1996 - Revision history

Fallinsideahole: /* News and unofficial media */

2026-03-18T16:02:04Z

News and unofficial media

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	==News and unofficial media==		==News and unofficial media==
	[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_March_11_Kokomo_Tribune.pdf Kokomo Tribune (March 11 1996)]~~<ref name=tkh />~~<br>		[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_March_11_Kokomo_Tribune.pdf Kokomo Tribune (March 11 1996)]{{TKHref}}<br>
	[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:ASME_News_June_1996.pdf ASME News (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /><br>		[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:ASME_News_June_1996.pdf ASME News (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /><br>
	[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_June_Circuit.pdf Circuit (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /><br>		[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_June_Circuit.pdf Circuit (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /><br>

Fallinsideahole: /* Documentation */

2026-03-18T16:00:42Z

Documentation

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	==Documentation==		==Documentation==
	===~~Partial game~~ manual===		===Game manual===
	<pdf>File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF</pdf>{{~~TKHref~~}}<br>		<pdf>File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF</pdf>{{358ref}}<br>

	==Playing field and scoring==		==Playing field and scoring==

Fallinsideahole at 21:33, 27 February 2026

2026-02-27T21:33:03Z

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	}}		}}

	The 1996 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on February 10, 1996 at the [[kickoff]] event in Nashua, New Hampshire. Attendees were introduced to Hexagon Havoc, the [[kit of parts]] materials, some of the rules, and the playing field. Competition season consisted of the [[1996nh\|1996 New England Tournament]] in Nashua, New Hampshire and the [[1996cmp\|National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Teams did not need to qualify for the Championship and could participate in the New Hampshire Tournament, Nationals, or both.		The 1996 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on February 10, 1996 at the [[kickoff#1996\|kickoff]] event in Nashua, New Hampshire. Attendees were introduced to Hexagon Havoc, the [[kit of parts]] materials, some of the rules, and the playing field. Competition season consisted of the [[1996nh\|1996 New England Tournament]] in Nashua, New Hampshire and the [[1996cmp\|National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Teams did not need to qualify for the Championship and could participate in the New Hampshire Tournament, Nationals, or both.

	After the 1996 season, FIRST dropped the "U.S." in the U.S. FIRST name that they had operated under since being founded in 1989<ref name="name">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961125044045/http://usfirst.org/news/960905.html Our name has changed!]</ref>.		After the 1996 season, FIRST dropped the "U.S." in the U.S. FIRST name that they had operated under since being founded in 1989<ref name="name">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961125044045/http://usfirst.org/news/960905.html Our name has changed!]</ref>.

Fallinsideahole: /* Robot construction */

2026-02-25T23:52:53Z

Robot construction

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	<gallery perrow=2 heights=300px widths=350px>		<gallery perrow=2 heights=300px widths=350px>
	File:45845 - 1996 kit of parts.png\|Some of the materials available in the [[kit of parts]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45845]		File:45845 - 1996 kit of parts.png\|Some of the materials available in the [[kit of parts#1996]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45845]
	File:45648 - 1996 kickoff kit of parts.png\|Teams inspecting kits of parts at the ~~1996~~ [[kickoff]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45648]		File:45648 - 1996 kickoff kit of parts.png\|Teams inspecting kits of parts at the [[kickoff#1996\|1996 kickoff event]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45648]
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Fallinsideahole: /* Unofficial events */

2026-02-20T21:16:22Z

Unofficial events

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	==Unofficial events==		==Unofficial events==

	[[Scrimmage#1996\|Chicago scrimmage]]<br>		[[Scrimmage#1996\|Baxter Chicago scrimmage]]<br>
	[[1996ratr\|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996)<br>		[[1996ratr\|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996)<br>
	[[Demo#1996\|~~Chicago~~ demo]] (October 1996)		[[Demo#1996\|DePaul University demo]] (October 1996)

	==News and unofficial media==		==News and unofficial media==

Fallinsideahole: /* Unofficial events */

2026-02-19T23:49:57Z

Unofficial events

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	==Unofficial events==		==Unofficial events==

	[[Scrimmage#1996\|Chicago scrimmage]]		[[Scrimmage#1996\|Chicago scrimmage]]<br>
	[[1996ratr\|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996)		[[1996ratr\|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996)<br>
	[[Demo#1996\|Chicago demo]]		[[Demo#1996\|Chicago demo]] (October 1996)

	==News and unofficial media==		==News and unofficial media==

Fallinsideahole: /* Unofficial events */

2026-02-19T23:49:36Z

Unofficial events

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:49, 19 February 2026
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	==Unofficial events==		==Unofficial events==

			[[Scrimmage#1996\|Chicago scrimmage]]
	[[1996ratr\|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996)		[[1996ratr\|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996)
			[[Demo#1996\|Chicago demo]]

	==News and unofficial media==		==News and unofficial media==

Fallinsideahole: /* News and unofficial media */

2026-02-08T15:35:36Z

News and unofficial media

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:35, 8 February 2026
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	[https://books.google.com/books?id=Av8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=hexagon+havoc&source=bl&ots=ZnyaF9__Iy&sig=ACfU3U3j4k5tVgMQRVpnDC6Ok_ldtkbm5w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVhamls4mAAxUmmGoFHZc2C3w4KBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=hexagon%20havoc&f=false Boys Life (December 1996)]<br>		[https://books.google.com/books?id=Av8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=hexagon+havoc&source=bl&ots=ZnyaF9__Iy&sig=ACfU3U3j4k5tVgMQRVpnDC6Ok_ldtkbm5w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVhamls4mAAxUmmGoFHZc2C3w4KBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=hexagon%20havoc&f=false Boys Life (December 1996)]<br>
	[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_Forbes.PDF Forbes (1996)]<ref name=tkh /><br>		[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_Forbes.PDF Forbes (1996)]<ref name=tkh /><br>
			[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201116/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9601.htm A Techno-Age Tale of Three Teams and the Transforming Effect of FIRST]

	==Notes==		==Notes==
	<references />		<references />

Fallinsideahole: /* Game strategy */

2026-02-03T02:04:40Z

Game strategy

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	Because of the way that the scoring area was defined, and the overall construction of the goal, a completely legal strategy was to tip over the goal and score balls in the now closer-to-horizontal scoring area. Teams like [[frc42\|team 42]] used a small flipper to tip the goal over and either sit the robot in front of the opening or aim it towards the human player station which could be loaded up with balls inside the scoring area.		Because of the way that the scoring area was defined, and the overall construction of the goal, a completely legal strategy was to tip over the goal and score balls in the now closer-to-horizontal scoring area. Teams like [[frc42\|team 42]] used a small flipper to tip the goal over and either sit the robot in front of the opening or aim it towards the human player station which could be loaded up with balls inside the scoring area.

	With a well-controlled machine, knocking the opponent five-point balls off its starting position was fairly easy, especially with another large ball already in the machine's grasp to make it easier to hit and bounce off. Against machines that could not manipulate the large balls this was very effective, but against machines that could score large balls in the middle of the goal this potentially saves them some of the trouble of trying to pick up (or knock off and then pick up) the five point ball from the corner to score it for ten points in the center instead.		With a well-controlled machine, knocking the opponent five-point balls off its starting position was fairly easy, especially with another large ball already in the machine's grasp to make it easier to hit and bounce off. Against machines that could not manipulate the large balls this was very effective, but against machines that could score large balls in the middle of the goal this potentially saves them some of the trouble of trying to pick up (or knock off and then pick up) the five point ball from the corner to score it for ten points in the center instead. Capturing an opponent's ball and holding it or passing it to the human player was also a good way to reduce an opponent's maximum score.

	<gallery perrow=34heights=220px widths=250px>		<gallery perrow=34heights=220px widths=250px>

Fallinsideahole: /* Playing field and scoring */

2026-02-03T02:00:11Z

Playing field and scoring

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:00, 3 February 2026
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	</gallery>		</gallery>

	Three robots in the red, yellow, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Each team has two large and twelve small matching color balls. One of each color of large ball starts scored on the triangular corners of the goal directly in front of the robot in its colored position. The second large ball of each color begins the match 1/3rd of a clockwise rotation around the hexagon away from the robot in that position. A large ball that ends the match on or above the triangles is worth five points, while a large ball inside or above the main portion of the goal is worth ten points. Eight small balls start in a somewhat diamond-like configuration on the field 1/6th of a counterclockwise rotation from the robot in their colored position and four more start at the bottom of their matching ramp. Small balls scored inside or above the goal are worth three points. The scoring area is defined as the extension of the hexagonal profile of the goal (or the triangles, for scoring large balls on the triangles). The maximum possible score is 56 points.		Three robots in the red, yellow, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Each team has two large and twelve small matching color balls. One of each color of large ball starts scored on the triangular corners of the goal directly in front of the robot in its colored position. The second large ball of each color begins the match 1/3rd of a clockwise rotation around the hexagon away from the robot in that position. A large ball that ends the match on or above the triangles is worth five points (regardless of which color the triangle is), while a large ball inside or above the main portion of the goal is worth ten points. Eight small balls start in a somewhat diamond-like configuration on the field 1/6th of a counterclockwise rotation from the robot in their colored position and four more start at the bottom of their matching ramp. Small balls scored inside or above the goal are worth three points. The scoring area is defined as the extension of the hexagonal profile of the goal (or the triangles, for scoring large balls on the triangles). The maximum possible score is 56 points.

	1996 also marked the introduction of the human player. Human players were seatbelted down in the base plate and could remove balls from the field from under the horizontal PVC bar between the base plate and ramp or around the upright supports but could only get them back into play on the field by throwing them up and over the horizontal bar. Human players could not make contact with robots.		1996 also marked the introduction of the human player. Human players were seatbelted down in the base plate and could remove balls from the field from under the horizontal PVC bar between the base plate and ramp or around the upright supports but could only get them back into play on the field by throwing them up and over the horizontal bar. Human players could not make contact with robots.