Quote:
Originally Posted by JVN
Probably because if we had broken off 469 to clear, 359's stellar "protective defense" would have slowed us down so much that we'd be ineffective at clearing, AND be in a position where 469 was free to pick us apart.  We almost had you with the blocking strategy... no regrets.
-John |
I definitely agree. The biggest difficulty with beating 469 was that their accuracy was so high that you had to block the shot to kick it out and remove it from the cycle. I would like to watch the videos of the IRI finals and semi-finals right now, but TBA is down and I'm not even sure if those matches are up! I don't recall TBA having our match videos from IRI, so I don't think any of IRI is online.
Getting back to the initial thread...
1. I also agree with the large role of the defense in this year's game. Yes, efficient scorers are required to going far, but there will be effective defenders that make an impact, too.
2. Winning the mini-bot consistently (or having an alliance that does) is critical to going far. Placing an "Uber-Logo" on the top row is 30 points... that'll probably take at least half the match for a good scorer, a team with the fastest endgame can do that in under 10 seconds. What can they do for the rest of the match? Score against or defend against your top scorer! My point being that this year, like 2004 and 2007, is a year in which the end game of one robot can have a huge impact!
3. I'm quite certain that if one robot pushes an opposing robot into their protected area, they will not incur a penalty... unless the opposing robot chooses to remain there! If the opposing robot has good opportunity to escape, and doesn't... there will be no leniency! I'm skeptical that this rule will be as forced with as much variation as some say... The rules state clearly that one alliance can not
force the other alliance to receive a penalty. There is a warning line... the refs will not be forgiving towards a robot that "accidentally" drives into the zone.