Things I learned from Waterford:
1. Strategy is the name of the game, our elimination alliance had to go up against the team ranked #1 during qualifiers, but by planning out our ideas and playing to each team's strengths, we managed to score higher. (This means making sure drive teams get a chance to communicate between matches)
2. Alliance selection is crucial, an alliance made up of all tube-hanging teams is not necessarily the best. This sort of alliance can end up crowding the scoring zone, reducing effectiveness of each robot. Make sure to fill in gaps, like if your robot can only hang tubes, find the team with the best minibot, etc.
3. While minibots are crucial, don't forget about logos (they did name the game after them). Let's break it down:
6 points (hanging ubertube on top row) + 6 points (hanging a game piece over the ubertube) + 3 points (game piece on top row) + 3 points (game piece on top row) * 2 (hanging in a logo) = 36 points
While a 6 point lead isn't large, it beats a first place minbot. Some teams can consistently and effectively do this.
4. Lane violations are not as devastating as they sound. These only incur a single penalty, a deduction of 3 points. Let's say a team needs a square to complete a bottom-row logo. There is one just to their left, they try and pick it up, but their arm pushes it into the lane, again they try to pick it up, this time they are successful, they race over to the scoring zone again and place it to complete the logo. This gains the alliance 6 points, minus three for the penalty is a gain of 3 points. <G33> states that this penalty exists to allow robots to approach the feeder station without being hindered. Thinking about it, removing a tube from an opponent's lane would actually help them get to the feeder. hmmmmm.
5. "Starving the field" is only effective if your alliance is made of defensive robots, if it depends on minibots or if you have a slot-fed "shuttlebot". If your alliance partner (or your team) can hang tubes well, giving them less tubes will not help. Hanging tubes requires tubes. Especially teams that can pick up off of the floor, generally if a tube is beyond the minibot poles, they will reach it in time.
This is why throwing tubes is essential. Even if the opposing alliance "steals" your tubes, one of the human players has access to at least one more and can replace it easily.
6. Pit crews make a difference. Especially this year with the often devious defense being played, as well as that all-too-sensitive arm joystick, breaks and damage are bound to happen, don't leave home without someone who can fix them.
7. Ranking (or "seating") during qualifiers does not define eliminations. At the end of qualifiers, our team ranked 5th, and our partners ranked somewhere between 10th and 20th (sorry guys, my memory is not that great). In the end, we managed to bring home the gold. I cannot say this without crediting the RoboStang's minibot/tube hanging or the Average Joes' defense/tube shuttling.
Sorry for the huge post...