Option to climb

[MikeReilly]

Obviously one concern for FIRST is the field size. When was the last time that changed? Based on that, they changed the floor. Well, how about a game where robots can choose to go the "easy way" or the "hard way"?

Make some place to get to, where if you can climb or jump you'll beat the other robot that needs to go around. Maybe as simple as 1' wall in the middle of the field, with a non-wall passage for only one bot that can't climb?

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Mike,
The answer is all of the above. There have been many years with climbing for points, changes in field (minor), raising alliance partners off the floor, etc. The game changes every year. The field size is roughly the same each year so that it can lay on a basketball court and teams do not have to rebuild the entire practice field each year. We have had small ramps, big ramps, fences, stairs, hanging bars, moving goals (that you could climb on) and low underpasses. Check out Wikipedia and some of the other sources of First history.

[EricH]

The last time the field size itself changed was in 2005, when the transition from 4 robots to 6 robots was made. The shape changed in 1999, when alliances were introduced.

Look at 2001, 2000, or 2003 for what you're describing. I know that in 2000 and 2003, my team built a robot that could go under barriers... 2004 had some very interesting terrain. Steps or step? You go the same place... But some teams skipped both routes and went straight from the floor.