Posted 1/6/09
-Nate
You beat my post by 2 minutes.
Joey
Thanks Nate! Lots of answers in here. (:
So when is the real game going to be announced?
this makes it very luck based and human players are vital!
Between week 1 and week 2 events.
Wetzel
Please see the Team 811 motto (below)
Naw! While it may seem like that at face value; in my opinion, it promotes innovation and more thought. It’s silly that most everyone has the same idea (as far as shielding, etc, go) yet think that they are all coming up with some great new idea. Just my two cents. Thanks for the update!
I agree with you completely.
I think what is troublesome to many veterans is that FIRST has always allowed some form of defense. Even last year when the object was to race around with trackballs and hurdle. Bonus points were earned for putting it back up at the end of the match. If played under this year’s rules, once a trackball is up on the over-head it can’t be knocked off.
So we have robot’s towing trailers avoiding shots from human players on a surface that doesn’t lend itself to control and rapid acceleration or changes in direction. Robots are limited to offense only. The only defense is backing yourself into a corner.
IMHO a lack of balance in game design.
I just don’t see it that way. To me, the rules and game design are just “design parameters” that need to be met. Are they a challenge? You bet!!
Please name me anything that is a real challenge that isn’t just as rewarding when you meet that challenge.
From the land of hard defense here in New England, I can tell you that there will be defense … and lots of it 
Are you sure about that? I would think again.
It sucks that you can’t de-score balls.
One idea that came up on our team was making a forklift type appendage that can reach in between the posts on the trailer and remove all the balls from an ally’s trailer.
I’m surprised this update didn’t touch on G14!
They’re leaving it in to act like the AWP in counterstrike.
A part of the gameplay so horribly imbalanced, everyone forgets about the other imbalances and just whines about that.
It didn’t touch on R06 either which I was hoping for.
Yes, that is a good motto for this year
I agree… while it does increase the amount of thinking, it severly limits design ideas… this should be a fun game, but imo it will feature some wild crazy robots no one wou;d dream of… and some that are very similar to others… idk
No worries. Last I checked the Mars Rovers don’t play any defense either and that’s pretty cool stuff 
I think rovers on Mars are way cool but you won’t get a crowd of enthusiastic participants cheering as they trudge 150 meters a day. Some part of FIRST is the excitement of the event. Why else do they call it a game. Why do they have a game.
The game is not everything and the real purpose is to get the inolvement of students and mentors but if there is a lack of excitement in the game then lack of involvement.
Not the end of the world, not that I can’t deal with the rules as they are, but I can still wish for more defensive options which imho will add excitement to the game.