While I agree simplicity is important, I don't think you should underestimate your own abilities. If you are confident that you can accomplish something, you shouldn't limit yourself. You may have an idea that would be somewhat complex, but at the same time is an incredible idea, you should go for it. Don't aim too low to where your robot doesn't challenge you and teach you something, but think practical.

i think that as long as a team has something more simple to fall back on (in case other parts fail) then they'll be okay.

Bah. Our gripper last year had only one moving part (well three if you count the pneumatic cylinder and the cylinder's rod... but that doesn't count) and would automatically channel the bars of the goal into the gripper so no matter how you hit the goal, the gripper would work. Just drive forward and forget. It never failed. It seems like it took approximately the same amount of work as that thing. and... I don't have a picture. we never put one up. Heck, we've never put any pictures up. Heck, we don't have a website. Heck, I quit the team about 2-3 days ago and am not affiliated with first anymore. Heck, I shouldn't bother coming here.

A robot can be simple but still usefull. The trick is to find a special niche to fit into. I remember in the 2001 game there was a robot that acted a ramp. Very simple robot but it was just about the most usefull robot there. (helped balance the bridge also)

This year you could build a robot that your friend could drive on so that you take up less room on the bridge and still get the points. Just an extremely large set of wings would be usefull to any team. Also if you are keeping your robot simple i would recomend trying to keep it able to go under the bar. If the robot is simple it shouldn't be that hard and it gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of what you can do on the playing field.

*note: i don't know if those ideas specifically will be usefull in this years competition. If you think really hard though you can probably think of something that nobody or very few people have thought of.

I like how you call wildstang simple

Early morning design
 

Here's the scenario:
7 kids
1 half-built robot
1 empty government machine shop

The ship date was the next morning. A dual-conveyor ball handler hadn't been... *ahem* built yet, it was finished at 11 p.m. The drive system, assembled and mounted at 1 A.M. The goal claw, mounted at 1:30.

Final weight? 175 lbs.
*doh*

calculations proved that, at 3 o'clock in the morining of the ship day, we had to remove more surface area than was availiable on our robot in lightening holes.

This was a result of attempting many systems in our second year of competition... our robot didn't move at the KSC regional... but did at championships.

Learn from us, KISS.... if only for the sake of dignity. A moving platform is better than a mass of qwik-ties and aluminum full of jagged holes.