So what do you think of the new game?

[sabrina752]

Def. involves good strategy... I look forward to it all.

[Rabbit222]

This is going to be tough. All arm operators: GET CRACKIN'!!!!!!

[Petey]

Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed.

Sure, the tetras bring in some new spice, but, fundamentally, this game is "stack attack" with a tic-tac-toe twist thrown in.

The 3vs3 thing will, I think, piss more people off in the end, because, with the same size field, your robots are going to be crunching into each other.

Not to mention the ramifications this is going to have on scoring. The discrepencies between the high ranked and low ranked teams will win, and it is even less likely that a deserving team will go to the finals. After all, one great team might be able to carry a two person alliance, but a three person alliance? Pish.

The human player interaction is abysmal. As a human player from last year--and as an athlete--I think it's a joke. Last year had a perfect meld between machine and person. This year, we have human players who are nothing more than glorified switches. Their job, literally, could be done by a trained monkey.

I understand why Dean, Woody, and the rest of the FIRST crew don't like athletes. For one, they're all nerds. Today was the first day I've seen Dean without his SEGWAY for a long time. For another thing, they are perfectly right in criticizing the disproportionate amount of influence and demagoguery that our atheletes weild among children today.

This is no excuse to cut athletics from the program, though. It is impossible to create the ubermensch Dean seems to have in mind while ignoring the body. Would it be so hard to involve a simple throwing variable? Last year was fun and dynamic. There were buzzer-beating shots!

What would I have liked to see?

A) If we had more alliance partners, increase the field size! Go to a hex shaped field.
B) Keep a human player role that required more skill than simply walking and having a certain weight.

Anyone else agree with me?

--Petey

[rjmah]

Originally Posted by Petey

Sure, the tetras bring in some new spice, but, fundamentally, this game is "stack attack" with a tic-tac-toe twist thrown in.
challenge.

--Petey

I see three kinds of robots. The Guard, the Speedy (to cap opponent's zone) and the Automat that will remove and use the automatic load station very effectively.

Originally Posted by Petey

The human player interaction is abysmal. As a human player from last year--and as an athlete--I think it's a joke.
--Petey

I think we'll find elements of team sports becoming part of the alliance dicussions, like one on one coverage or zone defence to hold the capped tetras.

Originally Posted by Petey

A) If we had more alliance partners, increase the field size! Go to a hex shaped field.
challenge.

--Petey

Hex would have been nice to give each 'bot as parking spot but consider that part of the challenge.

[phrontist]

This game is incredible. I can't imagine a better game. Robots can be built defensively or offensively, and can be played either way during either control period. The whole game will be scintillating, auto-mode espescially, as robots try to cap and prevent others from capping. I can't wait to see two robots grasp vision tetras, and start heading towards the center goal! One caps! But so does the other, gaining control of the center! I can't wait...

[looneylin]

I really like this yr's game, there's a lot of strategy involved! N a lot of ways to be creative. I hope we have a good yr!

[R.J.]

Triple Play is going to be exciting, alot of thinking and scouting will be bigger than ever this year. Also auto mode and those cameras will be a huge factor in just about anything. Basically look out for a game thats going to have everyone on their toes. Tic Tac Toe 3 in a row I see a bunch of triangles called Tetras. Good Luck to everyone.

I think the game is very original, they definitly changed it up this year. For us, we were already working on the programming for line tracing and then we found out that there was no line tracing to be done. It was still a learning experience though so I still gained important knowledge and learned some new programming.

Anyways, most of that got thrown out the window when it was announced that we were to be given a new compiler that uses scripts in english. YEAHH!!!!!! Finally im at an even skill level with my teammates and I wont feel completly biting the dust.

This is my rookie year in robotics and I hope it is a great one. I already find myself going through dozens of pages in my notebook with sketches for ideas and such. I also think that this years game involves a lot more stratagy, as there are so many ways to score and only so much time to do it. Im happy that they increased the max limit by a bit and also gave us so much nice new software that our school was really in need of.

Anyways, good luck to everyone this year. Make it a great one. And always remember about people like me. You were new to robotics once too and you have to remember that it isn't all about winning. My favorite teammates are the ones who help me battle the whole learning curve.

Best of Luck,
Andy Burchardt

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by Christine G.

Think it is going to be like 2001...sleepy time

It should be just as interesting as last year. There will be tense moments at the end of many matches as last-second cappings change ownership of rows.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by slickguy2007

I was looking at the game and I read all of the rules and I think that this game is going to be a very interesting one. Last year's had a lot of elements and you only had 2 robots on each side. This year you have not as many elements but even more robots in a match. This game seems as though it might be a rough one and as a driver, I look forward to it.....

GO 1403!!!

I enjoyed the multi facited elements of last year's game (so many different ways to win and lose) but this years game might not have as great a varitey of robots but it will be much more stronger in the strategy aspect. Particualrly in the elimination rounds where who you pick for your partner is important especially since there is no backup fourth member. It's you three and if one breaks down the two (or one ) have to go on.

[663.keith]

One thing I can see happening though is even if a robot is broken, a team would still place it on the field for a chance to get the 10 points at the end of the match

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

I enjoyed the multi facited elements of last year's game (so many different ways to win and lose) but this years game might not have as great a varitey of robots but it will be much more stronger in the strategy aspect. Particualrly in the elimination rounds where who you pick for your partner is important especially since there is no backup fourth member. It's you three and if one breaks down the two (or one ) have to go
on.

thats not true in the rules it says that if a alliance has a broken partner they can get a 4th member from the pool of non-picked teams, you get the higgest ranked non-picked team and your alliance has 4 members but the orginal broken member can not re enter but they can still get awards
8.4.1

[shotgunking777]

well the whole concept of the game i think is great. cause you have to make an arm 5 feet tall but extend out then add an extra 3 in. so if its already caped you can cap it. i think its great. i can't wait for the comp. its going to be awsome.

jthm: darnit there was only one bullet left in the gun, and i waisted it on that darn clerk.

[Adam Y.]

because the game may seem to be a bit simple doesn't mean that creativity is restricted.

To be honest the one place where I am really confused is in autonomous mode. I can not think of any sensors that are really useful besides the cmu cam and dead reackoning sensors because the way field elements are set up. It's mostly empty space which is pretty annoying.

What would I have liked to see?

A) If we had more alliance partners, increase the field size! Go to a hex shaped field.

Psss... They did increase the field size.

I want to make a robot that is different from yours, better through uniqueness, not simply through a slightly different arm design. Some examples of this are: the team that could move left and right on the bar last year, the team that turned the Stack Attack ramp into a steeper ramp, the team that knocked over the entire wall of boxes within 2 secs with a giant arm in Stack Attack. Those are unique FIRST solutions, and some that are UNAVAILABLE this year.

Im sorry but you are wrong. There are enough unique eingineering solutions in designing a drivetrain. There are plenty of unique engineering solutions in building a control system. There are plenty of engineering solutions in building an arm.

This year, there is only solution. Each robot must have the same ability, to pick up Tetra's, and place them on cones. Every robot is the same, and the only thing that changes is a team's strategy per game: attack, defend, create rows, etc. That is BORING: no spectator wants to see the same thing over and over again; no self-respecting engineer wants to recreate something that is already been made.

Ummm... Isn't an engineer's job to recreate stuff that has all ready been made. It was probably one of the very first things I learned in college. Most sports also follow the same idea. Drive around in circles, hit the ball with bat run around in bases, and kick the ball into goal.