Does anyone else think this game will be awesome?

[dhitchco]

Yes,
HUGE congrats to this year's game designer team. This will be a very "public" intuitive game for media, parents, guests to easily understand, which is a BIG part of the overall picture.

There will be total mayhem on the field with all the missed shot balls flying around (hopefully not outside the field) and there will be a lot more safety than last year's "flying 10lb. tetras"

I really wish that FIRST could invest in a "fly-over" field camera like the football games use, as that would give a great viewing angle. At a minimum, the video crew should have a couple of fixed overhead cameras above the end-walls.

ps: The Canadians and Brazilians will love to should out "Goooooaaaaaaalllllll"

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

I love it... we're playing basketball.

Schools understand it.
Newspapers understand it.
Television will like it.
This is a good media-friendly game.

Yeah, but as I had to remind Andy on Saturday afternoon, during Week 1 of the season he and I both really thought that Stack Attack was going to be really great. So our judgment must be suspect!

I will admit that I am more nervous about this game than any other year. The Game Design Committee knowingly is taking a big risk with this game. If we are right and the shooting projectiles/clean field/basketball metaphor really does work, then this will be an awesome game when we get to March/April. If it doesn't work then it will not work in a really big way. In that case I am changing my name, wearing a disguise, and moving to an undisclosed location in a cave in New Mexico. In the mean time, my ulcers are getting ulcers.

-dave

[brianoconnor2f2]

Hey Im a first year and it looks pretty difficult but at the same time, the finished products regaurless of what they are are definatley going to be incredibly awesome. Not to mention how much fun its gonna be to actually play the game.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!!!

-Matt

[aaeamdar]

Personally, as a programmer, I am happy that autonomous mode matters now. You can do all the normal things, AND you get a ten point bonus AND you get to play D first. However, there are other threads discussing the advantages of autonomous mode.

My own perception is that the game is at once simple to understand (two goals, and a platform to sit on at the end). It can be explained in about 15 minutes if you know what you're talking about.

However, that simplicity doesn't seem to come at a cost to the complex strategies available to us.

Hats off to the devs!

[fancy013]

I don't know but we'll see. In the past years I look at the games and think to myself, " how are we going to do this? how can we hang (*remember!!=D)?" but look at us (all of us to all teams) we done so great we achieve so much, done so much! really when we've done nothing to something. and when we were just thinking about what to do on the bot we all really got something. It makes me proud of myself. epically to us all (all the teams) cause we done so much and went through so much! I Love FIRST! =D Its a Family! . . . . no duh about the question. I'm not sure about this game. But i love the fact that there is going to be flying balls!! hehehe whooa! thats going to be fun! ~~mz.fancy

[Shu Song]

I like how the game designers took a really big hint from last year that a more strategically based game is better. Simple to understand yet strategically complex games are better for everyone. There are easy ways to approach the game for rookies and also complex ways for season veterans.

This game, in my opinion, requires the most from the software department of all the teams than any other game. To set up the camera to align a shooting mechanism sounds easy but can become hell for the programmers. Glad to see FIRST incorporate all aspects of engineering into the games.

The games are getting more and more intuitive to the general public. When people ask us what does your robot do, we can finally answer in a coherent sentence, "it shoots balls into a hoop," instead of "well it climbs on top of this platform and then attaches to a bar and hangs from it." A game that is easy to understand will attract more public awareness of the program and therefore, expand FIRST.

I'm really excited about this year's game. If it goes well and gains popularity, I think that it will set the tone for future FIRST games.

[coastertux]

Originally Posted by Shu Song

...This game, in my opinion, requires the most from the software department of all the teams than any other game. To set up the camera to align a shooting mechanism sounds easy but can become hell for the programmers. Glad to see FIRST incorporate all aspects of engineering into the games.

The games are getting more and more intuitive to the general public. When people ask us what does your robot do, we can finally answer in a coherent sentence, "it shoots balls into a hoop," instead of "well it climbs on top of this platform and then attaches to a bar and hangs from it." A game that is easy to understand will attract more public awareness of the program and therefore, expand FIRST...

I totally agree with what you said Shu, this game is going to be very intense for the programmers . I am glad that it is easy to explain and is something people can understand/relate to (just explaining what a "tetra" is was hard enough).

I like this game a lot more than last years game (so far) and I hope it will stay that way. We have some great new mentors and some great returning ones so it is looking to be a great year!

[Reyner]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

Basketball Robot, I got a Basketball Robot
Got a Basketball Robot, oh baby, oo-oo-ooo
(spoken)
Yes, I am the inventor of a Basketball Robot
Ever since I was a little baby, I always be designin'
In fac', I was de baddest designer in the whole neighborhood
Then one day, my mama bought me a basketball
And I loved that basketball
I took that basketball with me everywhere I went
That robot was like a basketball to me
I even put that basketball underneath my pillow
Maybe that's why I can't sleep at night

Mad props to Andy Baker!

[jferrara]

seriously this game is insane
it has all the same action of a sport and it has a lot of vareity
this game should be fun to watch and fun to play
the game should be very enjoyable this year

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

This calls for some lyrics:

(sung to the tune of "Basketball Jones")

Basketball Robot, I got a Basketball Robot
Got a Basketball Robot, oh baby, oo-oo-ooo
(spoken)
Yes, I am the inventor of a Basketball Robot
Ever since I was a little baby, I always be designin'
In fac', I was de baddest designer in the whole neighborhood
Then one day, my mama bought me a basketball
And I loved that basketball
I took that basketball with me everywhere I went
That robot was like a basketball to me
I even put that basketball underneath my pillow
Maybe that's why I can't sleep at night

Andy B.

Do I hear a new DS&TKB song?

[omutton]

One thing I noticed right at the beginning was there was no "what the heck?" factor after the game was released like there has been with previous games. Everyone (I think) understands what is going on. It will be fun to watch and better yet, fun to play! It's gonna be a great year!

[Rickertsen2]

This is my last year as a high school student and i think this will be the best game yet.

[MrBlack298]

Originally Posted by Greg Marra

The sheer amount of real-time strategy is going to be amazing. It's going to be like watching a sport with plays. There will be blocks, fakes, double teaming; it will be amazing.

Greg, i think this can be summed up in 2 words. TRIPLE THREAT!!!!

[generalbrando]

I'm only disappointed in that in the past, explaining the basic premis of the game has always yielded a reaction from the non-FIRST person like this: "Oh, so it plays basketball?" And now, thanks to this year's game, I have to say "yes"

And really, that's a great thing. It's a simple game the way a sports game is simple - you have simple goals. And like sports, complex strategies evolve out of those simple goals.

I think it's bold of the GDC to have another game where everyone has to manipulate one scoring object (last time was the Tetra). You can't make a bot that just works with one part of the game and hope to be picked by a complimentry team. This isn't necessarily better, but it ads something to the design challenge: how do you make your robot better at picking up the ball/tetra and scoring it?

[Josh Murphy]

This years game is going to have its ups and downs but it is going to be very competitive and interesting but it is going to be a good game.(not as exciting as the last 2-3 years) well let me stop myself and i will tell you when i see the First FIRST match of this season played i can't judge it until i see it played.