Bill's Blog, 5/11/11 "Wait, Did he say pool"

[Cory]

Originally Posted by stevend1994

I don't think its necessarily to start on the next game, but so that they can test the games as much as possible, so there wouldn't be the many issues in Week 1 as there were this year, like what happened with minibot towers.

They most definitely said/posted somewhere that they wanted to get the 2012 game done early to allow for more debug time as well as to get a head start on the 2013 game.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

Someone please explain to me again what the rush is with next year's game?

I'm sure I'm missing something.

Jane

Its called withdrawals already from the 2011 season.
Some of us like torture all year round, missing out on family time, hanging out with friends, taking a break, etc.

[Josh Fox]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

Someone please explain to me again what the rush is with next year's game?

I'm sure I'm missing something.

Jane

As far as I know, the plan is to finish the game sooner so they have more time to go through the rules and test fields, hopefully alleviating some of the issues/confusion in the rules and ironing out some technical difficulties the 1st week competitions usually experience.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Josh Fox

As far as I know, the plan is to finish the game sooner so they have more time to go through the rules and test fields, hopefully alleviating some of the issues/confusion in the rules and ironing out some technical difficulties the 1st week competitions usually experience.

I think I'm going to attach a seat belt to my chair so that when I read CD and Bill's Blog - I am prepared for the bumpy ride ahead rather than flying all over the place like I have been this past few months.

I should write: 'continual drastic change is good' on a yellow post-it note and stick it to my forehead while I'm at it.

Jane

[Racer26]

smaller fields means more of them could fit in the same fixed amount of space at championships. a fix for the problem of cmp capacity perhaps?

[sanddrag]

I could definitely envision both fields and robots getting smaller. Generally speaking, smaller=cheaper (except in the case of Tetrix motors). Cheaper shipping, easier expansion to smaller venues, etc...

[MikeE]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Generally speaking, smaller=cheaper (except in the case of Tetrix motors)

Ouch!

I'm desperately hoping that next year's game piece is a rugby ball, hence combining the two best sports on the planet.
The game would of course have to be played without pads (bumpers).

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by MikeE

Ouch!

I'm desperately hoping that next year's game piece is a rugby ball, hence combining the two best sports on the planet.
The game would of course have to be played without pads (bumpers).

"Rugby Ball" is definitely a weird way to spell "Hockey Puck."

Robots already have agility on carpet that closely approaches that of skaters on ice. (NO MORE REGOLITH PLEASE!) Some vintage FIRST mobile goals and we're all set.

I hope FRC robots stay "big", it plays a big part in what makes them so impressive. We know that a championship winning Vex robot (or FLL robot) is a heck of a lot more impressive from an engineering point of view than an average FRC robot. However, I think it is a lot harder to prove that to Joe Schmoe who just came in off the street.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Ian Curtis

"

I hope FRC robots stay "big", it plays a big part in what makes them so impressive. We know that a championship winning Vex robot (or FLL robot) is a heck of a lot more impressive from an engineering point of view than an average FRC robot. However, I think it is a lot harder to prove that to Joe Schmoe who just came in off the street.

If FRC goes smaller, it automatically lowers itself into a pool of robotics competitors. If FRC is smart, it won't go there.

Jane

[Tommy F.]

Originally Posted by StevenB

Sorry, Bill is baiting us, and someone had to say it.

Baiting = Fishing = Water game.

Originally Posted by Munter2081

Where do the St. Louis Blue's play?

The Blues play at the Scottrade Center, which is just about down the street from Busch Stadium.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

I should write: 'continual drastic change is good' on a yellow post-it note and stick it to my forehead while I'm at it.

Remember to write it reversed so you can read it in the mirror.

I'm glad they're at least trying to get ahead of the curve here with the game design. Last minute stuff often ends up badly.

[nlknauss]

I hope that if they are looking at match times, they consider lengthening the autonomous period. FTC had a 40 second auto period this year and many of the more successful teams took full advantage of the scoring opportunities it provided. We also saw what was possible when maximizing scoring time when the Pink Team demonstrated its 3 ubertube hang online.

[apalrd]

Originally Posted by nlknauss

I hope that if they are looking at match times, they consider lengthening the autonomous period.

I would much rather have a longer auto than a longer teleop (mostly because the battery honestly won't last a whole lot longer with the current motors).


....and because I am a programmer, so I like auto.

[BJC]

Of course, the flip side is getting to watch numerous matches where robots sit still for 40 seconds. 15 seconds is plenty long for that.

[MagiChau]

Originally Posted by BJC

Of course, the flip side is getting to watch numerous matches where robots sit still for 40 seconds. 15 seconds is plenty long for that.

Some people preferred seeing their robot sit still than run backwards into the other side