Steamworks sightlines

[Abhishek R]

Drivers are gonna have to drive by feel to keep up their speed. The 3rd station view of the loading station is definitely a tough one.

[JesseK]

Seeds 2-7 will have an interesting time of great and terrible performances as they swap bumper colors. This year the field is mirrored, which is different than the usual rotational symmetry. So a 1st pick that has GREAT line of sight to what they need in QF's may very well have AWFUL line of sight to that same function in SF's.

It also means that, depending on what teams are at an event, 1st seed may be forced to go with a shooter as a 1st pick regardless of final strategy.

[VIKotic Dave]

Originally Posted by JesseK

Seeds 2-7 will have an interesting time of great and terrible performances as they swap bumper colors. This year the field is mirrored, which is different than the usual rotational symmetry. So a 1st pick that has GREAT line of sight to what they need in QF's may very well have AWFUL line of sight to that same function in SF's.

It also means that, depending on what teams are at an event, 1st seed may be forced to go with a shooter as a 1st pick regardless of final strategy.

Our team talked about this, alliance selection is a big deal depending what color you are.

[scca229]

Originally Posted by Doug Frisk

Have you ever had an FTA try to talk to you through the glass before a match?

It doesn't work then, it's certainly not going to work during a match. An Aldis Lamp might be an option though.

Heck, have you ever tried to talk through the glass during field setup when you need the pair of diagonal cutters sitting on the shelf? You can't understand anything when it is just about dead quiet in there, let alone with the noise of an arena.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by JesseK

Seeds 2-7 will have an interesting time of great and terrible performances as they swap bumper colors. This year the field is mirrored, which is different than the usual rotational symmetry. So a 1st pick that has GREAT line of sight to what they need in QF's may very well have AWFUL line of sight to that same function in SF's.

It also means that, depending on what teams are at an event, 1st seed may be forced to go with a shooter as a 1st pick regardless of final strategy.

Alliance 6 also has consistent bumper colors (blue) through-out the entirety of the tournament.

[bdaroz]

Two interesting ideas:

1) The Qualifier Scheduling algorithm lists no optimization to station position. Meaning it's possible some poor team could get station 2 all event long.

2) If we get stuck in station 2 - which leaves us practically blind - it does not appear to violate the rules (C12 being for players), if we put a camera on a pole extending into the station next to us, if the entire width of camera, pole, and station is <= 60"

[SamcFuchs]

Originally Posted by scca229

Heck, have you ever tried to talk through the glass during field setup when you need the pair of diagonal cutters sitting on the shelf? You can't understand anything when it is just about dead quiet in there, let alone with the noise of an arena.

I swear to god, why buy a fancy pair of Bose headphones to block out noise when you could just use some driver station lexan. Last year I had to stick my head through the boulder hole just to make sure the robot was ready on the field.

[AndyBare]

Here is a picture of all 3 sightlines overlayed. It's interesting to see that the spot by the center lift on your side of the field is pretty much out of sight from the entire opposing alliance drive teams. This presents a potential safe spot for scoring.

[SamcFuchs]

Originally Posted by AndyBare

Here is a picture of all 3 sightlines overlayed. It's interesting to see that the spot by the center lift on your side of the field is pretty much out of sight from the entire opposing alliance drive teams. This presents a potential safe spot for scoring.

Whoah, thanks for making this! That's a good catch, and may be helpful. However, your alliance partners might not be quite so excited about you taking up the most convenient lift...

[Jpatterson1710]

Originally Posted by scca229

Heck, have you ever tried to talk through the glass during field setup when you need the pair of diagonal cutters sitting on the shelf? You can't understand anything when it is just about dead quiet in there, let alone with the noise of an arena.

This. If we can't communicate during field setup, no way it's happening during a match.

Ever wonder why a team continues trying to drive their robot when their gearbox is making some atrociously loud noise every time they push the joystick? Everyone else in the arena may be able to hear it, but they can't.

When I was a student, we used a glove with different bright colors of duct tape on either side to allow the human player to communicate simple yes/no - forward/back - right/left signals to the driver. A similar strategy may be very helpful this year.

I'm sure with these sightlines, every technical volunteer is thrilled that we actually have radios that enforce the bandwidth limit. I imagine we will see quite a boost in camera usage this year.

[JR0405]

Originally Posted by BigJ

I forsee a lot of moving around in the driver station this year.

C12 restricts this

C12. Plug in to/be in your PLAYER STATION. The OPERATOR CONSOLE must be used in the PLAYER STATION to which the Team is assigned, as indicated on the Team sign.

Violation: The MATCH will not start until the situation is corrected. If during a MATCH, YELLOW CARD.

One intent of C12 is to prevent unsafe situations where long tethers to OPERATOR CONSOLE devices increase tripping hazards as the operator moves about the ALLIANCE STATION. In the interest of avoiding nuisance penalties associated with an operator stepping outside of a prescribed area, we prefer to offer a general guideline as to what it means to use the OPERATOR CONSOLE in the ALLIANCE STATION. Provided the operator is within close proximity of their PLAYER STATION, there will be no repercussions. However, if an operator is located more than approximately 1⁄2 PLAYER STATION width away from their own PLAYER STATION, that would be considered a violation of C12.

[MechEng83]

Based on some of the graphics, it appears the air ship bases are transparent. This should provide some amount of sight through the base.

In terms of moving around to see when the driver can't, isn't that the coach's job?

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by MechEng83

Based on some of the graphics, it appears the air ship bases are transparent. This should provide some amount of sight through the base.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1mM_amcQZk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeOevMTC_rw

Originally Posted by MechEng83

In terms of moving around to see when the driver can't, isn't that the coach's job?

Easier said than done. Communicating how to move your robot to a driver who can't see their robot is rather difficult to get the results you want.

[SamcFuchs]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1mM_amcQZk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeOevMTC_rw

Even if parts are transparent, there will be pilots standing and moving about, not to mention that the lexan still makes it harder to see your robot (glare, distortion, etc.) I think seeing the robot will be difficult regardless.

[apm4242]

Originally Posted by MechEng83

Based on some of the graphics, it appears the air ship bases are transparent. This should provide some amount of sight through the base.
job?

The base of the airship also has a smaller diameter than the top (it flairs out). So line of sight won't be quite as bad as depicted. Still pretty bad though.