"Random" match Schedules

[Tom Saxton]

Lots of people on this thread have said they want a random schedule, but really what they want is a schedule that lets them play many different teams with as few duplicates as possible. This doesn't happen with a random distribution, it requires an algorithm that specifically builds a schedule to minimize duplication while keeping successive matches far enough apart that teams can turn their robots around.

FIRST now has two match scheduling algorithms.

Most of the week one regionals used what's being called "perpetual opponent" which does the scheduling where all of the teams in the high and low third (by team number) are paired with an adjacent team who is their opponent in every match. The middle third teams have two teams and alternate matches with them as opponents. There is no duplication of partner teams and great spacing between successive matches for each team.

After all of the complaints about the week one schedules, FIRST added a second algorithm called "random" which does a better job (but not a good job) of mixing opponents, but also duplicates partners and schedules matches very close to each other, even back-to-back.

Two of us (my wife and I) have implemented an algorithm that produces the type of schedules that people are saying they want: minimum duplication of partners and opponents, and good separation between matches. An analysis of the problem and our proposed solution are documented in a white paper on our team site. We'd love to have FIRST use our algorithm. We've sent them mail but haven't heard back.