Making next year's game pieces available during the current season...

[pruckelshaus]

Each year sample game piece packs (i.e. the $80 kit for this year) are available for purchase AFTER the next challenge announcement at World’s. Would it be possible to make those kits available well before the announcement is made? I understand that there can’t be a description of what the pieces are, but our school budget tends to get locked before World’s, and I then can’t order until the new fiscal year begins in July. I don’t know, list it on the web site for sale as as “2018-2019 Game Elements”, make them all pre-order for the predefined amount of money ($80), that way schools and teams in similar situations can get their pieces earlier and with less hassle.

If this is confusing, let me know and I’ll try to explain what I mean better.

[Barin]

@pruckelshaus

Each year sample game piece packs (i.e. the $80 kit for this year) are available for purchase AFTER the next challenge announcement at World’s. Would it be possible to make those kits available well before the announcement is made? I understand that there can’t be a description of what the pieces are, but our school budget tends to get locked before World’s, and I then can’t order until the new fiscal year begins in July. I don’t know, list it on the web site for sale as as “2018-2019 Game Elements”, make them all pre-order for the predefined amount of money ($80), that way schools and teams in similar situations can get their pieces earlier and with less hassle.

If this is confusing, let me know and I’ll try to explain what I mean better.

I would like this too. By the time we can put in a purchase order for the new elements, district officials seem to already be on summer break even though the school year isn’t yet over, forcing us to wait weeks into the new year for anything to arrive (and even for the transaction to be processed).

[kmmohn]

@Barin

forcing us to wait weeks into the new year

We got out competition field element 4-days before we hosted our event on August 5. That’s uncomfortably close! Since the games are obviously designed well in advance, I don’t see any reason (other than poor logistics) that we shouldn’t be able to purchase the game elements right at VEX Worlds after the new game is released. I expect VEX would sell an entire semi-trailer of game elements and we (at least those who drive to worlds) would save on shipping.

[TheColdedge]

I would also like to see something like this.

[DRow]

@pruckelshaus

Each year sample game piece packs (i.e. the $80 kit for this year) are available for purchase AFTER the next challenge announcement at World’s. Would it be possible to make those kits available well before the announcement is made? I understand that there can’t be a description of what the pieces are, but our school budget tends to get locked before World’s, and I then can’t order until the new fiscal year begins in July. I don’t know, list it on the web site for sale as as “2018-2019 Game Elements”, make them all pre-order for the predefined amount of money ($80), that way schools and teams in similar situations can get their pieces earlier and with less hassle.

If this is confusing, let me know and I’ll try to explain what I mean better.

Great suggestion, this makes perfect sense to me. I’m sure this would be a big help for a lot of other people in the same position as you. While I obviously can’t guarantee anything, I’ve passed this along for VEX Management to review!

[Aponthis]

@Barin

I would like this too. By the time we can put in a purchase order for the new elements, district officials seem to already be on summer break even though the school year isn’t yet over, forcing us to wait weeks into the new year for anything to arrive (and even for the transaction to be processed).

We always just split a kit (edit: with personal money) with @Highwayman for our summer practice. Usually it’s enough to get started (a mobile goal and ten cones was totally adequate this year, for example).

[Alumination_Robotics]

This does make a lot of sense. VEX could even ship them out to the pre-order people during the game announcement at worlds.

[Ankush_G]

This could work out really well in Vex’s favor as well, as they’ll have a better idea of the demand before they actually ship.

@DRow Any idea if this is also possible for V5?

[DRow]

@phantom285A

This could work out really well in Vex’s favor as well, as they’ll have a better idea of the demand before they actually ship.

@DRow Any idea if this is also possible for V5?

[Brian_9605A]

I would be very happy if Vex sold quarter field kits at worlds. I presume that full field kits would be unethical because that’s too high of a demand to meet at worlds and still have enough objects for everyone who wants to buy them to get some. I would not mind standing in line for 2 hours to get them

[tabor473]

@Brian_9605A

I would be very happy if Vex sold quarter field kits at worlds. I presume that full field kits would be unethical because that’s too high of a demand to meet at worlds and still have enough objects for everyone who wants to buy them to get some. I would not mind standing in line for 2 hours to get them

They have in the past. The only question is if they have enough stock already in from China.