Re: The Game Breaker
 

The 469 Breakaway strategy is being called the 'chokehold' strategy. However, they did not win.

Re: The Game Breaker
 

It took flawless play from their opponents - as well as some poorly timed bad luck - to keep 469 from being World Champions. They won everywhere else they played.

It qualifies as a "chokehold" strategy, for sure.

Re: The Game Breaker
 

Agreed, especially since they beat the team at MSC that beat them in the championships. It was very circumstantial that they lost at the world championships...not to say that the winning alliance didn't deserve it, because they did.

(I will always be a HOT fan)

Re: The Game Breaker
 

I disagree, chokehold means something along the lines of, "If I do task X, I can not lose".

X doesn't count when it involves, "score more balls than the other team".

Re: The Game Breaker
 

Some call it flawless play and circumstantial, I call it reality.

Either way, yes 469 had an incredible strategy/robot in 2010. Many thought it was inevitable that they would become the World Champs, especially after aligning their powers with 1114. There were probably very few people that thought otherwise (excluding the 67, 177, and 294 alliance) during the finals on Einstein.

A chokehold strategy, NO. A strategy that will win matches 99% of the time, YES.

Re: The Game Breaker
 

I know its not an official event, but at MARC 469 lost in the semifinals. The reason I don't consider 469 a gamebreaker robot or even the best robot since I joined FIRST in 2006 is that it depended on a great robot seeding #1. If that didn't happen (like at MARC), they were in somewhat trouble.

Re: The Game Breaker
 

Nope. We were glad with our expected 2nd place.

Re: The Game Breaker
 

Really? That is surprising to hear.

Re: The Game Breaker
 

Yes we are probably splitting hairs but I agree with Adam; according to Karthik the definition of chokehold is:

"A strategy which, when executed, guarantees victory, independent of any action by your opponents"

Re: The Game Breaker
 

As a member of the winning 2010 MSC alliance (along with 2834), I like to think that 469 was just along for the ride... (as if).

Re: The Game Breaker
 

Who's calling it that?

Re: The Game Breaker
 

After watching the championships play out, I have 2 words for this year's game breaker - Bomb Squad. No, it didn't guarantee victory, but it changed the game in the elimination rounds. In their regional appearances they were forced to play offense, and did rather well. In Galileo eliminations and on Einstein they did what they were designed to do - starve the opponent and feed the alliance - and they did it better then anyone in the entire field. If you took 25 or 180 and traded them for any of the dozen top teams who demonstrated equal or better speed and accuracy on offense, you may have ended up with the same result because at least you had the same capabilities (realizing 25 and 180 executed exceptionally well in eliminations where many others of equal capability did not). But if you took away 16, who would replace them? They were in a class by themselves.

Usually you save your second pick for defense and load up on offense first. With Bomb Squad their defense fed the offense; if you're twice as good a shooter but only have 1/3 the ammo, pretty soon you're fighting a losing battle. It really didn't matter what high scores other divisions were posting, you can't do it without balls available to score. I would say that if 16 goes to IRI and you have the first pick and don't take them, you might as well start packing up your pit.

Re: The Game Breaker
 

2012 Game Breaker?

Einstein

:D

/endsarcasm

Re: The Game Breaker
 

i would suggest a 1 wheel shooter with a curved back plate. the best way to do this is to let the motor run at a consistent speed and then fire. you should use a powerful motor(s). 1 cim, or maybe 2?

Re: The Game Breaker
 

I didn't see 16 except on Einstein, but this was a common strategy. We spent a lot of time doing it in the Curie elims, as did 233. I assume others on Archimedes/Newton did it as well.