Originally Posted by nuggetsyl (Post 1338783)

Mech wheeled robots will not be alliance captain, 1st pick, or 2nd pick on Einstein.

Originally Posted by Whippet (Post 1338785)

Andy Baker puts mecanum wheels on his robot ... and wins champs anyway. :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by nuggetsyl (Post 1338794)

Ok I will bite Which team did this? And my comment was for this game.

Originally Posted by magnets (Post 1335457)

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.

Originally Posted by waialua359 (Post 1338882)

254 has shown me 14 years and counting, that you can be successful with a WCD no matter what game is presented. I'd be shocked to see them do a swerve this year. Much like 1717 NOT doing a swerve.

Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink (Post 1337504)

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.

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery (Post 1339597)

Why do you consider "career defense" and assists to be mutually exclusive?

Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink (Post 1340442)

You can specialize in defense and never "complete" a cycle, but if defense is ALL you do, you are costing your alliance 20 points per cycle. Defense specialists will need to take frequent (hopefully) pauses from playing defense to handle their own alliance ball. By the same token, offense specialists will find themselves needing to play a lot of defense.

Originally Posted by magnets (Post 1335457)

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.

Originally Posted by TravusCubington (Post 1344844)

#caughtbluehanded

Originally Posted by TravusCubington (Post 1344844)

#caughtbluehanded

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri (Post 1338899)

Anything that moves sideways is a waste of time.

Originally Posted by TravusCubington (Post 1344844)

#caughtbluehanded