Who likes this years challenge?

[astephen68]

I have a poll on who likes this years challenge?

[Otaku]

Aside from the ramp/elevation scoring, it seems very difficult. But then agian, I've only helped build 675's Aim High robot (Cthulhu, pictures later maybe), and Aim High was kind of easy if you didn't include target tracking (Which Cthulhu didn't).

[astephen68]

I think the thing shaking would make in difficult to put the ringers on and the 15 points at the end too would be hard!!!

[Alex Cormier]

please search, there are many threads out there with a discussion to this years game.

[Agent 108]

Personally, I like this challenge. However, it is the first one I have ever done! But I HAVE watched one other competition, and it was GREAT! Go team 1290!

[astephen68]

It's my first compition also but i saw videos of last years event and i watched them and i liked last years event but this years event is crazy!!!!!!!!!

[Justin M.]

I honestly don't like it. It should be a game, this is just pure human strategy. The robots will be very simple so the only thing setting apart team's is their strategist.

FIRST has always been a sport, more or less, where you essentially "build" the player. Last years game was the perfect example of this, as well as the year before that. The games were based mostly on robot performance, features, design, and a little bit of driver skill - which is what it should be. This is a ROBOTICS competition, isn't it? The robot should be doing the work and playing the game for the most part.

This year everybody's robot will more or less be the same - there is no room for different designs. Your robot either needs to be able to score, or push the scorers. The rest is all human based strategy (i.e. where to put the tubes).

Aim High, and Triple Play, were possibly the best games ever created by FIRST, IMO. They allowed many robot designs to work, and were just $@#$@#$@#$@# fun to play. This year's challenge is essentially playing 8x3 tic tac toe with no diagonals, and you need to do this with a robot....like I said this is all going to lie on human strategy, unlike last year where the robot had to score as many points as it could (letting the robot do the work!).

This is my junior year in HS - next year will be the last FIRST competition I compete in as a student and direct part of the team. I will be in charge of everything next year - I really hope that FIRST comes up with something better than this year's game for my final year (I'll come back as a mentor though!).

[astephen68]

Yeah True I guess they wanted to get away from the balls into something different they wanted everybody to design for!!!!!!1

[CircularLogic]

Originally Posted by Justin M.

I honestly don't like it. It should be a game, this is just pure human strategy. The robots will be very simple so the only thing setting apart team's is their strategist.

FIRST has always been a sport, more or less, where you essentially "build" the player. Last years game was the perfect example of this, as well as the year before that. The games were based mostly on robot performance, features, design, and a little bit of driver skill - which is what it should be. This is a ROBOTICS competition, isn't it? The robot should be doing the work and playing the game for the most part.

This year everybody's robot will more or less be the same - there is no room for different designs. Your robot either needs to be able to score, or push the scorers. The rest is all human based strategy (i.e. where to put the tubes).

Aim High, and Triple Play, were possibly the best games ever created by FIRST, IMO. They allowed many robot designs to work, and were just $@#$@#$@#$@# fun to play. This year's challenge is essentially playing 8x3 tic tac toe with no diagonals, and you need to do this with a robot....like I said this is all going to lie on human strategy, unlike last year where the robot had to score as many points as it could (letting the robot do the work!).

This is my junior year in HS - next year will be the last FIRST competition I compete in as a student and direct part of the team. I will be in charge of everything next year - I really hope that FIRST comes up with something better than this year's game for my final year (I'll come back as a mentor though!).

I couldnt agree with you more and I would also like to add one more point...


When I joined FIRST, the game was Triple Play. I explained the game to a lot of people who werent involved and they all greeted it with the same neutral response, which was something like "its cool, i guess". Even after showing them the videos of Triple Play matches there was still something large that was missing when you saw the game if you werent a part of it. But when I showed people the Aim High game, it was universally agreed that the game was "really cool". It was fast paced, it played like a sport, there were great plays (just like sports), it required a game plan, and there were multiple ways to score and be effective.


I am not saying that FIRST should design its games to be "cool" at the expense of being a good challenge. But being that one of the missions of FIRST is to attract people to the organization, it seems to me that designing a fast paced, sport-resembling game would be the best thing. Even as a veteran, who is hardcore into FIRST, I was dissapointed that the game doesnt appear to be as exciting.

I believe the record number of rookie teams is, at least part, due to the fact that Aim High was such a cool game. I could not find one person that would not want to watch the final matches, even if they were the least motivated person on the team.

There has to be a way to keep the same level of excitement and game play as Aim High while adding in new challenges.

[Donut]

While I agree this probably isn't as "exciting" to some as Aim High was, I think it still has some very cool aspects, such as the robot lifting at the end. Of course I still think it will be exciting, it's all just opinion; Triple Play was a better game than Aim High to me.

[Steve Howland]

Originally Posted by Alex Cormier

please search, there are many threads out there with a discussion to this years game.

A good example of one such thread

And I think you guys need to give this game a chance. It's been one week, and already you guys think we will only see one or two stock robot types. The GDC worked really hard on this game and I think it will be awesome.

[Tri_Lam]

its a good game but it could be better. my first impression was. 'thats it? we only have one huge game element and bunch of rings.' after reading the rules you see how challenging the game really is. and how a single placement of a spoiler can change the whole game/outcome. overall a 7 outa 10 good game could be better

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Justin M.

This year everybody's robot will more or less be the same - there is no room for different designs.

I couldn't disagree more. There will be many, many different designs. Also, you scoring isn't as easy as you are saying.

Even more, you could argue that Aim High only had two designs as well.

I did not like this game at first, but it is growing on me and I really like it now.

[Justin M.]

I understand how hard they worked on this years game, it just doesn't compare to Aim High. It's not fast paced, and like I said, its more mental than anything.

I guess they had to give us this type of game, to change things up a bit. I can understand that. If they created a game similar to Aim High, then the rookie teams this year would be at a even greater disadvantage than the veteran teams who are familiar with last years game....I just wish it was a bit more exciting and "sport like".

Comparing Aim High to Rack n' Roll, in simpler terms, would be comparing Basketball to Tic Tac Toe. Which one would you rather build a robot to do...

[65_Xero_Huskie]

This years game is kind of simple compared to the other games because its pretty much already been done (1997). The whole 1 ring at a time makes it kind of boring because you dont have the promise of teams (such as beatty or wildstang) grabbing 12 at a time and scoring them all in 2.3 seconds
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I also think that this year is going to be interesting and it gives a fair chance for anyone to win unlike last year where you almost needed a camera to do good ( tripletts are an enemy to that theory ). I really hope that there is good support for this years game because every year is fun and you get the feeling of teamwork and planning which helps you get ready for other things in life.