Hey, do teams know prior to the match what color the switch is on their side? in other words do you know colors before auton starts or does our robot have to distinguish colors during auton?
Let’s see…
Randomized per Section 4.1.1. But per the field tour videos, you can pick up the info from FMS.
The field tour video states “At the start of the match, the plates of the scale, and switches, are randomized.”
I don’t know if that is a rule or not.
On page 33 of the manual, near the bottom of the page
“The FMS provides the ALLIANCE color assigned to each PLATE to the Driver Station software.
Immediately following the assignment of PLATE color prior to the start of AUTO.”
I think what that means is you have to read it from the driver station, but I don’t know for sure.
This was in the thread linked above but I’m just going to pop it here as well:
https://wpilib.screenstepslive.com/s/currentCS/m/getting_started/l/826278-2018-game-data-details
You’re going to have to use code to obtain this information immediately at match start, and then use that info immediately within your code to choose an auton method (assuming that’s what you want to do with it).
I find it interesting that the GC decided to do that this year. I understand it’s intended to represent a unique hurdle, but I feel like it’s simply emphasizing a preexisting hurdle. There tends to be a distinct gap (speaking as a programmer here) between the capabilities of a team that can execute a drive forward/cross a line auton and a team that can successfully manipulate a game piece in auton. The second one often requires much more complexity in your code, and often your physical sensors. This change only amplifies this gap.
I actually think this is a middle ground for difficulty. It is an improvement over some past years (for example 2014) in that you do not need sensors to know which side is your color. You just need to read it from the FMS. But the overall effect for autonomous is probably to greatly reward teams that can successfully drive forward (possibly with some sort of delay or turning involved) and those who cannot. Because of the ranking point involved if an alliance can control its switch and get all three robots across the line.