[Official 2008 Game Design] OK, so YOU design the 2009 game...

[Joe G.]

I will post a full game in a few days, still have a bit of CAD work to do.

For now though...

Hybrid/Autonomous Mode: I think that hybrid mode was a good idea in theory. However, I think that this year, we should return to fully autonomous action. I believe that hybrid mode reduced the creative use of sensors, the CMUcam, etc in autonomous. I would like to see some new sensor that kind of "controls" autonomous, the way the CMUcam did from 05-07. Infared from robot to field would be great. In the game hint #1 thread, someone suggested as a theory that there would be multiple goals, one of which would give off infared, and be worth more. Something like this would be great. An autonomous like this year, with a very realistic chance of meeting other robots, not necissarily friendly,

Human Player: Bring it back. If we still have hybrid, the robocoach role could easily be filled by the main drivers. I'd like to see robot-human interaction again. I think that 05-06 had good levels of human role, but don't make humans a primary means of scoring, like 04. I really liked an idea in another game thread where, at some point during the match (between auto and teleoperated would probably work best) human players would come out and play the game for 10 seconds, with the focus on loading their robots.

Gamepieces: Have something completely new, per the "Pattern." I would love to see something that teams cutsom make cheaply, like the tetras. A few novel ideas:

-Traffic cones
-PVC batons
-pool noodles
-nunchucks
-sand (score is measured by the pound)
-Thousands of little balls, golf ball or smaller
-Inflatable Clowns

Goals/ways to score: Have multiple ways to score, which must be balanced to score well. Too often has there been a defined "easy" and "hard" way to score, with the "hard way" earning more points. For example, in overdrive, if you could hurdle, you would never herd. There should be two or more tasks that compliment eachother, such as an "easy" task that earns straight points, and a "hard" task that can be done over and over, unlike 2004 bonus balls, that multiplies the "easy" task. Or, there could be a system such as that in the game I suggested in last years thread, where you were allowed to score in one way during the first 3rd, both ways during the second 3rd, and only the second way in the final 3rd. Robots as goals would also be great

Endgame: I like having a somewhat different task, but as mentioned above, the points earned should be Dependant on points scored throughout the rest of the match. I would like unique tasks, such as in 04 and 07, rather than "put robot in spot x, and maybe knock a few others over on the way" style end games.

Miscellaneous: Have a field element that teams can customize. Like in FLL this year, where one of the game pieces was (with some restrictions) constructed by the team. Something like a gamepiece dispenser would work best. For example, in 2005, teams could have used the FIRST provided auto-load stations, or brought their own that better suited their robot designs.

Finally, a few miscellaneous elements of past games that I would like to see return

99: basically everything; robots as goals, the puck, floppies
2000: Hanging, open ended task, NOT descoring (I hate to see robots put another robot in the record book as having never accomplished what they did)
2001: the bridge
2002: eh...
2003: boxes
2004: hanging, multipliers, infared/powered field elements, open ended task
2005: the concept of "if you do x, you get points, if you do y, you get points, if you do z, you get points, but if you get x, y, and z, you get a bonus"
2006: shooting, large number of gamepieces
2007: ramps, dynamic scoring element
2008: Autonomous interaction, open ended task

Just one question Dave: Is the robocoach still going to be a position instead of a human player?

We can suggest either one. Do not expect any answer from Dave not in the form of animated fish eating bananas given to them by robots weighing 8 pounds built without metal fasteners. Although, I think it is perfectly practical to give the robocoach job to the main drivers, and also have a human player.