I'm back with some advice

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Guys,
This is a standard warning for teams who are trying to get an early start. I remind teams of this every year. The KOP is not finalized yet so the exact motors and other hardware is not fixed in stone. Not even I know what might be in the kit for the electrical side, including which battery we might be getting. Make general plans but don't set your design. Can you imagine a team that dedicates itself to casters only to find a game that has a series of ramps announced in January. Remember, it was not too long ago that teams could choose a size/weight class.

[billbo911]

The only thing we can glean from Bill's post that we didn't know before is..........








(Hear the crickets?)

[Gdeaver]

For the most part we have been flat landers the past few years. How would your current frame design do with a 3 D playing field? Ramps steps and all that challenging stuff. I would love to see them bring in 30 tons of bolders, road balast and sand for the playing surface. ( never happen ) Also, for the teams that have gone with and built off of the IFI kit frame, It appears IFI is out of the supply chain. If a kit frame is included it's bound to be different.
The 6 wheel low rider frames have become the standard. Would be nice to have a playing field that would put them at a disadvantage to shake things up.

[RoboMom]

Originally Posted by Gdeaver

. I would love to see them bring in 30 tons of bolders, road balast and sand for the playing surface.

Sounds like fun, but only if you agree to recruit a few hundred friends for the set-up and strike duty for the regionals...

[Alivia]

Originally Posted by EricH

Of course, I'm certain team 71 is already done with their prototyping for about 200 different ideas, and the most recent would have been the game-figuring-out robot. Not sure if the prototype works.../

I'm going back to Hammond for my college fall break this weekend, so maybe I'll need to have a reunion with my buddies from 71 to see what they know...

(Ridiculously Off-Topic Sidenote: Seriously though. I am sooo psyched to go back to Hammond this weekend!)

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Guys,
This is a standard warning for teams who are trying to get an early start. I remind teams of this every year. The KOP is not finalized yet so the exact motors and other hardware is not fixed in stone. Not even I know what might be in the kit for the electrical side, including which battery we might be getting. Make general plans but don't set your design. Can you imagine a team that dedicates itself to casters only to find a game that has a series of ramps announced in January. Remember, it was not too long ago that teams could choose a size/weight class.

Here's hoping to something wild and different this year.

[bigbeezy]

i was just talking to one of the guys on the team the other night that the field could be sand

i would think sand would be more likely than water, although still probabilly not going to happen.

maybe multi surface field, carpet with sandpit in the middle???

many teams recently have gone with less than 1" ground clearance. i would be nice to see the game force these teams to redesign their frames.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by bigbeezy

i was just talking to one of the guys on the team the other night that the field could be sand

i would think sand would be more likely than water, although still probabilly not going to happen.

maybe multi surface field, carpet with sandpit in the middle???

many teams recently have gone with less than 1" ground clearance. i would be nice to see the game force these teams to redesign their frames.

Too many teams would have an advantage if it was sand. All the coastal teams would have ready-made testing grounds, with tougher conditions than an FRC field, and the inland teams would have to find sand and put it in a testing area.

Oh, and a lot of the coastal teams are already doing well. (Yes, I'm counting the teams around the Great Lakes as coastal.)

Now corn, on the other hand...

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by EricH

Too many teams would have an advantage if it was sand. All the coastal teams would have ready-made testing grounds, with tougher conditions than an FRC field, and the inland teams would have to find sand and put it in a testing area.

Oh, and a lot of the coastal teams are already doing well. (Yes, I'm counting the teams around the Great Lakes as coastal.)

Now corn, on the other hand...

Corn.... Like Indianna, Ohio, Michigan and other states I can't think of with lots of corn need the advantage?

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

Here's hoping to something wild and different this year.

As Grandma Lavery used to say... "be careful what you wish for."



.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

Corn.... Like Indianna, Ohio, Michigan and other states I can't think of with lots of corn need the advantage?

No, it's more "Like the original teams need the advantage".

The reason I suggested corn is the original game (Maize Craze) was played on a corn-covered field.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by dlavery

As Grandma Lavery used to say... "be careful what you wish for."



.

Every once in a while it's good to have all the paradigms shaken up.

So I'm looking forward to seeing what the GDC throws at us

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

So I'm looking forward to seeing what the GDC throws at us

Daniel,
Have you ever been hit by a red herring? I have 4 letters for you: d u c k !

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

Here's hoping to something wild and different this year.

I hope we get something nice and simple but still exciting. I would be very disappointed if we saw a major leap into the unknown in terms of game design during the same year in which we all have to adapt to a new control system.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

Daniel,
Have you ever been hit by a red herring? I have 4 letters for you: d u c k !

Not yet ... but I expect to, soon, now that I've taunted the game gods

Oh, and which is it ... a herring or a duck