[FRC Blog] Kickoff!

[Hallry]

Posted on the FRC Blog, 1/3/17: http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/blog/2017-kickoff-broadcast

Kickoff!

Written by Frank Merrick, 2017 JAN 03.

Are You Ready for Some FIRST® STEAMWORKS™?

Oh, man. Kickoff. Can you feel it? Like you’re in the subway, looking down the tunnel, waiting, and you think you hear a noise, and feel a rumble, and suddenly this magnificent multi-ton metal monstrosity clanks and rattles and thunders into view, stops with its doors at your feet, opens them with a whoosh, and politely invites you to climb aboard with a smiling “and how is your day?”. It’s like that! Who could say no?

Kickoff

FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff is this Saturday, January 7th (Yeah, it is! I’m grinning as I’m writing this…) at 10:30 AM Eastern. The pre-show for the broadcast starts at 10:00AM. You can watch it all here. The main portion of the Kickoff broadcast, up through the game reveal animation, will be short and sweet, well under 30 minutes, and will be followed afterward by a live viewing of the actual field. This will then be followed by field tour videos that will give you more detailed information on the field and how it works. We encourage you to watch the field tour videos, and they will be available on our https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Great work, teams!

Frank

**Founder’s Reception****These Teams are Ready!FIRSTFIRSThttp://firstinspires.org/sites/default/files/uploads/frc/Blog/steamworks-3134-3275.jpg

[DonRotolo]

Is the banana a game hint?

[TDav540]

Is the banana a game hint?

Banana for scale

[PopeRyanI]

Is the banana a game hint?

Well, it could be the game element. It would fit the pattern. Besides the whole steamworks thing, but that doesn’t really matter.

Banana for scale

Scaling endgame confirmed?

[Richard_Wallace]

Banana for scale

Slip on banana peel, fall down manhole, get pumped through steam plant, launch upward out of smokestack, land in gondola of hot air balloon, …

Typical steampunk adventure.

[devyntk]

Anyone else now have that test stream in a permanent background window just incase? You never know where they’re going to hide those game hints.

[Foster]

And Ryan is back for the start of the season!!

[Sam_Skoglund]

“Like you’re in the subway, looking down the tunnel, waiting, and you think you hear a noise, and feel a rumble, and suddenly this magnificent multi-ton metal monstrosity clanks and rattles and thunders into view, stops with its doors at your feet, opens them with a whoosh, and politely invites you to climb aboard with a smiling “and how is your day?”. It’s like that!”

Game Hint???

[ctt956]

“Like you’re in the subway, looking down the tunnel, waiting, and you think you hear a noise, and feel a rumble, and suddenly this magnificent multi-ton metal monstrosity clanks and rattles and thunders into view, stops with its doors at your feet, opens them with a whoosh, and politely invites you to climb aboard with a smiling “and how is your day?”. It’s like that!”

Game Hint???

Definitely.

[Ichlieberoboter]

“Like you’re in the subway, looking down the tunnel, waiting, and you think you hear a noise, and feel a rumble, and suddenly this magnificent multi-ton metal monstrosity clanks and rattles and thunders into view, stops with its doors at your feet, opens them with a whoosh, and politely invites you to climb aboard with a smiling “and how is your day?”. It’s like that!”

Game Hint???

Dude that’s what I’m thinking maybe something with a train or train tracks…?

[krf]

My only point of contention is that quite a few schools block TwitchTV. Simulcasting to YouTube and Twitch may have been a better way to go.

Word of advice, check before kickoff that Twitch isn’t blocked. It’d stink to get your students there only to find the site blocked.

At least the game reveal video is on YouTube regardless

[dirtbikerxz]

My only point of contention is that quite a few schools block TwitchTV. Simulcasting to YouTube and Twitch may have been a better way to go.

At least the game reveal video is on YouTube regardless

Our school blocks it, but luckily teachers can sign in and “bypass” the block

[MechEng83]

My only point of contention is that quite a few schools block TwitchTV. Simulcasting to YouTube and Twitch may have been a better way to go.

At least the game reveal video is on YouTube regardless

This.

Twitch is blocked in most schools. Fail, FIRST. Fail.

[Billfred]

This.

Twitch is blocked in most schools. Fail, FIRST. Fail.

ChiefDelphi was blocked when I started with 1618 back in 2006. The teacher went to the district IT people, stated the case, and it was unblocked.

The last two years when I was the Kickoff coordinator for South Carolina, we got streaming information well in advance with opportunities to test it with a dummy video and make any needed adjustments with the IT staff (if only for the weekend).

I’m not a Kickoff coordinator this year, so I don’t know when the email went out to coordinators. But this isn’t their first time at the rodeo.

[Hadi379]

“Like you’re in the subway, looking down the tunnel, waiting, and you think you hear a noise, and feel a rumble, and suddenly this magnificent multi-ton metal monstrosity clanks and rattles and thunders into view, stops with its doors at your feet, opens them with a whoosh, and politely invites you to climb aboard with a smiling “and how is your day?”. It’s like that!”

Game Hint???

Trains = Pulling Trailers

I’m thinking a 2009 + 2011 type of game with drones as minibots…

[MooreteP]

A train on rails has been discussed in past game designs ideas.
Makes sense with Steam Engines.
Getting on board?
Loading a coal car?

Moving a train up an inclined rail track for the endgame would be an engaging spectacle for spectators.

Oh gravity.

[mwmac]

End game with elevating alliance partners as in 2007?

[ctt956]

I saw “BREAK AWAY” in the test video…So will there be a similarity to 2010?

[s_forbes]

Trains = Pulling Trailers

I’m thinking a 2009 + 2011 type of game with drones as minibots…

This would combine everyone’s favorite game aspects! Lunacy with minibots, what’s not to love?

[Lil_Lavery]

My only point of contention is that quite a few schools block TwitchTV. Simulcasting to YouTube and Twitch may have been a better way to go.

At least the game reveal video is on YouTube regardless

This is my concern as well. I’m an avid Twitch user, but most web services will label it as “video games” and thus block it.

ChiefDelphi was blocked when I started with 1618 back in 2006. The teacher went to the district IT people, stated the case, and it was unblocked.

The last two years when I was the Kickoff coordinator for South Carolina, we got streaming information well in advance with opportunities to test it with a dummy video and make any needed adjustments with the IT staff (if only for the weekend).

I’m not a Kickoff coordinator this year, so I don’t know when the email went out to coordinators. But this isn’t their first time at the rodeo.

Not every team send their students to a kickoff location. Some just send a few representatives to pick up their kit of parts. While I was with 116, we always watched the kickoff together from our build site. Those teams now only have a few days to get Twitch unblocked by their school IT.