[robocup-small] RoboCup 2018: Tournament Format and Schedule

[Christian Lobmeier]

Hi teams,

this mail is all about the field configuration, the tournament formats, the
seeding and the schedule of the upcoming RoboCup.

*Field Configuration*
Since there is a large amount of changes this year, the tournament will
also look different from past RoboCup events. We will have two separate
tournaments running at the same time, both with different field
requirements. In division A, 12 teams will play on a 9x12m field and in
division B, 9 teams will play on a 6x9m field. Since the space in the venue
is limited, we will use the following field configuration:

- Field A (9x12m): used for official games for division A only
- Field B (6x9m): used for official games for division B only
- Field C (6x9m): used as a practice field for both divisions

All teams can use field C for testing purposes. The OC will distribute time
slots for field C. If there is time left between two games on field A or B,
the two teams that will play the next game on these fields can use this
time for testing their system. However, it cannot be guaranteed that the
teams get testing time on field A or B, especially if there are delays in
the schedule.



*Tournament Formats*
The tournament formats are tailored towards the specific requirements of
the two divisions.

In division A the focus lies on having an exciting (especially for the
viewers) elimination phase while also guaranteeing that the best teams
don't eliminate each other early in the tournament. At the RoboCup 2018,
the 12 teams in division A will be divided into 4 groups of 3. After the
short group stage, all teams will advance into the double elimination
stage. The winner of each group will start in the upper bracket while the
second and third team of each group will start in the lower bracket. This
format guarantees that the two best teams of the SSL will face off against
each other in the grand final, regardless of the group stage seeding.

In division B, the focus lies on having as much games against similarly
skilled teams as possible. At the RoboCup 2018, the 9 teams in division B
will play a 6 round swiss format. This means that after each round, the
teams are ranked according to their score. In the following round, teams
with similar score play against each other. The winner of division B is the
team with the highest score after round 6. This format guarantees that
every team in division B will play at least 5 official games.

A more detailed explanation of the tournament formats can be found here:
http://wiki.robocup.org/Small_Size_League/RoboCup_2018/Schedule_and_Results



*Seeding*
The seeding of the groups in division A as well as the first round in
division B will take place on June 4, 2018, exactly 14 days before the
start of the official games.

For division A, I will use the ssl-grouping tool
<https://github.com/RoboCup-SSL/ssl-grouping>. The teams.txt that will be
used is attached to this mail. Please note that not only the results of the
RoboCup 2017 have been used, but also the results of previous RoboCups as
well as other tournaments (Iran Open, Asia-Pacific, ...). Like last year,
to get the random numbers for the seeding I will use
https://www.random.org/integers/?mode=advanced with the following
parameters:
- Part 1: Number of integers to generate: 2
- Part 1: Value range: -1,000,000,000 and 1,000,000,000
- Part 4: Pregenerated randomization date: 2018-06-04

For division B, I will use https://www.random.org/sequences/?mode=advanced
to generate a random permutation with the following parameters:
- Part 1: Smallest Value: 1
- Part 1: Largest Value: 9
- Part 4: Pregenerated randomization date: 2018-06-04
The numbers correspond to the participating teams of division B sorted in
alphabetical order, with 1 being AIS and 9 being ULtron (see
http://wiki.robocup.org/Small_Size_League/RoboCup_2018/Teams). The website
will generate 9 random numbers. The first number defines the team that
skips the first round. The next two numbers set the first match, the next
two the second match and so on.



*Schedule*
The preliminary schedule can be found at the bottom of the "schedule and
results" page:
http://wiki.robocup.org/Small_Size_League/RoboCup_2018/Schedule_and_Results




If there are any questions, feel free to ask.

Best,
Christian
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# Seed Group 1:
1 USA		CMmus
1 Germany	ER-Force
1 China		ZJUNlict
1 Iran		Parsian

# Seed Group 2:
2 Japan		RoboDragons
2 Germany	Tigers Mannheim
2 Iran		Immortals
2 Colombia	STOx's

# Seed Group 3:
3 Japan		KIKS
3 USA		UMass MinuteBots
3 NorthernCyprus	NEUIslanders
3 Netherlands	RoboTeam Twente