RE: [VADCFLL-L] Question on the "Test Levees"
mission
Yes, I think that activating the storm is one of the very-easy
missions.
The challenge is more interesting for teams that strive for the
elusive "perfect 400" and thus don't want to leave it to
chance that the storm will knock them down to 395. In that case,
there's a universe of strategies for how to nullify the storm and
still stay within the rules.
Mike
Ok thanks. On re-reading I think I get
both your points. I guess I was looking for more of a challenge
here - seems like this a pretty wimpy mission- all you basically
have to do is push down to release the wheel which is just outside of
base (and make sure you didn't put anything in the way of its travel
beforehand).
From: First Lego League Discussion
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael
Blanpied
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 7:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VADCFLL-L] Question on the "Test Levees"
mission
Glenn,
I don't agree with your points 1 and 2.
The point of the mission is to give the storm a chance to batter the
levees. Actions are precluded if they prevent the storm from doing so.
If the storm is a wimpy one that rolls through a gap, that's the
storm's fault, not the team's.
1. Ruling 17 says that the storm
wheel must be allowed to hit or miss the levees. If it rolls through a
gap, then it has missed. At that point it no longer matters whether it
later coasts to a stop, hits the wall, veers off down the table, or
hits a strategic object.
2. Pre-existing levees are not strategic
objects. Thus, the storm is not "strategically blocked" if
it hits a pre-existing levee. (In fact, part of the point is that the
storm likely WILL hit one of those levees, in the absence of clever
action on the part of the team, and may cost the team five points in
so doing. In that case the team gains 15 points for the storm and
loses 5 points for the fallen levee, a net gain of 10
points.)
And remember, when it comes to counting
levee points, the only thing that matters is which ones are standing,
and on what color of low-lying shore, at the end of the match. How the
levees ended up there is completely up to the team; since there's
nothing said about that, anything goes, anything at all.
Cheers,
Mike Blanpied
I'm still a bit unclear on the "test levees"
mission and thought I'd get the opinion of this group. The mission
description and latest rule updates (from the Q&A) are as
follows:
Mission: See how levees survive when a storm
approaches (activate the wheel-roller). The wheel must be allowed to
roll freely until it either hits or misses the levees. The activation
is worth 15 points whether the levees are hit or missed, but worth no
points if the wheel is strategically blocked by anything other than
released levees near or past the green shore.
RULING 17 - Levee Blocking 1
Nothing new here; just re-stating based on questions: 1)
The storm wheel must be allowed to "hit or miss" levies, so
the robot can't tamper with the thrower's operation (If I throw a
baseball at the moon, of course it won't hit the moon, but did I miss?
No!---My arm was too wimpy to give me the chance to miss), and 2) The
only levee blocks allowed to block the wheel are those far enough away
from the thrower as to be considered "near" the shores by
the referee. Make them obviously closer than half way if you want a
favorable call from the ref.
RULING 19 - Levee Blocking 2
A strategic object in the pink grid area is not a problem
if the wheel never hits it. So if you're reinforcing your delivered
levies with a strategic object, make sure the levies themselves are
still what the storm would hit, and you'll be all set.
The question is on the interpretation of the phrase
"worth no points if the wheel is strategically blocked by
anything other than released levees". Here's how I
interpret the rule.
1. The wheel rolls
through a gap in the levees and is eventually stopped by the wall of
the competition table: 0 Points, the wheel was blocked by something
other than a "released levee" (but was it
"strategically blocked" ??).
2. The wheel is
blocked by one of the three pre-existing levees that were in place at
the start of the round: 0 Points, the rule says only "released"
levees are allowed to block it (I presume that means ones that the
robot has placed there?).
3. The wheel coasts to
a stop without running into anything: 15 Points.
If I understand the gist of this challenge, it's to
"release" the levees in such a manner that they stop the
"storm" (wheel).
Does this sound right??:
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