Quote:
Originally Posted by krisloz
It's just really hard for me to visualize a defensive robot helping an alliance out.
So it doesn't outscore the opponent, but prevents them from scoring altogether? Would it need to have a way to score points by itself? It seems like such a vulnerable robot if it's relying on those tactics.
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Defensive robots can
absolutely be an incredibly useful part of an alliance. Some years' rules lend themselves more to defense than others, but this year's sure do. With a very limited number of balls available and having to rely on your opponents' scoring to get balls back (at least in part), you only have so many balls that can be scored. Having 3 prolific scorers doesn't work; supply can't keep up with the demand.
In St. Louis, 1986 & 1985 could score well enough to keep up with most alliances. We chose 4356 as the 24th pick (a steal, imo) because they had a solid bot, were fast, and could tip the ramp & balance. True, they weren't designed as a defensive bot, but the fact that they didn't have enough build season time to finish their shooter didn't keep them from being useful. They did a great job banging up the other alliance -- it's tough to be a fender shooter when someone rams you as you're lining up a shot. And of course they balanced well & contributed to lots of double balances. We picked them for their bot's skills, and for their drive smarts, and they delivered. We wouldn't have won without them.
This year's penalties around the key & lane did limit defense, but not enough to stop it. 931 in St. Louis designed themselves as a defensive & balancing bot; they did it very well. They showed very smart driving; I did see them get a couple of penalties but they also drew a few. And they very clearly disrupted scoring on many occasions during the tournament.