Quote:
Originally Posted by EricH
Some folks call that pit scouting; others call it useless.
You're actually better off having someone in the stands look at how those teams do in the last match before the one in which they play you, and getting the stats data down to the drivers as soon as it's collected, than asking them their stats, because their stats will almost invariably be without defense and/or estimates--and therefore higher than actual.
The other question would be, why are you having the drivers scout? I can understand if you're short on people, but IMO, drivers should not be scouting. They should be working with data they've been handed to develop a strategy.
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I'm our team's coach, head of mechanics, and part of our pit crew. Arguably, I should have the least free time of almost anyone on the team. But before every match, I take an in depth look at the scouting data for each team we're playing with and against, and then take a look at their robots in the pits. If we're with them, I ask to talk to their drivers or coach and talk strategy for a good five-ten minutes (sometimes multiple times before a match if it's a critical match).
Actually seeing the robots we'll be in a match with with my own eyes is really important. You can get a good sense of how their robot and team is doing just looking for yourself. That robot with a 2 CIM Kitbot drive and ugly painted bumpers? Might not going to move. Neat looking bot with only the programmer working in the pits? Could be someone to look out for. Afterwards, I actually go and talk with them, to see if we can help them get their bot ready, or just to talk strategy. It's important that I'm the one doing this because I'm the one who's going to have to face them or work with them on the field. Also, because I know what it's like to play in a match firsthand, I know what I need to look for to gauge their robot's performance.
I do agree that just asking teams "how they've been doing" and basing your strategy on that isn't the best plan. Team's overestimate, have a proximity bias, exhibit a halo effect, yada yada yada. Like you said, it's critical to base your assumptions on how their robot will do on your own (well collected) scouting data. On the other hand, actually seeing the robots and talking to their people (as a driver) can really give a better perspective on what your strategy should be.