Another year, another mock FRC game. I actually really like this one, as the day or so I spent trying to design a robot for it forced me to start making functionality and strategy tradeoffs pretty early on. Early tests seem like choosing to be the jack of all trades will truly make you the master of none, which we rarely see in FRC, so that was a fun discovery. I haven’t perfectly balanced the points and run through every possible rule, but seeing as I’m running a mock kickoff with this game tomorrow for the kids, I imagine it’s decent enough to release.
As always, feedback and questions are welcome. Feel free to use this game for whatever you’d like. I tend to make games so that I have new robots to practice designing, so typically I throw in concepts that I haven’t tried out before or that I think would make for interesting gameplay.
For our mock kickoff, I usually use a game from before any of the kids were in FRC. Never have I thought about making my own. This is awesome. Would you mind if I considered it for our mock as well?
Go for it. I run a lot of mock kickoffs and have used most games already. Typically when I run a mock kickoff there are certain game mechanics I want to expose the kids to / get them thinking about, and I don’t want them to as easily be able to just search up what robots did well that year, so using a previous real FRC game is less ideal for me.
This rule (and many others) is ripped straight out of previous game manuals. I believe it was created in response to the 71 file card situation noted above.
On a seperate note… A ChatGPT game strategy analysis. I fed it the PDF game manual and after some coaxing got what I would hope to get out of my own students after the first half hour of “Kickoff” brainstorming. I will admit that I need to read through the manual a second or third time still to fully get a handle on it but at first read through this seems to get some of the basics down. It’s making a lot of assumptions based on previous game manuals I suspect. For example there isn’t really a low or middle venue spot. But there is a low goal type element in the game and it mixed them up.
ChatGPT Analysis
Based on the “Melody Melee” game for the 2023 CAD Challenge, here are more specific recommendations for robot designs, mechanisms, drive train styles, and gameplay strategies for rookie, middle, and veteran teams:
Rookie Teams
Robot Design & Mechanisms:
Simple intake system for SONGs (5” wiffle balls) using a conveyor belt or rollers.
Basic storage mechanism to hold a limited number of SONGs.
A low goal shooter or a simple mechanism to drop SONGs into lower VENUES or STUDIOS.
Avoid mechanisms for handling BANGERS (10” dodgeballs) due to complexity.
Drive Train:
Tank drive for simplicity and reliability.
Focus on stability and ease of control.
Gameplay Strategy:
Focus on scoring SONGs in band-colored VENUES and STUDIOS.
Use the Opening Act for pre-programmed scoring.
Avoid complex tasks like stage ascension.
Middle-Level Teams
Robot Design & Mechanisms:
More advanced intake system capable of handling both SONGs and BANGERS.
Efficient storage mechanism with higher capacity.
A versatile shooter or mechanism to score in both lower and middle-height VENUES.
Begin to experiment with mechanisms for stage ascension.
Drive Train:
Swerve or mecanum drive for better maneuverability and agility.
Gameplay Strategy:
Balance scoring with SONGs and BANGERS.
More sophisticated autonomous routines during the Opening Act.
Start using DJ Booths strategically for game advantages.
Veteran Teams
Robot Design & Mechanisms:
Highly efficient and fast intake systems for both SONGs and BANGERS.
Large capacity and rapid-fire shooting mechanisms for high and varied scoring.
Advanced mechanisms for climbing and stage ascension.
Robust and multifunctional mechanisms for different scoring strategies.
Drive Train:
High-performance swerve drive for exceptional maneuverability and speed.
Focus on precision control and stability during high-speed maneuvers.
Gameplay Strategy:
Aggressive scoring strategies, including high-value targets like upper VENUES and CENTER STAGE.
Advanced autonomous routines leveraging sensor and vision systems.
Strategic use of DJ Booths to maximize scoring and disrupt opponents.
For all teams, the key is to build a robot that not only fits their skill level but also strategically exploits the scoring opportunities of the game. Emphasis should be on reliability, ease of control, and effective execution of game strategies.
My summary, I bet your students will be doing this on kickoff day and this is what you are gonna get back. Why not see what it’s gonna do. I don’t trust it, but your students might if they don’t read through it themselves enough.
Correction: Appears to be no penalty. I expect that Update 1 for this will correct this to intentionally causing a bootleg being a single foul, with repeated offenses requiring the entire Band’s humans to PERFORM “Baby Shark” (or other tunes that no sane Band would think of copying/covering, at the discretion of event staff) for the, er, ridicule of any spectators.
Actual question related to this, if a SONG leaves the FESTIVAL rather than a BANGER, will it be returned to the FESTIVAL by staff? In addition, what will happen if a BANGER enters the STUDIO?
G19: ROBOTS must be fully supported by and have at least one of its drive / propulsion wheels in contact with a STAGE platform to earn FANS for that tier. If a ROBOT is contacting multiple STAGES, it will earn the FANS associated with the value of the lowest STAGE it is in contact with.
Climb on the poles for the stage to avoid the game of capture the hill and then throw one of the swerve modules on a pivot so it can flip out and actually get points hmm. Potentially you could use a mechanism that drives both the stilts for L3 climb and the hooks for side climb using the same motors.
As for the rest of of the game, my first impressions is that the move is to run the shooters for both fuel and boulders coaxially and run in intake with two rollers in which the lower roller feeds into a large hopper for the fuel and an upper roller made using VIW which runs reverse to the main roller that only grabs the boulders and can feeds them to a small 1-shot indexer for the boulder shooter. Perhaps running the intake 90 degrees to the shooters reduces the indexing space for the boulders maximizing hopper space. Perhaps double intake is vialbe
Songs that exit the field are not entered back into the field, although teams that intentionally or repeatedly reject songs from the field will be penalized.
Thank you! I still am wondering what happens to BANGERS that enter the STUDIO. I could see a game breaking strategy of scoring BANGERS into the STUDIO and thus removing them from play. This would seem to be illegal, but I would like to confirm as such and also know what happens if a BANGER enters the STUDIO unintentionally? Would festival staff return it to the FESTIVAL? Sorry for the Q&A questions, this is a really cool thing and I appreciate you releasing it to us.
