Hangin'-A-Round -- Official Game Discussion

[Chuck Glick]

So what are everyones thoughts on this crazy new VEX game?

[Beth Sweet]

Sounds like fun to me! What's wrong with page 22?

[David55]

I am the last person that can judge the game design committee, but in my opinion this game lacks creativity. It looks like they just collected a bunch of ideas and rules from past FIRST games and made a mixture out of them. The point system, the ways to earn points (1 for a ball in the lower goal, 3 for a ball in the upper goal, points for parking on platform, 10 for auto winner.)
Maybe this was the intention of the game committee (to take ideas from FRC games and implement them in vex), but if not, I think that the game is just very uncreative and copies a lot of the ideas from "Aim High".

(This is just my opinion...I do not know why they have chosen these rules and what they want to achieve with this game, and therefore everything I have wrote above might just be a pile of nonsense.)

[Chuck Glick]

Originally Posted by David55

I am the last person that can judge the game design committee, but in my opinion this game lacks creativity. It looks like they just collected a bunch of ideas and rules from past FIRST games and made a mixture out of them. The point system, the ways to earn points (1 for a ball in the lower goal, 3 for a ball in the upper goal, points for parking on platform, 10 for auto winner.)
Maybe this was the intention of the game committee (to take ideas from FRC games and implement them in vex), but if not, I think that the game is just very uncreative and copies a lot of the ideas from "Aim High".

(This is just my opinion...I do not know why they have chosen these rules and what they want to achieve with this game, and therefore everything I have wrote above might just be a pile of nonsense.)

well remember, VEX doesn't quite have the capabilites of FRC robots. We can only use VEX parts and VEX servos, so the amount of ideas that they can use aren't really their fault, its more of a is this possible to do with VEX thing. Maybe in the future, if they allow diferent motors, or make newer more powerful VEX motors, and allow other foreign parts, the games will become more "interesting." But given what they had to work with, I think they came up with a great game for this year.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by David55

I am the last person that can judge the game design committee, but in my opinion this game lacks creativity. It looks like they just collected a bunch of ideas and rules from past FIRST games and made a mixture out of them. The point system, the ways to earn points (1 for a ball in the lower goal, 3 for a ball in the upper goal, points for parking on platform, 10 for auto winner.)
Maybe this was the intention of the game committee (to take ideas from FRC games and implement them in vex), but if not, I think that the game is just very uncreative and copies a lot of the ideas from "Aim High".

(This is just my opinion...I do not know why they have chosen these rules and what they want to achieve with this game, and therefore everything I have wrote above might just be a pile of nonsense.)

The point values are just convenient, but the objectives to earn those points are different. (What was a capped tetra worth? What was a tetra in the bottom of the goal worth?)

Personally, I like this game. Lots of ways to score, even with just a Squarebot, and lots of ways to play defense, and you can't just Beatty-in-2002 it. (I can hang and hold onto the Atlas ball, but a Squarebot on the ground can spin me around and double the balls for THEIR side.)

Softballs should also make for a fun time, since last year's racquetballs were grippier, and were, well, round. The ridges from the softballs should make teams have to figure out a new system.

Oh, and another thing: THANK GOODNESS that the autonomous setup has changed. (For those just tuning in, last year's game involved a 45-second 1v0 autonomous round played on a separate, sectioned-off field. Few of the matches were particularly spectacular, and it more or less became the red-headed stepchild of the driver-controlled matches.) The new FRC-style rounds should be pretty awesome, although I'll be interested to see how that round is actually executed, as the manual indicates that these are now happening one after the other, making for a 2:20 match. (Is IFI changing the code in the controllers?)

[Chuck Glick]

Originally Posted by Billfred

Oh, and another thing: THANK GOODNESS that the autonomous setup has changed. (For those just tuning in, last year's game involved a 45-second 1v0 autonomous round played on a separate, sectioned-off field. Few of the matches were particularly spectacular, and it more or less became the red-headed stepchild of the driver-controlled matches.) The new FRC-style rounds should be pretty awesome, although I'll be interested to see how that round is actually executed, as the manual indicates that these are now happening one after the other, making for a 2:20 match. (Is IFI changing the code in the controllers?)

Totally awesome. Thank goodness for the FRC style matches, we get to see some sweet VEX auto ideas, maybe even some dastardly defence ones in the playoffs too!

[Beth Sweet]

Originally Posted by David55

I am the last person that can judge the game design committee, but in my opinion this game lacks creativity. It looks like they just collected a bunch of ideas and rules from past FIRST games and made a mixture out of them. The point system, the ways to earn points (1 for a ball in the lower goal, 3 for a ball in the upper goal, points for parking on platform, 10 for auto winner.)
Maybe this was the intention of the game committee (to take ideas from FRC games and implement them in vex), but if not, I think that the game is just very uncreative and copies a lot of the ideas from "Aim High".

(This is just my opinion...I do not know why they have chosen these rules and what they want to achieve with this game, and therefore everything I have wrote above might just be a pile of nonsense.)

I find it interesting that you say this. Yes, some of the aspects are similar, but this has a rotating platform and objects that are like, 4 times as big as the robots. I don't remember ever having "attack of the jumbo ball" in FRC!

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by Beth Sweet

I find it interesting that you say this. Yes, some of the aspects are similar, but this has a rotating platform and objects that are like, 4 times as big as the robots. I don't remember ever having "attack of the jumbo ball" in FRC!

Ooooh!!! Ideas!!!

/me furiously writes notes to self....




.

[David55]

Originally Posted by dlavery

Ooooh!!! Ideas!!!

/me furiously writes notes to self....

.

That would be pretty fun...

[thefro526]

The game seems very interesting. I love the spinning platform but what if it gets spun while a robot is on it?
I can here it now "looks like team 2068 gets the points for a chin up wait, team 3036 bumps the platform ooo team 2068 falls.

so how bout that ten motor rule?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by thefro526

The game seems very interesting. I love the spinning platform but what if it gets spun while a robot is on it?
I can here it now "looks like team 2068 gets the points for a chin up wait, team 3036 bumps the platform ooo team 2068 falls.

so how bout that ten motor rule?

The spinning platform is what makes it fun! Robots are going to have to be nimble or lucky in order to hang, because the odds are that you won't be coming at the bar directly head-on. I predict a class of robots, whom I officially dub the Hellraiser, whose sole goal is to defend the platform against opposing hangers. Man, I'm going to be stewing on this design until February!

One thing I noticed:

http://www.vexlabs.com/vex-robotics-field-parts.shtml

Obviously, the field design has changed significantly from the Half-Pipe Hustle field (which was not anticipated to change for some time). But note just below the picture: IFI is replacing the fields for those who invested in a full FVC field from last season. Now that is nice of 'em.

[Alex Cormier]

Does the platform just spin in the middle, it's not movable around the field correct?

*Can't wait*

[Kyle Love]

Anyone else already think up deisgns? I know I sure have.

[nonother]

My team is brand new so I can't compare it to last year's competition, but I absolutely love it. There are so many different aspects to the challenge, so many different ways to earn points. In particular I love having a ball larger than the robot, and a bar to hang from way taller than the robot. Increasing the motor limit to 10 via y-cables was an unexpected suprise.

I'm almost entirely sure but just checking, pneumatics are still illegal? (They really ought to be legal, they'd be so amazingly fun!)

And another question from a rookie - any idea when the playing field will be available to purchase?

Nicely done FIRST, i'm psyched.

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by Kyle Love

Anyone else already think up deisgns? I know I sure have.

I have done a bit 'o that too... funny thing is, we don't have a FVC team.