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Unread 16-04-2013, 13:00
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Re: Defense in Ultimate Ascent

Quote:
Originally Posted by DjScribbles View Post
+1 This. Traffic and congestion is important for cyclers. Really coordinated cyclers can work around it, but a well placed defender can slow down the whole opposing alliance, not just a single robot.
I concur. With the number of restricted zones, I've found that the best/most potent defense comes from zone defense rather than traditional man-to-man (or bot-to-bot if you will) defense. Stop all opposing teams from entering or leaving their feeder station. Can easily add a good 5-15 seconds per entry/exit if done right, meaning an additional 10-30 seconds per cycle. If the defender is a short bot, that allows them to cut under their pyramid to block a feeder bot from going around the long way, making their defense even more effective.

Defense like this can turn a 5-cycle bot (or a pair) into a 2-3 cycle bot(s).

Something that alot of teams seem to forget is that the defender is allowed to be in the feeder station and touching the feeder bot as long as the feeder bot isn't in the feeder station. And since most bots are longer than the feeder station is deep, you can actually use the backwall to help you keep them out. But goodness be careful you don't get boxed in by the opposing robot's teammate, or you'll be a sitting duck for penalties.