Introducing the 2017-2018 VIQC Game, Ringmaster
Game Page:
Game Video:
Game Products:
Max Score: 635? (60 * 10 + 20 + 5 * 3)
Looks great! Will 2 rings on the same post be already considered all rings of the same color?
Whoops, just downloaded the manual. 2 is enough.
That is what I was seeing too…
Are the two horizontal prongs on each horizontal post considered to be scored together or separately, when considering uniform status? For example, if there are four red rings on top and four green rings on bottom, is each section considered uniform or is the overall post nonuniform?
Great Question mtaylor.
The way I read it, in the Game Definitions: There are only 2 Horizontal Posts (says: “one of two”) so both levels of the post have to be the same color to have a “uniform post”.
So, the max score is actually only 608. I am certain of this!! I will post irrifutable evidence of this tomorrow. However, I challenge you all to come up with it on your own.
Feel free to post the reason for 608 max score before I do, tomorrow.
Also, If it is still uniform to have 1 color on the top bar and a different color on the bottom bar of a horizontal post. The max score is still only 626.
BTW, if was great to see and meet many of you at VEX Worlds 2017.
Paul Meyers
I guess max score depends on how many rings can fit on each post. What are you assuming?
I don’t have the kit but am assuming: 6 on each low post, 10 on each horizontal (2X5), 16 on the high post [though I would think getting 10 on each horizontal might be next to impossible]
If that then would max score be:
20+15+200 (20 of color1; e.g. utilizing all horizontal spots) + 200 (20 of color2;utilizing 16 high post and 4 low post) + 180 (18 of color 3; say 6X3 low posts) + 2 points for remaining color 3.
That would be 617. Obviously I am assuming one more 10 pointer than Paul, but I am not certain of my assumptions on how many would fit on each.
By inspecting the field CAD, the low posts have 6 inches of ‘useable space’, the high post has 20 inches, and the horizontal bars show 4 inches to the inside of the capturing member on the outside. Each ring is one inch thick nominally. So (in theory) 6 rings could fit on each low post (6x4=24), 8 rings could fit on each horizontal post (4x2x2=16), and 20 could fit on the high post. 24+16+20=60 rings accounted for. If the right ‘set’ of low-horizontal-low is all red rings, the high post is all green, and the right ‘set’ is all blue, that gives total uniformity so 6010=600 + 20 for the released tray + 15 for the three emptied pegs = 635.
However, if physics holds true, and the rings do not stay horizontal on the pegs, there could be situations in which the vertical posts hold one fewer ring than theory would allow. For the five vertical posts, that would yield 5510+20+15+5(presumably the unposted rings would be scored in the 1-point goal) = 590 points.
…or I guess if the horizontal fits 8, the low fit 7 and high fits 17 I agree with Paul’s numbers.
The game manual says: ‘overall height of 20"’, however when opening the CAD, the high post is actually 24" tall (and since you lose ~3.5" to the support structure at the bottom, that does leave 20" of usable post, on which 20 rings of 1 color can be stacked.
So… You can stack 20 on the high post, and 6, 8, 6 on the posts to the right of it. and 6, 8, 6 on the posts to the left of it, and the max score is indeed 635.
Here is a CAD x-section of the High Post with 20 rings on it:
Sorry for the mistake above.
Paul
Also, while looking over the CAD for Ringmaster, I noticed that almost all of the connections to the field are made with 0x2 connector pins, which means when the game elements are pulled from the field the pins will not be left in the field. This is very help to those of us that have to regularly disassemble fields. Nice improvement over the Crossover field elements. Kudos GDC!
Paul
I feel as though this game is somewhat inconsiderate to those volunteers who have to continuously reset the field during competitions…
Lots of different proposed max scores for the Ringmaster game…here are my calculations and assumptions that show 635 as the theoretical max. Now, to do this in 60 seconds…???
Yes De1taTaco
Field reset will be a pain (although not at bad as VRC Nothing But Net). It will be every field reseter’s hope that the bonus tray remains undisturbed. The 20 points that are gained by dumping the bonus tray is not very much (equal to just 2 rings of the same color placed on a new post). So… I expect to see some teams not dumping the tray (until they need to get to the rings in it).
Paul
As with all games (other than NBN where you needed to pray to the God of Ball Stacks every time…) I think after the first few days, field reset will be no problem and done without even thinking about it. We’ll probably make some kind of stick for resetting the tray to make it a bit easier.
For the teamwork challenge or skills manual control. Is it legal to write a program that rescales the controller for our desired level of sensitivity vs speed. How far can we go. Could we tell the the same program to always run one motor, so we don’t have to hold down the controller button if we just want to run a ring conveyor belt continuously? Thank you
I don’t see any rules against doing that. Programming is a generic part of the robot. Your controller comes with preconfigured programs.
You can do this and you SHOULD do this. The more you do with sensors and with programming the better your teams will be. Look at the robot not has a dumb machine you have to tell everything to do, but as a smart player that can help. After all the robot is right there on the field.
Your motors can not be running before the match starts. So the drivers will need to press a button on the remote to start the motor. The program may say something like:
if e_up_pressed, turn on motor
if e_down_pressed turn off motor
When they release e_up, the motor will continue to run.
Is it ok to use remote control buttons? We were concerned about judge picking on this “interaction through the remote control” and have been using the touch led sensor for that. If it is indeed allowed I will definitely move that function to remote buttons, maybe even add a calibration button as well.