its game off of FLL games. FIRST does not base its game off of Dean's inventions. FIRST does come up with the best game they can think of at the time instead of being held back by outside limitations.

[Adam Y.]

What was the puck?

[RoboCoder]

I personally dont believe in trying to find patterns in the games for FIRST, other than seeing what they generally include in the games. however, this year the three castors included in the BOM for the field seem to suggest that there is probably one mobile object in the field. However, there is also a VERY large amount of plywood and lumber included, which seems to lean towards the presence of stationary structures, possibly large ones, on the field. Could there be both mobile and immobile objects on the field? quite possibly. Either way we will find out soon enough but in the meantime you could argue it either way. *shrugs* just my $0.02, make what you want of it.

[Rob Colatutto]

Originally Posted by Mike Soukup

1992-1994: don't know

1992 there were just tennis balls and corn on the field, no large movable objects.
1993 there were small balls and then larger balls, with stationary goals on the sides that were sectioned off parts of the field.
1994: I don't know either

Just the fact that there are casters in this years BOM leads me to believe there is something that moves, no telling how large or small it is, but something will move. At least, thats what I get from it.

[Steve782]

Originally Posted by VinceT

there seems to be a very large amount of wood in that BOM for there to be no stationary objects

Although there is a large amount of lumber in that BOM, FIRST will use other products for the actual field. The field may be a combination of stationary and mobile objects, since the BOM includes wheel casters (3 of them-triangular goal maybe?). With the list FIRST has given us so far, there will probably be lumber or other material left over from the mobile objects on the field (hopefully there are some).

I may be wrong about what the 2004 field might be like. I guess we have to wait four more days...

[Mark Hamilton]

I hope you dont apply this reasoning to everyday events. You can't get a pattern out of 3 games, especially when if you go back further you get very definite evidence it's not true. The most you can get out of looking back is a good idea of what you won't see in next year's game. Look at what caused problems or just didn't work, and you can see what probably won't be in the next year's game. For example, most people hated the coopertition of 2001, and it went back to 2 on 2. 2002 encouraged pushing matches for the first time, which was fun, but lead to carpet damage. The next year the field was designed so pushing matches ussually occured off the carpet. So what didn't work last year? The eliminations scoring, the ease of damaging bins, the unproductiveness of stacking, and the encouragement (unintentionally) of "destructive" rather then "constructive" play. So my vague predictions are this:
Eliminations will return to 2on2, their will be a scoring object, but it will be sturdy, possibly a solid object. It will be designed in such a way that it is easier to score more points for yourself then to remove points from your opponent.

[Ken Leung]

Originally Posted by Adam Y.

What was the puck?

The infamous puck of 1999. I have attached a picture of it from the first year we had a west coast regional, the NASA Ames regional in Bay Area, northern California.

The puck is a giant moving platform that's 8" high. You can fit about 2 robots on the puck, and it can be pushed around. The placement of the puck on which half of the field determine the multiplier of the score, and robots can get points by getting on the puck or at least lifting themselves off the group a certain height. The control of the puck was extremely important to winning the game that year.

There were also scoring objects call floppies, and you get 1 point for each lifted 8' off the ground.

[Chris Hibner]

Originally Posted by VinceT

there seems to be a very large amount of wood in that BOM for there to be no stationary objects

How much of this wood is for the drivers' station and the field border? FIRST may have included these parts of the field into the field BOM.

[Joe Matt]

Well, it also depends on what you think a moveable field element is. The goals in 2001 were moveable, do you count those? What about 2002? If you don't count the 2001 goals, then there was no field element in 2002. Personaly, finding treands in FIRST is nearly impossable.

[gsensel]

Originally Posted by Ken Leung

There were also scoring objects call floppies, and you get 1 point for each lifted 8' off the ground.

Not totally right. 1 point fo getting it off the ground. 3 points for getting it 8' off the ground.