Subject:
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RE: Spybotics - A great disappointment
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Thu, 18 Jul 2002 14:11:38 GMT
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Reply-To:
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<RHEMPEL@stopspammersBMTS.COM>
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Viewed:
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784 times
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John Wrote:
> After much anticipation it arrived in the mail today.
>
> I don't think I have ever been quite so disapponted by a new Lego release.
<deep breath>
Let's all have a really good look at the outside of the box where
it says 9+ for the age group :-)
I have all 4 of the Spybots and I must say that after I built them and played
with them with my 10 year old twins, I "got" the product. You have to
remember that this is a toy, and it's designed for free play in conjunction
with the CD. The object of the game is to complete the missions and
get points that you can compare with other SMART agents. More on this later.
> Grabbed a pack of AA first thing, gotta get it powered up. It uses two
> different sizes, some AA and some AAA. Oh well, just have to run out and get
> some.
>
> What no instructions book! Nope, you think the description in the S@H catalog
> is light on detail - there is no detail!
And for 60 bucks, you get a microcontroller with two gear motors, a built
in light sensor, touch sensor, and an IR range finder that works in conjunction
with the hand-held beacon/remote control.
> You have to sit through hours of quick time movies to find out how the parts
> are intended to go together.
>
> After that, it's a microscout all over again, except rather than choose a
> program number, you have to download one of half a dozen preprogrammed ones.
> That's it!
That's what I though too. But if you root around on the CD you'll find
that there are settings that you download to the Spybot that control the
mission complexity, controller operation, and even Spybot operation. You
can also program your own missions.
You can program the Spybot to run some of the missions autonomously
using simple heuristic behaviors.
Even more important, you can program multiple Spybots with different
heuristics and set them loose on the same goal.
There is an SDK but I have not had time to evaluate it.
> And its back to a serial port interface again - no USB, so don't try it with
> any of the new breed of laptops or desktops that don't have "legacy ports"
> without going out and buying one of those USB-COM converters.
Cost. Full stop.
> No programming interface. No description of what you've just bought one of.
> Just a lot of strange beeps and squeaks and two motors making noise.
There IS a programming interface, but it's not really obvious where. If
you go to the mission download area you'll get a new set of options that include
programming the controller and Spybot.
> I often buy sets because I want specific parts. I usually wait til they go
> on some kind of a discount first. I am now the proud owner of a set of six
> of the very cool new gears to be found in 3806 - Gigamesh. But at $10 each,
> I think
> they are also the most expensive ones I've ever bought.
Look really closely at the other kits and you'll find some interesting pieces,
like a #5 axle that has a "shoulder" and is made of a more flexible plastic.
And don't forget the light pipes that "channel" the light to the light
sensor. This is useful in the missions but probably has some use in an
RCX too.
There's other parts that I'm not sure about becasue I haven't got
some of the newer Technic kits, but I was excited to see extra long
frictionless pegs and axle pegs with friction.
> I hope the representative from TLC at BrickFest has a good story to tell,
> because I've got a couple of hard questions to ask.
Ask them, but don't forget to play with the product and watch some kids
playing with it.
Cheers, Ralph
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Spybotics - A great disappointment
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| I have really got to agree with Ralph. It is hard to believe that LEGO hit this price point when you look at what is inside the box. $60 - $30 for 2 Motors at $15 each - $10 IR transmitter - $19 light sensor - $15 touch sensor ---...--- Wow! LEGO is (...) (22 years ago, 18-Jul-02, to lugnet.robotics)
| | | Re: Spybotics - A great disappointment
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| In lugnet.robotics, Ralph Hempel writes: <snip> (...) So Gigamesh is waiting on my doorstep last night when I get home from work. Took me a bit to install the software (~600 meg full install), then putting the thing together via instructions on my (...) (22 years ago, 26-Jul-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Spybotics - A great disappointment
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| After much anticipation it arrived in the mail today. I don't think I have ever been quite so disapponted by a new Lego release. Grabbed a pack of AA first thing, gotta get it powered up. It uses two different sizes, some AA and some AAA. Oh well, (...) (22 years ago, 18-Jul-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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