Even more than previous FIRST games, the 2009 game, Lunacy, adds a chaotic new aspect to the FIRST competition. In Lunacy, the field surface is made out of a slippery plastic called regolith and robots are forced to use special Slick Wheels provided by FIRST. This simulates the low-friction effects of being in a reduced gravity environment such as on the lunar surface.

Lunacy's match structure is very similar to other FIRST competitions. Each match is played by a red alliance and a blue alliance each made up of three teams. There are two rounds of play. First is a 15 second autonomous period, where the robots operate off of pre-written programs. This is followed by a 2 minute teleoperated period, where drivers from each team control their robots.

In Lunacy, each robot pulls a trailer (shown right) behind it. The object of the game is to get as many balls into your opponents' trailers as possible to score points. There are three types of balls: Moonrocks, Empty Cells, and Super Cells. There are 120 Moonrocks and each one is worth two points. The eight Empty Cells are also worth two points, however they have another purpose; Empty Cells can be exchanged for Super Cells. Super Cells are worth 15 points each, but can only be used during the last 20 seconds of the match.

In addition to drivers and coaches, Lunacy introduces a new human player, the payload specialist. Each team has one payload specialist and they are positioned at each of an alliance's three fueling stations. The payload specialist can launch balls over the six foot field wall to try to score points for their alliance. Payload specialists can also exchange Empty Cells for Super Cells.

For a more in depth explanation of the game, please read the FIRST Competition Manual or watch the FIRST Lunacy video on our video page.

Images courtesy of FIRST.