#TeamTotesFromStep
 

At the Las Vegas Regional, we grabbed a tote from the middle step and scored it. Are there any other teams that have done this?

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

#2manyhashtags
#plsnomoar

I really don't see the strategical advantage of grabbing totes from the step. I'm not sure if FIRST just thought that teams would be clearing the landfill, and that these totes would be a game changer, just like the bins. Turns out that only the bins are useful so far. Overall though, no purpose for taking the steps from the step. Just let 'em be and let the field reset have an easier job. :D

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Team 3930 SMART did it at least once at UNH while they collected an RC off the step their grabber took a tote with it.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

We did it because there were only 10 seconds left and there were no more totes in the landfill. We wanted more points, so we got a tote from the step.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Are you saying you even cleared the upside down totes?

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

I meant all of the right-side up totes.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Well, that is quite impressive. What about the human player totes? Taking it from the step just seems so time consuming.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Well if you're already in the Landfill area, and you can get a tote or two off the Step, why drive all the way over to the HP station and maybe get one tote?

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

I'd say that the mechanics of the step were underutilized. Point values this game I found odd. Its not to say they were bad its just to say that the point values seemed to contradict the game.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

After you pull them from the step, you have to reorganize them into your intake. If you get driving confidently enough, just ram into the HP station, grab a tote, and go. I guess it's what works for you.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

I'm assuming this wouldn't be your primary source of totes, so you most likely won't be capping them. Therefore, there is no reason to stack them, so you could just push them onto the Scoring Platform.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Unless your alliance partners are using the HP station. FYI this is an icing on the cake strategy.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

I believe we did at Lake Superior. We had an advantage because we can flip upside down totes.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Would have been cool if there were totes of another color on the step that were worth more points.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

+1
IRI rule change?

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

That's a rule change that would shift how you design your robot, not just accentuate difficult actions that a large portion of robots could already complete in theory (like adding more autonomous balls in 2014, increasing the value of autonomous scoring in 2007, or allowing for qualification triple balances in 2012). So, I'd pass on it being an IRI rule change.

I would like to see autonomous values increased at IRI, though.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

If you have cleared the entire landfill alone, I applaud you.
I like the idea of having bonus points on those totes. That would make it more worthwhile.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Or maybe a 2x multiplier for all totes ABOVE the bonus tote.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

We might be using them....:rolleyes:

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Agreed. Changes to how the game is fundamentally played shouldn't fly at IRI.
However stuff like yellow totes being scorable as normal totes in teleop would be totally reasonable changes for IRI.

My personal hope for an IRI rule change is changing seeding and eliminations back to W-L-T format.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Tote Bot?

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

If 148 and 987...Or, even 148 and 60 are playing together. Driving over there (to the HP Stations), is both a worthless waste of very valuable time, and could be very dangerous to the health of your well built and hopefully really, really robustly built, if you dare to try....robots. (No knocking down hard built walls please! Especially to get just 2 more or so tiny points).

If you are a landfill "Tote Goat" muncher or grazer....Then, you better grab all the totes you can from the step (and maybe cheesecake something to roll those others over "all at once" along the step and help stack em' too)...The human players flat run out of them. (Nothing left back there on the carpet but an empty & very lonely looking lidless litter can. (That reminds me, I parsed the rules pretty hard looking, & there isn't anything actually said specifically about not actually using that empty recycling container in the backfield).

Remember though, they were supposed to be very different ~(white and used as pedestals for big balls last year, flipped over & recycled holding litter this year), than those RC's they are actually using to hold litter...Though it has no lid, so it cannot actually score points! Could it still be stacked just for fun?) Not so much fun, if attempted right at the buzzer

Driving over there (to the HP Stations when great HP stackers & bots are at work in pairs), is both a worthless waste of time, and it could very well end up being very dangerous to the health of your robots (and alliance partners), too.

The more practiced & slowly (some rather quickly), better each team gets, the more valuable those upsidedown totes, and the 2 Alliance contested 12 grey shelf totes, will certainly become.

With some combined scores of 400+ points in matches already...The closer some great teams/alliances get to making my prediction of all the game pcs. being actually used up in a match sometime at least before the close of the 2015 FRC season. (I called it by the end of week #3, back in week zero...I was for a change, way too much of an optimist).

And that certainly does not happen all too often.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Wow, nice job!

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Starting to veer off topic, but...

Since there is no real interaction, this rule change would mean your match schedule virtually always decides your fate.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

Makes the Friday morning picklist meeting a lot easier.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

I wouldn't mind seeing how the playoffs played out in W/L format, since most of the teams at IRI designed to win events anyway. Agreed that this game is not suited for that during qualification play.

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

yep :-)

Re: #TeamTotesFromStep
 

But how much of a boost would work best?