2013 Game?

[lorem3k]

Originally Posted by Mark Sheridan

That is another idea, if an alliances have a minimum score, the opposite team gets cooperation points.

It would encourage us as a community to help every robot to play the game. However, i think its a sad scenario if your alliance can't score and you need your opponents to score for you. Its kinda like the AYSO soccer mercy rules. I would feel even more bummed out if it happened to be. Ideally it would be that alliances won't play defense until the minimum scores are achieved.

My idea isn't quite "if the opposing alliance has a certain amount of points, you get coopertition points", because in that case, if you were playing against a strong alliance you could just let them reach that score by themselves. I was thinking that one alliance would NEED to contribute a certain amount to their opponents' score to earn the bonus.

I do like the idea of a capture-the-flag style game, it would need an interesting field design though. A completely flat 27'x54' field without any sort of "base" that the flag is in would be somewhat awkward to defend.

[Savvy578]

They did say something about better visibility too.

[Mark Sheridan]

Originally Posted by lorem3k

My idea isn't quite "if the opposing alliance has a certain amount of points, you get coopertition points", because in that case, if you were playing against a strong alliance you could just let them reach that score by themselves. I was thinking that one alliance would NEED to contribute a certain amount to their opponents' score to earn the bonus.

I do like the idea of a capture-the-flag style game, it would need an interesting field design though. A completely flat 27'x54' field without any sort of "base" that the flag is in would be somewhat awkward to defend.

Oh ok. I was thinking sort of the same thing, that an elite alliance needs to score for the other alliance too if they want the bonus. That having a 100-0 score would yield only the QP points of a win.


I am kinda reluctant about capture the flag, because in 2002 it was a battle between drivetrains with the highest gear reductions and traction possible. It inspiring for me to witness such great engineering but to go through that again with so many people knowing the tricks from that year would be grueling.

In 2002, I like teams like 60 that picked up the goals. So I was thinking it would be neat to see two robots trying to dead lift a massive goal for the cooperation bonus. The rules would prohibit two robots from the same alliance touching the goal. Then an elite team could figure out a way to do the process solo. like using an alliance partner as a counterweight.

In eliminations, two of the goals would be provided, one for each alliance.

[Ghost-422]

Well I think the game is kind of obvious after you think about how FIRST has decided the games in the previous years. In the past they have made the game relate to modern day events. For example, the Lunacy game was the 40th anniversary of the moon landing and the Rebound Rumble game was during the NBA lockout. The only major event going on lately (that I can think of) is the robot landing on Mars. So I think that this year's game will be about the Martian landing.

[Walter Deitzler]

Originally Posted by Tanis

Maybe Dave Lavery left us a clue somewhere... Quick, start analyzing his speech!

Hmmm, lets see... Something about his day job= the sun (because sun=day)= PLASMA GAME!

[Flimsor]

The video at the start with the game ball being bounced up by the pinball-like flippers gave me the idea of having a pinball type game. I think that'd be cool.

[rainbowdash]

I really hope one year, we'll have water games or something.
Make a robot that's like a dolphin, does tricks, has camera tracking to retrieve things underwater. Sounds like an idea for the 2050's lol.

ehem.. so field related games...
I once had the idea of laser tag bots after me and a group of my robotics teammates went laser- tagging.

The objective could be to get to the other side of the field and shoot down the opponent's base before the opponent does to your team's base.

the field could include obstacles like a laser wall that only robots could pass only with another robot (thus the robot requires speed and precision once both robots are past the laser wall). there could be coop points given to teams of different sides that go through the barrier together. another obstacle could be a noodle wall that will require a lot of strength to push through, but not as hard to get through as the laser wall... the robot will have to compromise strength and agility. In layman's terms, build a heavier, more fortified bot, your bot will be slower, but it will get through the mid- field barrier faster.

there should be a 5-10 second penalty on any bot that is shot. during those 5 seconds, that robot will not be able to shoot any other robot, but other robots from the opposing team will be allowed to shoot that robot.. etc.

..just a thought...

While I like using ideas from previous games, I like original ideas too (2010 FTW). I think a mixture of the two would make the perfect game, like this year's Rebound Rumble.

I'd like to see trailers come back again, but maybe not used in the way they were in 2009 (Maybe you need to score on your alliance partners? Maybe the bottom is hollow and the pieces go in, get scored by a sensor, and come out?).

I think a wide, open field like 2009 will be present next year. It's been 4 years since we've truly had a full, open, 27x54 foot field, and I think the openness will make driving interesting (especially since by next year most everyone who was around in 2009 would have graduated). That said, I've always wanted to see something like 2009 with traction. I also would like to see the return of descoring, but making sure it's not too powerful (like in 2003, when descoring was more valuable than scoring). I'd also like to see coop like this year come back in a way, but have it worth less.

Just some thoughts.

[Zebra_Fact_Man]

Whatever the game, I'm hoping next year we're allowed a little more contact AKA no restricted zones. Something where the robots get to push each other around a little bit more, where having a powerful transmission really pays off.

I'd also like to see a game where defense-specific robots are really important. So I'd go for either a football game (alliances take turns on offense like in 2006) where you have to transport a football from one side of the field to the other during the offense-specific time (you could even have field goals!), or a hockey/broomball game where each alliance has a goalie and you have to score on the other alliance (you could use the 2009 anti-traction floor to simulate ice and make the goalie zones carpet so the goalies have more traction/pushing ability).
In either of these games, I feel like there'd be alot more ties though.

I also feel like either of these games would be really fun to play, and you'd give the teams alot more of a chance for their robots to interact with each other.

[coalhot]

I'd like to see the return of the slick wheels/field surface. They sure made the 2009 competition quite interesting. You could play very effective defense. The only issue in 2009 was scoring, it was either all or nothing. Those of us with shooters had trouble.

I highly doubt a water game. The rumors have been flying for the past two years (more than that, has just been heating up the last two years), but if you look at the KOP, it is not equipped for anything needing to be submerged. Plus I have a feeling that not too many teams are acquainted with engineering underwater/partially water vehicles. This would make it very difficult for teams to make something competitive in a water environment.

I like the idea of a Smash Bros game. I think the sound effects were an interesting hint. It could also lend to the "open field" theory. We shall see!

[Grim Tuesday]

Originally Posted by coalhot

I'd like to see the return of the slick wheels/field surface. They sure made the 2009 competition quite interesting. You could play very effective defense. The only issue in 2009 was scoring, it was either all or nothing. Those of us with shooters had trouble.

You're a funny guy.

[Jenn Feathers]

water as a game piece

[bearbot]

The game field is on Mars sorta like lunacy field and their craters as game pieces that can stack on scoring pods to gain points and stack box like object to build a wall and the end game in having 4 miniboat drag race down a track

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by bearbot

The game field is on Mars sorta like lunacy field and their craters as game pieces that can stack on scoring pods to gain points and stack box like object to build a wall and the end game in having 4 miniboat drag race down a track

And the controls have a built in delay, so you need to have hybrid control (as was intended in the 2008 game Overdrive) where you give a "high level" command, and the robot executes it sort of autonomously. This will help alleviate the need for full time communication with the robots, too.

[rainbowdash]

Originally Posted by rainbowdash

I really hope one year, we'll have water games or something.
Make a robot that's like a dolphin, does tricks, has camera tracking to retrieve things underwater. Sounds like an idea for the 2050's lol.

ehem.. so field related games...
I once had the idea of laser tag bots after me and a group of my robotics teammates went laser- tagging.

The objective could be to get to the other side of the field and shoot down the opponent's base before the opponent does to your team's base.

the field could include obstacles like a laser wall that only robots could pass only with another robot (thus the robot requires speed and precision once both robots are past the laser wall). there could be coop points given to teams of different sides that go through the barrier together. another obstacle could be a noodle wall that will require a lot of strength to push through, but not as hard to get through as the laser wall... the robot will have to compromise strength and agility. In layman's terms, build a heavier, more fortified bot, your bot will be slower, but it will get through the mid- field barrier faster.

there should be a 5-10 second penalty on any bot that is shot. during those 5 seconds, that robot will not be able to shoot any other robot, but other robots from the opposing team will be allowed to shoot that robot.. etc.

..just a thought...

Originally Posted by Zebra_Fact_Man

Whatever the game, I'm hoping next year we're allowed a little more contact AKA no restricted zones. Something where the robots get to push each other around a little bit more, where having a powerful transmission really pays off.

I'd also like to see a game where defense-specific robots are really important. So I'd go for either a football game (alliances take turns on offense like in 2006) where you have to transport a football from one side of the field to the other during the offense-specific time (you could even have field goals!), or a hockey/broomball game where each alliance has a goalie and you have to score on the other alliance (you could use the 2009 anti-traction floor to simulate ice and make the goalie zones carpet so the goalies have more traction/pushing ability).
In either of these games, I feel like there'd be alot more ties though.

I also feel like either of these games would be really fun to play, and you'd give the teams alot more of a chance for their robots to interact with each other.

Rebuttal:
I already stated that water games prob won't be a reality until later in the future.

Next year, hopefully, will have a more open field. I agree with SuperNerd256...

The more open the field, the more interesting the game gets... the more intricate strategies.