Lesson Learned: The Negative

[waialua359]

Room for improvements:
Since I am not on the GDC, its easier to criticize than to be on the committee trying to foresee how things will pan out. So just a few things:
1. We hated being in driver station 1 and 3. Our driver team had such a hard time seeing the opposite quadrant of the field. Driver stations should be located in a position that allows the drive team the best view or a field setup to allow them to see the whole field clearly. Practice is obviously a solution, but many teams dont have the capabilities to create a field conducive for practice, especially with hybrid. This was a common complaint of the rookie teams we talked to.
2. Teams should be allowed to stay near their controllers during hybrid. I witnessed so many controllers falling. How do you anticipate a controller falling during hybrid and stepping into the box in case you need to when robots are moving so fast and may just turn all of a sudden. Have refs instead watch if teams touch their control system controls instead. i.e. Teams stand really close so they dont fall to the ground. Obviously, velcro didnt work.
3. Andy Baker was the best corner referee! He explained to our alliance why there were penalties or the non-calls so we all knew why in every match we played. Many times, teams didnt know why penalties were called. Sometimes they announced it, sometimes they didnt during our regionals. If teams are to try and adjust and correct mistakes, they should be made aware of it instead of just moving on to the next match.
4. Parts of the pit areas at CMP were not lighted. Why? Having to use a flashlight to see inside your robot electronics area was frustrating. Other neighboring teams complained to pit admin about the same thing. Result: Nothing happened.

[Chris Fultz]

I like to focus on positives, but some minor areas for improvement -

Bumper Rules - after 2 regionals, ours were declared illegal during inspection.
i was told we should have seen it in the Q+A. It was a big deal, and i think deserved an email blast if it was going to affect very many teams.

Flag Rules - going onto the floor for our 2nd match, we were told our flag pole was too long. (Total less and 5 feet.) We had to cut it to 3 feet right there or not take it in. The rest of the day I saw flag poles longer than ours started, and ours had become very difficult to hold.

Ranking screens in the Dome - I was told that there were no ranking screens in the dome. people had to go to the pits to see team rankings. seems this would be easy to fix.

I agree with Amanda on the crowd. Last year, people left before the CA was announced, and many more were gone before MOE got to the field. This year, very few were there a few minutes after the last match. we need to find a way to keep people in their seats until the end.

[Meredith Novak]

Originally Posted by Chris Fultz

Ranking screens in the Dome - I was told that there were no ranking screens in the dome. people had to go to the pits to see team rankings. seems this would be easy to fix.

Hear, hear! Our poor kids were running back and forth like some kind of Bomb Squad pony express (great job, guys) and I don't want to see my "I don't have unlimited texting" cell phone bill next month.

[EStokely]

Lessons learned?

How about a clear and published Team #### was penalized for G22 or whatever.

Often after a score was shown we scrambled trying to figure out who broke what rule. I have no issues with how the scoring was assigned or penalty points values, actually I thought they worked well, but how does a team learn to change its play if it takes 4 games to understand what the penaltys were? and even then we were never quite sure who was getting the penalties or when in play.

Loved the game. I recall some one from our team stating "Great we get to drive in circle" and saying it dripping with sarcasm, until someone else pointed out the normal drive back and forth in straight lines game we usually had.
I think the game was fun to play and watch. One more way to score points would have been a bonus but over all it was a great game.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by EStokely

Lessons learned?

How about a clear and published Team #### was penalized for G22 or whatever.

One note--the play-by-play announcer on Galileo (Andy Grady) made a point of announcing penalties. Who, what, which alliance they were on. Not all play-by-play people do that, though. They really should.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by EStokely

Lessons learned?

How about a clear and published Team #### was penalized for G22 or whatever. Often after a score was shown we scrambled trying to figure out who broke what rule.

Eric, the referees and announcer worked hard to explicitly state which team committed which infraction at the Seattle Regional. Was your experience at some other regional, or was it Seattle you were talking about?

[Jimmy Cao]

I don't really have too much to say against how it went this year. Only a few small points.

First, defense was a little under-valued. I think a game should balance defense and offense, much like '06, where a good defender could significantly hurt a good shooter, but a small little box-on-wheels cannot take out a top-of-the-line bot. I think FIRST learned that defense cannot be too important from last year, where anyone can take out a ringer-bot.

Also, I feel that it would be more interesting if there were more tasks that teams could do. This year, the game was almost dictated to teams. Most of the teams that shone bright hurdled. There was (almost) no way to be the backbone of an alliance if you cannot hurdle. On top of that and the regulations on defense, many teams with lesser resources settled with either lapbots or hurdlers who could only hurdle once or twice in a match. When it came to championships, it was often difficult for many lower-caliber teams to keep up.

Just my $.02

[Storcky]

Originally Posted by Lavapicker

4. The Finals this year went WAY too long in Atlanta...I know bots need time to get back in shape but we started with only 3 matches in one in a half hours! Half hour between matches....cmon...less talk please, please!

I understand the importance of the discussion in between Finals matches and I think that it makes the awards ceremony much more interesting, unlike in a regional awards ceremony where, although it is important to recognize the teams that do so much, it can get slightly boring after a long regional weekend.

My complaint was that the Finals matches overlapped with a lot of the FIRST Finale. Our team stayed at the dome for a few pictures then went back to the hotel to change, then went to the Finale, but it was after 8 when we got there! At that point, there were less than 2 hours to hang out there and we still had to eat. But the two hours we were there were a BLAST!!!

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Amanda Morrison

• I was lucky to be on a team in 2002 that won the Championship. As a high school senior, I cannot tell you what a profound experience it was to walk on stage, receive our trophies and medals, hug Woodie and Dean, and get the recognition from other competing teams. This year, the stands were emptying before the last half of the last finals match. An announcement was made for teams to head over to the FIRST Finale immediately after the match completed and the score announced. I was extremely saddened that my students were not able to have a similar experience for their hard work and effort as that which profoundly changed my life. Their win was trivialized - yes, confetti and streamers, but having a teacher hand you your medal in the abandoned pit area shortly before you get on the bus is anti-climactic compared to the team walking across Einstein or the stage and receiving recognition for their effort to get to that point. Seeing thousands of people in the stands and realizing what an extreme honor is being placed upon you is a truly epic moment in a child's life. While I know my students were exceptionally happy and excited for the honor, I had only wished they could have been given the opportunity that I was lucky enough to experience.

I think this is an easy thing to fix. Most people by then are hungry, tired, and want to get out of the seats. Why not move the giving of metals to teams at the wrap party right before the fireworks? Right there up on stage, with banners and trophies, then everyone can scream "GO FIRST!" and the fireworks will begin. Get Dean, Woodie, and everyone up on stage for it too.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Chris Fultz

Bumper Rules - after 2 regionals, ours were declared illegal during inspection. i was told we should have seen it in the Q+A. It was a big deal, and i think deserved an email blast if it was going to affect very many teams.

I saw a lot of bumpers passed in regionals that I thought were illegal, or at least sub-legal. I questioned one set in particular, and at the team's direction the head inspector found a Q&A that seemed to create a loophole that fit that particular design. The bumper rules have to be tightened up in words, not just in pictures.

Originally Posted by Chris Fultz

I agree with Amanda on the crowd. Last year, people left before the CA was announced, and many more were gone before MOE got to the field. This year, very few were there a few minutes after the last match. we need to find a way to keep people in their seats until the end.

Maybe if the finals got over a half hour before the Finale started, not after. It's been how many years now with finals going overtime, NASA TV has to cut off before the finals are run, everyone either leaves early or eats cold food and misses some of the entertainment. Fix the schedule to make it realistic!

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

[/list]Why not move the giving of metals to teams at the wrap party right before the fireworks? Right there up on stage, with banners and trophies, then everyone can scream "GO FIRST!" and the fireworks will begin. Get Dean, Woodie, and everyone up on stage for it too.

Good idea. We'd have to iron out the details about not every team attending, or some that have transportation issues that make them leave early. Also, at the Finale many are off playing games or otherwise wandering around; the tables were pretty empty by the time the entertainment was finished. But something worth exploring.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

[/list]I think this is an easy thing to fix. Most people by then are hungry, tired, and want to get out of the seats. Why not move the giving of metals to teams at the wrap party right before the fireworks? Right there up on stage, with banners and trophies, then everyone can scream "GO FIRST!" and the fireworks will begin. Get Dean, Woodie, and everyone up on stage for it too.

I agree but not everyone goes to the wrap party, It would be easier to limit the speeches that people give. I love hearing some of the most important business leaders and inventors speak at these events but sometimes they go one forever and cause loooooong delays that snowball to everything else.

I did not like that the CA was given out first. It made it seem that winning the field competition was more important then the CA. And I was sitting right behind where 842 was sitting watching the matches before they were called up to the stage and they had amazing seats to watch everything until they were called down to the stage.

[David Noll]

This years game was a lot of fun and a really amazing idea. Unlike most I don't have any problem with the breaking the plane penalty, my team had an issue and I, as coach, told them to learn to drive. Complaining about a penalty concerned with robot control is not good, the only bit of that rule that was unfair was when the bumper (which they required this year) went over and you got the penalty for that.
The issue that my team is very upset about is the inconsistent or incompetent reffing. FIRST made a big deal this year about training refs and making them pass a test and yet the reffing was worse this year then any other. Next year the game either needs to be easier to ref, or the refs need to take an in depth course on training. Aside from inconsistency, there was a general lack of enforcement at a lot of events. This game was supposed to be non-impact and non-defensive; penalties were stressed on impact, pinning, impeding, etc. And we had refs who didn't call a robot getting hit while hurdling and then pinned up against the rack

[XXShadowXX]

Build anything that is preceded by the phrase, "Its basically the same" it won't be...

[RoboMom]

SATURDAY AWARDS/FINALS/CELEBRATION

• The fact that the finals/awards ceremony ran over so long (AGAIN!) is unacceptable. Feedback about this has been delivered each year. Speeches, even by the heavy weights, need to be very short and sweet. The people sitting in the Dome "get it" so the same message does not need to be delivered over and over by everyone. Food for the teams at the "Celebration" is usually only available from 6:30-8:30 and those expensive tickets need to allow teams to have a full 3 hours at the event. But please don't take time away from honoring the teams. FIRST needs to take control of the schedule.
  
• It took me almost 20 minutes, to enter the Park after a 10 minutes exit from the Dome (and I was lucky to have shortcuts leaving the Dome not available to the teams). All the teams around me were good sports but the crush of bodies could have been a disaster. There needs to be a more efficient queuing system. FIRSTers get team queuing!
  
• Where the team was from and their name need to be up on the big screen along with their number when the award is announced.
  
• I feel bad for all those teams that were kicked out of the club level due to "VIP seating" only to be replaced by other teams. The management of allowing the customers (the teams) to enter the stands and get a decent seat, without confused messages, should be a FIRST priority.
  

[/list]

[EricH]

Originally Posted by David Noll

This game was supposed to be non-impact and non-defensive; penalties were stressed on impact, pinning, impeding, etc. And we had refs who didn't call a robot getting hit while hurdling and then pinned up against the rack

Really. I don't recall anyone saying this was no-contact, no-defense. Not even the GDC.

Now, about the ref training--So you want last year's Curie-Einstein difference? At least they were pretty consistent. Pinning is legal for up to 6 seconds, so I don't see what's up there, unless it wasn't called after 6 seconds.

Again, my negative is the CMP timing. I was timing the closing ceremonies/finals. 5 SF matches in 2.5 hours is NOT acceptable! Short and sweet is better, in this case.