Speed or Torque?
 

While I think we can all agree manuverability is always desired, do you think going with speed or torque is a better idea for a robot wishing to play offense?

I have heard lots of great arguments for speed (e.g. many omidirectional drivetrains have terrible torque, meaning manuverability can be adversely effected), but I think Torque will be an important factor in a good robot.

Considering that there are essentially no fixed obstacles in the field, I was hypothesizing that being able to bulldoze through everything to a shooting point, and staying anchored to said point, will be tantamount.

Thoughts?

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

Shifting gearboxes exist for a reason :p

But in all seriousness, I feel this year's game demands maneuverability over either raw speed or torque. You don't need to be able to push someone or outrun them if you can strafe/maneuver around them. This is especially true with how open the field is this year.

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

Who knows? That might be the best option.

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

Yeah. I agree with the above. As the field is flat, and there is nothing to avoid other than the robots, I'd say go for maneuverability and just keep your eyes open to dodge blocks.

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

We will have shifters though, if that helps. Get a little bit of both worlds.

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

We have used a two-speed gearbox since Logomotion, and before then we only did not because of specialized drivetrains. If your team is using a standard drivetrain (not mecanum or swerve/crab), I would strongly recommend using one.

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

I personally feel as though Torque teams that play in the white or defensive zones(moreso on the white) will reign king.

Reasing being, with only 1 ball in play at a time, denying assists and passes will force the other team to give up points from assists in order to score at all, because assists score at the end of a cycle.

Defense will be less about denying goals but rather by denying assists, forcing teams to take cheap shots for less points while your team goes on to score. If the opponent cant land his/her catch, or pass easily, that will force a solid defense reliant on bullying omniwheel bots and low torque bots

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

I think our mobility team is seriously considering swerve, as they have it written in large block letters on the board at the front of the room. :p

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

The mechanical and programming oriented captains (myself included) have been leaning this same way.

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

Torque is in this game essentially only useful for defense or when being defended.

In order to be defended, you have to be worth defending.

Presuming you're worth defending, then you're probably better off practicing avoiding pushing matches rather than planning for them.

Frankly I see omnidirectional driving to be more important in this game than shifting gearboxes.

Re: Speed or Torque?
 

Agreed. From the people on my team that I've spoken to, as well as other teams in the area, the consensus is that maneuverability, then speed, then torque, is the priority for drive-trains.