[Grim Tuesday]

I have to say, I'm very disappointed with these rule changes, specifically number two. Whether people like it or not, the Co-Op bridges are an integral part of Rebound Rumble. I can see the argument that changing the bridges amounts to no more than the change in Minibots last year. However, there is one fundamental difference.

When changing over the minibots last year, that was in in-game change. Nothing changed but the scoring. Removing the Co-Op bridge changes the rankings and changes how robots should accomplish the same task. With the minibot change, it was still advantageous to have the fastest minibot. With the bridge change, the task has changed from double balancing reliably to triple balancing every match, and as many have pointed out, this negatively affects a demographic of robots.

When we are given the challenge at the beginning of the season, we have to consider all the factors. The Coopertition bridge and associated ranking points were part of that challenge and if a team didn't plan for them, they were punished

I don't see how this change reduces chance in the tournament--I feel that it increases it greatly. The match schedule and what robots you are paired with are out of your hands. That is a given. With the Coopertition bridge in place, you always took two robots and balanced them on the bridge. At IRI, this would have been a given, since in any matchup, there are surely two robots who could do this. This is a bit boring, but it is fair. In the new system, you are thrown in with teams who may or may not be able to triple balance. In alliance selection, this is a careful selection process. Now it is thrown to chance. There is little doubt in my mind that in any given game, the two alliances will have different abilities to triple balance thus making chance a greater factor in the game than before.

As an experiment, this has merit. I'm sure many (including the myself) have wondered what Rebound Rumble would be like without the Coopertition bridge.

It will no doubt make the games more fun to watch, but at what cost? The game being played at IRI will not be Rebound Rumble.