FRC Off-Season Vex Competition Ideas

[Alex Cormier]

What would you prefer to play during a FRC off season for a Vex game?

2005 FRC Game - Triple Play

2006 FRC Game - Aim High

2008 FRC Game - FIRST OverDrive

Or a custom built game for the off season?

This would take place at the 2009 Rah Cha Cha Ruckus in Rochester, NY on October 10th, 2009.

[Greg Needel]

why don't you just use the new 2010 vex game http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-clean-sweep.shtml

[ttldomination]

Team 1261 plans to hold a mini-lunacy game. Last year we did MiniOverDrive and the pilot year was really good.

Expect more information to be out this summer. .

[Taylor]

2006 & 2008. Both would be fun. I'm not sure how you'd incorporate the Human Player aspect of 2006 though.

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by ttldomination

Team 1261 plans to hold a mini-lunacy game. Last year we did MiniOverDrive and the pilot year was really good.

Expect more information to be out this summer. .

Again I pose the question why don't you just use the new 2010 vex game http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-clean-sweep.shtml

That way you can qualify teams for the vex world championship. While the financial investment might be a bit higher you may be able to draw teams from a wider area for your event.

[Alex Cormier]

Originally Posted by Taylor

2006 & 2008. Both would be fun. I'm not sure how you'd incorporate the Human Player aspect of 2006 though.

Yeah, with the 05 game, we can just make two more auto loaders to get rid of the HP affect.

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

Again I pose the question why don't you just use the new 2010 vex game http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-clean-sweep.shtml

That way you can qualify teams for the vex world championship. While the financial investment might be a bit higher you may be able to draw teams from a wider area for your event.

We tried to bring the official game with qualifications last year. The local vex teams thought it was a bit early and did not have enough time to build a robot. Thus is the reason why we will not be looking into that again this year.

[Tetraman]

As much as I like the idea of having a replay of a FRC game in Vex, I think Greg is onto something very important.

Let me know if you need help with anything alex

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by Alex Cormier

We tried to bring the official game with qualifications last year. The local vex teams thought it was a bit early and did not have enough time to build a robot. Thus is the reason why we will not be looking into that again this year.

True, but last year the game was released in september, not soon enough. Since the game is out now it gives teams almost 6 months to build for the Ra cha cha

[ttldomination]

The reason we don't do the official VEX/FTC games is mainly because we thought that this offers smaller teams who have already invested time in FTC/VEX to get a little bit of "fun" out of the FRC game.

But don't worry, we're doing VRC as well.

[dtengineering]

There are some advantages to doing a non-VEX game with the VEX components early in the year, especially if it is simpler than the VEX game.

Based on my experience teams who are building a robot for the first time find just building a moving drive base can be a challenge, and building a manipulator to be even more so.

By keeping the challenge simple (and I wouldn't describe any of the FRC remakes as "simple" unless they were significantly distilled) it gives rookies a chance to focus on just putting together a kitbot and making it do something, thus giving them a basis on which to design their first real competition bot to play the game.

So even though we're not likely to cross the continent to play the game, my suggestion is that if the goal is to support rookies, make it a game that is simple enough that they can compete with a simple machine (maybe limit robots to five motor/servos and two sensors, or require all robots to be based on the kitbot design in the VEX manual with one added mechanism) and devote at least part of the day to programming workshops. Either that, or target it to returning teams and just play the new VRC game (either as an official competition or as a big practice session).

Jason

edit: or, for something completely different... don't announce the challenge until the morning of the event, and require all the teams to build their robots over the next four to five hours.... you could even mix up teams, putting rookie students together with veteran team members from different schools/teams.

[Tetraman]

Originally Posted by dtengineering

or, for something completely different... don't announce the challenge until the morning of the event, and require all the teams to build their robots over the next four to five hours.... you could even mix up teams, putting rookie students together with veteran team members from different schools/teams.

YESSSSSSSSSSS

[Chris is me]

The Midwest Vex League makes a Vex game during the fall. Local FRC and FTC teams use it to train their rookie members and to have some good clean fun. It's pretty neat to be able to try crazy things that will never happen in FIRST.

Anyhow, if you're going to make a Vex version of an FRC game I'd go for the 2008 game. the 2006 game seems too difficult to do and the 2007 game would basically feature very few working ramp bots...

Originally Posted by dtengineering

edit: or, for something completely different... don't announce the challenge until the morning of the event, and require all the teams to build their robots over the next four to five hours.... you could even mix up teams, putting rookie students together with veteran team members from different schools/teams.

This is something I've ALWAYS wanted to do, be it running the event or participating.

[thefro526]

I think if I wanted to play any game on a vex scale it'd be Aim High. It'd be difficult to do with vex parts only but it'd also be the most fun. I think for the Human Players you could replace them with an auto loader similar to what was used in the 2006 FVC game "Half Pipe Hustle".

Now that I think about it, if you used some kind of light weight foam balls you shouldn't have any issue shooting them with a vex motor. I know I built a racket ball shooter back in the day and I used three motors with a 1:49 reduction off of the motors.

(Or a fun one you didn't list would be 2002-Zone Zeal.... I'd love to see someone build a Vex Scaled version of 71's machine from that year.)

[Chris is me]

Vex motors really can't shoot anything more than a foot or so. Basically the ony things it could shoot that far wouldn't have the mass to travel far. I guess floor shooters would be fine.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Vex motors really can't shoot anything more than a foot or so. Basically the ony things it could shoot that far wouldn't have the mass to travel far. I guess floor shooters would be fine.

http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-structure-products.shtml

VEX Latex Tubing


VEX Latex Tubing comes in (2) 5 ft lengths for a total of 10 ft. The VEX Latex Tubing is made from 35A durometer Latex. The Outside Diameter is 1/8 inch and the Inside Diameter is 1/16 inch. This VEX Tubing can stretch up to 3 times its length and still spring back to its original shape. VEX Latex Tubing is great for any application on a VEX robot requiring spring loading.