[Alex.q]

As previously stated, I would recommend to rookies to pick one or two functions and execute them well. Don't try to do everything (my team is still struggling to find the sweet spot). Its better to have one great mechanism than several mediocre or poor ones.

Finally, as rookies, don't limit yourself to thinking you can only do defense. There have been many successsful rookie teams in the past that succeeded in building more effective robots than many veteran teams. I would advise you to find a design that allows you to fall back to simpler strategies if the original design doesn't work: e.g. if your original design was a shooter but is terribly inaccurate, it could easily be converted to a low goal dumper. I have also found that nearly any good offensive robot with a strong drivetrain can play defense when required, which makes these robots more versatile than a purely defensive robot.

Your design will ultimately depend on what strategy your team decides to follow, but I would think that an alliance with two distance shooters would favor a robot that could pick up rebounds and at least dump them into the low goal. This robot could also work as defence to clear frisbees from the other side.

Being reliable in whatever you do is key.