Posted by Andy Grady at 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST
Other on team #126, Gael Force, from Clinton High School and Nypro Inc…
Hi all, question time again…
Question 1/14/01: How do you think communication will be in the coaching box?
Posted by Steve Prairie at 1/14/2001 7:06 PM EST
Student on team #173, RAGE, from Rockville High School and UTRC.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
Hmmm… 4 teams agreeing on 1 strategy in +/- 4 minutes = Confusion.
Its going to be really interesting to have four teams convincing each other that they have the best strategy and the best robot to carry out this and that. (I thought last year was hard enough at times…)
Getting all four teams push the red button before a certain time could also be a trick.
The only way I see around this problem is to make sure each team knows every other teams true strengths and weaknesses before the match is on deck.
Steve Prairie
Posted by nick237 at 1/14/2001 8:06 PM EST
Engineer on team #237, sie h2o bots, from Watertown high school ct and sieman co.
In Reply to: Re: Question of the Week!!!
Posted by Steve Prairie on 1/14/2001 7:06 PM EST:
I hear there are over 400 teams so bring a Data base computer. also as long as our teams color ball is on top of a goal and im in charge as the leader of all the alliances there should be no problems.
The key is everyone has to do as I tell them, Hmmmmmm
sounds about right to me.
nick237
…
: The only way I see around this problem is to make sure each team knows every other teams true strengths and weaknesses before the match is on deck.
: Steve Prairie
Posted by Tim Baird at 1/14/2001 8:07 PM EST
Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science and WPI.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
: Hi all, question time again…
: Question 1/14/01: How do you think communication will be in the coaching box?
Communication will be tough. You will have four teams who all think that they have the best robot trying to do all the things. What it will probably take is for one team to be the “leader” of the group and determine the strengths and weaknesses of each team. Sure this will seem unfair, but probably the only way it will work. Of course, if you were a loud, stubborn, and demanding coach like somebody I know, you can make everyone listen to you and then communication is clear. Of course, that’s also not a friendly way to do things, and isn’t the competition this year all about being friends and cooperating?
Tim
Posted by Veronica at 1/14/2001 8:57 PM EST
Student on team #27, Team Rush, from Osmtech and Textron.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
: Hi all, question time again…
: Question 1/14/01: How do you think communication will be in the coaching box?
It is going to be crazy! there will be 16 people minimum back there (2 drivers per team = 8 one coach = 4 one human player = 4 4+4+8=16) people will be scraming like banchees. it is going to be hard to keep track of the score so i can imagine someone yelling about that someone yelling about ur not balanced left left left no right more! I think if you can all agree to a stratgey and stick to it things will be much easier. Well good luck everyone 
V
Posted by Jason “JDoggyDog” Trotter at 1/14/2001 9:03 PM EST
Student on team #191, X-CATS, from Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
>
This is my take on it. Each team gets two coaches. So one coach from each team is a runner between each of the alliances. The remaining coach is the “interpreter” for your alliance. So, if say you want to push the button for a multiplier, the runner tells the other alliances they are ready. I am willing to bet that there will be a fair share of yelling to overcome, so it will be mandatory to carry cough drops.
My thoughts…
Jason “JDog” Trotter
Posted by Andy Grady at 1/14/2001 10:34 PM EST
Other on team #126, Gael Force, from Clinton High School and Nypro Inc…
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
All i gotta say is, remember the game telephone, where you would start at one end of the room with a statement and each person would say the same statement to the person next to them until it got to the end of the room and the statement was totally different, for instance.
red coach: ::taps blue coach on shoulder:: “Hey buddy, can you tell the dude at the end there to bring the goal over here?”
blue coach: “Sure thing man” ::taps the yellow coach on the shoulder:: “Hey you, can you bring the goal to the bridge”
Yellow coach: “No problem” ::taps green coach:: “Hey dude, can you throw the goal off the bridge?”
green coach: “OK?” ::taps green driver:: Hey Egbert, go jump off a bridge!"
I think im gonna try to convince the coach of my team to bring a tape recorder with him or her, just so i can hear some of the wacky stuff that comes from those boxes =)
Good luck,
Andy =)
Posted by Lora Knepper at 1/15/2001 9:37 AM EST
Other on team #419, Rambots, from UMass Boston / Boston College High School and Seeking Sponsorship.
In Reply to: total confusion!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 10:34 PM EST:
ok, so the title to my post was bad…real bad…
buuuuut… as a “retired” driver, I pity those having to deal with the chaos in the player stations. It was hard enough to hear and communicate with 2 teams, and on the indoor fields at Nats, it was almost impossible. Now all 4 of us have to talk…ahhh!! Maybe I should rethink applying for a coaching position and just hide in the pit! :o)
~ lora
Posted by Jason “JDoggyDog” Trotter at 1/15/2001 10:10 AM EST
Student on team #191, X-CATS, from Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School.
In Reply to: total confusion!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 10:34 PM EST:
Maybe each team should bring a magna-doodle, and when you want something you just write it down and hold it up. Ok, now I need some Dew…
Jason “Jdog” Trotter
Posted by Marjory Stager at 1/15/2001 8:06 AM EST
Student on team #47, ChiefDelphi, from Pontiac Central and Delphi Automotive Systems.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
Hey everyone,
I am seeing total confusion. I remember being back there last year and there was some miscommunication with just two teams and now there will be twice as many. My team played a simulation game. There were drivers and there were robots. The drivers couldn’t talk to the other drivers because you don’t have time when it’s a real game, and we had a lot of miscommunication. I think this year it should be the human players or one of the couches job to “keep the lines of communication” going wile the game is being played.
Marjory
“Frosty”
Posted by Jessica Boucher at 1/15/2001 9:55 AM EST
Student on team #237, Sie-H2O-Bots, from Watertown High School and Eastern Awning Systems & The Siemon Company.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
Well, I’m not one in the coaching position as of yet in my FIRST-career, but maybe if we decided on a quick and easy way to communicate between 4 teams beforehand and agreed to use it, it might make things easier.
Sure, only a percentage of teams visit the boards (222, to be exact, from what the stats say), but if a good number of teams are sticking to this procedure, then I bet a lot of the rest of the teams would follow and use it in other matches (I dont know, I’m thinking that some structure will win out over none at all).
Of course, I have dealt with these people before, albeit in different context (“No, sir, you and your team cannot get you picture taken in front of the FIRST sign at the moment, CNN is doing an interview, you can either wait for it to finish or go to the other side…what did you just call me???”)…but, I’m trying to be optimistic about this.
Soooo, what restrictions are there on what can be brought into the player station? Any ideas on a procedure to follow?
-Jessica B, #237
Posted by Andy Grady at 1/15/2001 2:02 PM EST
Other on team #126, Gael Force, from Clinton High School and Nypro Inc…
In Reply to: Possible idea? Or am I being too optimistic?
Posted by Jessica Boucher on 1/15/2001 9:55 AM EST:
What Jess says is true. There should be an organized means of communication between teams. First off I envision that the jobs of the coaches should be split. One coach takes control of the drive team on their particular team, the other coach serves as a communication coach. 2 of these communication coaches should work together and captain the team, and coordinate to the outside coaches, who will talk to the 2 outside teams (the right middle coach should only communicate with the right side coach, and vice versa). Now after this is established, a universal code of FIRST hand gestures is used to communicate between the members.
Thumbs up: “ok we are good”
Thumbs down: “not ready yet”
Thumb crossing neck: “Hit the button”
Tap on shoulder: gets the attention of the person who will recieve the signal
any more signals im missing here? Obviously these signs are multipurpose, but its probably for the best that it be a system that is easy to understand and explain to people who don’t know it. Any comments or ideas?
Cya,
Andy Grady =)
Posted by Matt Leese at 1/15/2001 11:45 AM EST
Other on team #73, Tigerbolt, from Edison Technical HS and Alstom & Rochester Institute of Technology.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
Well, here’s my vision of how it SHOULD be run (note: I really doubt this will ever happen). Basically, there should be one coach put in charge of everybody. Give him an extra coach as a runner, maybe. Basically, he gives everyone orders and they follow them. Sure, there isn’t much time but he shouldn’t be giving that many orders anyway. A particularly good one would be: hit the red button, we’re done.
Matt who hopes he doesn’t get picked to be a coach…
Posted by colleen – T190 at 1/16/2001 1:34 AM EST
Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science and WPI.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
i think one “easy” way would simply be to decide on an alliace captain before the match and that one person will call the moves during the match (the only real thing being the power off)
Basically-- the team who will be completing the last move on the field should be in charge of calling that… if teams have a set task before (team A loads big ball, team b balances goal, team c does endzone dance, team d… isn’t… here…) then when they complete the task they power off and raise hand (or step back… something of the sort)… alliance captain makes sure all are off and watches time and will call their drivers to stop in time to optimize alliance points (again, since they are the ones completing the last function on the field)
Teams just have to remember if they turn off power and need to move or something… they can turn themselves on up until the last button is pressed
Posted by Ken Leung at 1/16/2001 2:32 AM EST
Student on team #192, Gunn Robotics Team, from Henry M. Gunn Senior High School.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
: Hi all, question time again…
: Question 1/14/01: How do you think communication will be in the coaching box?
I think in each game, there are going to be one or two robot that will control the flow of the game, just because their robot control the multipliers well, like balancing the towers on bridge. I can imagine a “gate keeper” who can balance both goal on the bridge ordering other teams to do stuff like: “the red robot is going to head for the end zone right away” or “the blue robot is going over first and pick up all the balls” or “the green robot is going to hold on the near goal so human player can load it up”. So, even though there are going to be confusion, I can imagine when teams get enough practice, they are going to feel comfortable accepting/offering orders.
But then again I can picture teams doing more then they are supposed to to get more points and be greedy, and lots of yelling around when that happen…
Posted by Jessica Boucher at 1/16/2001 6:32 AM EST
Student on team #237, Sie-H2O-Bots, from Watertown High School and Eastern Awning Systems & The Siemon Company.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
Well, from what I got from update #4, small whiteboards/ palm pilots/ laptops are allowed during the match (Q & A 28)…how will this change things? I think that it would be a very good idea to write/display objectives out on the white board for everyone to keep in mind during the match, it might cut confusion down a bit…
Just my random morning ramblings,
Jessica B, #237
Posted by Chris at 1/17/2001 9:07 AM EST
Student on team #69, HYPER Team 69 Quincy Public Schools Gillette , from North Quincy High and The Gillette Company.
In Reply to: QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!!
Posted by Andy Grady on 1/14/2001 6:46 PM EST:
communication
That is the best question, it was hard enough last year when you had to work out one strategy with only one other team try 3 teams!
We will have fun!
Last year they called it co-operation first what will they call it this year?