I didn’t like overdrive at the kickoff last year but as the season went on I grew to love it. Right now I don’t like much about the game but eventually I probably will!
On the NASA site - NASA Robotics - Events : FIRST
Wow! Long time, no post for me. However, I must say that I think this is definitely the best game since 2006 (I’ll have to wait and see some matches played before I decide that it’s better than the 2004, 2005, or 2006 games).
Last year’s game was - quite frankly - unexciting (although some elimination matches got me tensed up). I like this game because it will be easy to judge the progression of the match (i.e. who is winning) as a spectator in the stands, and I like how the GDC decided to shake things up with the slick surface and kit wheel requirement. The idea of trying to score balls into trailers attached to the opposing alliance’s robots will certainly make for some exciting plays. Another plus about this game is the fact that there are no penalties which are TOO easy to incur.
I have seen many FIRST games played out over the years, and trust me - every game will grow on you. Give Lunacy a chance! 
Thanks!
What’s wrong with that. Invite your school’s best athletes to try out.
FIRST is about inspiration and changing society.
One of my favorite mentoring memories was a “jock” who attended a FIRST off-season competition because his girl friend was on the team. He got hooked on FIRST, became one of our better drivers, and went on to tech school after graduation. I don’t think he had any real direction besides sports before he joined our team.
If we can get a “jock” to think like a “techie” or “nerd”, that’s changing society! 
Dude that’s the total opposite of what is going to happen. The intent of this game was to be fair. If you’re that worried about the athletic kids winning over you, go practice scoring balls into the goal. Because I assure you, that’s what all those “athletic” players do.
Diversify your team like we and many others have to include those athletes you seem to be so jealous of. Go make your point to them that you could use their help. Break social barriers for yourself.
I love the game, but not the game theme, which seems a little more childish than the past few.
On another note, this change makes me loathe the policy I pushed before graduating, which was to not use a drivetrain unless it has been tested before. I assumed the drivetrains would not change much, but I was very wrong.
I semi dislike it purely from a driving stand point. Last year it was tough as crap. I am also from NY but reside in VA where nobody (or next to nobody) has ever seen snow/ice let alone driven on it. It is going to be really hard to tech someone how to drive effictively on an ice like surface in less than 6 weeks. I do like challenges though so Im up for anything…
I like the game concept a lot. It is new, unique and will be very interesting to see the dynamics of 6 players on this field.
I am a bit worried however, that it will decrease the number of unique designs and limit creativity a bit. The size limitations and drive train limitations makes me think we are going to see a lot of aim high machines with new wheels. It is always a little strange when a robot from a previous year will work pretty well (even if with just small modifications) for a new game.
I spoke with a few members of the GDC in Manchester. They are thrilled that they made such a radical change this year and it’s well received.
I always worry the the game will be too tough for the rookie teams. I think they achieved a great balance this year.
Long time since I’ve posted, wow. I like that they went with something different. As a driver I think it’s going to be fun learning how to drive on the new surface. It should be difficult for veteran teams as it breaks from the norm, but easy for newer teams as it’s a relatively simple game.
i must say this is a pretty good year for us rookies! we have no experience with omni-directionals, or any other fancy drive systems, so this is actually pretty sweet for us. plus living in north Idaho, we’re used to driving in icy conditions, so this should be fun!
This is my only concern with this game. Limiting us to the same wheels and not expanding outside the starting box brings back very bad memories of Aim High. I loved Aim High, awesome game, but I had one issue with it, there were a LOT of similar robots. (Yes I know that we could expand in 2006 just not above 60") I fear we will have robots where the drive trains are all the same and that worries me. There is a quote by Ken Patton about when he saw a team moving sideways it was inspiring to him floating around here somewhere. We more than likely WON’T see that this year, we might see something cooler (I hope we do) but I cannot help but worry if this year is stifling creativity.
Concerns about having a TON of the same robots aside this game presents one other concern to me. The robot that is literally a box on wheels can beat the precision engineered robot, to me that is NOT inspiration. To me that says to do the bare minimum because anything else is a waste of resources. Any game where a box on wheels is a viable strategy worries me.
Aside from those worries I almost like the game. I will wait until 2nd week (Kettering District Event) to pass judgement on this game but as of right now it looks interesting. I am seriously hoping my concerns are wrong because this could be one awesome game, it does throw everything we have ever known to the winds and I like that.
Edit: Plus, being a native Michigander who drives a rwd car on ice all the time I can say that driving on this field is gonna be FUN!
Here in Austin, when it rains after a long dry spell, the conditions are very hazardous because of the oil slick on the roads. We see a lot of accidents on rainy days because of those conditions and the drivers’ careless disregard for them.
It is a challenge but some common sense can be applied as well.
I think that there is a purpose for that.
The last few years, a box bot could only score a few points, where now it can do a little bit more. This makes things easier on teams that either don’t have the experience or resources. Remember, the economy limits sponsors…
I understand that but if I put a box on wheels out I wouldn’t be too inspired by it. I would be inspired by seeing 1114 dominate the field last year though. Frankly I am sick of the argument that FIRST has to cater to the low resource teams and make them equal to the great teams out there. FIRST is an organization for us to SHINE. is little more than an attack on great teams, it is saying that if you are an elite team against a team that can barely move you are to be penalized for success. Apparently FIRST doesn’t want teams to be performing at their best.
And you can do a lot of pretty awesome stuff using nothing more than some hand tools.
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I’m intrigued by the game. My experience has been that it isn’t the game itself that makes things fun and exciting, but rather what the teams do with it. The only year I came away from kickoff going “Yeah… this is the coolest game EVER” was in '06. I never thought FIRST would let us SHOOT things! I’m not worried about seeing a lot of robots “the same” despite the size restrictions. When we had similar size limits in 06 at the two regionals I attended that year there was a huge degree of variety in the robots, well illustrated in the “Behind the Design” book from that season.
I don’t think that teams who are from icy parts of the world will have any advantage over those from sunny places. Driving a robot is completely different from driving a car, not least in the sense that you don’t have a “seat of the pants” feel for what your machine is doing.
What I AM concerned about is the availability of the Orbit Balls. I expect FIRST will be providing information on where they may be obtained, because it would be too ironic if FIRST were to ignore the COTS rules that teams have to follow…
Jason
P.S. One further concern is that the robot, at the end of the season, might not be a great demo robot because the first thing everyone will wonder is “why didn’t they use good wheels?” Sure, lots of people will ask that and get the answer and learn about how that affected the design, but most will probably walk off thinking “Huh… I could do better than THAT.”
P.P.S. And as for G14 being an attack on “Great Teams”… I am sure the truly Great teams will be able to take it in stride and still manage to shine. I’m not sure any team is shown at their “best” when they completely blow out a weak opposing alliance.
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Shhhhhhh…
I like and dislike this game. I really don’t like the lack of a definite autonomous mode/ autonomous objective. I think it’ll be an OK game if it’s played well but then again I fear we’ll see a lot of matches with out of control robots going all over the field not scoring.
Andrew,
I have to disagree with you here.
The game *is not won *with the best looking machine, nor the best machined machine, not the team with the most money, nor the team with the most mentors.
The game *is won *by the teams that best understand.
They understand the game, They understand their own machining capabilities, and they only build into their machine what is really required.
A box on wheels will never beat 1114 unless they completely understand themselves, their strategy, and the game at hand. And if they do, then I’ll bet that there is a lot more than a box on wheels there if you look real close.
JMHO
My Likes:
-The closest thing we will get to a water game.
-It’s different and challenging which does give rookies a chance.
-The proven preplanned drive train isn’t as effective.
-The game combines the shooting/open field aspect of '06 with the goals from '04 (the trailers).
-Very strategic play.
My Dislikes:
-The rules are VERY limiting to strategy.
-There is no objective on the field other than other robots.
-Rookie teams who can’t move will cripple their alliance as they are a sitting trailer.
-G14 is a punishment and despite the fact that it “evens the field” it says to teams “don’t do your best and show how good you are.” IMO it will have little to no effect on any match because I don’t believe that all 4 super cells will be used, but it is a psychological deterrent.
-FIRST picked a game piece that is no longer in production and is (so far) not providing us with any means of obtaining them.
-The human player is a GIANT part of scoring and takes away from the impact of the actual robot performance. Who had their human player practice the most instead of perfecting their machine?
-My biggest problem with the game is the renaming of every position. The names are childish and impossible to remember especially if they are to change it every year. What is the difference between the Coach and the Commander? and how is the payload specialist any different than human player? I understand why they theme FLL, but applying the same concepts to 9 year olds and adults just seems ridiculous.
+$0.02