VCU NASA Regional

[Stephen P]

Originally Posted by Stephen Kowski

ah ok....Stephen P described it differently....that is just part of the game and is completely legal.....quite frankly I have seen for some teams it be very effective....you are right that they did tell people to build their robots strong because there would be a lot of contact....

What I was mad about was a couple robots I saw that were just ramming other bots really hard and repeatedly while they were trying to stack. One or two times the rammer bots even succeeded in either shutting off the victim robot, or ramming it into a corner and making it get caught in a goal. It is one thing to get in the way and push, but another to ram with malicious intent. I wasnt talking about whacking with arms, which would be more likely to hurt the arm than the other bot anyway.

[Sachiel7]

I think the line truly rests at GP. For example, yesterday (at the practice matches) our arm wouldn't run the first match (someone *Accidentally pulled the data cable for our pump ) so we immediately went into defense mode. There was *a* team that we blocked somewhat roughly from capping the canter goal, and one or twice the side goals. Some other members from our team heard some comments from the other alliance that we weren't playing with GP in mind. I disagree, it was there design that allowed the tetra to fall off instead of hang on, not an un-GP play. FIRST even stated in the manual to expect lots of low-impacts throughout the game.
However later in the competition (I wont say which day) we were in a match where an opposing robot immediately came for us and forced us into the goal, thus eliminating us from the whole match. Now, I can understand bumping us to thwart our capping efforts, but they continued to force us in after we obviously weren't capping. I felt that it was a little non-GP, because it *seemed* like they were trying to intentionally remove us from play.

[fire chaser 134]

Originally Posted by Collmandoman

is anynody else kind of disappointed with the game?

i am. i havent been able to watch any matches but just by how ive heard the rules and how the feild is set up i think i like last years game better.

[Mike Soukup]

Originally Posted by Sachiel7

I think the line truly rests at GP. For example, yesterday (at the practice matches) our arm wouldn't run the first match (someone *Accidentally pulled the data cable for our pump ) so we immediately went into defense mode. There was *a* team that we blocked somewhat roughly from capping the canter goal, and one or twice the side goals. Some other members from our team heard some comments from the other alliance that we weren't playing with GP in mind. I disagree, it was there design that allowed the tetra to fall off instead of hang on, not an un-GP play. FIRST even stated in the manual to expect lots of low-impacts throughout the game.

I disagree. Rough defense during competition is allowed and expected, teams should prepare for it in both their robot design and strategy. But you're talking about the team's first practice match at their first regional. Give them a break and let them work out any bugs in their robot. Give them a chance to practice capping a goal before you slam into them. Unless you agreed otherwise with your opponent before the practice match, save the defense for the real matches when the points actually matter.

[thoughtful]

I think, defense is not unGP. Defense is just the opposite of offence; if we were not allowed to defend, in a way we are being told to play the game a certain way, with a certain strategy which in myopinion is not the goal. Low-impact push and shoves are part of the game, they provide the challenge that makes these matches much more interesting. If there should be no contact between opposing robot than there is no point of going head to head against other teams. However, ramming into teams at full speed or trying to wedge a team to make them topple intentionally will be something that i dont expect from a FIRST team.

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by fire chaser 134

i am. i havent been able to watch any matches but just by how ive heard the rules and how the feild is set up i think i like last years game better.

If you havn't seen any matches, then on what are you basing your opinion?

Wetzel

[fire chaser 134]

Originally Posted by Wetzel

If you havn't seen any matches, then on what are you basing your opinion?

Wetzel

well last year there was alot more things happening with the small balls, the 2x large balls, hanging... there was just som many things happening were this year you look at all the robots and many look the same. like were as last year there were so many different deigns because of the many different ways to score.

[sanddrag]

By the rankings on the webcast, it seems as if the #1 seed got 9 matches while the rest of the teams got 8 matches. I was expecting at least one or two more matches overall, but it is a big regional.

[Goobergunch]

The top of the seedings at VCU:

1 - 1279
2 - 1095
3 - 401
4 - 435
5 - 165
6 - 1610
7 - 1541
8 - 345
9 - 616
10 - 540

Time for alliance selections....

[Tristan Lall]

I think there's a bit of a problem with the alliance selection process at VCU: the announcer just stated that a top-8 team must accept an invitiaton, or withdraw. This is not supported by the rules, unless a Q&A response changed this since Revison A was posted.

Each of the Alliance Leads will designate a student to be the Alliance Captain. Each remaining team will choose a student to act as Team Representative. Each Alliance Captain and Team Representative will proceed to the Playing Field at the designated time to represent her or his team. In descending order, each Alliance Captain will invite to join them, a team ranked below them in the standings, which has not already accepted or declined an invitation, to join an Alliance. The invited Team Representative will step forward and either accept or decline the invitation. If the team accepts, it is moved into that Alliance. If the team declines, it is not eligible to be picked again and the Alliance Captain extends another invitation to a different team. If an invitation from a top eight alliance team to another top eight alliance team is accepted, the team currently ranked ninth will move up to become the number eight alliance. The process continues until Alliance Eight makes a successful invitation. The same method is used for each Alliance Captain’s second choice. This process will lead to eight alliances of three teams.

The relevant point: "it is not eligible to be picked again", with nothing about that team itself picking. Also, note the sentence that follows above--that would be redundant if the declining top-8 team had to withdraw. This may turn out badly, because of the apparent misunderstanding.

Of course, we won't actually see the results of this, because a team in this position will probably just accept, rather than face (incorrect) withdrawal.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

This may turn out badly, because of the apparent misunderstanding.

<off topic>
Why is alliance selections always a problem?? Grr.. I think while striving to make the game viewer friendly as a spectator, FIRST should strive to make the Alliance selection process as easy to understand as possible too.
</off topic>

[Goobergunch]

Alliances

Seed...Captain...First Round...Second Round
#1......1279......384.............1545
#2......1095......1541............975
#3......401........435.............122
#4......165........345.............422
#5......1610.......616............510
#6......540........388.............619
#7......837........1086...........1093
#8......339........447.............539

Standby Teams
1469, 1172, 1137, 1623, 587, 1054, 1598, 1417

[Kyle Love]

Quater Final Matches:
QF1-1 Red 49 Blue 00 (1-0-0)
QF2-1 Red 29 Blue 53 (0-1-0)
QF1-2 Red 31 Blue 31 (1-0-1)
QF2-2 Red 31 Blue 43 (#5 seed moves on, defeats #4 seed)
QF1-3 Red 26 Blue 32 (1-1-1)
QF1-4 Red 03 Blue 49 (#8 seed moves on, defeats #1 seed)
QF3-1 Red 15 Blue 24 (0-1-0)
QF4-1 Red 38 Blue 39 (0-1-0)
QF3-2 Red 24 Blue 00 (1-1-0)
QF4-2 Red 76 Blue 15 (1-1-0)
QF3-3 Red 58 Blue 00 (#2 seed moves on, defeats #7 seed)
QF4-3 Red 51 Blue 29 (#3 seed moves on, defeats #6 seed)

SEMIFINAL MATCHES:
SF 1 (match#1): Red 32 Blue 33
SF 2 (match#1): Red 36 Blue 45
SF 1 (match#2): Red ? Blue ? --my internet went down during that match
SF 2 (match#2): Red 30 Blue 8
SF 1 (match#3): Red 0 Blue 26 (Blue alliance advances to FINALS)
SF 2 (match#3): Red 32 Blue 18 (Red alliance advances to FINALS)

FINALS [339,447,539] VS [401,435,122]
Final match#1: Red 33 Blue 24
Final match#2: Red 29 Blue 28 [Red defeats Blue winning entire competetion]

ALLIANCES [401,435,122] WINS VCU/NASA FIRST ROBOTICS REGIONAL

good job to all teams!

[Wetzel]

401,435,122 win!

Wetzel