***THE GAME OFFICIAL: AIM HIGH***

[Travis Hoffman]

Explicit promotion of both offense AND defense! NO HUGE LIFT ARMS! Projectiles!

I think the FIRST GDC hit a homerun with this one (I'd have said they scored a touchdown, but Joe Montana would suddenly run into the room and admonish me for using a football cliche). Great job!

[Rob36]

the balls say 7" diameter right?
on poof slinky website the balls they sell are 7.5"..
does someone know the actual correct balls? or are these the ones to buy...
Toys R Us run anybody?

[Varun]

Nvm

[Greg Perkins]

Originally Posted by wilshire

the max speed of a ball is 28.6 mph
lol
I hope their are shields at the regionals

I haven't read the manual yet, but you would think that they would've made it clear at kickoff that there was a speed limit. Correct me if I am wrong.

[patTeam241]

4.3.1 <S02> defines muzzle velocity, he was right.

[Greg Perkins]

Originally Posted by Greg Perkins

I haven't read the manual yet, but you would think that they would've made it clear at kickoff that there was a speed limit. Correct me if I am wrong.

OK, so apparently people think I'm a moron, because I got a few negative reps for apparently "being stupid". I clearly said I hadn't read the manual, and the point I was trying to make, was if safety is such a huge deal this year, they should've CLEARLY stated a ball's max velocity during the kickoff festivities. Wilshire did not state a direct rule from the manual (Xxx), so how was I supposed to know if this was a valid number? Now I know I'm no speed reader, and for all of those people ( who shall remain namelss ), who have allready read the rules, and memorized them, pardon me. Sorry for trying to ask a real question.

[Rafi Ahmed]

Theres a max speed?
I searched the manual for the game and i didnt find any max speed.

[Greg Perkins]

True, but with the limitations of our motors, overdriving a provided motor from the kit at 50mph is about impossible.

[mini-shelby692]

does anyone know how the human players are operating this year? do they continue to throw balls onto the field during the scoring periods when the balls are being pushed into the scoring zones?

*confuzzled*

[abeD]

I find this rule very interesting

<R04> "Wedge” robots are not allowed. Robots must be designed so that interaction with other robots results in
pushing rather than tipping or lifting. Neither offensive nor defensive wedges are allowed. All parts of a
robot between 0 and 8.5 inches from the ground (the top of the bumper zone – see Rule <R35>) that might
push against another robot must be within 10 degrees of vertical. Devices deployed outside the robot's
footprint should be designed to avoid wedging. If a mechanism or an appendage (a ball harvester, for
example) becomes a wedge that interferes with other robots, penalties, disabling, or disqualification can occur
depending on the severity of the infraction.

[Aburame Shino]

Hey, quick question everybody. Has anybody found anything about point/disqualification penalties if your robot accidentally ends up hitting an opposing robot with one of the balls while it's being fired (like the opposing robot getting in the way at the last second)? Since the balls can be fired at up to 26.8 miles per hour, it seems like it could do some serious damage to an opposing robot if they accidentally get in the way. I can't find anything that talks about this unless the damage was intentional.

[Petey]

Originally Posted by Aburame Shino

Hey, quick question everybody. Has anybody found anything about point/disqualification penalties if your robot accidentally ends up hitting an opposing robot with one of the balls while it's being fired (like the opposing robot getting in the way at the last second)? Since the balls can be fired at up to 26.8 miles per hour, it seems like it could do some serious damage to an opposing robot if they accidentally get in the way. I can't find anything that talks about this unless the damage was intentional.

My friend, they are Nerf balls. I don't know if you've ever been hit with a nerf ball at that speed but it doesn't do anything more than leave a red mark that fades quickly.

If your robot falls prey to nerf balls, than you probably shouldn't be at comp.

Originally Posted by iCurtis

You put your balls into your goal, which is right in front of the opposing human player (they are counted as they enter the goal). Then the opposing human player can do whatever he likes with them, most likely throwing them back on the field to his robot. Please guys, READ THE RULES!!

Exactly. Read the rules--this "official" thread is 4 pages of spam. Please guys--I know 1073 has forbidden any team members to post anything at this time until it has been cleared by a committee to prove it hasn't been answered in the manual already. It would be nice if some of the forum members could exercise that restraint.

Two legitimate questions as yet unanswered by the manual:

A) Can you broadcast a green light that is the same as the tall green light in order to trick CMU cams during the match? Edit answered by <R31> negatively.

B) How will the balls in the corner goals be scored? It seems that the balls in the corner goals are also fodder for the opposing team's human player.

So are balls scored on their passage through the portal of the goal, or upon their final resting place? For instance, if am I, as the red team HP, allowed to remove a ball from the blue corner goal (which is on my side)?

It seems that you're able to, or else the HP would be denied ammunition. But doesn't this imply that emasculating your opponent's corner goal is as easy as emptying it at the end of the match in a flurry of Nerf? But I don't see anything about scoring-as-you-go, and FIRST has always been "tally at the end of the match"....rule <G39> is exquisitely ambiguous on this standpoint.

iCurtis, for the life of me I can't find any documentation to support your contention that balls are counted in progress. Please cite me a rule and prove it's not just a common sense deduction...

Insummary:Whence do human players derive their scoring objects, and does that derivation deprive their opponents of scored objects?

Breaking news from kickoff: our kickoff kids just got back and pointed out that there are cameras above each corner goal that apparently count as the balls are scored--so that seems to answer this question. Until I have verification from FIRST though...I'll wait and ask this in the official questions page.


When will the video of kickoff be up...

--Petey

p.s. I won't edit it like I originally did, but here's a strategy hint 1073 rookie Sean Sabo figured out. Take a good look at <G24> and think of a strange answer Dean gave during the game show that everyone laughed at, but perhaps shouldn't have.

[Rob36]

this appears that the scoring will not be a tally at the end, becasue the balls are removed after scored by human players and restocked on the field, correct?
anyways, yes, read the rules, and it is apparent that they didnt cover some important things such as the things you mentioned. Read the rules, ask later, thats what i'm doing so i'll be able to be more knowledgeable by the end of today

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by Petey

B) How will the balls in the corner goals be scored? It seems that the balls in the corner goals are also fodder for the opposing team's human player.

So are balls scored on their passage through the portal of the goal, or upon their final resting place? For instance, if am I, as the red team HP, allowed to remove a ball from the blue corner goal (which is on my side)?

Upon reading the rules (although it is slightly hidden) balls are counted as they go through the corner slot. Therefore, it doesn't matter where the balls end up. As long as they go through the slot they are scored, then when put back on the field by your opponents HP, they can score again.

Yes Petey, I was going on the circumstantial evidence throughout the manual. Another instance however is rule

<G39> Scoring interference - HUMAN PLAYERs, DRIVERs, or COACHes may not reach into a ball chute or in
any way interfere with the ball counting system. Violations of this rule will result in disqualification.

which seems very pointed to me.

[newgrl101]

if you have 1 robot in the endzone when the buzzer rings, you get 5 points, for 2 robots you get 10 points and for 3 robots you get 25.