Doing VRC

[Sunny]

So..I heard we're doing VRC...and I immediately thought to myself..."WHAT?"

So before I give my opinions, I want to make sure of some facts.

1. How many VRC teams do we plan on taking?

2. Are we legitimately going to host an event? Or will it be more like a scrimmage?

3. I'm assuming this will replace the Mini-Lunacy competition that we've been planning?

4. If we're legitimately going to compete, then is once a week enough to meet? This is an actual competition with actual other teams possibly coming to attend.

[Tanner]

So..I heard we're doing VRC...and I immediately thought to myself..."WHAT?"

So before I give my opinions, I want to make sure of some facts.

1. How many VRC teams do we plan on taking?

2. Are we legitimately going to host an event? Or will it be more like a scrimmage?

3. I'm assuming this will replace the Mini-Lunacy competition that we've been planning?

4. If we're legitimately going to compete, then is once a week enough to meet? This is an actual competition with actual other teams possibly coming to attend.

1. How ever many we can build with our kits.
2. If things go as planned, it will be a official VRC Qualification "Regional".
3. "We've decided we're doing the Vex Robotics Challenge (VRC) instead of Underdrive in the Fall" - Yes.
4. Why not? Maybe twice or so. Would it be any easier to build Mini-Lunacy robots?

-Tanner

[Sunny]

1. How ever many we can build with our kits.
2. If things go as planned, it will be a official VRC Qualification "Regional".
3. "We've decided we're doing the Vex Robotics Challenge (VRC) instead of Underdrive in the Fall" - Yes.
4. Why not? Maybe twice or so. Would it be any easier to build Mini-Lunacy robots?

-Tanner

1. If you're serious about building robots can win competitions. You can make, max 2 robots with the kits we have, and I know Logan can vouch for that. And if you look at it, 2 small VRC robots between 40 students....

4. VRC/FTC are legitimate competitions. And it would be much easier to build mini-lunacy robots. If you remember, the UnderDrive bots were easy to build. Agreed that they were sub-par, but this fall competition was all about the new members and letting them in.

If we host a legitimate Regional, then we'd need legitimate teams. If we go to take 4-6 teams, which sounds about fair, we'll need to increase our inventory two-three fold. We'll need to order VEXnet upgrades that cost between $400-$600. The programming would cost more (but we'd have to spend money on that anyways).

[ptwortman]

So..I heard we're doing VRC...and I immediately thought to myself..."WHAT?"

So before I give my opinions, I want to make sure of some facts.

1. How many VRC teams do we plan on taking?

2. Are we legitimately going to host an event? Or will it be more like a scrimmage?

3. I'm assuming this will replace the Mini-Lunacy competition that we've been planning?

4. If we're legitimately going to compete, then is once a week enough to meet? This is an actual competition with actual other teams possibly coming to attend.

1. How ever many we can build with our kits.
2. If things go as planned, it will be a official VRC Qualification "Regional".
3. "We've decided we're doing the Vex Robotics Challenge (VRC) instead of Underdrive in the Fall" - Yes.
4. Why not? Maybe twice or so. Would it be any easier to build Mini-Lunacy robots?

-Tanner

1. what if there aren't enough materials for all? is that fair for some teams?
2. interesting...
3. also interesting...
4. we have to keep in mind that people can't be too overwhelmed. if we come and say "hey, be here these and these days," then people wont want to be bossed around like that....i suggest we start out with one meeting a week with the newbies, then tell them that we are slowly picking up the pace and getting 2 meetings a week, so on and so forth. this can also relieve some stresses that they may have, as well as give an idea on how the FRC season can possibly go (steady pace then picks up to finish and secure things) just a thought though..

[Sunny]

Also there are other things to consider if we choose to compete,

The VEX power expander is another part we're going to need. Then considering that a bot will be running with 2 robot batteries, we'll need more batteries. If we want to even the playing field, we might want to consider aluminum parts, which is expensive. Furthermore, tank treads are a staple of any VEX robot, and we know that Logan hogs treads, so we'll need to order more.

I'm all for this competition, if I believed we could pull it off. It would take roughly 4-5K for us to obtain the right materials to compete with 4-6 teams.

EDIT: Not to mention, that almost all competition robots run with 2 controllers. So we'd to buy more controllers depending on how many teams we have.

[ptwortman]

im just saying right here and now, im shooting this down. i dont think it can happen, but it aint my place to decide. ya'll do w/e u need, but keep in mind that budget must be used efficiently, and we can't do things that aren't even needed in the first place, its a bad idea in my opinion.

but hey, ya'll do what u want, i just work here.

[Tanner]

1. what if there aren't enough materials for all? is that fair for some teams?
2. interesting...
3. also interesting...
4. we have to keep in mind that people can't be too overwhelmed. if we come and say "hey, be here these and these days," then people wont want to be bossed around like that....i suggest we start out with one meeting a week with the newbies, then tell them that we are slowly picking up the pace and getting 2 meetings a week, so on and so forth. this can also relieve some stresses that they may have, as well as give an idea on how the FRC season can possibly go (steady pace then picks up to finish and secure things) just a thought though..

1. Well, we get more? In the beginning we will find some happy medium between number of teams and number of VEX parts we have; so that each team has the same amount of parts. Teams could then trade if they want and if they need something more then we could purchase it.

4. That sounds like a good idea, this would be the same thing as FRC so that makes sense.

The VEX power expander is another part we're going to need. Then considering that a bot will be running with 2 robot batteries, we'll need more batteries. If we want to even the playing field, we might want to consider aluminum parts, which is expensive. Furthermore, tank treads are a staple of any VEX robot, and we know that Logan hogs treads, so we'll need to order more.

I'm all for this competition, if I believed we could pull it off. It would take roughly 4-5K for us to obtain the right materials to compete with 4-6 teams.

EDIT: Not to mention, that almost all competition robots run with 2 controllers. So we'd to buy more controllers depending on how many teams we have.

I don't see any part in the rules that say we NEED it. If the teams can build a robot with one battery, so be it. If they cannot - then we can get that, but we don't need to go off buying six of them if we don't need them. What would be so beneficial of Al parts? If it is just general parts, we can get more if we need more. If anyone wants treads, we can get treads. I think we've got several in our kits.

I can't see any part in the rules that says we NEED two controllers. It says the max is two controllers, but it doesn't say we need them. Even if we needed more, teams can just borrow them - its unlikely that all four to six of our teams will be playing at the same time.

im just saying right here and now, im shooting this down. i dont think it can happen, but it aint my place to decide. ya'll do w/e u need, but keep in mind that budget must be used efficiently, and we can't do things that aren't even needed in the first place, its a bad idea in my opinion.

Any reason why you don't think it is possible? I know the budget needs to be useful which is why I said about if we don't need it or have a use for fifty of them, then we can wait. If we can do this right, then hopefully each team will be successful in some sort of way. Successful may not be winning, it may just be having a robot that is competing with twenty other robots in the county/state.

-Tanner

[Tanner]

1. If you're serious about building robots can win competitions. You can make, max 2 robots with the kits we have, and I know Logan can vouch for that. And if you look at it, 2 small VRC robots between 40 students....

4. VRC/FTC are legitimate competitions. And it would be much easier to build mini-lunacy robots. If you remember, the UnderDrive bots were easy to build. Agreed that they were sub-par, but this fall competition was all about the new members and letting them in.

If we host a legitimate Regional, then we'd need legitimate teams. If we go to take 4-6 teams, which sounds about fair, we'll need to increase our inventory two-three fold. We'll need to order VEXnet upgrades that cost between $400-$600. The programming would cost more (but we'd have to spend money on that anyways).

And I miss one post. Drat.

1. Well, it may be that way. If it turns up that we can order a few more. I know you make two robots with all our kits, but seriously - I have seen pictures and I highly doubt any of our teams will end of up looking like that, maybe close, but not that far.

4. The Underdrive robots didn't do much - they either went in circles or pushed balls off the rack. As far as I know, from what I've read and understood of the game so far, both games would require the robots to pick up and manipulate balls. Who says it can't be allowing new members? The game will be whatever we make of it.

There is a strong push by local mentors to participate in VRC this year. If we were to host a mini-Lunacy, we would just be "diluting the water". In SRC, teams who attend don't get to advance either to championships or such. In VRC, they can while we can as well.

If we host a legitimate Regional, then we'd need legitimate teams. If we go to take 4-6 teams, which sounds about fair, we'll need to increase our inventory two-three fold. We'll need to order VEXnet upgrades that cost between $400-$600. The programming would cost more (but we'd have to spend money on that anyways)

Two-three fold? As I said in my other post, we will meet this problems as they occur. We will order a few more kits to "kick us off" in the beginning and see where we go from that. From what I've read a qualification regional can either use the new VEXNet stuff or the old radio crystals. I'll get this verified to see if it is so.

-Tanner

[Sunny]

And I miss one post. Drat.

1. Well, it may be that way. If it turns up that we can order a few more. I know you make two robots with all our kits, but seriously - I have seen pictures and I highly doubt any of our teams will end of up looking like that, maybe close, but not that far.

4. The Underdrive robots didn't do much - they either went in circles or pushed balls off the rack. As far as I know, from what I've read and understood of the game so far, both games would require the robots to pick up and manipulate balls. Who says it can't be allowing new members? The game will be whatever we make of it.

There is a strong push by local mentors to participate in VRC this year. If we were to host a mini-Lunacy, we would just be "diluting the water". In SRC, teams who attend don't get to advance either to championships or such. In VRC, they can while we can as well.

If we host a legitimate Regional, then we'd need legitimate teams. If we go to take 4-6 teams, which sounds about fair, we'll need to increase our inventory two-three fold. We'll need to order VEXnet upgrades that cost between $400-$600. The programming would cost more (but we'd have to spend money on that anyways)

Two-three fold? As I said in my other post, we will meet this problems as they occur. We will order a few more kits to "kick us off" in the beginning and see where we go from that. From what I've read a qualification regional can either use the new VEXNet stuff or the old radio crystals. I'll get this verified to see if it is so.

-Tanner

Right now, we have roughly 24 motors, and each robot can use upto 10.

See, you say that we don't NEED two controllers, and we don't NEED a VEX power expander, but it's part of the competition isn't it? This isn't some team competition where we can take sub-par robots and expect it to be all dandy. No one, not even the out of school participants, took UnderDrive seriously. In this event, teams will come with full strength. They WILL use two controllers, they WILL have the power expander and I'm willing to bet that each one of them will be maxing out whatever they can in order to get to Dallas.

I think that if we can't commit 100% to this, which apparently we're not willing to do because of budget constraints and stuff, then I don't see a reason to get involved with a large number of teams.

I just don't want our teams taken as a joke. You have to understand that this isn't some mock-up half-hearted competition, this is the real VEX deal, and I have a feeling that you just don't understand how extreme teams will get when it comes to this. We'll already be up against the wall with having a few veterans and mostly rookie teams, and then we're low on parts to start with. The Bots that have a fighting chance will look like the ones that Logan and I created, heck I'm sure that the really successful ones will employ a much more complex system.

And just ordering the kits isn't quite enough. I mean I've posted about the Tank Treads and countless other upgrades we're going to need in order to have a chance at this competition.

Also, VEXnet is required within the rules, so all teams need to make sure that their systems have that capabilities. That is why we bought 2 for the VRC teams we already had planned.