anyone have any ideas about next years game?

[JohnFogarty]

Aim high was a basketball type game.

[oddjob]

Originally Posted by John_1102

Aim high was a basketball type game.

FRC is definitely getting bolder. This year we used REAL soccer balls, not foam balls or some other compromise. A REAL basketball based game would be awesome and present plenty of challenges. There would need to be easier scoring opportunites than only the 10 foot high hoop, etc..

There are other real games to emulate. What about the luge or dressage or rythmic dancing or roller derby? Those are stupid ideas. That's it then, dodgeball it is!

[NyCityKId]

Everyone seems to have a lot of great ideas but the GDC is running out of options as far as sports go. After reading throught the posts I think the GDC will probably do some sort of non-sports based game. If not that then they are going to have to start partially recycling some games. But hey, who am I to say what they can and can't come up with. Maybe they'll blow our minds

[Karibou]

I really hope that we won't get a sports-themed game again next year. While 2007 was based off of Tic-Tac-Toe (to my understanding), Overdrive in 2008 was a really unique twist (and it's not something typically thought of as a sport), and 2009 wasn't sports-based at all...it still feels like we've been putting a spin on typical sports for a longgg time.

I'm still all for a recycling-themed game. Cardboard-glass-plastic-paper recycling. Just throwing that out there again.

[fuzzy1718]

2007 was a revamped version of an earlier game toroid terror, I don't remember the year, but the concept was the same. I wouldn't be suprised if we see more of this in the next few years, but with a circe de sole person on the GDC who knows. The possiblities are endles... sort of.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by John_1102

....ROBOT TENNIS!!!!!

It's not a bad idea, team with the least balls on their side wins.

A little more like robot volleyball than tennis, but http://www.vexforum.com/wiki/index.php/Clean_Sweep

[JohnFogarty]

dang its already been done :/ lol

[kevin.li.rit]

Its not the first time they used soccer balls.

I still want to see a dodge ball game where you can get points by hitting a robot or catching a ball thrown at you by another robot(but you can only hold one ball). If you get hit you get disabled for a certain amount of time. If you catch a ball your teammates get re-enabled.

Either that or some sort of capture the flag game.

[NyCityKId]

Originally Posted by Coffeeism

Its not the first time they used soccer balls.

I still want to see a dodge ball game where you can get points by hitting a robot or catching a ball thrown at you by another robot(but you can only hold one ball). If you get hit you get disabled for a certain amount of time. If you catch a ball your teammates get re-enabled.

Either that or some sort of capture the flag game.

I'm trying to picture it but I cant see how dodge ball would work out. The picking up and throwing part would be easy, but the catching would be a whole different story. Not to mention, compared to humans, FRC robots aren't all that agile.

Capture the flag on the other hand is really intriguing. Robots would have to travel to the other alliances side of the field capture the flag and travel back, all while overcoming various obstacles. Maybe something like a tunnel so the robot would have to dip the flag that they're holding in order pass through. or bumps and steps. Another idea is that robots would have to help each other to get the flag. For example, robots are only allowed to extend to 5 feet, but the flags are on top of a 7 foot platform.

Capture the flag is one of those games that the GDC could really let the imaginations run wild with. Which we all know they're good for...

[kevin.li.rit]

Originally Posted by NyCityKId

I'm trying to picture it but I cant see how dodge ball would work out. The picking up and throwing part would be easy, but the catching would be a whole different story. Not to mention, compared to humans, FRC robots aren't all that agile.

Well, I'm sure some teams can make some very agile robots!

[Radical Pi]

Two words: ROBOT PONG!!! Autonomous mode of hitting hockey pucks across the field, whoever wins autonomous gets to kick the other alliance back and forth across the field, kicked alliance scores by touching the walls at the end of the field. Switches halfway through

I have a few ideas for an interesting game. I'd like to see a return of regolith, but in a much more...evil fashion. Instead of an entire field of regolith, we have a "mixed" field, where part of it is regolith and the rest of it is regular carpet. Not sure how scoring would fit in.

Also, I'd love to see some sort of dynamic field, where the scoring method literally changes the placement of a field element. For example, what if there was a moveable ball rack (like in 04) that could be dropped into some place on the field which blocks off that part of the field, such as filling a gap between 2 walls. Any robots which happen to be in that area are trapped until the block is cleared. It can be cleared by doing some difficult task like pulling a high-up lever, or an alliance may opt to send a human player to clear it, which any team can do easily but it uses the pressure pad system from '05 where if you leave the pad (to clear the goal) your robot is disabled until you return to the pad. A nice tradeoff to keep from sacrificing a robot while trying to free another, creating a 1v3 (or hopefully 2v4 ) situation.

[Robert Cawthon]

Originally Posted by ErichKeane

The game pieces are Roombas with everything but the driving parts removed.

Why disable the brushes? Keep the floor clean.

What ever it is, lets keep the game simple so it is easy for the audience to understand. I like the volleyball idea. I would also like to be able to play a portion of the game using only the camera, perhaps instead of autonomous.

Also, going to 4v4 would allow for more playing time for each team. Multiple alliances, however, would tend to cause the alliances to gang up two on one. Better to stay with only two alliances but add more players to each alliance.

[Radical Pi]

Originally Posted by Robert Cawthon

I would also like to be able to play a portion of the game using only the camera, perhaps instead of autonomous.

I'd prefer finale turning into a blind mode instead of autonomous. Perhaps 2x points for finale scores with camera only?

[TomH]

Originally Posted by Radical Pi

I'd prefer finale turning into a blind mode instead of autonomous. Perhaps 2x points for finale scores with camera only?

Well, as cool of an idea as that sounds, I think there are some downsides to a blind mode, and the autonomous (for some teams) may be more eventful (good or bad), and because of that, its always stayed. For instance, at this year's Philly Regional, after our first semi-final match, and a timeout due to some issues, we did not top off our pneumatics system, and because of that, during autonomous, we did not score (1 ball scored from the far zone in most attempts), and the game came down to a 8-7 loss for us, and we were eliminated. The autonomous is a big portion of the game, getting rid of it would make teams more reliant on their drivers, and the programmers whom spend time making a autonomous, lose the opportunity to show what they can do in the with code, and only code.

So I don't exactly hate on the idea of a blind finale instead of an autonomous, but this blind period, although something some teams may be already used to, may be a fear to other teams. It would definitely be a challenge if ever put in a game, but also, it would be a portion were some teams may just forget about. I overall think that an autonomous period is very important, and also shows the ability of a robot on its own. Today's real world is more about creating autonomous robots on their own, not people with cameras attached to robots standing 50ft away.

And as of next year's game, can anyone think of any big leaps in man-kind that have happened 5, 10, 15, 20... years ago, think about Lunacy and the Moon landing.

[Chris is me]

When thinking about autonomous ideas, people also have to consider that autonomous is really boring.

If you make autonomous longer, it will make the game boring for longer.

If you put it at the end, it's a really boring finish, plus people will just drive their robots to exactly where they'd need to be for the end game anyway.