Last Years game vs. This year's Game

[Bryan D]

I really preferred this years game as compared to last years. Sure, getting a robot to hang off the ground was cool, but there wasn't nearly as much strategy involved with last years game! I find it more fun thinking up (or trying to) a great strategy that's going to work instead of just going out and doing the exact same thing each match, even though that still happened.

[Enterprize]

I preferred the diversity of last years robots over the strategy of this year's game, but a combination of the two would be ideal.

[Billfred]

I'm a sucker for FIRST Frenzy myself. I mean, Triple Play had strategy and such, but there was something about FIRST Frenzy that I just loved. I think it was something about the way it all looked when it came together--you had the balls dumping out onto the field, the robots jamming the 2X balls in, the human players shooting, the robots all trying to fit onto the bar. I loved it.

Compare it with this year--the visual excitement just wasn't there. You've got the robots capping, yes, but your human players are standing there, the only time the field does anything is when the field crew pluck away the hanging tetras or refill the autoloaders. It just doesn't click with me as much.

(And as primarily a spectator for both seasons, save one day as 1293's field coach, I do have to say that the graphics make a difference. Compare last year's RTS with this year's, or the rankings scroll. Those little things make a difference, believe it or not.)

[Joe J.]

I did like the different ways to play last years game but I did like how this year the basically provided a driving frame which allowed teams to focus on devices. Also this years game a driving box really couldn't be of much help like it could be in past years, as a result I didn't see a single robot without and arm of some kind at GLR and WM, and from what I saw of Detroit and the Championship.

[Lil' Lavery]

I liked this year. I love the 3v3, and the wide open strategies. Plus, even despite having an amazing HP last year, I still didnt like that the robot couldnt score the primary scoring objects.
This years field was also a lot more open, which made for faster paced, exiting action, versus the bottlenecks whichs formed in the middle last year. This year was simpler in terms of robot functions, but that led to teams focusing on doing one thing, and doing it well, so you saw some amazing arms. Plus this year's autonomous crushed last years, it had a LOT more options. Last year all you could do was knock the balls off, or hang in the case of a couple teams. This year there were the vision tetras, the auto loaders, the 1 starting tetra per alliance, and the magnetic tetras.

[Freddy Schurr]

I like last year game,much better because it show that you could do anything. This year it was much harder trying to do stuff. And with so many robots, it just got crazy.

[Redneck]

Hm... its tough... both great games IMO. I think I liked this year's a little more, because autonomous played a bigger role.

[Matt_Kaplan1902]

As a driver for the last two years, I felt that this years game was a lot more exciting for me. Robot interaction occurred much more than last year, and the excitement of re-taking a goal after your opponent just capped was awesome. I also like how all 3 robots had to be back in the end zone for the alliance to get points, unlike just 1 robot having to hang. Strategies last year, especially in finals, I felt were very repetitive, where as this year it could change a lot in just a few seconds with a robot coming down and capping your home row. In fact, this years game was my favorite in all four years I have been involved in.

[sanddrag]

I'd say last year because it had a "big finish" - The race for the top. Stack Attack had the same thing too. In Triple Play, the race for the endzone just wasn't as big or exciting; it was worth relaitvely less points and it wasn't as challenging as getting up the ramp or hanging from the bar.

What was exciting about this year's game is that every robot did the manipulation and most all did it well. But last year's game had more and different kinds of manipulation which was better than all the robots doing the same thing.

I think last year there were a lot of good veteran teams that did not have good arms so this year FIRST made it so there is only one thing you have to do so you have to make a good arm. Then next year, now theat everyone knows how to make a good arm, they will hit us with multiple scoring options/game pieces again.

[Dorienne]

I'd say this year because there was a lot of change for FIRST. For example, the amount of robots on the field. That was big for me. Mainly because I've been around for three years, and that I've looked at past years games, and they weren't, in my opinion, hardly as exciting as this year. Four robots on the field isn't as insane as six.

Besides, we're using totally different shapes and obstacles (sorta') for this year! Tetras instead of doughnut-shaped floppies, balls, bars, etc. It's completely insane...it was so much more exciting!

=)

[Paul H]

Last year....hands down. I absolutely loved FIRST Frenzy. From the second I saw it at Kickoff I loved it. There was just so much to do! So many different robot designs, and so many ways to play the game!

As for this year....eh. That's what I thought at kickoff and that's what I think now. It's much better than Stack Attack or Zone Zeal (I think), but it just doesn't compare with FIRST Frenzy. There's just not enough to do. That was my initial impression and I still agree with it.

[George A.]

I liked this year's game, last year if you played any kind of defense and had to robots hanging at the end you pretty much won. This year it relied more on strategy, you could have an allstar allaince on the field, but if the opposing allaince had a better strategy than you, you were sunk. Plus more robots led for more switch on the fly strategy changes going on in game.

[Ian Curtis]

I personally am addicted to last years game. Despite an utter love for strategy, which this years game has galore, last years game had a rush of excitement at the end. I also didn't like the complete and utter lack of defense beyond the first week of regionals this year. The only thing I didn't like about last years game was the fact that the HP scored most of the points.