Posted by Daniel.
Coach on team BORG (Berkeley Operational Robotics Group) from Berkeley High School sponsored by (working on the sponsor, too).
Posted on 1/9/2000 7:47 PM MST
I am very worried about scoring. Dean has said that the game will be easy to score this year. I don’t get it. How is this easy to score? Here are the issues I can see:
- Flying balls will knock others out of the goals.
- Robots will knock balls out of the goals.
- Some balls are worth different amounts than other balls.
- Robots may or may not be brushing the ground from either the ramp or the bar.
- A robot may be supporting one or more of the balls within the goal.
- Burried balls will be very hard to see and count.
All in all, this game seems near IMPOSSIBLE to score. Which would be okay, since it’s been that way for years now…
…BUT
FIRST has made it VITAL to know exactly what the score is for both teams at any given time, as the differences between scores will be so small. A simple one-ball miscount would mean the difference between winning and losing. Last year, the scores were spread so well that it was usually obvious who the winner was. This year it simply will not be the case. Now this would be solved with realtime scoring but frankly, with balls resting on top of other balls, I can’t see how this is possible! I am very concerned about this. Maybe - hopefully - I’m missing something.
Any thoughts?
-DL
Posted by Dan.
Student on team #10, BSM, from Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Banner Engineering.
Posted on 1/9/2000 8:42 PM MST
In Reply to: Scoring. ACK! posted by Daniel on 1/9/2000 7:47 PM MST:
: I am very worried about scoring. Dean has said that the game will be easy to score this year. I don’t get it. How is this easy to score?
It’s definitely not a good thing and it adds a bit of vagueness to the game; but since every team faces the same problem it’s still completely fair. On the bright side, it adds a bit of anticipation for the final score.
:-Dan
Posted by Lora Knepper.
Student on team #69, HYPER (Helping Youth to Pursue Engineering and Robotics), from Quincy Public Schools and The Gillette Company.
Posted on 1/9/2000 10:49 PM MST
In Reply to: Scoring. ACK! posted by Daniel on 1/9/2000 7:47 PM MST:
In the past two years I’ve spent with FIRST, I’ve given up wondering what they consider ‘easy’ as far as scoring. I think you’re right, Daniel, that there probably be some issues with scoring, but then with the rule of no rematches, we all will just have to roll with the punches and play our best!
Lora Knepper
Team 69 (HYPER)
Posted by Aya.
Student on team #115, MVRT, from Monta Vista High School and NASA Ames Research Center and Xilinx.
Posted on 1/10/2000 1:10 AM MST
In Reply to: Scoring. ACK! posted by Daniel on 1/9/2000 7:47 PM MST:
Hey Daniel!
Howzit going? I certainly don’t get to talk to you as much anymore =) Hope all’s well in Berkeley.
I find it extremely hard to visualize the atmosphere around the playing field especially when it’s so huge in size this year… Don’t really have the space for the whole thing (duh) to build it, and the hang bar as well. But as for the scoring, yes, we’ll still love it when we get to competition. Its all a part of the complexity of the game.
Good Luck! We’ll see you guys there =)
-Aya M.-
MVRT 115!
Posted by mike aubry. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #47, Chiefs, from Pontiac Central.
Posted on 1/11/2000 3:50 AM MST
In Reply to: Scoring. ACK! posted by Daniel on 1/9/2000 7:47 PM MST:
Daniel,
not only is the scoring going to be difficult to keep track of for all the reasons that you stated, I sure wouldn’t want to be in the referees shoes. They are the ones that have to determine if robots are touching the floor and on the ramp. Although this sounds very easy to determine, unless there is a clear understanding of this rule, teams are gonna think they are not touching but they are really not, due to the sight lines and not being able to see the other side of the ramp. Too bad the court wasn’t turned sideways to the drivers so they could see both sides, but I suppose that too will have to be included in the strategic planning.