Day 1.1: Game Manual Breakdown
Important
ONLY THE OFFICIAL GAME MANUAL OR FIRST Q&A CAN BE USED FOR RULE CLARIFICATIONS DURING THE SEASON
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 |
Research questions
Important
When recording answers cite section/subsection/paragraph (e.g. 5.1 paragraph 2) where the information was found
What are point values?
- Are points time based or quantity based?
- 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?
- 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 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 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 obscructions?
- 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
Manual Breakdown steps
Reading
Tip
Just read title of evergreen rules
- Break into groups
- 3 groups, 2 mentors per group
- Different manual sections
- Give each group a copy of the research questions
- Within groups
- Designate scribe
- Read each paragraph aloud
- For each paragraph, discuss with group if any research questions were answered, or if you want to add any extra notes at bottom
- Record answers to questions
- Record any questions about the manual/rules that come up
Presenting
- Regroup as whole team
- 2 presenters for each group come up
- Mentors ask 1 research question at a time
- Presenters state their answers to questions regardless of group
- Create master list of answers to research questions
- Repeat for next question
- Any presenter can add additonal comments to a question, as well as provide their answer if already answered
- Review master list of analysis questions and fill gaps/come back to anything we skipped
- Each individual group presents extra notes/questions
- Create master list of extra notes
- Create master list of questions to ask FIRST Q&A