Robo Showdown Rule Change Announement

[StephBrierty]

I am pleased to announce the 2 rule changes to Lunacy for the inaugural Robo Showdown in Austin, August 5-6:

No G14.

The game will now have six (6) NI Blue GAME PIECES called "CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS" which only hold a charge during autonomous mode. Each alliance will start the match with three (3) CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS that must start on robots but can be distributed however the alliance chooses between their robots (i.e. three (3) on one robot, one (1) on each, etc.); Each robot can still only start with seven (7) GAME PIECES, thus the maximum on a robot would be three (3) CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS and four (4) MOON ROCKS. CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS do not have to be scored by the robot. After autonomous mode, the CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS lose their charge and they are worth zero (0) points if not scored. During autonomous mode CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS will be worth the same as a regular SUPER CELLS (15 points).


To register and learn about how you mentors can get a big discount to NIWeek, see the Robo Showdown FAQs page.

Thanks!

~Stephanie

[Pjohn1959]

That's an excellent idea! This will definately put more emphasis on the offensive side of the autonomous period.

The successful teams would have a huge advantage at the beginning of the match.

I would like to see IRI do this as well. That would be fun to watch.

[StephBrierty]

Thanks Paul!

On a side note, our field is coming down from IRI along with Andy and Mark from AndyMark to be our Head Ref and FTA respectively! Plus we have Dean Kamen to do the Opening Ceremonies and Kate Pilotte from FIRST (GDC and Kit of Parts Engineer) coming also! Its going to be AWESOME!

[Andy Baker]

Mark Koors and I are excited about attending NI week and helping out with the Robo Showdown.

This rule is a neat tweak to the game, giving teams an added bonus for scoring in auto mode. It will be cool to see how it turns out.

Sincerely,
Andy Baker

[Richard McClellan]

Sounds like a cool addition to the game! In your post you said there were two new rules, but you only posted one of them (G14), is there a second one? Also, what will these CAPACITANCE SUPER CELLS be made of? Will they be the same orbit balls like the other gamepieces? How will they be modified to be NI blue?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Richard McClellan

Sounds like a cool addition to the game! In your post you said there were two new rules, but you only posted one of them (G14), is there a second one? Also, what will these CAPACITANCE SUPER CELLS be made of? Will they be the same orbit balls like the other gamepieces? How will they be modified to be NI blue?

Richard, the capacitance super cells are new, aren't they? Or did we all miss something during the regular season?

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Richard McClellan

Sounds like a cool addition to the game! In your post you said there were two new rules, but you only posted one of them (G14), is there a second one?

The "No G14" in Stephanie's note isn't short for "Number G14". It's the first rule change: there is no rule <G14> in the Robo Showdown. (That rule in the official Lunacy manual handicaps teams who outscore their opponents by more than double or triple, removing empty cells or super cells from their next match.)

The added CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS are the second rule change.

[StephBrierty]

That's correct everybody. We're going to get the balls made but they will be in no way different from other game pieces except in color.

This is our way of encouraging programming and autonomy which are very important parts of robotics (just look at all those FLL kids!). : )

[Chris is me]

Interesting autonomous twist. Easy to score, forces strategic decision making, and adds an interesting twist to the game.

I would probably just have my team's robot launch the ball into our own corner, have the HP pick it up, and let them take a stab at it.

[Bertman]

Hi guys,
A major consideration in making rules changes should include that MANY schools are already out for the summer and won't be back in session when NI Week occurs. Further more, many teams have very limited or no access to facilities,coaches and mentors during the summer vacation.
Also, for many teams whose members (especially younger ones) are not in urban settings with good mass transit (Austin being one of them) and may be spaced out over a large geographic area, transportation can be an issue.
While I do not disagree with mixing it up for variety and interest, I also think that some thought must be given to the time elements each rule change will produce and how it will effect the teams.

[Richard McClellan]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

The "No G14" in Stephanie's note isn't short for "Number G14". It's the first rule change: there is no rule <G14> in the Robo Showdown. (That rule in the official Lunacy manual handicaps teams who outscore their opponents by more than double or triple, removing empty cells or super cells from their next match.)

The added CAPACITIVE SUPER CELLS are the second rule change.

Thanks for the clarification Alan, I did make that mistake in reading the original post.