Competition Seasons
To learn more about MARS' participation in FIRST challenges, click on a particular year's game.
2008: FIRST Overdrive
FIRST Overdrive is a game played on the track. Two Alliances, one red and one blue, composed of three teams each, compete in each match. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by making counter-clockwise laps with your robot around the track while moving large trackballs over and/or under the overpass that bisects the track.
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2007: Rack 'N' Roll
This years game is called Rack 'N' Roll. Like previous years, Rack 'N' Roll is played with two alliances, red and blue, each consisting of three robotson each alliance. In the middle of the playing field there is a rack consisting of 24 spiders legs. The game is based on placing three different types of inner tubes (Keepers, Ringers, and Spoliers) on these spiders legs, makeing rows and columns of the two inner tubes and up. During a 15 second "autonomous" mode, the robots will attempt to place a "keeper" tube on one of the 24 spider legs using only a color vision tracking system. When placed, the "keeper" tube may not be removed. During the second period of 2 minutes, the robots are no longer on auto drive. The drivers take control, and robots are now open to free play, placeing "ringers" for more points and "spoilers" on the opposing teams spider legs to cancel out their row or column of points. At the end of the two minute period,alliances may score extra points by elavating the other robots in their home zones 4" or more off the ground when the buzzer is sounded.
2006: Aim High
Aim High is played by two alliances, red and blue, each consisting of three robots. During a 10 second autonomous mode, robots will be programmed to score into any of the three goals: one raised center goal marked by a green vision target and two corner goals at floor level. At the end of the autonomous period, the alliance with the most points will gain a 10 point bonus and will be placed on defense for round two. Rounds two, three, and four, which are each 40 seconds long, are human-controlled rounds. Between rounds two and three, the alliances will switch from offense to defense, or from defense to offense accordingly. At the start of round 4, any alliance can score into their corresponding goals. At the end of the match, an alliance can receive bonus points by placing its three robots on a platform below the center goal. The alliance with the most points wins. Scoring will be as follows: 3 points for any ball scored in the center goal, 1 point for any ball scored in the corner goals; 10 bonus points for scoring the highest in the autonomous round; and 25 points for placing all 3 robots on the platform at the end (10 for 2 and 5 for 1).
2005: Triple Play
This game was the first game in which there were three robots to an alliance, the alliances being either the red alliance or the blue alliance. It featured tetrahedrans or "tetras"(4 sided pyramids) made of PVC pipe as the scoring object. The game was played on a field set up like a tic-tac-toe board, with nine larger goals, also shaped as tetras in three rows of three. The object of the game was to place the scoring tetras on the larger goals, creating rows of three by having a tetra of your alliance’s color at the highest point on the goal.
