[BB] 2010 Game Hint #1

[gallo26]

Originally Posted by Billfred

You're right about the tubing diameters, but I don't think the bigger ones slide on the smaller ones out to the stops. (Where would those two fasteners slide in the absence of slots in the smaller tube?)

FIRST did this in 2008 with the Overpass. They weld it together, and pretty much make it a connection. So maybe this piece is solid and doesnt move, but what it's connected to....

[TEntwistle]

Originally Posted by Billfred

You're right about the tubing diameters, but I don't think the bigger ones slide on the smaller ones out to the stops. (Where would those two fasteners slide in the absence of slots in the smaller tube?)

Good point. I don't think that the connectors go all the way through, though. If they only went in to the outer tube, without penetrating the other side, you wouldn't need the slots, but you also wouldn't ahve a very strong connection either.

The center bracket has 4 small holes in it, making me think that they are designed to be attached to a very specific piece, not used as a rest or anything else. I can't think of anything that would fit that bolt pattern. Perhaps a gearbox, or some other item that we regularly use, but with a bolt pattern that is new from prior years.

[s_forbes]

Possibly a field element for dispensing game pieces? Looks to be about 8" wide, assuming that's 1/4" polycarbonate. Maybe a clue as to how big/how many game pieces we have this year?

Better yet: a tray that holds one robot's battery at the beginning of the match. In order to be functional, an alliance member must go get the battery and plug in the disabled robot.

[TEntwistle]

An additional thought - the holes in the inner side of the outer tubes looks like they are there so that the bolts holding the brackets to the poles can be tightened or a nut placed on them. It sounds crazy, but if the machine screw were placed from the inner aspect of the pole (using the access hole), if the screw hear were slightly rounded to match the internal diameter of the tube, and if the hole in the outer tube were countersunk (countersinked?), the connection could still be secure, yet allow the outer pole to slide over the inner.

I like the idea of the bracket connecting to a 2x4 or aluminum box. Perhaps it creates a field element that raises adn lowers, giving the robots a short windoe of opportunity to cross from one side of the field to the other, like the year that the robots had to cross on the tilting platform.

[TEntwistle]

I really think that the holes in the bracket are going to be used to mount the shown piece to a support, making it a field element. The holes are in a similar pattern and size (relative to the bracket device itself) that are seen in brackets used to mount joists in deck and home building. Someone had mentioned a 2x4 earlier in the thread. If this is correct, then the length of this unit would be roughly 6". If soccer balls are to roll on the track, you could have relatively long expanses of track between the supports (if that is indeed what wee have been shown)

[Dan Zollman]

It's part of an adjustable stilt. The polycarb supports the foot and provides a place to mount the boot. The human players will be wearing stilts during the match.

[ATannahill]

What if each end of the pipes holds a wheel and it supports some big movable goal? Sort of like in zone zeal.

[Akash Rastogi]

This has nothing to do with the game...BUT, does that look like Solidworks or Inventor to you guys? Feels like a SW render.

[Justin Montois]

OK upon looking closer at this, I think we all saw the holes and assumed it was the "adjustable pin and hole" setup. I don't think this is the case. I think the holes you see in the rod is merely an access hole so you can attach the lexan. I think the posts that are sticking out are just stoppers to prevent the lexan assembly from sliding too far.

What does that mean? I have no idea. I still stand by the fact that it seems too small and weak to be a robot interaction element.

[Eugene Fang]

Originally Posted by 340x4xLife

OK upon looking closer at this, I think we all saw the holes and assumed it was the "adjustable pin and hole" setup. I don't think this is the case. I think the holes you see in the rod is merely an access hole so you can attach the lexan. I think the posts that are sticking out are just stoppers to prevent the lexan assembly from sliding too far.

My take on this:
The "access holes" you talk about is for recessing the nut of the bolt, so whatever slides/rolls on the track (yes, I still think it's a track) won't get hit.

Also, I don't believe that the lexan assembly slides on the small tube for the reason that it can't; there are no slots cut in the small tube that would be necessary to clear the bolt attaching the lexan to the big tube.

[Chris is me]

I'm going to guess it's an autoloader, tilted on its side, for some game piece. It just looks like the lexan is designed to seat things. Of course, it could also be a goal... but the lexan and bars just make me think of stacking something "tetra like" on it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to read every $@#$@#$@#$@# page of this thread just to see what you guys are all thinking...

[jamie_1930]

Originally Posted by gallo26

It connects to something in the field as the Overpass did in Overdrive. if you look at the smoked lexan, you can see a reflection of a pole (not the two poles visible to us) But a pole with 2 visible pegs. Those could be connections for other pieces? A field element?

Its obviously a render of the field, or more than just this part, they just moved the background plane during the render.

I'll throw stuff out there. I already said a field connection part. So something structural. It could also be an autoloader for some piece. A ball or something, Part, Box, Playing element, that the robots could get at and it would always be filled (by a volunteer!) from 2005.

Thoughts??

I wouldn't bother on looking at the reflection it looks like the part was made on a type of CAD software and thus the reflection you see is most likely a default function. That in this case looks like it's reflecting the upper pole on the part. Although this may vary well be part of an element we will have to score on just like in 2007 the game hint was the diamond plate piece that could be seen on the front of the scoring rack.

[gallo26]

Originally Posted by jamie_1930

I wouldn't bother on looking at the reflection it looks like the part was made on a type of CAD software and thus the reflection you see is most likely a default function. That in this case looks like it's reflecting the upper pole on the part. Although this may vary well be part of an element we will have to score on just like in 2007 the game hint was the diamond plate piece that could be seen on the front of the scoring rack.

I've tested that, and Inventor wont refract the reflection like that. Its very odd. Because it IS lexan, its clear you can see the upper pole through it. Like i said before, its most likely a cad model of the whole field. They moved the background just below that part to cut anything out.

The reflection most definitely reminds me of the 2007 game hint. If you looked close enough, you could see the spider legs through the inner tube

[jerry w]

Originally Posted by gallo26

I've tested that, and Inventor wont refract the reflection like that. Its very odd. Because it IS lexan, its clear you can see the upper pole through it. Like i said before, its most likely a cad model of the whole field. They moved the background just below that part to cut anything out.

The reflection most definitely reminds me of the 2007 game hint. If you looked close enough, you could see the spider legs through the inner tube

You need to consider that the lexan is not square. It leans slightly. Thus the reflection is the result of the leaning lexan. the balls will roll downhill if the support contains an angle holding the rails.

[Chris is me]

Also worth noting before I leave: What are the four holes in the actual lexan for?

1/4 lexan could probably take a few hits. I heard there's this one team that builds their frame out of it... crazy. Granted, unless there's a "slow down when approaching this item" rule, mandatory bumbers, and / or some other collision mechanism, there's pretty much a 1000% chance these could break in competition if they were an autoloader as we know them. Unless the whole assembly is mounted outside the field so only large arms could hit them...

A quick play with the Hue / Saturation Photoshop sliders got me nothing you wouldn't expect with the reflection. I wouldn't try it.