Changing style of play for worlds?
 

Is is worth changing your teams/robots/drivers style of play to compete at worlds?
A fellow student inquired the other day about making a ramp so if needed we can get totes from the feeder station. We always get them from the landfill and have been successful doing so. I understand the logic of wanting the opportunity to get from both areas because it offers more for our team, but it may disrupt how other teams work. So many teams work from the feeder station and making a ramp which we might not use often would probably get in their way. Do you think its worth going through the trouble of using some weight from withholding( we are already tight on weight for withholding). Will teams be more attached to us? Not to mention that the ramp would have to be tethered the entire time, resulting in more of a hassle.
Thanks for your help!

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

If you are getting totes from the landfill and it got you to worlds I would stick with it. There are a lot of good feeder station robots but far less landfill robot. I think more teams will look at you as a landfill than feeder station. Also if your going to change something for worlds work on bin grabber if you don't have one already.

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

Instead of changing in a way that makes you more like most teams, you might consider changing in a way that sets you apart.

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

I agree

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

Do something. It doesn't have to be the ramp. But continuous improvement is an important aspect of the competition every year.

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

As far as it getting in the way is concerned... Check out R4- you can use the ramp as a different configuration of your robot, and thus only have it present in matches your strategy says you want it for. If your strategy is to go from the landfill for a match, leave the ramp in your pit!

Plus, you could build the ramp as light as possible and possibly use it to "cheesecake" an alliance member down the road.

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

Ramp is so easy, and has so much potential for value, that I see no reason not to.

I would do the 1114 and 254 style ramp that lets you queue up 4+ totes and really shave down the time required to HP load.

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

I have considered the same thing for my team (no official meeting after our last competition yet so I haven't brought it up), but we could easily lose weight on our canburglaring mechanism that would permit a ramp. the easiest way to do it is to only have the ramp when you need it, or in other words, when there is another landfill robot on your team. if your tether to it is easily detachable, that wouldn't be an issue

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

I didn't really think of the ramp being that important(for our team), but from whats being said I am realizing its worth. Thanks for the help!!!

Re: Changing style of play for worlds?
 

it's definitely worth at least having one around that you could use, even if it is rarely of use (in my opinion)