Arena

This is information about constructing and de-constructing the arenas area at the competition. This includes:

  • Arena carpet
  • Arena walls
  • All props in the arena, including:
    • Markers
    • Any fixed or mobile installations in the arena (tokens, pedestals, etc.)
  • Displays around the arena
  • Staging area (for robots on their way in & out of the arenas)
  • Audience barriers

Tasks

The following tasks are generally applicable from one year to the next. As the responsibilities of the role change these tasks should be updated to suit.

Pre-competition (in no particular order):

  • Specify the following and communicate requirements to the Production Manager, who will handle hire:
    • Network equipment (switches, cables, etc). Work with Competition Software Coordinator to spec.
    • Power equipment.
    • Screens and screen mounts. Work with Competition Software Coordinator to spec.
    • Desks and chairs for the staging and match coordination areas.
    • Crowd barriers for use around the arenas and the staging area.
  • Specify and order tape. A non-exhaustive list:
    • Coloured gaffer for corner related things (e.g. game props, corner markings, robot badges).
    • Double-sided for carpet laying.
    • Double-sided tape for marker application (arena and tokens).
    • Black gaffer tape for carpet edge and other misc uses.
    • White gaffer tape for game props (if required) and other misc uses.
  • Specify and order carpet.
  • Specify and order libkoki markers (game dependent) and arena labels. (Check arena labels from the previous year to assess suitability.)
  • Specify and order materials for game props (e.g. cardboard boxes).
  • Work with Competition Software Coordinator to arrange for display computers to be available during set up.
  • Specify and source/order arena walls (we already own some, so only required if they change).
  • Work with the Head Shepherd to define the layout of the match staging area. (In the past it has been helpful to build a mockup using tables & chairs and real measurements and use that to practise each stage of the match cycle)

Setup (roughly in time order):

  • Install carpet.
  • Install arena walls.
  • Install markings on arena floor in accordance with the game rules, to denote the starting positions of props and to provide human readable markings (corner numbers).
  • Install crowd barriers around arenas and staging area.
  • Install labels on the outside of each arena to identify the arena (e.g. 'A' and 'B').
  • Install fire extinguishers (1 per arena).
  • Install network for corner screens and match coordination area.
  • Install power for corner screens and match coordination area.
  • Install the corner screens.
  • Install the display hardware onto the back of the screens.
  • Install staging area desks and one-way system (tape on the floor + signs).
  • Install staging area management bay, for the storage of competition USB keys and robot badges.

Year Specific Documentation

The above tasks are vague descriptions of what needs to be done. Details documentation for each year can be found on the relevant page:

Attribution

This page is based on work done by Fiona Gillan, Richard Barlow, Rob Gilton and Thomas Leese, originally published at https://bitbucket.org/richardbarlow/sr-arena-manager/wiki/Home, which was under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.