Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

I look at it this way. In 2012 there were very few robots that would consistently score a basket every time they fired. That was acceptable, however, because you had 3 balls to shoot. This year, instead of having 3 balls, you get one chance. The target is much smaller proportionally than the 2012 hoop.

Statistically, I believe that for most teams it will be more efficient to shoot up close and make a higher percentage of their shots. But that can be defended and will be much slower than shooting from just inside the works.

I think the exceptions to that rule will be few elite robots that can consistently hit 90% of their shots from the protected area.

Perhaps you're having more luck shooting accurately than we are :D

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

I have a feeling that when it comes to final championship matches, we will see a lot of 2 ball autos from the winning alliances. But it's only going to be a small amount of teams that will execute it well, or even attempt it, but that's the one of the things that will make a big difference. If not that, the alliances can still score as many boulders as they can, so a fast, accurate shooter will be important too.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

It depends. Assuming you have a system that is capable of doing the required task. Consistency comes from a well developed driving technique and/or code, that are supported by the correct senors. Speed is limited by the mechanical design and gearing of the robot.

There will be many bots that can shoot 8 boulders in the high goal this year without missing, but most won't be able to do it in the time limit.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

I think the cycle time for shooting is most important and to shoot the most bolders the quickest you have to also be able to cross defences reliably and move and intake balls reliebly.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

Match Strategy and Driver Practice will trump all in my opinion.

If you look at the questions purely in the statistical sense "great" robots might have higher shooting percentages, cross defenses very quickly ETC.

However, I define the great teams as the ones that win regionals/districts. In this sense, the pure stats don't matter. All that matters is wins. I believe teams that win the most will be the ones with the most practiced drive teams and the best match strategy each and every match even if their robot is statistically "worse" than other robots.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

I suspect that OPR will be an even better metric this year than it has been with some others. OPR is based on your alliance scores, not just your own individual performance.

Great robots will do a lot on their own. Great teams will not only get the most out of their own robot, but they will also be able to plan, sell, and implement an effective match strategy that gets their various partners to produce efficiently and function as true alliance. They will have effective scouting that gets the needed information to the right people in a timely fashion. They will have a pit crew that keeps the robot functional and makes sure the alliance partners are operable. They will be able to maintain a sense of order in the chaos of the match.

I think that what will separate the "good" from the "great" is the team behind the robot.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

I agree, that drive team experience and match strategy are extremely important this year. Even if you've got a robot that could hit all it's high goal shots, it will lose every match against a robot with a drive team that is well prepared and has a solid strategy.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

Breacher Bots:
A good bot will be able to create a breach on its own, every match.

A great bot will be able to create a breach on its own every match, even if an alliance partner gets stuck in one of the defenses. Plus, as it is breaching, it will be able to grab boulders from the neutral zone and put them into the tower.


Shooting specialists:
A good bot will be able to make 4-5 complete cycles, scoring nearly all the boulders in the tower.

A great bot will be able make 6-8 complete cycles, scoring nearly all the boulders in the high goal.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

This... +10

There seems to always be too much emphasis on the robot's capabilities when it is really the capability of the team/alliance that scores points and win matches.

An efficient pit that keeps the mechanical/electrical/power requirements for a robot fulfilled is vital this year because the robots are going to take a good deal of contact both from other robots and the defenses.

A good strategy for the alliance, developed before you get to the field and supplemented by scouting knowledge of both the opposing alliance and your partners.

Practice with the robot, keeping in mind the contingencies that might be faced on the field. Planning for different strategies.

A team has to know its limitations and make a plan to optimize what it can do for an alliance.


This is what separates good from great.... IMO

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

Bob, Ditto.:]

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

That's the quote of the day. A simple, reliable robot with an experienced drive team is golden. We've done the opposite and it's not fun.

Re: What will separate the good from the great?
 

I agree with Drakxii - speed wins.
Top alliances will have their 2 RPs* with 60 seconds remaining in the match.

*Of course I realize the RP that comes with challenging isn't realized until the end of the match.