Quote:
Originally Posted by wesbass23
Biggest advice I can give is to not try and do too much in your first year. Too many teams (veterans included) try and do too many things and end up not being able to do any one thing well. Focus on getting a strong working drivetrain If you go with a basic tank drive (also my recommendation), use at least 4 cims). Many teams are looked over in alliance selection if they have a poor drivetrain even if they have functioning other parts of their robot.
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All of this is very true. My team has made better robots in our last two years than we have ever made before, and it is because we have done specific things very well. In 2013, we focused on getting a really consistent shot. We did it, and ended up with our first regional win ever(albeit as a second pick defensive bot). One of the first things we look at is drivetrains. In fact, it is a deciding factor in who even gets on our pick list and who doesn't. Very, VERY few weak drivetrains ever make it onto our picklists. A good, powerful tank drivetrain means that even if your bot isn't the best at playing offense, you may get picked for your strong defensive capabilities. Look at 5125 at midwest regional. Their entire robot was a simple kitbot drivetrain. However, it was done so well it could push almost every robot at the event. Even through there were still collecting and scoring robots still available, they were the first alliance's second pick and ended up winning the regional.
To answer OP's questions, it really does vary based on what regional you attend. There are some locations where most teams have great resources and can make great robots. Other locations may not have as many resources, possibly caused by a lack of students, mentorship, or sponsorship.