Ok, so YOU design the 2003 game...

[Digo]

Originally posted by Mech Wave
I like the idea of maybe two different floor surfaces on the playing field. Perhaps a harder slicker material where speed and manuverability really are enhanced and a softer more grippier surface where power pushes and tug of wars can be shown of. This type of field will call for the use of multiply drive systems. Maybe being able to switch from wheels to treads and vice verces throughout the match. Altering surfaces where driving over both surfaces are necassary to be successful might call for a really cool and fun to watch match.

This was really considered. We have THREE different surfaces this year

[Aaron Lussier]

Originally posted by Natchez
FIRST things FIRST, I'd like to compliment FIRST for designing a very good game this year.

Second, here is a 30 second made-for-television explanation of the Wacky Warehouse game.

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*****Editor's note: Bobby is visiting the Lone Star Regional with his words in {brackets}. This should be read veeeeeeeery slowwwwwwly in a deep Southern accent.

Bobby, welcome to the FIRST Robotics Competition. {Thank you for inviting me :-)} The competition this year is officially called Wacky Warehouse, although many have started calling it Tipsy Tubs because of the Rubbermaid containers that the robots have to stack on top of one another. {What is the object of the game?} Well, do you see the 30 red, blue, and green Rubbermaid containers, 10 of each, on the field? {Yes.} The two robots on the left, the red team indicated by red flashing lights on their robot, get 1 point for the container if it is stacked on top of another container, 2 points if it is stacked 3 high, 3 points if it is stacked 4 high and so on. {Is it the same for the blue team on the right with the blue and green containers?} Exactly! {Interesting, so if you stack the green ones you're making points for both teams and if you just stack your color, you just get points for your team.} {Why would you ever stack green containers?} Because, Bobby, you are trying to maximize your point total so you'll seed high. Stack a couple of green containers low and then top it off with one of your own color. Neat, 'eh. {Wow, that's taking quick thinking and cooperation to a new high!} {I can't wait to see a match}

*****Editor's note: Red, Blue, & Green Rubbermaid containers have the tops glued on and are placed systematically around an arena similar to this year's. Do the containers have something in them to weight them? You'll have to wait until you get the rules :-). Also, something is in the middle of the field ... kinda looks like two walls.

Here goes Bobby. (Booooot da bot booooooot da bot ... CHARGE! "THERE OFF!") You see team 1211 on the red alliance went straight for those green containers and is collecting 3 of them. Wow, team 118 on the blue alliance is trying for the same tubs but can't get them from 1211. Oh, there's team 1457, on the red team, picking up 4 red tubs. Now 1211 is making a pyramid out of the three green ones. Wow, 1457 is going to stack the four red tubs on top of the pyramid. Unbelievable, that top tub is worth 5 points. Team 118 is just stacking blue tubs on top of green ones. Wow, that's a bunch of 1 point tubs. Uh oh, here goes team 1289 trying to knock down the red team's pyramid. What a block by 457. (Mahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... that's the buzzer) {Wow, that's close}
======================

If you're still interested, here is a quick list of potential twists to this game.

-Have two walls in the middle of the field with 2 openings. Inside this "room" there are a bunch of tubs. A stack of tubs, worth a lot of points, blocks each opening so teams have a choice: 1) Go over the wall and don't disturb the gimme points, 2) Carefully move the tubs so you don't knock them over, or 3) Bust through the tubs knocking them over knowing you will get more points by not wasting time saving the gimme points.

-Have sensors in the tubs to determine real-time point total.

-Must have tubs in the human player station. Tough for a human player to throw a Rubbermaid container, huh. I'm sure we'll find some way to accurately project them.

-I love the idea of having 15 seconds of autonomy at the beginning of a match. Therefore, have sensor tape on the containers with 15 seconds of autonomy.

-Have the Rubbermaid containers and/or the robots placed "randomly" (selected from a finite set of configurations) around the field so the first move is not a given. Example, this year you could have had a few different configurations of the goals (across the field [as they were], long-wise on the field, etc.).


If you're still reading, here are some good & bad points.

The good:
-Rubbermaid containers are readily available and not easily destroyed
-The wall is easily constructed out of building materials
-The scoring is simple
-Score can change quickly (some may view this as a bad thing)
-There is lots of offense (stacking the tubs)
-There is lots of defense (knocking tubs over and defending your stacks)
-Game is analogous to industrial automation
-Containers are challenging to manipulate
-Rubbermaid might pitch in a few million for team sponsorships

The bad:
-Rubbermaid containers are difficult to throw
-Inevitably, the containers will not be stacked like they were intended. Maybe the scoring value of the tub is height off the ground and not touching a robot.



Thanks for reading about my Wacky Warehouse game. If this game is ever implemented, I'd like to buy a few of the 'bots to manage my garage. Since I have everything in Rubbermaid containers, it would be nice just to tell my new Wacky Warehouse Robot to "Please go get the Christmas decorations."

Take care,
Lucien

Well if we were having a competition to see who got the closest to predicting the game this year I think this guy wins by a long shot!!!

P.S His post was in May

[OneAngryDaisy]

I think we just found the next Miss Cleo- or Mr Cleo, in that case

[Doug]

haha yeah thats sort of scary how close that was but one thing. He way overestimated the structural integrity of the rubber maid containers

[dlavery]

Yeah, so when you guys decide that you really don't like the game, you can all blame Lucien (Natchez)!

- dave

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Y = AX^2 + B.... ehhh, whatever.

[Digo]

Originally posted by bheller

(...)
One addition: for the first 5 seconds of the match no human contact with the robot is allowed, to promote autonomous behaviors.
(...)
The trough area is intentionally blind to operators. Maybe the balls should be in random positions there, to encourage automatic football collection? I think the “area blind to operators but not to robot” approach hold promise for autonomous behaviors, but I can’t think of the best way to implement it.

This was a good one too.


By the way,
hey Dave, thanks for letting people help with the game design.

[GregT]

Originally posted by The wheelman
Well if we were having a competition to see who got the closest to predicting the game this year I think this guy wins by a long shot!!!

P.S His post was in May

Exept he didn't really "predict" it, the game was fashoned after his input. And it was GREAT input (I thought so since last jun or whenver).

Greg

[Natchez]

Yeah, so when you guys decide that you really don't like the game, you can all blame Lucien

Dave never has liked me very much

Except he didn't really "predict" it, the game was fashioned after his input. And it was GREAT input

Thanks BUT if you ever saw my garage, you would realize that it was not too difficult to come up with a game that involved a lot of Rubbermaid containers with dreams of actually stacking them.

If this game is ever implemented, I'd like to buy a few of the 'bots to manage my garage. Since I have everything in Rubbermaid containers, it would be nice just to tell my new Wacky Warehouse Robot to "Please go get the Christmas decorations."

I’ll pay big bucks for a robot that includes voice recognition AND can stack Rubbermaid containers. Oh, I don’t need just any ole voice recognition, it has to be able to recognize a VERY deep Southern drawl. Sorry, I don’t need any box-knocker-downer robots … my garage already looks like I have 20 of these.

He way overestimated the structural integrity of the rubber maid containers

I tried to steer them toward Rubbermaid (of course, this has NOTHING to do with the 1,000 shares of Rubbermaid stock that I just had to sell because FIRST chose Sterilite). You can spend years trying to destroy a Rubbermaid Tote. Actually, FIRST showed their genius (No, I’m not calling Dave a genius ... I wouldn’t want him to get a big head ... please feel free to make a big hair joke right about now) again because by using a more "fragile" Sterilite container, this reduces the John McEnroe/Babe Ruth/Jack Nicklaus/Billy Jean King/Jeff Bagwell/Tiger Woods/Jimmy Connors/Hank Aaron/Greg Norman/Martina Navatilova/Johnny Bench/Nancy Lopez/Anna Kournikova/Barry Bonds (you fill in your favorite tennis player, baseball player, or golfer) strategy for knocking over the tubs. If you swing hard, the containers will break and it IS a safety hazard when a 10 ft PVC or aluminum pipe is traveling at 100 mph. We broke about 8 tubs with one swing of a 10 ft piece of 1" PVC. As an aside, I think that "destruction of tubs" might be this year's "tearing up the carpet" of last year … but this is one for the rules forum.

I'm sure glad that something useful might have come from my two car disaster zone,
Lucien

P.S. Dave & I are good friends ... right now ... maybe not in 6 weeks
P.S.S. Please send all hate mail to my personal email address ...Dave.Lavery@mypersonalemail.com
P.S.S.S. Houston is ready to welcome you with open arms!