[robocup-legged] 11x11 RoboCup match

[Oskar von Stryk]

Dear 4L Teams,

11x11 is, of course, a nice idea which may draw a lot of public attention.
But if a lot of media is circulated around the mid size field watching 
11x11 Aibos then we would like to see some reasonable soccer like 
behavior and do not want to have the media people shaking their heads 
about the confusion on the field caused by Aibos without orientation on 
the field. Videos documenting a bad 11x11 demo game may be connected
with the 4L league in the public awareness.

On the other side no 4L team really can afford to spend a lot of extra time
on this special event, because credits are given only in the regular
soccer competition and the challenges.

Therefore, the setup for the 11x11 demonstration must be defined
in a way to facilitate the adaption of existing software:

- Lightning:
  Sufficient lightning for the Aibos on the whole middle size field 
  and on any beacons around the field is a must.

- Localization:
  Sufficent orientiation is also a must for a proper soccer game.
  The ML field dimension in 2005, see
	http://www.idt.mdh.se/rc/Mid-Size/ (--> "Rules")
	http://www.idt.mdh.se/rc/Mid-Size/Documents/msl-rules-2005-20050625.pdf
  was 8m x 12m, whereas the 4L field is 4m x 6m.

  The width of the ML field is 2m longer than the total length of the 4L field !
  Therefore it will be extremely difficult to use
  ML beacons for localization.

  The ML field line width is <= 12.5cm in the rule book. Some lines may be 
  detected but corners or edges may be difficult to see from many positions
  on the field as well.
  Localization based on the lines only may also be very difficult.

  Therefore it is strongly advisable to use additional aids,
  like several additional beacons around the ML field for the 11x11 demo.
  Why not using at least 4 (or 6) additional beacons on each side
  and also some on each goal side?

  --> We need a proper definition of the 11x11 demo field layout
 	with the field dimensions, the lines and line width
	and the position and colours of additional beacons for orientation. 
	Who will be taking care of this?

- Communication:
  If not just the software of one regular 4L team is used on all 11 Aibos
  of the 11x11 demo game, then we need to define, e.g., the data 
  to be exchanged between Aibos of different teams enabling team play.

--> Who is taking care of organizating the required definitions
    (and proper installation in Bremen)?

It would be very helpful if the 4L Technical Committee could take care of 
this and possibly publish a document describing the modified  ML field setup
for the 11x11 demo after discussion on the mailing list.
It would also be helpful if all teams could know this setup early, e.g.,
by the end of February.

Btw, does the current 4L game controller already support 
two teams of 11 players?
And labels with numbers from 1 to 11 (14 incl. substitute players) 
are needed for each team.

Best wishes to a happy and successful new year to all 4L teams!
Looking forward to seeing you in Bremen!

Oskar von Stryk
Darmstadt Dribbling Dackels, Member of German Team
www.dribbling-dackels.de

On Tue, 3 Jan 2006, Thomas Röfer wrote:

> > As a bystander in this discussion, I am just wondering about 
> > the proper illumination. To the best of my knowledge, the 
> > mid-size field is illuminated
> > insufficiently for AIBOs to operate with their poor visual sensors.	
> > 
> > Is it really an issue? If yes, will it be addresed?
> 
> Hi,
> 
> since it is also planned to have four-legged games on the center court (on a
> normal four-legged league field), there has to be some extra lighting. I
> believe if we ask for sufficient lighting for the entier MSL field, we will
> get it (for the center court only).
> 
> Best regards
> 
> Thomas Röfer
>