Re: Car nack 2014?
 

We love you, of course you have to come back.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

What if she doesn't want to?

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

I think the new Car Nack should be named Car Jack.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

So until he (she?) comes back, does anybody have some Car Nack style predictions?

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

Here is my "Car Nack" style prediction for the game. I wrote it a week ago, and I'm hoping to see if it comes true.

This year, due to the unique single-ball game, we will see a huge difference in match quality between the qualification rounds and elimination rounds at all events, including the championship. In years prior, there were few random alliance pairings where all three robots were able manipulate game pieces well, so teams will be forced to deal with the sticky situation of telling a partner that they don't want them to touch the ball the whole match, or sacrifice points.

That being said, a defensive robot can be really powerful and high seeding. A good defense bot can completely shut down scoring for a robot with a kit drive. The most successful qualification round robots will be the ones who can score quickly and accurately while avoiding passing or getting the ball on the ground. The top teams will do cycles by themselves in teleop, with the better ones scoring truss points and catching their own ball, and few may be able to make the "running truss goal", where the ball is launched by a moving robot over the truss and into the goal, with the robot reaching their zone before the ball goes through the goal.

Now for the elimination rounds. We'll see quite a few inexperienced teams in the top 8 this year, so the elimination alliances might not always be the greatest. OPR and the w/l/t sorting methods will be pretty useless. In the elimination rounds at regionals/districts with a deep enough pool of robots to choose from, elims will be really cool. Assists are more viable, and there will be a lot of fun pushing matches.

Finally, the two (three) biggest things that teams will miss. This happens every year.

1.) Catching. It's really useful. Being able to get the ball from a throw from the human player instead of picking it up from the ground is a huge time saver, especially if you're going the truss points too.

2.) Pickup. The build blitz/Ri3D style pickups work, but they aren't perfect. A great pickup will make the difference between top 8 and not playing in elims. Being able to pickup the ball if it's moving, not moving, from the side, and straight on are all important.

(3.) The 1114 design. I don't think it's great for this year. It works really well in 2008, but I would be really surprised if 1114 went with that design again. It lacks the ability to catch, and while it does have a decent intake, it could be better.

Also, one more prediction, this year is the year of swerve. I think we'll see at least a few of the big teams that haven't done swerve in a while (like 111, 118, 254, 1114, 148) go swerve this year.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

Yes, I'm...
looking forward to it.




Wow Griffin... :ahh:

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

The use of the goalie position will be exceedingly rare. In fact, there will be some regional/district events where no goalie is seen throughout the entire competition.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

Here's my prediction

Shooting is being overemphesized. Some regionals and district events will see robots in the top 8 that cannot shoot at all.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

The only thing preventing this in my mind is how easy shooting is. Teams who can't will have to have chosen not to, for the most part. Teams will absolutely choose not to, but not in huge numbers. The (up to) 29 extra points per cycle from a shooter is very tempting.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

Successful alliances will feature a combination of robots that can make a very soft toss and those that can catch the ball. The ideal pass/assist will resemble Lunacy more than Rebound Rumble or Breakaway. The transfer needs to happen in a moment's contact without careful alignment between of the passer and receiver.

Defense will be important and brutal, but less of a winning strategy than many think. Unlike previous multi-piece games where the result was based on pieces scored, a defense specialist can't produce a net "positive" for the alliance by taking down the opponent's top scorer. Having the third bot possess the ball - even briefly - is worth 20 points per cycle. Everyone that is capable of possessing the ball will be compelled to do it. Those who can't won't go far in eliminations. Defense will be everybody's part time job, not their career.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

^This.:)

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

Agreed.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

Theoretical
Alliance A:
2 robots that can throw and catch. 1 robot who is a box bot career defender.

Alliance B:
3 robots who can possess and throw but not catch.

Situation:
Box bot locks down 1 robot making it a 2 on 2 match. Who wins?


Point being that career defenders will be strong if up against the right alliances. This game is a little bit like last year in that the entire flow and strategy of the game is based on what you have to work with and what your opponent has to work with.

Re: Car nack 2014?
 

There will be >0 goalies on Einstein.