Successful ingredients

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Posted by colleen.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Other on team #?, Actually, I'm a FIRST-aholic, from an undecided team for the year 2000 and I'm taking invitations :-).

Posted on 8/13/99 10:36 PM MST


In Reply to: Successful ingredients posted by mike aubry on 8/12/99 8:31 PM MST:




I don't know what to call it.. don't know all the details.. but have the wheels turning, so i'll give you what i think

: 1st - Identify the required elements of a fun and exciting game!
: - fast paced- 2 minute match
:
- pleasing to the eye - centralized, non-movable-around the field (may spin?) goal.. or simply, as i'm thinking, have a center square in the field maybe 4 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet...with either ramps or steps up the side...
:
- colorful- bright colored playing pieces (personally, i say we revert back to the red, yellow, and black of 1996.. i thought was much more eye-catching under the lights) and instead of just having a line down the middle for the different alliances sides, actually have the whole side of the field that color (no more gray rugs!)
:
- simple, clearly understandable objectives - (i think i made it worse guys) all cubes start on top of the ramp...take your.. 1' x 1' x 1' cubes and stack them.. one on the bottom is worth one point, 2nd is worth 2, 3rd 3..etc. (ones on ground don't count for points unless they have one stacked on top).. stacking on your opponents side of the field doubles the worth of that stack ONLY.. and in stacks made on top of the middle square the bottom one (if others are on top) count as 5 and go up from there (because, had you made your stack on the ground.. that one would be worth five)..basically, cubes count for the amount of feet they are off the ground.. any in the stack that aren't your color, eliminates any and all value of the stack..and of course, if you end the match with your robots on top of the square, that has to count as some sort of multiplier.. i just don't know what yet... if your Human Player is holding their FOOTBALL at the end, it's worth 10 points.. match winners scores may triple again?
:
- teamwork oriented (if alliances are used) - definitely alliances..
:
- does not favor or penalize offensive or defensive strategies - you can build, defend, knockover stacks (like little kids with Lego castles) and if you're on top of the ramp and you get pushed off, just like in '95, those are the breaks- don't get knocked off..

- does not penalize a good team by aligning with a not so good team (if alliances are used) - qualifying matches are and should remain randomly chosen.. who you get is who you get.. enhance your strategy to make up for it..same deal as '99, top scorers pick their partners..

- must encourage multiple solutions (isn't balancing the tradeoffs fun?) - there are many ways too win the game.. (but i have the feeling i haven't really eased the scoring..)

- rewards teams that are creative in solving the problem (how to turn the kit into a functioning robot) - hey, we're using cubes.. how many ways can you pick up, carry and store cubes.. and stack 'em too.. lots of creativity.. in a really robust but mobile style..

2nd - Determine the number of robots that will be playing at one time

: - how many teams per alliance (2,3,4...) 3 per alliance every match..
:
- how many alliances (2,3,4...) 2 alliances at a time
:
3rd - Determine the size and shape of the playing field
: - # of sides (3,4,5,6,7,8,...) 4
: - length of sides (14,16,18,20,22,24,28, feet...) few feet added all around from '99s size..
: - # of levels (1,2,3...) well..2
:
4th - What kind, size and shape (characteristics) should the playing pieces be? 1 x 1 x 1 foot cubes.. alliance colored..

: - mass (weight) sensitive to human player strength limitations.. light, but hard material.. maybe rohacell or something..
:
- size isn't temperature sensitive

: - material must be robust enough to endure a battle between robots without being damaged - that may be the problem.. maybe even made of light wood..?

: - must be easy to determine value of score by judges..well..that's a matter of perspective..
:
5th - Determine what and how the playing pieces should be manipulated to produce a score
: -
where do the start from- on top of the square..
: -
where should they end up - in a stack somewhere..

: 6th - Determine the scoring value
:
- base score - start at zero..
:
- multipliers (if used) - which side of the field the stack is on, where your robot it..
:
7th - Determine where the robots should start from (starting robot position and human positions)

- Robots lined up across from one another on the field.. Drivers are 3 in middle of that side, HP on either side.. then the other HP is on the corner..

-HPs start with a football and two cubes stacked in front of them.. the can use the nerf football for whatever purpose.. to knock the stacks off the top to start, knock over opponents stacks, etc.. robots CAN bring any football(s) back to their HPs.. any in their station at the end count for ten points (still, the no more than three objects in the station at a time rule.. Footballs and cubes count in that 3)
:
8th - Determine if robots final position should add or subtract or multiply value of score - only matters to multiply..

Ok.. cubes will bust our brains for creative robots, the field and game leave themselves open to being defensive, offensive and both all at once and not one way will always win it.. it combines strategy of play, skill, and design into everything while keeping not all that difficult to score and easy to watch... the bigger the stack the better.. robots on top and stacks on opposite sides are better too... but watch out for flying footballs, cause it doesn't just have to be the robots that are offensive.. there's not questioning or measuring.. things are stacked or not.. robots are on the TOP of the square or not.. stacks touching the boundary line don't double..

so i'm getting excited.. what do you guys think???

-colleen