Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

There are many many different types of strategies. Thinking of as many autonomous strategies and having an autonomous switchboard will be extremely necassary.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

Is there any possible way of getting away from the payload specialists (the ones in the corner, where you start) during autonomous without getting any moonrocks thrown into your trailer, seems pretty impossible to accomplish to me.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

The way our robots design is made, it would be best to go get empty cells and drop off.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

Seems like the best thing to do would be immediatley spin around, get the robot in between the trailer and the HP, and then drive backwards

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

I agree. A wide robot with low moment of inertia will be able to spin the fastest, even with the trailer. As long as the entire ensemble fits in the launching pad with the trailer touching the wall, the robot could be biased in the spin direction so the maneuver can be completed as quickly as possible before backing away. That wide robot with the five foot back wall amost completely screens the trailer from the opposing payload specialist.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

We plan to drive forward to get the trailer off the carpet and then 'crack the whip' and do a 180 (or maybe a 200). I am not sure how well we will back up with the trailer attached. (My success in launching boats by this method has been problematic...).

I agree there is little bonus for auto mode this year.

In previous years 'spin in circles' was a dumb auto mode, this year I am not sure???

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

I just wish they would give bonus points in autonomous! :mad:

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

If anyone is going to turn around in autonomous to block the trailer, are they worried about tipping over the trailer?

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

My team is not worried about tipping over the trailer. While we are not sure about the exact CG of a trailer, even with game pieces in it, we know it is low enough that tipping a trailer will be difficult, even if we tried to.

Also, we don't think it's necessary to pull the trailer off the carpet before beginning our quick spin to block the PS shooting. We can position the trailer so that the tongue makes the maximum angle to our hitch so that it's biased in such a way that the trailer wheels will roll when we spin, minimizing friction enough that the time lost in getting off the carpet before spinning will not be worth it. We will spin somewhat less than 180 degrees so that the robot will optimally block the trailer from the PS and then push the jackknifed trailer back away from the PS.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

Tipping over the trailer shouldn't really be an issue thanks to the trailer hitch (assuming your robot isn't like 25 pounds). That and if it is tipped/flipped, the robot is disabled for the rest of the match.

What we were thinking was to run from the Payload Specialist and then just circle at pseudo-random speeds while searching for targets to shoot at.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

I think that getting an empty cell during autonomous will be the most useful because then you can get the super cell which is worth a lot more points.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

Not really, super cells can't be used until the last 20 seconds. I mean, it's fine to move the empty cell to the fueling station, but it won't be useful until the match is coming to a close.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

Super cells are likely to decide many matches, so getting a head start with an empty cell in autonomous sounds to me like a very worthwhile strategy.

Re: Autonomous Strategies
 

Agreed. Once teleop starts, empty cell transport will become a dicey operation.