I don't go on CD for a day, and you guys have interesting conversation without me..
Quote:
Originally Posted by XaulZan11
I think you forgot a year, Kevin. The year you didn't have a mecanum drive and won a regional playing great defense.  |
During heated traction vs. Mecanum debate, this argument does not go over well (trust me, I know).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duke461
So you're saying mecanum's limit your ability to weave through defenses???
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Speaking from experience as a spectator and one-event coach, most defensive motion is perpendicular to the motion of robot being defended
(so if scoring robot is trying to move north, then the defensive robot is orientated to move east-west)*. Strafing is slower than typical forward/backward motion. A lot of robots are typically geared 12 fps**, our robot (this year) included. If my math is correct
(basic geometry/trig)(someone feel free to correct me), a mecanum geared like ours (~12 fps) can only strafe at ~8.5 fps. Therefor, "weaving through defense" isn't as plausible as one would think.
Not to mention pushing, to which mecanums have little resistance to (the whole "non-powered rollers" thing).
However, a good driver can play fancy, and do some moves to mess with the defending driver... but that isn't the machine beating a machine, that's the driver beating a driver (although, as many of the greats will tell you, good drivers are just as -if not more- important than a good robot when it comes to winning matches).
EDIT: Also, Traction-Upgrades also make for some pretty spiffy belts
*Applying this defense to games such as Logomotion and Breakaway. This strategy was not as applicable in Overdrive/Lunacy, and I haven't focused on the defensive strategies in games before my time.
**excluding two speeds, but a lot of teams using two speeds are also not playing defense