[Official 2007 Game Design] OK, so YOU design the 2007 game...

[lukevanoort]

Okay here goes, the field is about the same size as this year's, same carpet, so on. I'm going to just describe half of the field for simplicity, but it's symmetric. In the middle of the half field is a raised HDPE covered platform with a 30 degree ramp all around, made out of diamond plate, like this year. There are these rolling PVC goal, but they're different from previous ones. These are about 1.5 feet tall cubes with snow fencing on the sides and bottom to keep balls in, and a green LED (for the camera) on each side, the cubes are mounted on casters for mobility. Three of these line the walls on each long side. (Twelve total for the whole field) In the middle against the operator station are two robot starting spots, but they are of different alliances. The remaining starting spots for the other two robots on each alliance are in a similar location to this year, straddling the centre line. In the dead centre of the entire field is a post about 9 feet tall with another light on it. Maybe pink or yellow, or orange, or something else that the camera can easily pick out. The post could even use an IR signal, and IR sensors returned to the KOP. Surrounding this post are several hundred racquet balls in a circle. (the field reset team would use a metal ring to make the circle, sort of like the triangle in pool) There would also be a new light for robots that is on a rod not dissimilar to the flag this year, but it would be attached securely to robots via latching thingy. Again this would be for the camera. Scoring would be 5 points for every goal on your alliance's platform, plus one point for every ball in a goal on your alliance's platform. A robot on a platform is also worth 5 pts. A goal counts as "on the platform" if it is either in contact and supported fully by the HDPE, or supported by something that is being supported fully by the HDPE. A goal 8 feet higher or more than the platform surface has the value of its balls doubled, but it still has to count as "on the platform." Robots have the same starting dimensions as this year, as well as starting weights, bumpers stay, but the robots can exceed their starting size after the beginning of the match. The match would be 135 seconds long, 15 for autonomous, 120 for operator play. A big challenge in this game would be the need to either sense everything or choose what to sense carefully, since so many things are there to sense. And sensing would be very good to have because for every 10 seconds a team chooses to stay in autonomous after the set auto period ends, they get five bonus points, to a maximum of 50 per alliance. This game would give teams a lot number of points if they manage to make such an integrated sensing system so that they can leave their robots in auto and still score many points, (or at least prepare to score a lot when they switch to operator control) but it also allows teams that aren't quite that good to be competitive. The excitement factor of the game would also be high, since you'd have robots jetting around in hundreds of balls, lifting goals, and climbing ramps. (with the inevitable tips)

EDIT: Forgot to include the human players. Each alliance has an additional 30 balls to shoot into the goals, and more can be passed to them via a hole in the wall like the corner goals of this year.

[Donut]

I like lukevanoort's game, especially the idea of potentially so many lighted targets, but I have a concern that with basically the only way to score being from goals on your ramp (since your robot on it is only worth 5 points), team's could do many of the same strategies from 2002 where they simply pin all the goals in corners and keep you from ever using them.

I second the motion for lights on robots for the camera to sense, preferrably different colors for different alliances.

[Cyberguy34000]

Not enough room to put everything on this page, so here's a link.

Baton Blitz!




Be sure to tell me what you think!

-Chris

[Lil' Lavery]

Football Frenzy!

Field (the green circles represent locations of the lights):


The game is played on a rectangular field, of a similar size to those of the past few years. In the center is a 8 foot triangular goal, with solid 1/2" lexan walls. On either side of the triangular goals, there are rectangular, 2 foot deep troughs, placed 1 foot above the ground (so the bottom would be 1 foot high, and the top 3 feet). The game is played with Nerf/Poof-like material footballs of three colors (red, blue, and green). In the corners of the alliance stations are ball corrals, similar to those in the 04 and 06 games. Robots may push balls into these corrals for human players to throw back onto the field.
Points are scored through manipulating and then placing the footballs into the various goals. 1 point is scored for a ball underneath the troughs, 3 per ball in the troughs, and 7 per ball in the center goal (all scored at the end of the game). Balls MAY be descored from the goals. Any balls that leave play are returned onto the field. If a green ball is in the OPPONENT'S ball corral at the end of autonomous (when the clock hits 0, and human players may NOT throw balls during autonomous) your alliance receives 10 points per green ball in the corral (refs will have to watch). 10 points are awarded if an alliance has all 3 robots behind it's alliance starting line at the end of the match. Finally, the alliance with the most balls in each trough recives 5 bonus "ownership" points at the end of the match. The alliance with the most balls int he centergoal receives 15 "ownership" points. The areas underneath each trough reward 3 "ownership" points each as well.
There are 45 red balls, 45 blue balls, and 9 green balls. Each robot may start with up to 10 balls of it's color in it's possession (within it's starting dementions) at the beginning of the match. The remainder of the 45 balls of that's alliance's color are placed in the ball corrals in that alliance's player station. 3 green balls are placed underneath each of the 3 troughs at the start of the match.
The game begins with a 15 second autonomous phase in which the robots operate without human control. Robots may perform any of the basic functions of the game. Additionally, autonomous is the only time in which the green balls may be scored for points (and it could potentially reward 90 points). Afterwards, there are 2 minutes of tele-operated play.
The game is 3 on 3, with robots starting dementions and weight identical to this year. There is no restriction on the size of robots after the start of play. Balls may be thrown into the goals (like 2002), or placed/dumped into them (2000, 2001, 2002 etc). Human players may NOT throw balls into the troughs or goal, but they may throw them underneath the troughs, into robots, or elsewhere on the field.

[Donut]

Baton Blitz:

This is a very interesting new game. Batons would be something totally new to manipulate (and a pain to pick up off the ground), and the human player mode is possibly the coolest thing ever.

Football Frenzy:

This reminds me of Half-Pipe Hustle so much it's not funny. The autonomous is interesting, and I like having so many lights on the field, I'd just be worried about confusion with them.

[BBnum3]

Not an entire game design, but just an idea:
Remember on Einstein at the Championship when the announcer said the green lights would change between green, blue, and red? How about a game where there are 3 alliances, green, blue, and red. You wouldn't know which alliance you were until right before the match, and over the course of competition you would certainly be each of the alliances at one point. One problem I can think of about three alliances is the set-up for the drive teams. It wouldn't work just to have three drive teams on each end of a rectangular field. Perhaps a triangle-shaped field would work

[Andrew Blair]

Hers a very simple but dynamic game:

Imagine several "telephone" poles through out the field. You must put loops Hoola or inflatable, on the poles, but your robot can only be five foot tall. Empty field but for the poles. You'd have to climb!

[joshsmithers]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Football Frenzy!

I really like that idea, but why not make the field 120x53 yards long?(regulation size) And we'll be in the georgia dome anyway. Really, you have a rockin idea, but maybe if there were periods of offence and defense to give it some spice. Maybe longer game time as well.

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by joshsmithers

I really like that idea, but why not make the field 120x53 yards long?(regulation size) And we'll be in the georgia dome anyway.

With two regionals in Canada, you'd be dealing with Canadian rules as well....

[JB987]

Originally Posted by Andrew Blair

Hers a very simple but dynamic game:

Imagine several "telephone" poles through out the field. You must put loops Hoola or inflatable, on the poles, but your robot can only be five foot tall. Empty field but for the poles. You'd have to climb!

Interesting idea...but climbing not necessary to place hoops over poles. Difficult part of challenge would be picking up hoops off the floor...

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

With two regionals in Canada, you'd be dealing with Canadian rules as well....

Oh, I had this conversation with some other people i know last week. "Try going 10 yards with 3 tries instead of 4" (etc etc etc) and we came to the conclusion "If Canadians would learn to count, none of this would be a problem"

[JackN]

Alright, There is a ramp similar to the one in 2003 only a slighter incline and a larger top, in the middle of the field where three moving goals sit. On each side (Right/Left) of the field in line with the goals on the ramps sit two more, one on each side. Three on Three matches this year. In autonomous the goals on the ramp are randomly placed with lights on them so teams can find them. Human players can get the goals brought to them in designated areas and can fill them up with balls. Once a goal has been brought to the area no team on that alliance can touch it until the human players are done. Opposing teams can move the goals if they want and can get them. Points go as follow: 2 Points for the amount of balls in each goal On Your side of the field, 50 points for each full goal you control, 10 points for each robot of your alliance on the ramp at the end of the game, the number of goals you control multiplied by your score and 20 points for both alliances (Negates the fifty points) for any goal on the ramp. Ranking points are based on the score of your opponents not the losing score.

[slickguy2007]

This is something that I would love to see. 2v2v2. This would make strategy so much more interesting and this would ENSURE teamwork between the allies(it would be a lot harder to win w/o it). Plus this would throw curveballs towards the veterans who know "what to expect" when they go to work strategy with their allies at competitions. Instead of the traditional opponent, they would have to worry about how to bring down multiple opponents with different objectives. This would level the playing field for everyone.

[JackN]

Originally Posted by slickguy2007

This would make strategy so much more interesting and this would ENSURE teamwork between the allies

It would sort of but lets say blue and red decide together it would be better to defend one aliance than to defend each other and take down one team on purpose. Just throwing that out there.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by slickguy2007

This is something that I would love to see. 2v2v2. This would make strategy so much more interesting and this would ENSURE teamwork between the allies(it would be a lot harder to win w/o it). Plus this would throw curveballs towards the veterans who know "what to expect" when they go to work strategy with their allies at competitions. Instead of the traditional opponent, they would have to worry about how to bring down multiple opponents with different objectives. This would level the playing field for everyone.

Except for the reeeaallly old teams who remember the 1v1v1 days