Raised platform for the playing field at the World Championship in Houston?

[Mentor 777]

Our team is advancing to the World Championship in Houston! We are very excited and look forward to going, along with about 5,000,000,000,000 new ideas for improvement to the robot!

I saw a post mentioning a raised platform at the Houston World Championship last year. Is that the norm? Will that be the case for this year?

It would be very nice to know beforehand, so we can practice the way the field will be set up. I do not recall seeing anything in the game manual related to a raised platform.

Thank you in advance for any clarification.

[FTC6041]

We noticed the lighting might be a little dim at Houston, but the fields were not really raised, except possibly the final field at the baseball field (but only the final teams go there). At our tournament, dim lighting affected some teams' camera programs, just a tip.

[6047 Coach]

Hey Mentor 777, I posted that last year right after Houston. The fields were raised for the finals at Minute Maid stadium. While we weren't playing, I was shocked watching from the stands that the field setup was changed from the rest of the season. I don't have a login to ask a question about this in the rules part of the forum, but I just sent a note requesting a login to post an official question about this issue. My position is that the field should be just like regular competitions. Seems obvious to me.

[RollerCoaster45]

They raised the field for detroit finals as well. It completely changes the dynamic of the game due to visibility. It is much harder to play this game with a raised field and I hope they consider not raising it for this upcoming worlds.

[FTC6047]

Finally got around to posting a question about this to get an official ruling. Even though only 12 teams will be playing at Minute Maid and Ford Field, it needs to be clarified.

[Mentor 777]

Finally got around to posting a question about this to get an official ruling. Even though only 12 teams will be playing at Minute Maid and Ford Field, it needs to be clarified.

Awesome! What section did you post the question in? Has there been an answer yet? In the chance that we are a part of one of the alliances in the final round, the question is pertinent. If the fields are to be raised there, some practice should be done accordingly. If it is raised, how much will it be raised? Should teams practice some on their knees to prepare? Sitting down? How elevated would they be? I agree that would change the game dramatically and should be avoided. If the field itself is to be raised for practical purposes based on the location of the final round, then the driver stations should be elevated accordingly so that the relationship of the driver and the field remains consistent.

[FTC6047]

I posted the question in the Field Setup section. No answer yet. The post only shows up when I'm logged in. Here is the text of my post...

Position of Alliance Stations Relative to Playing Field

03-18-2019, 08:33 AM
What is the appropriate vertical orientation of the Alliance Station relative to the Playing Field? The visuals in both Game Manual Part 2 and the Field Setup Guide show that the floor of the Alliance Station is level with the floor of the Playing Field. However, this is not specified in the text of either document. Here are my questions:

• Must the Alliance Stations be level with the Playing Field?
• If no, how high can the Playing Field be elevated and still be considered a correctly set Playing Field?
• If yes, will the Playing Fields at Minute Maid Park in Houston and Ford Field in Detroit be subject to this rule?

[NEOFTC]

In response to FTC 777, last year the alliances that were going to play on Ford field were given time in the afternoon to practice at Ford field.
Someone must think the site line for the audience or cameras must be better with an elevated platform and the drivers lower.