We tore off our launcher the second day after determining that it was more of a hindrance than a point scoring mechanism. Originally, the launcher was actually messing with our kiwi drive because the weight distribution took away traction from one wheel, disabling most omnidrive functions and essentially turning the drivetrain into tankdrive+.
With the launcher off, kiwi drive worked beautifully (this was the third time ever that it ran without top weight) and our bridge downer was functional as well. Attempts at the practice field proved we could actually get up the bridge with kiwi drive and balance within 30 seconds (this was without any formal practice). The goal then was to get over and try to be a defender bot, which I think may have been significant given most defender bots were running tank. We wouldn't have as much pushing power, however we could still disrupt some shooting and run around the field quickly (the toggle-able 67% speed scalar [necessary to allow on the fly turning] I had up was still surprisingly swift imo). However, we had no practice with it, and the first time that we actually tried to get ourselves on the bridge (which was our last game
) didn't work out so well due to the viewing angle and our relatively short arm. I just had it, then messed up turning and fell off (again, no formal practice at this), then the team's other driver told me to let 4232 get up. I honestly think that if we had the launcher off first day, we might have won a bunch of earlier matches due to the ability to balance and would have been a better candidate for quarters
