Short-Handed Alliances

[Pjohn1959]

I have a question:

We have attended many regionals that have had matches where not all 3 alliance partners were on the field, ie. 3 vs. 2.

If this happens this year, then does the short-handed alliance have an advantage based on only having 2 possible scoring trailers out on the field?

If this is so, (my evil mind thinking) could you tell 2 of your alliance partners to feint damage, therefore making a 3 vs 1 match, where the opposing alliance has only one trailer to score in?

Just asking.....

[smurfgirl]

The manual doesn't explicitly address this, but members of the CD community have assumed that if a robot is unable to play, the trailer will still be placed on the crater as in every other match. This means that if you are playing a 3 vs. 1 match, the alliance with 3 teams has a huge advantage (as in all 3 v 1 matches), because it has two immobile trailers to score on, and only one robot available to play defense, and to score on its three trailers.

However, the Q&A is now open, so if it hasn't been asked already, I would suggest checking what happens to trailers if a robot is unable to make it to a match.

Edit: Also, I wouldn't recommend feigning damage under any circumstances. It's not GP, and it's not going to make a good impression on other teams, the judges, or anyone else who finds out about it. Like Woodie always says, act in ways which would make your grandmother proud.

[Pjohn1959]

Edit: Also, I wouldn't recommend feigning damage under any circumstances. It's not GP, and it's not going to make a good impression on other teams, the judges, or anyone else who finds out about it. Like Woodie always says, act in ways which would make your grandmother proud.

I agree totally. But to try and make my point I was playing the devil's advocate.

[smurfgirl]

I agree totally. But to try and make my point I was playing the devil's advocate.

Yeah, I can see why you would ask this, but I believe within the circumstances of this game, it would not be a good strategic move to not show up to your match... unless, of course, you were trying to get the opposing alliance to win for some reason (trying to make them lose supercells in their next round, perhaps)? Again, match throwing is frowned upon by most people, and this is putting a lot of thought into this that you could be using to strategize with alliance partners, so I would hope most people opt for the latter option.

Anyway, I still think it would be worth it to find out what happens when a robot is unable to make it to a match, because problems will come up with robots, and not everyone is going to make it to every match. I can't post stuff in the Q&A, can someone else ask this please?

[SamC]

On a somewhat similar not to not showing up to a match, what happens to the trailers of disabled robots? Are they unable to be scored on (closed somehow), or is it simply an open, defenseless goal?

[BandChick]

There's already a CD discussion about "What if your robot is a No-Show?"
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?p=790779

[Chris Fultz]

<G31>
Disabled ROBOTS and PENALTIES – If a ROBOT becomes incapacitated (e.g. the ROBOT overturns and can not be righted, the battery falls out, etc.), it may be completely disabled by pressing the E-Stop Button in the corresponding Player Station. ROBOTS that are disabled in this manner can not incur further PENALTIES

The current rule only states they cannot get more penalties, there is no reference that they cannot be scored on.

This is worthy of a confirmation from the GDC.

[smurfgirl]

On a somewhat similar not to not showing up to a match, what happens to the trailers of disabled robots? Are they unable to be scored on (closed somehow), or is it simply an open, defenseless goal?

I believe they're just a sitting duck.

Again, could someone Q&A this, please?