25 - SETUP CALIBRATION
Calibration of light sensors is allowed as part of your setup routine, and it's understood that this needs to be done outside Base. Don't go any farther out of Base than you need to, and don't touch anything but your robot.
The Inventioneers: Rookie teams may be a little puzzled by this one. Light sensor calibration is a way to set your light sensors to know what dark and light values are. Here's some more information on that: Light Sensors
Showing posts with label Q and A Updates - The Robot Game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Q and A Updates - The Robot Game. Show all posts
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The Inventioneers' Take on Q and A's 23-24
23 - LOOP BONUSES
The Missions page tells you that the gray loop bonus is independent from the red loop bonus. This means they have nothing to do with each other. This does not mean you can only earn one. You can earn both.
Here is the mission #23 refers to:
The Missions page tells you that the gray loop bonus is independent from the red loop bonus. This means they have nothing to do with each other. This does not mean you can only earn one. You can earn both.
Here is the mission #23 refers to:
Friday, October 16, 2009
What's This About Field Damage?
Here's the Q and A from FIRST's webpage:
22 - ROBOT AFTER FIELD DAMAGE
Under Rule 27, the referee is supposed to restore the field to the condition it was in right before the damage. That would (unrealistically) include the robot. Unlike other objects in the field, the robot often continues moving, and may even make new changes before the referee gets to the scene. So these rulings are needed, mostly for referees:---If the robot damages an access marker while driving over it or getting stuck on it, the team must immediately interrupt the robot, bring it to Base, and lose an upright beacon, if there is one available at that time. Any changes made by the robot after the damage will also be "undone."
---If the robot damages an access marker and either backs or turns successfully away from it, the referee will decide if the damage was obviously intentional.
*If the damage was obviously intentional, the robot will be interrupted as described above.
*If the damage had any chance of being accidental, or due to a poor Dual Lock connection, the ref will simply fix the damage, and the robot will not be interrupted.
---Loops and yellow guide walls are known to be fragile, and damage to these will always draw a "benefit of the doubt" call (robot won't be interrupted unless the team wants it). BUT...Don't count on them breaking - tournament organizers have permission to glue them.---I'm officially not worried about the remaining models.
The Inventioneers: The moral of this story is - try to avoid field damage at all costs! Remember, your robot may not act the same way at a tournament as it does during practice at team meetings so if your robot's movements sometimes knock over an access marker, Murphy's Law may come into play when it's tournament time. So don't damage the field on purpose, especially the access markers, because this will cause the referees to take away the points that were scored after the damage and you will be forced to call a retrieval and a warning beacon will be removed (if there are any upright at the time) - a ten point retrieval penalty!
22 - ROBOT AFTER FIELD DAMAGE
Under Rule 27, the referee is supposed to restore the field to the condition it was in right before the damage. That would (unrealistically) include the robot. Unlike other objects in the field, the robot often continues moving, and may even make new changes before the referee gets to the scene. So these rulings are needed, mostly for referees:---If the robot damages an access marker while driving over it or getting stuck on it, the team must immediately interrupt the robot, bring it to Base, and lose an upright beacon, if there is one available at that time. Any changes made by the robot after the damage will also be "undone."
---If the robot damages an access marker and either backs or turns successfully away from it, the referee will decide if the damage was obviously intentional.
*If the damage was obviously intentional, the robot will be interrupted as described above.
*If the damage had any chance of being accidental, or due to a poor Dual Lock connection, the ref will simply fix the damage, and the robot will not be interrupted.
---Loops and yellow guide walls are known to be fragile, and damage to these will always draw a "benefit of the doubt" call (robot won't be interrupted unless the team wants it). BUT...Don't count on them breaking - tournament organizers have permission to glue them.---I'm officially not worried about the remaining models.
The Inventioneers: The moral of this story is - try to avoid field damage at all costs! Remember, your robot may not act the same way at a tournament as it does during practice at team meetings so if your robot's movements sometimes knock over an access marker, Murphy's Law may come into play when it's tournament time. So don't damage the field on purpose, especially the access markers, because this will cause the referees to take away the points that were scored after the damage and you will be forced to call a retrieval and a warning beacon will be removed (if there are any upright at the time) - a ten point retrieval penalty!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Another Game Q and A
This is the latest Q and A from Scott Evans:
21 - STRAY OBJECT SCOPE
The scope of objects that could become stray includes loose, valueless objects (such as the black pillars) as well as loose valuable objects and strategic objects. However, if a Dual-Locked object gets separated from the mat, that's considered "Field Damage" and the referee will restore it (Rule 27).
The Inventioneers: This means that as soon as any strategic object ("strategic objects are defined as team-supplied objects which you or your robot may use as tools or aids"), scoring objects (the loops, for example) and/or non scoring objects (pillars) are not in their original position they can be removed by the referee and that if the bridge, for example, comes off the mat it will be restored to its original position!
21 - STRAY OBJECT SCOPE
The scope of objects that could become stray includes loose, valueless objects (such as the black pillars) as well as loose valuable objects and strategic objects. However, if a Dual-Locked object gets separated from the mat, that's considered "Field Damage" and the referee will restore it (Rule 27).
The Inventioneers: This means that as soon as any strategic object ("strategic objects are defined as team-supplied objects which you or your robot may use as tools or aids"), scoring objects (the loops, for example) and/or non scoring objects (pillars) are not in their original position they can be removed by the referee and that if the bridge, for example, comes off the mat it will be restored to its original position!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The New Q and A's Just Keep Coming!
Hi again,
Just reminding new teams about the new Q and A's from Scott Evans at FIRST. With respect to #19 - if you are a rookie team, you may not truly appreciate the missions and table challenge this year. We felt that with 18 or so missions to accomplish last year, it was really overwhelming for new teams.
We think there are still plenty of tricky missions for Smart Move but many fewer than last year. We know teams that were a little discouraged by the sheer number of missions for Climate Connections. We think Mr. Evans has found a good balance between keeping it challenging this year without putting so much pressure on rookie teams.
The Inventioneers
The latest Q and A's from http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll/gameqa1.aspx:
15 - SEPARATED QUICKLY: Please be sure that anything you add to mission models can be removed in about 15 seconds when the ref gives the okay after the match.
16 - ROBOT CAN'T TOUCH MAT: For end-of-match options where the robot's drive wheels are touching yellow or red bridge decking, the robot must not be touching the mat.
19 - TIE-BREAKING: While this year's game is a tough challenge for most teams, some top teams are finding it somewhat easier than usual. I'm projecting multiple teams at some events, who will score 400 in all of their three matches. So the usual tie-breaking system, where we compare 2nd and finally 3rd highest scores would be insufficient. This is an alert to you "perfect" 400 teams, that some tournaments may give out multiple Performance Awards, some may decide to separate you by how FAST you get to 400, and some may hold head-to-head elimination matches. Other fair options are possible. The exact method for tie-breaking will be decided at the event, by the people running it.
20 - NO DUAL LOCK ON ROBOT: Where the Missions tell you "any constraint system is okay," for your crash-test figure aboard your robot, that doesn't mean you can ignore the Parts rule (Rule #2). "Everything you compete with must be made of LEGO elements..." (Dual Lock is not allowed)..
Just reminding new teams about the new Q and A's from Scott Evans at FIRST. With respect to #19 - if you are a rookie team, you may not truly appreciate the missions and table challenge this year. We felt that with 18 or so missions to accomplish last year, it was really overwhelming for new teams.
We think there are still plenty of tricky missions for Smart Move but many fewer than last year. We know teams that were a little discouraged by the sheer number of missions for Climate Connections. We think Mr. Evans has found a good balance between keeping it challenging this year without putting so much pressure on rookie teams.
The Inventioneers
The latest Q and A's from http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll/gameqa1.aspx:
15 - SEPARATED QUICKLY: Please be sure that anything you add to mission models can be removed in about 15 seconds when the ref gives the okay after the match.
16 - ROBOT CAN'T TOUCH MAT: For end-of-match options where the robot's drive wheels are touching yellow or red bridge decking, the robot must not be touching the mat.
17 - STRAY OBJECT EXCEPTIONS - 2: Since sensor walls could score while "upright" as well as "not upright," they could never be removed as stray objects under the original Rule 25. Yet teams are still writing in, wishing to have them removed. So this exception is being given: If a sensor wall has been moved, you may declare it stray, but once any wall is removed from the field, the referee will record the end-of-match condition of all walls to be "only one wall upright," no matter what the actual condition of the walls is. This reduces the max possible overall score you can get for walls to 10 points, so be sure the trade-off is worth it. This wording replaces previous wording from QA7.
18 - OBJECTS AT REST: Objects about to become "stray" (removable) are not actually stray until they come to rest. For example, the truck may NOT be interrupted by hand while it's moving.19 - TIE-BREAKING: While this year's game is a tough challenge for most teams, some top teams are finding it somewhat easier than usual. I'm projecting multiple teams at some events, who will score 400 in all of their three matches. So the usual tie-breaking system, where we compare 2nd and finally 3rd highest scores would be insufficient. This is an alert to you "perfect" 400 teams, that some tournaments may give out multiple Performance Awards, some may decide to separate you by how FAST you get to 400, and some may hold head-to-head elimination matches. Other fair options are possible. The exact method for tie-breaking will be decided at the event, by the people running it.
20 - NO DUAL LOCK ON ROBOT: Where the Missions tell you "any constraint system is okay," for your crash-test figure aboard your robot, that doesn't mean you can ignore the Parts rule (Rule #2). "Everything you compete with must be made of LEGO elements..." (Dual Lock is not allowed)..
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Q and A Reminders!
Hi teams!!!
We hope your season is off to a great start! Don’t forget to read the Q and A’s on the US FIRST website (see previous post). It is very important to stay updated on the Q and A’s because they can slightly change the rules and affect your robot strategy. Three new ones came out yesterday.
14 - REWARDS
The point values for parking on the bridge vs the target were not assigned by accident. If you can't figure out why a team would take a possibly higher risk for a possibly lower reward, feel free to ask them---not me.
13 - DRIVE WHEEL(S) DEFINED
Drive wheels/treads are those that would continue to move even after you pick your robot up.
15 - SEPARATED QUICKLY
Please be sure that anything you add to mission models can be removed in about 15 seconds when the ref gives the okay after the match.
There have also been updates to old Q and A’s. They are labeled as:
NEW:
9 - PARKED
Where the robot is required to be PARKED at the end of the match, it must be permanently stopped by the time the end-of-match signal starts.
CHANGED:
7 - STRAY OBJECT EXCEPTIONS
These are exceptions to the third bullet in Rule 25: The truck when not in contact with the red beam may be considered stray. The red beam with no truck will still be worth points. Sensor walls moved by the robot will be considered stray only if and when the TEAM asks for them to be removed. A removed wall will not count as upright, even if it was upright when removed.
12 - CRASH-TEST FIGURE
The entire figure must be part of your robot (see Rule 11) from buzzer to buzzer. Rule 16 allows you to place/load the figure aboard the robot before the start. The figure can touch the mat, but it has to stay intact.
We hope your season is off to a great start! Don’t forget to read the Q and A’s on the US FIRST website (see previous post). It is very important to stay updated on the Q and A’s because they can slightly change the rules and affect your robot strategy. Three new ones came out yesterday.
14 - REWARDS
The point values for parking on the bridge vs the target were not assigned by accident. If you can't figure out why a team would take a possibly higher risk for a possibly lower reward, feel free to ask them---not me.
13 - DRIVE WHEEL(S) DEFINED
Drive wheels/treads are those that would continue to move even after you pick your robot up.
15 - SEPARATED QUICKLY
Please be sure that anything you add to mission models can be removed in about 15 seconds when the ref gives the okay after the match.
There have also been updates to old Q and A’s. They are labeled as:
NOTE - CHANGE to QA 12 (for example)
Be sure to read those too – they can change older Q and A’s a little bit or completely!NEW:
9 - PARKED
Where the robot is required to be PARKED at the end of the match, it must be permanently stopped by the time the end-of-match signal starts.
CHANGED:
7 - STRAY OBJECT EXCEPTIONS
These are exceptions to the third bullet in Rule 25: The truck when not in contact with the red beam may be considered stray. The red beam with no truck will still be worth points. Sensor walls moved by the robot will be considered stray only if and when the TEAM asks for them to be removed. A removed wall will not count as upright, even if it was upright when removed.
12 - CRASH-TEST FIGURE
The entire figure must be part of your robot (see Rule 11) from buzzer to buzzer. Rule 16 allows you to place/load the figure aboard the robot before the start. The figure can touch the mat, but it has to stay intact.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Check those Q and A's !!
Scott Evans just posted 5 new messages on the Q and A page:
We thought this one (#10) was worth adding our two cents to, certainly the italics below are only our opinion, the rules themselves were directly copied from the Q and A page. We would be interested in your interpretations as well.
10 - EXTENDING TO BASE IS NOT REACHING BASE
"The 5th part of Rule 17 was offered as a friendly relief for robots which were engineered to return to Base, but needed a break upon entering, due to kid excitement or a bad angle. But in the face of growing over-interpretation of that rule change, you are informed here that the term "reaches Base" as used in Rules 17 and 30 shall only apply at the completion of an actual/obvious trip to Base. Extensions which drop, uncoil, shoot, telescope, etc., for the obvious purpose of avoiding the penalty for truly failing or not even trying to engineer a trip to Base will be treated like tethers, and not considered part of the robot."
The Inventioneers: In Inventioneers-speak, we interpret this to mean that if a part of your robot crosses the plane(s) of base as it is attempting to return to base, the entire robot and its contents (any retrievables in its possession) are considered in base. If the robot is just extending a piece/part/arm/beam/ into base without purposefully trying to get to base, the robot will still be considered active and a touch penalty will be incurred and any retrievables/deliverables in the robot's possession will not be considered in base.
Other new Q and A's:
8 - ADDING TO MISSION MODELS
Your hands can only operate in Base to add pieces to models. 2009 Rule Change A does not give you any new freedom to touch models outside Base. That would violate Rules 17 and 27.
9 - AT LEAST ONE DRIVE WHEEL OR TREAD
Where drive wheels or treads need to touch, at least one is all you need. This can be seen in at least one of the scoring diagrams labeled "scoring example."
11 - PARALLEL LOOPS
The loops on the southeast wall are placed parallel to the wall, as shown in the pictures. Those of you who thought this was obvious (95%) were right. Those of you who recognized that this missing text detail could cleanly have justified fields being set randomly were also right. So if you roll your eyes at Q&As like this one, remember, they're for your protection!
12 - BROKEN CRASH TEST FIGURE
Since any part of "A" touching "B" counts as "A" touching "B," understand that separated parts from your crash test figure touching the mat (example: the arm falls off) will cause a no-score for the crash test figure mission.
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