I thought it would be nice to brainstorm some ideas for either future official FIRST games or maybe off season team built and run games so then maybe someone will read this and maybe actually use these ideas or just for fun. One idea that is probably what you are thinking of generally speaking is some sort of water game. Although their are problems for water games, this is for ideas and is kinda a thought experiment that may lead to useful ideas.
My idea is basically a capture the flag type game where you drive boat type things with small arms or hooks that can steal a flag from an opponent but to do that you must match or go faster then they are or drive perpendicular to them but they could easily turn away from you so their must be a speed restriction of some kind. The more time you hold the flag in your hand, the more points you get but you get double the points while it is inside of your “base” which is basically just a marked area that anyone can drive into no matter which alliance they are part of.
Another is a race type game where you have to race people while picking up items that you can use to give you points or “power ups” like a temporary increase in your max allowed speed but be careful to not keep going to fast or you will lose points. Or you can bring an item to the end of the race to subtract a certain amount of time from your time making so your race time is faster. Another is to temporarily decrease how time runs for you. Basically your time will be measured like it passes more slowly.
I feel like I’m cheating here because everybody knows this is going to be the 2019 game but I feel like I should say it anyways. What’s going to happen is they are going to flood the fields and teams will have to build crawlers, boats, or submarines. Teams can either build robot that drive along the bottom (crawlers), floats at the top (boats) or that can swim in the middle (submarines). Being the submarine is the most valuable (as it can do everything) however it is also the hardest. The other two are easier but can score less points.
everybody knows this is going to be the 2019 game but I feel like I should say it anyways. What’s going to happen is they are going to flood the fields
I would love to see them try considering its held together by zip ties and not exactly waterproof. I can just imagine a hose constantly pouring water into the field as it flows out just as fast. they could call it the waterfall zone.
These are all great ideas, the 3 tiered water one is my favorite but unfortunately it is impractical but I so badly want to do it. Maybe it could be done as an off season competition? Maybe it could run just like FRC but with one or so event(s) with far fewer teams.
I read through that entire thread and all of the other threads attached to the main thread and how 'bout no? Still it would be fun to see robots play on a field that has lower traction that the dreaded Lunacy field.
I think a game where there is a 6"-1’ tall platform in the middle of the field with no ramps leading up to it just a wall. imagine some teams make their robot a ramp for other teams to get to some of the scoring elements or have to use pneumatics to fling themselves up onto the platform. obviously needs some actual thought into how a game like this would work but I think it would be an interesting engineering design challenge.
Ping pong tag. Robots are issued vision targets to mount on their superstructure in a designated fashion. When your target is full (of a certain number of hits) as measured by a sensor and relayed to FMS, you’re out (disconnected). Additional field targets register points, probably with varying risk/reward. Teams have to choose between accumulating points or elimination of opposition. Top tier teams can expect to be harassed and therefore spend significant effort to evade. Just to keep the field turnover crew happy and promote accuracy over volume: In the end game, all robots reactivate and there is a rush to sweep up as many ping pong balls off of your end of the field as possible. Balls still on the field subtract from scores.
Subsonic ping pong balls only.
A game that is played my dividing the field in half long ways. It would have soccer goals like breakaway but there would be multi level level scoring like in AA. The goal of the game would be to score balls in the goals and goals closer to the center and higher up are worth more points and the goals are progressively smaller in width as you get closer to the center and smaller in height as you go up. the goals would be below and above the drivers station to still allow visibility and there would be a cavity between the goals and drivers station that would have rollers to cycle scored game elements . new balls would be added through the sides of the field (indicated by the equals sign)
example of field setup:
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Another gimmicky game type would be one with a 1 foot stage wrapping around the field that elevates the perimeter of the field including all of the drive stations and the game is played in the 1 foot pit created by the elevation
Lesson learned preview before you post
example of field setup: the periods are blank space
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