[Oblarg]

I don't "hate" this game at all - I think it's one of the best underlying game designs FRC has had in recent memory, marred by significant problems with implementation.

The reffing at the Greater DC regional was about as good as I've seen anywhere this year, and the result was a game that was intense and fair. Teams with well-thought-out strategies, good drivers, and good robots were very successful.

The change from games mostly consisting of three robots playing in parallel to three robots playing as a team is massive and fundamental, and, in my estimation, a good thing. I see far more strategic depth in Aerial Assist than in any other FRC game I've experienced, and alliance communication and cohesion is absolutely required for any results. This engenders interaction between teams and builds rewarding relationships, and I think that can only be seen as a good thing.

There are still problems with fuzzy rules and ref overload, but (at least at Greater DC) the head ref was open about this and it was not a crippling problem.