Day 1.1: Game Manual Breakdown

Game Manual Download

Groups

#	Section Name	Group	Mentor
1	Introduction	Read after meeting
2	FIRST Season Overview	Read after meeting
3	Game Sponsor Recognition	Read after meeting
4	Game Overview (~1pg)	Everyone
5	Arena (~30pgs) Skip FMS section Focus on Field Zones Element Names Focus on Game Zone Locations Focus on Important Dimensions	1	Blake
7	Game rules Robots (~10pgs)	1	Blake
8	Game Rules Humans (10pgs)	2	Eli
9	Robot construction (~30pgs) focus on starting config (9.1)	2	Eli
6	Match Play (~10 pgs)	3	Tayler

Manual Breakdown steps

Reading

1. Before breaking out, read to whole group research questions as examples of what they should be looking for/thinking about
2. Break into groups
   1. 3 groups, 2 mentors per group
   2. Different manual sections
   3. Each group has Google Slide or Google Docs for notes
3. Within groups
   1. Designate primary scribe
   2. Read each paragraph aloud
   3. Take free form notes on key takeaways
   4. Copy/paste original rule, into scratch notes or slides
   5. Copy/paste pictures and tables into scratch note or slides
   6. Write interpretation of rule
   7. Record any questions about the manual/rules that come up
   8. After reading and taking notes refine into presentation
   9. For important items, write rule, then takeaway/interpretation (TLDR)
   10. If time permits, answer research questions as a group
   11. Record answers in notes doc

Presenting

1. Regroup as whole team
2. 1 presenter for each group comes up
3. Have student run through slides, and answer any questions from group
4. Once presentations are done, begin running through research questions with whole team making a master list. Ask 1 research question at a time.
   1. Students state their answers to questions regardless of group
   2. Fill out master list of answers to research questions
   3. Repeat for next question
5. Review master list of research questions and fill gaps/come back to anything we skipped
6. Create master list of un-answered questions to ask FIRST Q&A or Chief Delphi

Research questions

What are point values?

• Are points given based on quantity scored, or time of ownership (ex. 2018), or both?
• Are there limits/restrictions when scoring can occur?
• Are there limits/restrictions on how many points can be scored?
• Are there ranking points?

Robot Constraints

• What are robot size constraints?
• What are robot weight limits?

Zones (boundaries)

• Where are Protected Zones?
• What are their penalty points?
• Where are Scoring Zones? (Field Zones you can legally score in)
• Where are Non-scoring Zones? (illegal to score)
• How many robots are allowed in each zone?
• Where do robots start match?
• Where are robots during auto?
• Where are robots during tele-op? (Full vs Half Field Cycles)
• Where do robots end in the match?

Scoring Elements (aka Game Pieces)

• How many scoring elements can the robot preload?
• How many scoring elements can the robot legally hold?
• Are they alliance dependent?
• Is the scoring element fragile?
• Is the scoring element compressible?
• How are scoring elements introduced to the field?
• Do they start on field?
• Are they recieved via a human player?
• How many does the human player have?
• Can the human player receive more?
• Can the human play hold multiple at once?
• Are there multiple human player stations with scoring elements?
• What are scoring elements scored into? (field elements)
• Are there multiple field elements to score into?
• Do these scoring locations give different point values
• Are they recycled back to the field or do they leave the field forever

Arena

• Does the arena change match to match? (Ex Scoring location or layout)
• Is the arena mirrored, or rotated?
• Can robots access both sides of the field?
• Is field the flat or does it have any raised ground?
• Are there obstructions for scoring or driving (e.g. overhangs, driving under things)
• Where are the scoring locations?
• How many scoring locations per alliance?
• Is scoring location shared with opposing alliance?
• Are there quantity limits on how many scoring elements can be scored in a field element/scoring location?
• Is the field dynamic, does anything move or swing?
• What are the field elements' names and quantities
• Names
• Key images
• rough dimensions
• Relative scale to robot (robot w/bumpers is 34x34 inches)
• Where are the human players?
• How many human players are allowed on the Arena?
• Where are the drivers relative to scoring, and collecting?
• What locations can robots get scoring elements from?
• Are their vision obstructions?
• Where are the april tags?

Extra notes

• Any other important information not covered by the questions above

Extra questions

• Any questions on rules that come up during reading
• Any clarifications needed on how the rules are written
• Any questions that need to be sent to FIRST Q&A