[jon-s]

We're avoiding a turret because we'd heard that during the 2006 competition, drivers would get confused by the driving chassis and turret turning independently (using tracking systems). It's also more complication that is not necessarily needed.

I think the main danger with towers is that they can whip around on the bridge, when crossing the barrier, or when your robot is hit by other robots (and can then break off without a significant amount of bracing). They also alter the center of gravity quite a lot. While you may not fall over when shooting, a robot with a tower possibly may when crossing over the barrier (especially when hit by another robot) or more likely, when crossing the bridge.

Our shooter is about 28-30in high right now. We've configured the shooter so that it can't be blocked by other robots. It is still vulnerable to being rammed.

We're aiming to be able to shoot from several places on the field.